Affinity:Chaos

"Come with me."

The Mayor rose from his seat and walked through the side door of the main hall. Grey stood as well, giving Reynolds a small signal to remain behind, then followed the older man into a narrow corridor. They moved in silence until they reached a more secure chamber deeper inside the manor. The Mayor raised one hand and a quiet barrier settled around the room, sealing off sound and prying senses.

"Why did you reveal that information in front of so many people?" the old man asked, his voice low but sharp.

Grey understood the concern at once and offered a calm smile. "Don’t worry, Elder. I wouldn’t have spoken if I weren’t confident."

"For Necromancers to hide inside my city, someone here must be helping them."

"Yes," Grey agreed. "And the person who can give us that answer should be among those present here."

The Mayor’s eyes narrowed. "Who?"

Grey described what he had observed the moment he mentioned the Necromancers. Two of the Eighth-stage Sovereigns had not reacted with the same open shock as the others. Instead, both had shown a brief, poorly hidden flicker of fear and panic. That single difference was enough to place them under suspicion. One of them, or possibly both, had likely made contact with the Necromancers and was the one helping them hide in the city.

The Mayor studied Grey for a long moment, then gave a short, approving nod. He had not expected the young man to use the announcement itself as a probe.

"Smart," he said, lightly tapping Grey’s shoulder. "Since you’ve already set the bait, we should return before they grow suspicious and slip away."

He kept his hand on Grey’s shoulder as they walked back toward the main hall.

When they re-entered, the elders were speaking in small, tight groups of two and three. Conversation faltered the moment the pair returned to their seats without a word. Curious glances followed them, but no one dared ask what had been discussed.

The Mayor settled back into the main seat and spoke in a clear, carrying voice. "Since Grey is the one who located the Necromancers’ hideout, he will take charge of the purge."

A few soft gasps rose across the hall, yet no one objected. The Mayor also served as the city’s General; his decisions were final. All eyes turned to Grey, waiting.

Grey stood, hands clasped loosely behind his back, and addressed the room with the same emotionless expression as when he first appeared. "In two days’ time, every Sovereign of the Seventh stage and above is to report here to the Mayor’s manor."

He gave the Mayor a brief nod, then walked out of the hall with Reynolds following in silence. To anyone watching, Reynolds might have looked more like a bodyguard than a companion.

Outside the manor gates, the two of them moved a short distance down a quiet side street. Once they confirmed no one was nearby, Grey called the bunny leader out of the spatial storage.

"Did you tag them?"

"Yes," the bunny leader replied. "The moment either of them leaves the manor, my scouts will follow."

Reynolds looked between them. "What’s going on?"

Grey explained without hurry. "There are two people I suspect of working with the Necromancers. I want them tracked."

Understanding settled over Reynolds’s face. He had wondered why Grey would announce the existence of a Necromancer hideout so openly when there was a real chance someone in the room was compromised. Now the reason was clear. He gave Grey a short thumbs-up for the quick thinking, then asked, "What do we do while we wait?"

Grey’s expression lightened. "I’ve never really had the chance to look around this city properly. The first time I came here, during my early months in the Faction, I was too busy. Keith once told me they have one of the best dishes in the entire region."

The moment the words "best dish" left his mouth, Void appeared beside him as if summoned by the promise of food.

"Why didn’t we visit then?" the cat demanded.

"I was busy."

Four hours later the moon hung high and clear, stars scattered thickly across the night sky. Lanterns lined the streets of Cinderloch City, casting warm pools of light over the stone roads that were still busy even at this hour.

Grey, Reynolds, Void, and the bunny leader stepped out of a well-known inn, all of them wearing the satisfied look of people who had eaten well. Void fixed Grey with a reproachful stare.

"Why didn’t we come here sooner?"

"I already told you I was busy."

"We could have been eating this every time you were training in the Faction."

"I didn’t know the dish would be this good."

Void continued his complaints as they walked toward the tavern where they had rented rooms for the night. Just as they reached the entrance, the bunny leader tapped Grey’s shoulder.

"One of them is moving."

A small smile touched Grey’s lips. "I was starting to think he would never leave."

They turned at once and melted back into the lantern-lit streets, heading north through the still-crowded avenues.

Somewhere in the northern district of Cinderloch City, a figure slipped out of a modest building. He was dressed entirely in black, face hidden behind a dark cloth. With a single leap he landed silently on the rooftop and began racing eastward across the connected roofs, keeping low and fast.

He was only halfway to his destination when two figures came into view, sitting casually on a rooftop ahead. One of them swung his legs over the edge while a small black cat twined its tail around the young man’s face, clearly unconcerned by the height or the hour.

The black-clad figure froze, never expecting to see anyone in his path, much less in the dead of the night. He wanted to go back into the shadows but he could tell that the two figures had already seen him.

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