Pocket Dungeon 3, page 25
“That’s fine,” I said flatly and held up my hand to stop him. “Thank you for your time.”
And with that, I linked my arm through Iris’ and turned her so we were facing the opposite direction from Milton in the hope it made him pick up the goddamned hint.
Only a few seconds later, I heard the undeniable sound of orthopedic shoes shuffling on tile, and I knew then that Milton was gone. He’d probably wandered off to go make another woman uncomfortable or have some sort of vaguely definable senior moment next to the table laden with tiny trays of shrimp cocktails.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Iris let out a heavy sigh and allowed her shoulders to slump down with a slightly dramatic flourish.
I, on the other hand, grinned at her.
“Business deal?” I asked as I reached out to tuck a loose strand of platinum-blonde hair behind her ear.
“It was Elaene’s idea, actually,” Iris said and nodded her head over in the direction of both inhuman women as they continued to speak with the pink-haired woman. “Coming up with an excuse to actually talk to all of these guys that wasn’t just ‘hey, do you know who’s actually in charge?’ She said people are doing business here all the time, and so…”
“If we said we had a massive deal we were working on, something with a lot of money and moving parts involved, we would work our way through a chain of getting pointed in the right direction until we reached the top,” I surmised.
Elaene was right. It was definitely a good idea, and I was more than a little impressed she’d come up with it so quickly. But then again, she’d presumably had a lot of time to think about something like this.
“What are they doing?” I asked and nodded toward Yasha and Elaene. At our new angle, Iris and I were able to see them as they spoke with the pink-haired woman, but I tried not to make my staring too noticeable. I didn’t want the other woman to freak if she realized I was staring, even though it wouldn’t have been at her.
“We thought it would be smartest if they tried to talk to the women who aren’t fully human,” Iris explained. “Because they’ve already got a sort of built-in kinship, meanwhile the men were probably a little more likely to talk to me because I’m human and I’m probably not perceived as nearly as much of an object as they are.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Milton definitely was staring at your chest like you were an object.”
“Nearly as much,” Iris repeated.
“That aside,” I said. “That is a really good plan. I’m glad the three of you were able to work that out so seamlessly and efficiently.”
“What about you?” Iris asked as we drifted through the crowd a safe distance behind Yasha and Elaene. There was no way in hell I trusted any of the men in this building not to be terrible people.
Even just being in the same space as them was making me feel like a worse person, even though I was here to put a stop to it all. Their soulless, greedy energy made the entire space feel gross, like it was festering with rot just waiting to bubble up to the surface.
But then again, that was every room filled with ungodly rich dudes. They all undoubtedly had so many skeletons in their closets, they might as well have been hosting full-on graveyards in their homes.
“Black is definitely bad news,” I said. “He wanted to know where I got Elaene from. I think it might have been the real reason he approached me.”
“What did you tell him?” Iris asked.
“That I bought her off someone else,” I said. “I kept it vague, but apparently it was pretty believable, because he let it go pretty quickly.”
“What else did he talk to you about?” Iris asked. “If it wasn’t just obviously about Elaene?”
“I think he was trying to scope us out, too,” I said. “He was making it sound like he was actually just more concerned about how I got in here at all. They’ve been tighter on security since Harper died, he said. And so apparently new faces are pretty rare, especially at a party like this.”
“Oh, really?” Iris seemed surprised. “I kind of figured that if you were able to snag an invitation, all questions would cease at the door.”
“I’d initially thought that, too,” I said. “But apparently parties like this tend to be for higher-ranking members of the organization, versus the auctions themselves, which are more open to everyone.”
“You mean to tell me Milton is actually high up in all of this and wasn’t just a weird prank gone wrong?” Iris looked dubious.
“As much as it pains me,” I began. “That is absolutely what I’m telling you.”
“Well, I don’t like that at all,” Iris said.
“I doubt anyone does. Milton sort of seems like he definitely sucks,” I said.
Iris snorted and gave a slight shake of her head.
“This entire thing definitely sucks,” she said. “And the worst part about it definitely sucking is the fact it’s feeling more and more like we’re just being given the runaround. Everyone is so secretive that they can’t trust anyone else, and no one wants to tell us anything.”
“You’ve summed it up fairly well,” I grumbled and shook my head in disdain. “But yeah, Black wasn’t trying to fist fight me or something for Elaene, he was essentially fishing. Both about her, and how we got here at all. But he definitely knows she’s here, so we need to be aware of that.”
“Duly noted, but I can’t help but be worried,” Iris said before chewing the inside of her cheek. “This all just feels like it’s working out almost too perfectly. We were able to get in without any real issues, or at the very least we didn’t have to break in. I feel like I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“I agree, I’m uneasy,” I said wryly. “But there’s still the next issue: His ring.”
“I take it you weren’t able to get it off then?” Iris glanced down at my hands, like maybe I had actually done it and she just hadn’t seen it.
“No luck,” I told her. “It’s on there pretty damn tight. I think our best course of action is to cause some sort of distraction. It has to be pretty big to make sure he’s entirely preoccupied while I steal the ring off his finger.”
“What sort of thing were you thinking?” Iris asked.
My eyes drifted back over to Yasha and Elaene, who had apparently finished their conversation with the pink-haired woman and were now heading back in our direction with clear purpose in their steps.
“I’ve got an idea,” I said. “And I think it’s crazy enough it just might work.”
“I hope the idea isn’t cutting off his finger,” Iris said then paused. “No, actually, I really do hope it’s cutting off his finger. I feel like it’s the least he deserves after everything he’s done.
“Believe me,” I said as the other two women came to stand with us. “I’d love to cut off Black’s finger, but that would draw too much attention to what we are doing. Speaking of which, before I go on, did you two learn anything important?”
“We might have,” Yasha finally said. “It is hard to tell what is important or not, as she told us many, many things.”
“Pexis,” Elaene said.
“Bless you,” I replied.
“No, the woman, her name is Pexis. She and I were both sold at the same auction,” she explained. “We have always been comrades in this strange new world we were brought into, and she was quite relieved to see I wasn’t dead like she’d been told. Apparently the story of my getting dragged back into the dungeon is becoming quite famous in these circles, and it’s being used to keep women even further in line than before. The worst part is it seems to be working.”
The Atlantean woman gave a slow shake of her head as her eyes pressed tightly closed. This was too much, but despite the weight of it all on her shoulders, Elaene straightened up once more and met my gaze. Her stormy, green-gray eyes were bright with intensity.
“What did Pexis have to say? If she said anything else, I mean,” I pressed on.
“That things are changing very rapidly here,” Elaene continued. “Since I was taken away less than a week ago, things have only gotten worse for the women snatched from the dungeons, and the frequency with which it happens is increasing exponentially.”
“And does she have any idea why?” I asked.
Elaene’s lovely face darkened. “New stock to replace those who have been corrupted by the knowledge of my attempted coup against Archibald. It has apparently been quite inspiring to many, even as I became a martyr.”
I narrowed my eyes, and even though this all deeply disgusted me, it had also caused a lightbulb to go off in my head.
“So… you’re saying many men in this very room are chomping at the bit to purchase new women immediately…” I mused. “And tensions are understandably high.”
“Yes…” The Atlantean frowned in confusion.
I gestured for the women to step a little closer as I lowered my voice even more.
“That could work for us,” I said. “In fact, I think that will explicitly work for us right now.”
Chapter 17
“What do you mean?” Elaene whispered with an energetic glint in her eyes.
“Well, if inhuman women are growing in demand, it might explain why the two of you are getting gawked at so visibly. Especially considering you aren’t in cages like most of the other women,” I said. “Iris is being stared at as well, but it’s different with the two of you.”
“He’s right,” Iris agreed. “I can feel myself being watched, but I don’t feel like I’m being hunted.”
“That is a quite succinct way to put the statement,” Elaene said and nodded her head once. “What is it you would have us do? What does this plan of yours entail?”
“I think we can orchestrate a sort of… misunderstanding,” I said slowly as I tried to figure out the best way to articulate the plan. “One of you offers yourself up for sale, or at least heavily implies it, to one of the men you’ve been speaking with, maybe imply I’m not a good guy to be with or something, and when they attempt to take you, I can storm over in a rage and start a fight.”
“And what then?” Yasha asked. “During this battle?”
“You’ll get close to Black and slip the ring off his finger while he’s distracted.
“We’ll need to make this all look pretty extreme so it’s actually believable,” Iris pointed out.
“I think we can manage it,” I said. “I also think we might be able to get those cages unlocked if we time everything just right.”
I didn’t have to gesture for the three women with me to know exactly what cages I was talking about: The ones holding the poor, trapped inhuman women. Even just the thought of them made my stomach roil, and I was fairly certain I was going to throw up if I thought about it for much longer at all.
“Which of us will offer ourselves for sale?” Elaene asked.
“You,” I said. “Yasha’s faster on her feet, considering yours are still injured, so I think she’s got a better chance of getting the ring off Black’s finger. Plus, it will help if she wears this.”
I slipped off the Ring of Invisibility and handed it to Yasha, and the fox-woman nodded before gratefully slipping it on.
She flexed her fingers as if she needed to adjust to the feeling of the ring before nodding.
“I’ll shove the fight toward Black so he gets knocked around a little before security can get over here, and that should prove the perfect cover for you, Yasha. Do you think you can handle it?” I asked her anxiously.
The fox-woman nodded, and her lips pressed into a determined line.
“I will do whatever it takes,” she decreed.
“Good,” I said. “As for you, Iris, it’s your job to unlatch as many of the cages in the back as you can. I don’t know if any of the women will technically be on our side, but you need to tell them to stay in their cages, even when they open. I want to get them out of here too, but I also know they wouldn’t be able to escape this place on their own. So if they stay put, hopefully the cages opening still causes the extra chaos and panic without putting the women in harm’s way.”
“No,” Elaene said quickly, and I was surprised with the vehemence with which she said it. “Do not release them.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“It sounds terrible, I know,” Elaene began. “But even if it is not their fault the cages unlatch, and even if they do not leave them, they will be punished.”
“That’s awful…” I frowned. “Fuck, I don’t want them to get hurt.”
“It isn’t your fault that you didn’t come to that conclusion,” Elaene said, and she sounded undeniably sad. “You’re a good man, of course you wouldn’t think they would be punished for things they didn’t do.”
“Shit,” I sighed. “Well, scratch that part of the plan.”
“We will save them eventually,” Iris said with determination. “Remember, this is only the beginning of our work with this disgusting organization.”
“Damn right, it is,” I practically growled. “The sooner we figure out how this shit is set up, the sooner those girls are freed from this fucked-up system. I’ll track each and every one of them down myself if I have to. But there is something else you can do, Iris.”
“What would that be?” Iris raised her brows.
“You’re good at the espionage thing, getting answers from people,” I said. “Keep doing that. Keep trying to work your way up the chain of the hierarchy here. I want to have as much information as possible by the end of the night, and once we get out of here, we can look at Black’s house, too. Clearly, if he’s interrogating new people, he has to be pretty high up, right?”
“I can do that,” Iris said. “And after that?”
“We get the hell out of Dodge,” I said. “We get out of here as fast as we can, which should be par for the course if we just started a fight, and we head back to the Benz as discreetly as possible. Yasha, I think you should stay invisible until we get to our SUV, just to be on the safe side. I don’t want anyone seeing you and recognizing his signet ring on your finger.”
“I can do that,” Yasha said and nodded her head.
“Are there any other kinks in the plan you think we need to work out?” The question was aimed at all three of the women as I looked between them.
They each wore a determined look on their faces, and I knew they were taking this all just as seriously as I was. It wasn’t just our lives we were trying to save, but those of countless others that Black might hurt if he continued to have access to these black markets.
“I don’t think so,” Iris said.
“No,” Elaene added. “I think it should run quite smoothly. And it is wise I be the one to try and draw the attention of the members, I know many of them well, and I know of a few who would even contemplate my fake offer now that I am no longer in Archibald’s life.”
“Even better,” I said. “I want this to be believable, because I really don’t want anyone trying to piece together what happened and it coming back to us somehow. I didn’t tell him my name when we spoke earlier, but I can’t be certain he doesn’t know it. After all, he knew about the man we ran into in the dungeon.”
“What?” Yasha’s golden eyes widened in shock. “Why did you not say this sooner!”
“We were working through other stuff at the moment,” I reminded her. “And he didn’t say anything about the promises we made him give us, about telling his boss we weren’t worth it. He just said he knew someone had been saved from a dungeon this week.”
“That still feels a little close for comfort,” Iris said.
“I don’t disagree,” I told her. “Which is why we need to be really, really careful with all of this. The last thing I want is something bad to happen to any of you, or god forbid a single one of you gets hurt.”
“We can handle it, Wes,” Elaene assured me.
All of us were speaking in low tones bordering on whispers, but she still sounded like tinkling bells when she spoke, or the music of waves crashing down against the shore. She was enchanting to listen to, and I knew at that moment I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.
But it was not the time to dwell on something like that. We had a fight to start, a ring to steal, and a bunch of women to release.
“I think it’s go time,” I said, and a wide grin split across my face. “Let’s get a move on. The sooner we can get out of here, the better, and the less likely I am to try and shoot Black here and now.”
The three women all nodded. Iris was the first to lean over and give me a soft peck on the cheek before she turned on her heel and disappeared seamlessly into the thick throng of people.
Next was Elaene.
The Atlantean woman gave me a gentle smile and squeezed my hand.
“It is a good plan, Wes,” she told me. “Everything will work out.”
“I hope so,” I said. “Be careful.”
“I am nothing if not,” she told me before gently lifting her skirts and turning to study all of the people in the gala to search for the best target. She was still for only a moment longer before she began to take slow, cautious steps.
Finally, Yasha gave me a quick peck on the cheek before she grinned and flashed her sharp canines. “This will be quite fun.”
“I hope so.” I pushed my hand up through my hair and leaned up against the fox-woman for a moment. It was smart she was holding back, as it was probably best to stagger the time it took each of the women to leave my side, just in case anyone happened to be looking over here and got suspicious.
“I will be back soon, I must go to the bathroom,” Yasha said, and with that, the last of my companions turned and made her way into the mass of people.
I watched as Yasha bobbed and weaved through the crowd until she arrived at the bathroom doors in the far corner and disappeared inside. A second later, the door swung open again, but there wasn’t a person in sight.
“Perfect.” I nodded as I realized she’d found the best means of turning invisible without causing a stir.
Despite my confidence that we’d covered all our bases, I was still undeniably nervous. It was practically impossible not to be, not with so many things and so many people’s lives on the line. How could I not feel like I was about to throw up?
