Chương 58: The City Between Mountains

The mountains grew larger with every day. By the time the group reached the final stretch of the eastern road, the peaks no longer looked distant. They surrounded the horizon like enormous walls of stone, their upper slopes covered in patches of snow despite the warmth of the lower valleys. Between those mountains stood Velaris. The city appeared shortly after noon.

From the top of the final hill, Leo could see its walls stretching between two enormous cliffs, with towers rising above them and several bridges connecting different sections of the city. Merchants crowded the roads leading toward the gates, while caravans carrying goods from the eastern territories moved in the opposite direction. It was larger than Raven's Rest. Smaller than the Royal Capital. But unlike the capital, Velaris did not feel as though it had been built around magic. Its walls were thick stone.

Its gates were reinforced with iron. Its towers were occupied by archers rather than mages. Even the buildings inside the walls seemed designed for practicality rather than beauty. Leo watched the city for several seconds.

"So this is Velaris." Serah nodded.

"Welcome to the city between mountains." Rowan stretched his arms.

"Three days ago, I thought we'd never reach it." Darin said nothing. He had barely spoken since the mountain pass. Leo noticed. He also noticed that Darin had stopped carrying the wooden box openly. It was now hidden somewhere beneath his clothes. Whatever was inside it mattered to him. And apparently to someone else. Leo did not ask. He had already decided that Darin's problem was not his responsibility. That decision became harder to maintain once they reached the gates. The city guard stopped them.

"Travel documents." Serah handed theirs over. The guard examined each one. When he reached Darin, he looked at him for several seconds.

"Merchant?"

"Yes."

"From where?"

"South."

"Family name?" Darin hesitated.

"Vale." The guard looked at the document again. Then at Darin.

"Move along." The group passed through. Leo noticed the hesitation. So did Serah. Neither commented. The moment they entered the city, the difference became obvious. Velaris was crowded. Merchants shouted prices from wooden stalls. Blacksmiths worked beside open workshops. Children ran between carts. Travelers from different regions filled the streets, and Leo heard several languages he did not recognize. The smell of cooked meat mixed with smoke, leather, spices, and horse sweat. It was noisy. Messy. Alive.

Leo found himself watching everything. The Royal Capital had been enormous, but most of its districts had felt organized. Velaris was different. It had grown rather than been planned. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Old buildings stood beside new ones. Narrow alleys disappeared behind crowded markets. Some streets were wide enough for two caravans. Others barely allowed a single horse to pass. Leo liked it.

It felt like a city shaped by people rather than rulers. Serah pointed toward a large building ahead.

"We'll stay there." Leo looked at the sign. The Copper Lantern.

"You know the owner?"

"Yes." Rowan smiled.

"Serah knows everyone."

"I do not."

"You know enough people that it becomes suspicious." Serah ignored him. Leo followed them inside. The inn was crowded. Nearly every table was occupied. A large fireplace occupied the far wall, while several travelers sat around it discussing the latest news from the eastern territories. Leo listened without appearing to.

"Another caravan disappeared yesterday."

"Near the northern pass?"

"No. The old road."

"That makes four this month."

"Four?"

"Five." A merchant lowered his voice.

"They found one of the wagons."

"What happened?"

"Nothing was inside."

"Nothing?"

"No goods. No bodies. Nothing." The other merchant frowned.

"Then why would anyone take the wagon?"

"That is what people are asking." Leo's expression remained neutral. But his attention sharpened. The missing caravans were not isolated incidents. Something was happening in the mountains. And it had been happening for longer than he had initially realized. Serah placed the room keys on the table.

"We have rooms." Rowan immediately took one. Darin took another. Serah looked at Leo.

"You'll have the last one." Leo nodded.

"Thank you." She paused.

"You're not going to investigate the disappearances, are you?"

"No."

"You looked interested."

"Interest isn't responsibility." Serah smiled.

"That's a surprisingly reasonable answer." Leo took the key.

"I'll be leaving in a few days."

"Where?"

"East." She looked at him.

"There's very little beyond the next mountain range."

"That doesn't mean there's nothing." Serah studied him for a moment. Then nodded.

"I suppose not." That evening, Leo walked through Velaris alone. He did not wear the mask. There was no reason to. The city knew nothing about Leo Shakespeare. As far as anyone here was concerned, he was simply another traveler. He walked through the market, examined weapons at several smithies, visited a small bookstore, and spent almost an hour watching a group of local fighters practicing in a public courtyard. Their techniques were different from those taught at the academy. Less polished. More practical.

One fighter used a short spear. Another fought with a curved sword. A third relied almost entirely on grappling. Leo watched quietly. A young man noticed him.

"You're staring." Leo looked at him.

"I'm observing."

"Why?"

"Your footwork." The young man frowned.

"What's wrong with it?"

"You place too much weight on your front leg." The young man looked down. Leo continued walking.

"It's easy to exploit." The man stared after him. Then looked at his stance. He slowly shifted his weight. Leo did not look back. He had no intention of teaching anyone. It had simply been obvious. When Leo returned to the inn, he found Serah waiting outside his room.

"There you are."

"What happened?"

"Darin left." Leo stopped.

"When?"

"An hour ago."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He wouldn't tell me." Leo looked down the corridor.

"Where did he go?" Serah handed him a small piece of paper.

"He left this." Leo unfolded it. Only a few words had been written. Don't follow me. Leo stared at the message. Then folded it again.

"He expects someone to follow him." Serah's expression tightened.

"That was my thought."

"Where?"

"He mentioned the old quarter earlier." Leo nodded. Then walked past her. Serah turned.

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep." She stared at him.

"You're not going after him?"

"No."

"You aren't even curious?"

"I am."

"Then why?" Leo stopped.

"Because he asked me not to." Serah looked at him for several seconds. Then smiled.

"You really mean that."

"Yes." She sighed.

"Fine." Leo entered his room. The door closed. For several minutes, he stood in silence. Then he looked at the black mask lying on the table. He picked it up. He had no obligation to follow Darin. That was true. But there was another truth. The people searching for Darin were connected to the silver-threaded organization. And that organization had already interfered with the Arcane Convergence. Leo had decided not to pursue them. But he had never decided to ignore them if they appeared directly in his path.

He put the mask away. Not yet. He would wait. Two hours later, someone screamed in the old quarter. Leo opened his eyes. He had been meditating. The scream was followed by the sound of running feet. Then silence. Leo stood. He looked through the window. The old quarter was several streets away. He could not see anything from here. But he could sense something. A disturbance in the air. Not magic. Something physical. Leo reached for his sword. He paused. Then picked up the mask. The old quarter was almost empty.

Leo moved across the rooftops, using the darkness to conceal himself. Below him, several guards were searching the narrow streets. One body lay beside a wall. Leo stopped. He recognized the clothing. One of the men from the mountain pass. The man's throat had been cut. There was no struggle around the body. One clean attack. Leo crouched. He examined the ground. Footprints. Two people. One heavier. One lighter. The lighter set belonged to Darin. Leo's eyes narrowed. He looked farther down the alley.

A door stood open. Light flickered inside. Then a voice emerged.

"You should have handed it over when we asked." Darin answered.

"I don't have it."

"You're lying."

"I destroyed it." A pause. Then came a quiet laugh.

"You don't have the courage." Leo moved toward the building. He reached the window. Inside were four people. Three standing. Darin kneeling. Blood covered one side of his face. The leader held a short blade against his throat.

"Where is the crystal?" Darin said nothing. The leader leaned closer.

"You should have remembered who your family owes." Darin's expression changed.

"My family owes nothing to you." The leader smiled.

"Then perhaps your family can explain why one of their merchants was carrying something that belonged to us." Leo's eyes narrowed. The black crystal. So that was the reason. It hadn't been random. Darin's family had been involved somehow. Perhaps unknowingly. Perhaps not. The leader raised his blade. Leo's hand tightened around his sword. He had promised himself that he would not become involved. But the decision had already become meaningless. The organization had crossed his path again.

Leo stepped through the window. The glass shattered. Everyone inside turned. The masked swordsman landed silently on the wooden floor. The leader froze. Darin stared at him. Leo slowly drew his sword. The red lines of the black mask caught the dim light. Nobody spoke. Then one of the men whispered:"The Heavenly Demon." Leo looked at him. The title had spread farther than he expected. He raised his sword.

"Let him go." The leader smiled.

"You again." Leo's eyes narrowed. The man lifted his blade.

"Then let's see whether the stories are true." Leo took one step forward. Outside, the bells of Velaris suddenly began ringing. Not one bell. All of them. Something enormous had happened elsewhere in the city. Leo heard the distant roar of an explosion. The four men looked toward the window. For a single moment, everyone understood the same thing. This was no longer a small confrontation in an abandoned building. Something had begun in Velaris. And Leo had arrived at the center of it. End of Chapter 58.