Chapter 10: The Shadow Market

The jet ride home was quiet.

But Lycian’s phone was blowing up.

Messages from spies.

Reports from the border.

Kaelen wasn't bluffing.

Troops were moving.

Tanks were rolling toward the snow line.

"He's mobilizing," Lycian said.

"Faster than I thought."

"We have a month, maybe less."

"We need allies."

Arielle looked out the window.

"You have the Vampires."

"Neutral," Lycian corrected.

"They won't fight for us unless there's profit."

"What about Witches?"

"Hate wolves."

"What about Faes?"

"Unreliable."

"We are on our own, Arielle."

Arielle tapped her chin.

"Not necessarily."

"You have an army, Lycian."

"But you lack specialized gear."

"You need potions."

"You need Void-tech."

"And I know where to get it."

Lycian looked at her.

"Where?"

"The Undercity."

Lycian frowned.

"The Black Market?"

"That place is a cesspool."

"Criminals. Outcasts. Rogue mages."

"Exactly," Arielle grinned.

"My people."

"They hate the Inquisition."

"If we offer them gold and protection..."

"They will build us weapons Kaelen has never seen."

Lycian hesitated.

"It's dangerous."

"Even for me."

"The Undercity has no laws."

"I'll go alone," Arielle offered.

"I speak their language."

"Money and violence."

Lycian sighed.

"Fine."

"But take Sera."

"She needs field experience."

"And take a credit chip."

He tossed her a black card.

"Limit is five million."

"Don't spend it all on candy."

Arielle caught the card.

"No promises."

They landed at the Haven.

Arielle grabbed Sera.

"Shopping trip!"

Sera looked excited.

"Toy City?"

"Better," Arielle said.

"The sewers."

They took a civilian car this time.

An old SUV. Nondescript.

They drove south, past the border.

Into the ruins of Old York.

A city destroyed in the last war.

Now it was a skeleton of concrete.

But underneath...

Life thrived.

Arielle drove into a collapsed subway tunnel.

Guards stopped them.

Orcs. Huge. Green. Ugly.

"Toll," the Orc grunted.

Arielle rolled down the window.

She didn't pay.

She flashed her black eye.

The Orc flinched.

"Void?" he whispered.

"VIP," Arielle corrected.

"Open the gate."

The Orc scrambled to press the button.

The gate lifted.

The Undercity was vibrant.

Neon lights strung across damp tunnels.

Music thumping from hidden clubs.

Stalls selling everything illegal.

Dragon teeth.

Siren tears.

Forbidden grimoires.

Sera stared wide-eyed.

"It smells like..."

"Sulfur and cheap perfume," Arielle finished.

"Welcome to the bottom of the food chain."

They parked near the Market Square.

Arielle put on a hood.

"Stay close, Sera."

"Don't look anyone in the eye."

"And if someone touches you..."

"Break their fingers."

Sera nodded, looking tough.

Or trying to.

They walked through the crowd.

Goblins hawking scrap metal.

Dark Elves selling poisons.

Arielle ignored them.

She was looking for one shop.

The Alchemist's Den.

Run by a legendary crazy person.

Dr. Aris.

She found it near the back.

A small shop filled with bubbling jars.

Smoke poured out the door.

Green smoke.

Arielle walked in.

"Hello?"

A man popped up from behind the counter.

He had wild white hair.

Goggles.

A lab coat stained with... everything.

"We're closed!" he shouted.

"Experiment in progress!"

"It's going to explode in 3... 2..."

BOOM.

A beaker shattered.

Green slime coated the wall.

"Fascinating!" Dr. Aris yelled.

"Viscosity is up 40%!"

Arielle cleared her throat.

"Dr. Aris?"

He spun around.

"Who are you?"

"Inquisitor spy?"

"Tax collector?"

"I have a bomb!"

Arielle held up her hands.

"I'm a customer."

"A rich one."

She showed the black card.

Aris squinted.

"Northern Royal Bank?"

"Limit?"

"Five million."

Aris dropped the beaker.

"Open for business!"

"What do you need?"

"Explosives? Acids? Mutagens?"

"I have a potion that turns people into chickens."

"Temporary, usually."

Arielle leaned on the counter.

"I need anti-magic grenades."

"Specifically, ones that disrupt Inquisitor shields."

Aris whistled.

"Specific taste."

"Hard to make."

"Inquisitor shields are frequency-modulated."

"I'd need a sample of their energy."

Arielle held out her hand.

She summoned a small ball of purple Void.

Inside it, a tiny spark of golden light flickered.

Leftover from the armory raid.

"I have a sample."

Aris's eyes went wide behind his goggles.

"Void containment?"

"You're a Hybrid!"

"Can I dissect you?"

"No," Arielle said.

"But you can work for me."

"I need 500 grenades."

"And Void-bullets."

"Can you infuse lead with this stuff?"

She wiggled her dark fingers.

Aris grabbed a notebook.

He started scribbling furiously.

"Infusing lead... unstable."

"But if we use cold iron..."

"Yes! Yes!"

"I can do it."

"But it will cost you."

"Two million."

"And I want a lab."

"A real one."

"Not this hole."

Arielle smiled.

"How about a lab in a fortress?"

"Unlimited power."

"Armed guards."

"And all the test subjects you want."

" (Within reason)."

Aris stopped writing.

"You're offering me a job?"

"At the Haven?"

"Lycian hates science."

"Lycian hates losing," Arielle corrected.

"He's evolving."

"Pack your bags, Doc."

"We're moving out."

Aris started packing immediately.

Throwing dangerous chemicals into a duffel bag.

Sera watched nervously.

"Is he safe?"

"Absolutely not," Arielle said.

"That's why we need him."

They left the shop.

Aris followed, dragging a cart of equipment.

But the commotion had attracted attention.

A group of thugs blocked the alley.

Were-rats.

Dirty. Mean.

"Toll," the leader hissed.

"Big toll for the fancy car."

"And the pretty girl."

He licked his lips, looking at Sera.

Arielle sighed.

"I hate rats."

"Deja vu."

"Sera," she said.

"Field test."

"Handle them."

Sera froze.

"Me?"

"There are six of them!"

"You're an Alpha-tier wolf now, Sera."

"Stop acting like a maid."

"Shift."

Sera took a deep breath.

She closed her eyes.

She felt the knot gone.

She felt the power Arielle had unlocked.

She shifted.

Gold fur burst out.

She grew. And grew.

She towered over the rats.

The rats looked confused.

"Gold fur?"

"Is that a royal?"

Sera roared.

It shook the alley trash cans.

She swiped a massive paw.

The leader flew into a dumpster.

Out cold.

The other rats panicked.

They scrambled over each other to run.

Sera didn't chase.

She stood there, panting.

Proud.

Arielle clapped.

"Good girl."

"Next time, bite them."

"But good toss."

Aris looked impressed.

"Golden Wolf?"

"Rare mutation."

"Can I take a blood sample?"

Sera growled at him.

"Okay, okay, later," Aris muttered.

They loaded the SUV.

They drove out of the Undercity.

Leaving behind a legend.

The Void Witch and the Golden Beast.

And the Crazy Doctor.

Lycian's army was growing.

And it was getting weirder by the minute.

Back at the Haven, Lycian met them at the gate.

He saw the green smoke coming from the SUV.

He saw Aris cackling in the back seat.

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You brought a madman."

"I brought an R&D department," Arielle said.

"He makes bombs."

"He makes Void-bullets."

"He's going to win us the war."

Lycian looked at Aris.

Aris waved a test tube.

"I need a ventilation system!"

"And a coffee machine!"

Lycian sighed.

"Put him in the East Wing."

"Far away from the armory."

"If he blows up the castle, Arielle..."

"I'll clean it up," she promised.

"Trust me."

"This is just the beginning."

"Tomorrow, we visit the Vampires."

"I have a bank to rob."

"Legally."

Lycian looked at her.

Really looked at her.

She was chaos incarnate.

But she was getting results.

"Fine," he said.

"But tonight, we rest."

"Kaelen's army is stopped at the river."

"We have a few days."

"Let's not waste them."

Arielle smiled.

"Dinner?"

"Steak," Lycian said.

"Rare."

"Perfect," Arielle replied.

"I'm starving."

As they walked inside, the snow began to fall again.

Covering their tracks.

But the fire in the castle burned brighter than ever.

The North was waking up.

And it had teeth.