Free Web NovelChapter 24: 24: Gathering Information (2)
Lucard bought another bottle and let the serving woman keep the change. After that, she became even more helpful. She told him which streets were safe, which alleys belonged to thieves, which inns were watched by Ravencroft guards, and which warehouses belonged to House Marovain. She also told him that Lady Celia Marovain had taken rooms inside the Marovain branch building itself, not an inn. That meant they did not fully trust the city.
Lucard asked only a few questions.
Too many questions made people suspicious.
A quiet young noble drinking slowly and listening looked normal. A quiet young noble asking about important people looked dangerous. Lucard preferred to be the first kind until he decided to become the second.
After leaving the pub, he walked toward the warehouse district.
The night had deepened. Fewer people were on the street now. The city guards still moved in pairs, but some alleys were darker and less watched. Lucard saw three thieves following a drunk merchant. He did not interfere. The merchant was too loud, the thieves were too careless, and none of them had anything to do with him. A few moments later, he heard a short cry from the alley, then silence. He kept walking.
Near the warehouses, he found House Marovain’s storage buildings. They were guarded better than normal warehouses. Each door had iron locks and small silver seals. Some crates near the back carried symbols for clothes, spices, and glassware. Other crates had no marks at all. Those were more interesting. Unmarked crates usually held items people wanted to deny owning if trouble came.
Lucard watched from a rooftop for a while.
Several workers moved boxes into one warehouse under the eyes of Marovain guards. One older man with neat clothes checked a ledger by lantern light. From his posture, he was not a simple clerk. He was probably one of the branch managers or inspection assistants. Lucard could not hear every word from the rooftop, but he caught enough.
"Lady Celia wants the old bone mirror separated."
"The uncle said cursed goods must be checked before sunrise."
"The Ravencroft tax seal is already paid."
"Do not mix tomb goods with normal trade goods."
Lucard’s eyes narrowed.
Old bone mirror. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Cursed goods.
Tomb goods.
This city might have more useful items than he first thought.
He stayed there until the workers finished. Then he moved again. Finding everything he needed took him the whole night.
He visited two more pubs, one gambling room, a night food stall, the outer road near the stables, and the street behind the healer house. He did not always speak. Sometimes he only listened. Sometimes he paid one coin. Sometimes he stood in the dark and let others speak without knowing he was there. Once, a drunk man tried to rob him near a narrow alley. Lucard broke his wrist, pressed him against the wall, and asked about the city. The man answered very quickly. Pain had that effect. After that, Lucard let him live because killing him would have been more work than he was worth.
By the end of the night, Lucard knew the basic layout of Gravehold. He knew where the city guards were strongest.
He knew where the poor district began. He knew where House Marovain stored rare goods.
He knew that Lady Celia Marovain was from the main line and had come with her uncle Bastian for shop inspection.
He knew that the branch shop sold expensive clothes, noble items, and daily goods, but also bought treasures, rare items, old relics, cursed objects, and things taken from ancient tombs. He could use them if needed.
He knew House Ravencroft’s estate location and that Jenny’s fiancé Adrian was in the city.
He also knew one more useful thing.
The city was already talking about House Vardros.
It was not loud. Not openly. But whispers had started. People had heard that something happened in Vardros territory. A merchant caravan had seen smoke from far away. A messenger had passed through the northern gate before sunset. Some believed the Vardros family was destroyed. Some believed the heir was taken. Some believed Jenny Vardros had run to Ravencroft land.
That meant enemies might also learn they had reached Gravehold soon.
Lucard did not like that.
At dawn, the sky slowly became gray.
The pale blue lanterns were put out one by one. Shops began to open. Workers swept the front steps. Guards changed shifts near the towers. The cold air of night softened slightly, but the city still felt like it belonged more to the dead than the living.
Lucard stood on a rooftop near the merchant square and looked toward the upper district.
He had not slept.
He did not need much sleep right now. His body was mortal, but the First Blood Circle made him stronger than before. Also, his mind had been a god’s mind for too long. One night without sleep was not a problem. The real problem was that he had not gained a level during the night. Information was useful, but it did not fill his blood path. That annoyed him a little.
Still, the night had not been wasted.
He jumped down from the rooftop into a quiet alley and walked toward Black Raven Manor.
As he moved through the upper district, the houses became larger and colder looking. The roads became cleaner. Black cypress trees lined both sides. Their branches were thin and dark, like long fingers pointing toward the ground. At the end of the road stood a large black iron gate.
Two stone ravens sat on top of the gate pillars.
Behind the gate, Lucard could see a wide path leading toward the Ravencroft estate. The manor itself stood farther inside, it was large and dark, with narrow towers and gray windows. It did not look welcoming. It looked like a place that had been built by people who believed comfort was suspicious and sunlight was a personal insult.
Guards stood at the gate. They wore dark gray armor with the bone raven mark.
Lucard stopped before the gate.
Morning light touched his black cloak and pale face. After spending the whole night gathering information, he had finally returned to where Jenny, Jake, and Peter should be.
He looked at the Ravencroft manor beyond the gate.
His plan was still simple.
Enter.
Check that the siblings were safe. Then leave when the heart curse allows it.
But as he stood before the black iron gate, a strong magic inside the manor pulsed faintly.
Lucard’s eyes narrowed. This place had someone strong. Very strong.
