Bone Diggers - Chapter Three

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Loading... Chapter Three

The night was filled with color. Under the candlelight that lined the streets, Daniel's mask had a metallic tint. Black lined his cheeks and nose, while red swirled around his eyes like flames. The same shimmering red was carried to the sides of his eyes where three black stones lay.

There were two things on his mind as he walked around the masquerade. The first was to find Amilia, but his thoughts also hovered over the mission the guild was running tonight. Big crowds always brought out important people. An official had come out to play and the guild was itching to scratch him off their list.

A man fell in stride with Daniel, his mask matching with reversed colors. Lance was on the prowl, but wouldn't be alone for it. It didn't take them long before they spotted the chubby official as he moved his hips out of time with the music. The dance had an odd sort of wobble when he did it, but the women dancing with him were trying to follow along.

Lance was something else when he hunted. His movements were precise and calculated as he broke off and worked through the crowd. His stealth would have been enough if one of the girls didn't trip over the official's feet, revealing Lance's approach. Fear painted the official's face. He pushed the woman aside and bolted through the group of people. Lance let out a curse and darted after him.

Distracted in the search for Amilia, Daniel didn't spot the problem until people started running. If he moved toward the next street, the official would run straight over to him, not even aware of their connection. Daniel stepped out, blocking the path as he pulled out his blades. The bureaucrat stopped short, staring as the metal gleamed in the moonlight.

The two were in silent stand-off for what must have felt like hours. The staring contest was ruined as the man's eyes went wide with shock before blinking back pain. Standing behind the bureaucrat was another man—his dagger coated with blood. Lance grabbed the bureaucrat before he fell and helped him discreetly slump against the wall.

"Thanks." Lance's expression softened as he looked to Daniel. "I was worried that I would draw attention."

"I'll always have your back."

Lance smiled as he stood up. "And you have a meeting tonight."

Daniel scoffed at his word choice.

"No? What would you call it? Something more?"

Daniel was quick to say no, which only made Lance's grin shine brighter. "So, where are you headed?" he asked changing the subject.

"Thought I'd give the guild good news," Lance said. "I can tell them of the valiant work you did as a roadblock."

A cough erupted from Daniel's throat. "Sonnets will be written about our adventures."

Lance skewed his face up to the side as he imagined how those would sound. "Maybe we'll find a bigger adventure before we get the poets involved." He patted Daniel on the shoulder before retiring for the night.

The immediate addition to Daniel's to-do list was to move away from the body. More time passed and he started to grow concerned that Amilia had yet to appear. Maybe she changed her mind about the whole thing. Daniel walked around until he ended up back where he started. He sighed. There must have been something he missed.

"Señor?"

He turned, expecting to find Amilia standing there, but instead was taken aback by another woman standing there with a goblet in her hand. Her outfit suggested that she was a barmaid, and reflexively Daniel reached for his coin purse.

"Oh don't worry, its covered," The woman said. "You just looked like you were in a need of a drink."

Daniel blinked hard at the wine now in his hand, mumbling a surprised thanks before the woman left.

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