Chapter 14: You are drunk!

“You sure can. After you.” Mohind gestured, allowing Irin to walk ahead of him. Irin felt like his eyes were boring a hole in her arse as she tried not to turn around. The feeling made her skin crawl, and she badly wanted to turn and stab him with one of the small throwing daggers she had hidden. As they returned to the casino, Mohind guided her to the bar and ordered her some wine. He began introducing Irin to other guests, and she had the feeling she had now become his eye candy.

“So, you just up and betray me the first chance you get?” Both Mohind and Irin turned around. Koth looked even more drunk than the last time Irin had seen him. Two of Mohind’s bodyguards stepped in front of Koth. Even Irin could see that if Koth really wanted to get to her and Mohind, the two of them wouldn’t stand a chance.

“The lady is with me,” Mohind said in a dismissive tone.

“You false little bitch,” Koth snapped.

“At least he is nice,” Irin snapped back.

“Get your bum over here and out into the carriage, we are going home,” Koth roared. Irin took a step back, and Mohind turned his body towards her, half-blocking Koth.

“Don’t be afraid, you will come to my bed tonight. I won’t let this brute ruin that,” he told her. Irin was so shocked by the announcement that she just stared at him. “What? Did you think my protection was free?” he asked, a smirk spreading across his face.

“No, I’m just surprised that someone like you would choose someone like me,” Irin said, feeling repulsed by the thought.

“You are not spending the night with this fucker,” Koth interjected.

“I don’t believe any of us asked for your opinion,” the dwarf looked up at Koth, who was almost twice his size.

“Irin, tell him no,” Koth told her.

“I don’t want to,” Irin said.

“Of course she doesn't. A lady like Irin deserves someone who takes care of her, not someone like you,” Mohind told Koth.

“I will kill you, you little…” Koth lunged towards Mohind. The crowd had closed in on them; no one wanted to miss out on the drama. But as Koth attacked, people scrambled out of the way. Someone bumped into Mohind, who in turn bumped into Irin, making her spill her wine on her dress.

“Sorry, I’m just going to grab my brother,” Jasper told them.

“My dress,” Irin cried. While Mohind tried to get a rag and remove the wine from Irin’s dress, Jasper ducked a punch from Koth and grabbed him.

“Come on you drunk idiot, time to go,” Jasper said to his brother. “You too, Irin,” he added.

“But the host has asked me to stay as his guest,” she whined.

“I’m not playing with you, Irin. If you stay here, I will make sure you never see your family again,” Jasper told her coldly. Irin froze, then looked at Mohind.

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” she said, rushing out behind the two brothers. They got into the carriage and left the casino. The carriage was silent for the first three blocks. As they turned into a narrow street, the carriage slowed to navigate the complicated manoeuvre. Jasper opened the door and stepped out, then helped Irin out, and lastly Koth disembarked. The three of them continued on foot in silence, led by Jasper, keeping to the winding back alleys. Five minutes later, they entered a warehouse close to the harbour. Jasper showed them to a back room on the second floor. As Koth closed the door, Irin exhaled.

“Do you think they’ve figured it out?” she asked the two men.

“Hard to say. I can’t hear any commotion. But even if they have discovered it, it’s not certain their search has spread to the harbour yet,” Jasper said.

“Are you okay?” Koth asked her.

“I’m fine, I just really hated spilling wine on the dress,” Irin smiled.

“You play a drunk convincingly, brother. Almost as if you knew what you were doing,” Jasper said with a smirk.

“Let me put down a protection shield,” Koth said, gripping his left wrist with his right hand, then frowning.

“What?” Irin asked.

“My magic, it isn’t working,” he told them.

“I felt the same back in Mohind’s office,” Irin said.

“You did what?” Koth almost forgot to keep his voice low. “You were all alone with them in his office, unprotected?” he asked.

“No, I just didn’t have my magic,” she told him, and pulled out one of her slim throwing knives from its hiding place at her waist.

“Oh.” Jasper chuckled at the surprised look on his brother's face.

“I knew I liked you,” Jasper said, giving Irin an appreciative look. “Sure you don’t want to work for me?”

“I’m sure, and after tonight I think it’s best I don’t show myself in this city for a while,” Irin said, which got her thinking. “Koth and I aren’t from here, our life isn’t here. We can leave without looking back. But what will happen to you?” she asked Jasper.

“Worried about me?” He smirked. “Don’t be. When word spreads I was the one that took the amulet from Mohind, I will become the talk of the town. My prestige will go up. This was a good career move for me.” Koth snorted a laugh.

“I forget how this place works,” Irin said, shaking her head.

“Is it the amulet that’s blocking the magic?” Koth asked.

“I don’t know, I only know Mohind said he was safe from magic,” she told him.

“Let me have a look at it,” Koth asked his brother. Jasper reached into his tunic.

“Don’t use your bare hands,” Irin told him.

“She’s right. Use this.” Koth pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to his brother.

“Thanks.” Jasper retrieved something small and placed it on the table. They all gathered around it, examining it. It looked like a small wooden carving of a man, crafted in a stylised manner that made the figure appear square.

“Recognise it?” Jasper asked.

“No, but the magic is strong,” Koth replied.

“Even I can feel the magic,” Irin agreed. Koth used the end of his sleeve to nudge the statue, rolling it over. On its back were carvings in the wood.

“The binding ritual,” Koth explained. “This tells us how this thing receives its magic.”

“And?” Jasper asked.

“I don’t know, it looks like ancient Enthuru. I can’t read that.”

“My dad can,” Irin said.

“Too bad he isn’t here,” Jasper muttered.

“The magic, it almost vibrates,” Koth said.

“Yes, it’s almost as if it’s alive,” Irin agreed. Irin and Koth exchanged a long look. They were both thinking the same thing, but neither wanted to voice it.

“Thinking what?” Jasper asked.

“There is a way, a forbidden way, to trap a soul in an amulet. The soul remains conscious and retains some control over its magic, but mostly it just focuses the magic in the direction of the seal,” Koth explained.

“You think that thing was once alive?” Jasper asked, looking terrified.

“Maybe,” Irin replied.

“But even if it was once alive, the soul has become more or less trapped in this state. Even if we could set it free, it would just hang around without purpose.” Koth looked at the object in disgust.

“Someone trapped a living being in that thing and used their power?” Jasper looked almost nauseous.

“Or they did it to themselves,” Koth said. Irin and Jasper both looked at him as if he were crazy.

“Some of the greatest minds in magic have chosen to end life that way. They see it as a way to cling to this life, even after it has ended.”

“That sounds…” Irin started, but couldn’t find the right word.

“Idiotic,” Jasper supplied. Irin and Koth nodded.

“So what now?” Irin asked.

“I don’t know. We need to find out if it is a trapped soul or not. Then we need to decide how to destroy it,” Koth said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Irin agreed.

“But we aren’t taking it to your father,” Koth told her.

“Why not?” she asked.

"This is dangerous because he still has children to consider, and he is your father. At least we can respect him enough to keep him safe," Koth grumbled. Irin paused to appreciate what Koth had said. It would have been easy to use her father, whom Koth knew possessed the knowledge they needed, but instead, he was protecting him.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. He smiled back.

"I'll just put it away for now," Jasper said.

"Wouldn't it be wiser for Koth to hold on to it?" Irin asked.

"It's messing with your magic; it's safer with me," Jasper said. That sounded reasonable, but Irin still had a bad feeling. Koth seemed to share her unease, but he didn't object.

"Did your men leave the package here, as I asked?" he asked his brother.