The Shadow

Chapter 2

Kai shook away his thoughts as he neared the bottom of the stairs. The Den was quite deep underground, and for good reason. It would be easily betrayed by the shouts and screams coming from within.

"Who are you, and what's your business here?" two large, muscled men stood before large stone double doors, wielding daggers.

"The Shadow. I've come to talk to a friend," Kai said. There was little point attempting to hide his identity in a place full of men whom he had killed for. The guard's faces paled and they pushed open the stone doors.

The Den consisted of a series of massive chambers, the first of which smelled like ale and sweat. Smaller rooms lined the larger chamber's walls, all carved from stone.

"Thank you," Kai said, pushing past the two men as he thrust his hands into his coat pockets. The room was packed. To his left, a bartender poured ale for dozens of drunken men, who laughed and shouted as they drank. Rows of stalls lined the first chamber's wallspace, selling an abundance of illegal goods.

The next room was larger, and far louder. In the center of the chamber, a large circle had been indented a couple of meters into the ground. It was just as it had been before, Kai remembered. Spectators stood around the circle, making bets and laughing. Tables and chairs lined one side of the room; Kai headed there.

He stopped, turning for a moment toward the pit. It had been years since he had been down there, but he remembered it as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. Shouting, dust, blood, and adrenaline like he had never felt before. Kai had enjoyed fighting in the pit—the death there did not seem nearly as wrong as his work outside the Den. It had not taken long for the fighters of the Den to fear him. His reputation had stemmed largely from this place, where his fame had grown in a small, round indentation in the ground. In the moment, he almost wished to return to the pit; wished to feel fire in his veins as he fought for his life. But no, he was here for other reasons.

Spying two figures in a shadowed corner of the room, Kai pushed past the pit, edging toward them. They were arguing. One was lean and looked to be young, wearing all black. Kai instantly recognized him; he had known the man for a large part of his life. The other man was larger, with a bald white head that shone with perspiration. He weld several blades at his side, along with a longsword strapped across his muscled back. Kai scoffed. The man seemed to be sweating from anger, rather than fear. His mistake.

"...being kind," the bald man was whispering, not quietly. "I could kill you now for what your men did. Instead I demand only 150 gold pieces."

Kai's eyes widened at that, and he scanned the area surrounding the table. He stood a meter away from the table at which the two men sat, hood pulled over his head as he watched the entertainment pit, eavesdropping all the while. 150 gold pieces... A large fortune. One could buy castles or crowns with such an amount. Casting his gaze at the figures seated at the tables surrounding him, Kai's eyes narrowed. Surely enough, a dozen men took small sips of watered-down wine, eyes fixed on their employer's shimmering head.

"I want no trouble, Gib," the younger man said with a sigh. "But I cannot give you 150 pieces. My men acted on their own, out of spite. Let us leave it at that—I would rather not become your enemy." He smiled in a way that spoke otherwise.

Gib bristled, face reddening as he shot to his feet, pulling a dagger from its scabbard. The men seated at the tables beside him instantly rose as well, drawing their own blades.

Other men began to take notice, shouting as they left the ring that had formed around the pit. The smartest among the hundreds in the chamber pushed past the rest and out of the room, away from the ensuing carnage.