Chapter 32 THE PRICE OF PROTECTION
When they got outside, they instantly stopped. Their eyes all went to the house across from them. Outside sat a woman, her face buried in her hands. She was sobbing rather loudly, but they couldn't blame her. From what they could see of the inside of her house, it was in shambles. The demons that had passed by had taken the entire first room apart.
"Horrible," stated one of the men who was standing nearby. "Something needs to be done about them."
"Mr. Allegro's gonna hate this," commented another. "He keeps losing money because stuff like this keeps happening."
Magnus and Xyra were both in awe at the damage they saw. The house no longer had a door or windows. They were lying in pieces on the street. There were some people who were beginning to clean up the mess, and others were doing their best to comfort the sobbing woman.
"It's like this a lot," said Reeve. "Depending on their mood, the damage can sometimes be greater. Occasionally, they'll just take a few things, but other times…they'll destroy a whole house or kidnap someone. A few times…they killed some people."
"… Is that what happened then?" asked Xyra softly, drawing his attention. "Your parents…were they killed?" Reeve's eyes widened a bit in shock. "I noticed that it was just you in that house…so, were they…?"
"Yes," he said sadly, lowering his head. He didn't elaborate on it, didn't tell them why or how. He didn't say anything. Something like that was a touchy subject, one that wasn't meant to be pried into. Xyra had really hit the nail on the head this time. Just from the way he had acted and the clothing he wore, she had been able to tell. His white shirt was dirty, and his brown pants had holes in the knees. He probably couldn't afford anything new.
Magnus glanced down at Reeve, his eyes softening a bit. When they strayed into the damaged house, he couldn't help but feel angered. There obviously weren't any hunters in this town. Most demons weren't stupid enough to attack a huge town for fear of being killed. This place didn't seem to have anyone who was fit for fighting. There were no sorcerers, at least from what he could tell.
"Does this town," began Magnus, "get a lot of travelers?"
"No," Reeve answered. "Very few come this far out. Most are merchants."
"No bounty hunters?"
"I've never seen one."
Well, that's a relief. At least if I do something, no one will get suspicious. However, this explains why they've had so many problems. Even though bounty hunters only specialized in human killing, they were sometimes effective against a demon. If they had the right types of blades, they could take one down easily. Most demons were relatively weak.
"Well, let's get going," suggested Magnus. "I need to have a word with this mayor of yours." Reeve just nodded and began leading the way again. They weren't all that far from the huge, castle-like structure in the middle of the town. It was hard to believe that someone had that much money. Castles were in no way cheap. Magnus probably didn't even have enough right now to buy one.
It didn't take long to reach their destination. The mayor's house was now only a few yards away. It sat in a huge open area with cobblestone pathways that lead to different sections of the town. In front of the castle was a yard full of grass with a few trees and flowers scattered amongst the area. It was a beautiful home, one fit for a high ranking person such as a mayor.
The three of them walked up one of the walkways and went to the door. Magnus and Xyra just stared at the huge entry. The doors were wooden and lined with metal, a huge knocker stationed just before them. Now that they were here, the problem was how they were going to get the mayor to come out.
Without a word of explanation, Reeve reached out and grabbed the knocker. He slammed it down pretty hard against the door, the sound echoing everywhere. Nothing happened at first, but soon the sound of rushing footsteps could be heard through the door.
"Who's there?" asked a man on the other side.
"Reeve," the boy responded. "I brought some travelers with me. They would like to see the mayor, please."
"Can these people be trusted?"
"I trust them."
"… Very well. He'll be right down."
Reeve turned to Xyra and Magnus, a huge smile on his face. For being a street orphan, he somehow seemed to know the mayor. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have been able to see him so easily. This kid was obviously pretty trustworthy if the people in the higher ranking in the town believed him. He had only been telling the truth though. They didn't intend to harm anyone while they were there.
"See?" said Reeve. "It's pretty easy to see the mayor. He's a really nice guy too, so I'm sure he can help you."
The doors to the castle opened, and all three of them quickly turned to face the entryway. Standing there was a young man, probably in his middle twenties. His hair was a golden blonde, and his eyes were soft and brown. He was dressed in a simple tan shirt and expensive-looking black pants, most likely made from silk. There was a very kind smile on his face as he bowed his head to the three of them.
"Hello," he greeted, his voice very airy and kind, much like the tone that Magnus often had. "I'm Christian Allegro. My servant said you wish to speak with me?"
"Wait…" began Xyra, taking a closer look at this man. "Are you…the mayor?"
"Yes."
Both Magnus and Xyra stared in shock. This man didn't look to be all that old. They had been expecting someone much older, much shorter, and a lot rounder. This boy didn't look much older than either of them. How could someone so young become the mayor of a huge town like this?
"Sir," began Reeve, drawing Christian's eyes to him. "These two are travelers. They came here to ask you something."
"Well, are you going to introduce them?" he asked, his sweet smile still intact. He really did seem like a kind person.
"Um…" Reeve turned to look at Magnus and Xyra. "Guess I never did get your names."
"I'm Magnus, and this is Xyra."
"Nice to meet you," she said, bowing a bit to the mayor.
"Likewise," said Christian. "We don't get many travelers around here. Just where are you two heading?"
"North," Xyra responded. "We're not really sure where we'll end up at, but that's the direction we'll be going for a while."
"So you're thinking of passing through the mountains?"
"Eventually," said Magnus.
"I wouldn't be going anytime soon though. There's a blizzard going on up there. It'll probably last awhile. You should consider staying in town. I know it's not the safest place right now, but there's nowhere else to go."
"Christian?" called a voice from behind the young mayor. They all glanced over and saw a woman standing there. She was decked in an elegant white dress, her long black hair flowing freely behind her. Her eyes were just as soft as Christian's were, but they were a very light shade of green instead of brown. She walked elegantly over to them, coming up alongside the mayor.
"Ah, Scarlette, perfect timing," he told her. "We have guests. This is Xyra and Magnus."
A warm smile graced her face as she saw the three of them standing in her doorway. She was a beautiful woman, one fitting the role of a princess.
"Hello," she greeted. "It's nice to meet you." She looked over at Christian for a moment. "Why not invite them in? I'm sure the servants won't get too mad."
"Alright." He turned and began heading into the house. "Come along. We can speak in my office. It's a lot more private than the entryway."
Magnus, Xyra, and Reeve all followed after Christian, hesitating a bit before setting foot within the castle. Now that they were inside, they could see exactly what kind of place this was. It was everything they had expected. The walls were all made of finely polished stones, and the floors were smooth to the point where they could see their reflections. There was a winding staircase near the far wall, and lighting the entire area was a huge crystal chandelier.
Not wanting to get lost in the insanely large castle, they made sure to stay close to Christian. He was leading them up the stairs and down a few hallways, each one lined with doors and pictures, all of him and his family. From what they could tell, Scarlette was his wife. In the pictures there was often a little girl with them. She looked a lot like her father, her smile just as wide and just as kind.
"Is Althea home today?" Reeve asked as he saw the pictures on the walls as they walked.
"I'm afraid she's not," Christian said. "She went to a friend's house, but she'll be back in a few days. You can stay until then if you'd like." He glanced back at them as he continued walking. "In fact, all of you are welcome to stay. There isn't a decent inn anywhere in town. You'd be much safer here."
"You sure that's not a problem?" Xyra asked curiously. Not many people who were as wealthy as this man would allow strangers to stay in their home.
"Not at all."
They went a little further before reaching a set of red double doors. Christian brushed right through them, holding them open afterward so that his guests could enter. There were two other people in the room. They both wore simple black tunics and black pants. They were obviously servants of some kind. They were watching Magnus and Xyra rather carefully, obviously not trusting of the two travelers.
"These people are my guests," he told the two men. "They will be staying here for a while, so please make sure to treat them properly."
"Sir," began one. "You know it's not safe to invite perfect strangers into your home…"
"They can be trusted. Don't worry so much." He walked over and took a seat near a large table. He motioned for the three of them to follow suit. As soon as they were all seated, he decided that it was time to get down to business. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"The Lazufeer talismans," stated Magnus. Everyone in the room seemed to tense a bit as those two words left his mouth. "Do you have one?"
"I do."
"Then I have a proposition for you." Magnus put on a smirk as Christian leaned in a bit, obviously interested in what the sorcerer was going to say. "You see…I'm a hunter." That word quickly got his attention. That was something he didn't hear every day.
"What…?" Magnus's smirk just widened. He had the mayor right where he wanted him.
"If you give me the talisman… I'll take care of those demons."