Page 79 of Forsaken Secrets

"Say nothing. That means you, Eli." He glared at the younger man.

Eli smirked and rubbed the back of his neck, but nodded.

We wound our way through the tents until finally we stood in front of a small building. The right wall was all one color — a pale yellow sandstone. Likely part of the original dwelling. The rest, though, was a patchwork quilt of bricks of different colors, shapes, and sizes. The owner must have taken apart the stones of different ruins and used them to build his store.

Mr. Harlsted gestured for us to be quiet, then slipped through the wooden front door. I followed behind him and was immediately assaulted by the scents of stale tobacco and dust. A tall spindly man with sharp features, cropped pale hair, and narrow blue eyes stood behind the counter.

He grunted when we walked in, but continued his conversation with his customer — a woman barely visible behind the tower of crates in front of the counter.

I couldn't help contrasting the proprietor and the whole shop with the Harlsteds. Where their shop was warm and welcoming, this place was dark and left me feeling on edge. The shelves were fully stocked, but dust covered most of the items.

Mr. Harlsted strode towards the counter and motioned for Eli and me to wander the rest of the store.

Most of the aisles were empty, except for some random bits of fabric and a few food items.

However, along the back wall was an open doorway. A shorter man dressed in burgundy livery stood there, blankly staring at the front of the store.

What was back there that someone had to stand guard?

Eli tugged on my arm, and we walked over. The man stepped away instantly.

So if he wasn't guarding the area, what was he there for?

We stepped past him and into a small room. A large lyphos lamp dangled from the ceiling, sending flickering shadows to illuminate shelves upon shelves of artifacts, old machinery, and books.

"Wow! Look at that!" Eli said, dropping my arm to gesture at a small table in the center of the room.

Atop it were objects of different sizes spread out haphazardly. In the middle of it all was a large, shiny, black cube with windows cut into every side.

Inside of it was what looked like a chunk of pink coral.

What was that?

I walked up to it and as soon as I reached out, the coral burst into flames, brightening the room further.

"What in the seven hells?" Eli said. "Didn't you learn anything from those relics in the caves? What if it's twisted?"

He was right. I grimaced and stepped away. The coral didn't go out, though, and I couldn't help wondering what its purpose was.

Relics using elemental magic were rare and very valuable, though this one was obviously faulty.

I desperately wanted to reach out and look at its korra, but that man stood outside the room, and the last thing I needed was to be caught using my magic.

"How is this even possible, Eli? Does the Empire never come here to collect?"

He chuckled. "It's a black market, Kaiya. They probably own at least part of it, if not the whole thing."

Of course. It was a brilliant way to let people work outside the law, while also being able to easily keep tabs on everything.

I tore my eyes from the coral relic and wandered to the shelving on the walls, letting my fingers drift over the book spines and desperately wishing I had enough funds to purchase them all.

Something tugged at me from the back of the shelves, though, and now familiar with the sensation, I reached back to see what it was.

The space was mostly empty, but there was something there. It was … .smooth and rectangular?

Curious, I pulled it out and smiled.

The small wooden box was covered in gold filigree, and the initials JLM stood raised at the center. Carefully, I lifted the lid and looked inside.

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