Chapter 27: Noble Stains
The sky had deepened into shades of mauve and slate. A gull’s cry echoed from the distant docks, but this part of the city was eerily quiet—too quiet for a port district. The usual clatter of carts and chatter of traders had vanished behind us, swallowed by narrow lanes and forgotten alleys.
Once we ducked into a secluded corner behind a crumbling stone building, Alessio drew his sea-green pendant—the communication artifact—from beneath his cloak. A soft glow shimmered across its surface as he began the call.
Alessio pressed two fingers to the surface of the pendant. A soft glow shimmered across it as the connection activated. His voice remained low and steady as he relayed instructions through the link. He told Caleb what we’d found and sent our location—a built-in feature of the pendant that let users on the same network track each other in real time.
At the same time, Alessio gave Mateo a separate order: find the boy’s younger sister and secure her before anyone could move her.
Caleb’s response came swiftly, efficient as ever. A heartbeat later, Mateo replied—his voice steady despite the winded edge to it, footsteps thudding faintly in the background. He was already on the move. Still, his tone remained calm and assured: he would handle it.
With the exchange complete, Alessio ended the call and tucked the pendant back beneath his cloak.
"Ready?" he asked.
I nodded.
We circled toward the warehouse from the rear, careful not to make a sound as we stepped over broken crates and weed-cracked stone. One of the side windows, though boarded from the outside, had slats just wide enough to see through. Alessio gave me a boost, and I climbed quietly, settling in the narrow space between the wall and the overhanging eave. He followed, crouching beside me.
We’d found the perfect vantage point—just high enough, hidden in shadow, and close enough to hear the voices inside.
Inside, the warehouse wasn’t as dim as I expected. Lanterns hung from wooden beams, flickering over crates stacked to the ceiling, some marked with false shipping crests. Toward the far end of the building, a group of men stood in a loose half-circle around someone... someone who hadn’t turned around yet.