Beren hadn’t gone as planned. Now, knowing the details, a fresh wave of guilt was rising inside her. If she hadn’t insisted on getting to Damien personally, the slaver would probably still be alive in a cell feeding them information about his group—information that could very well save the lives of dozens of other Demons.
But then Damien himself would probably be dead, or at the very least dragged back to the Agency. He would be trapped in Louvette the rest of his life, and any chance she might have had of contacting this spirit inside her would be gone.
“You did the right thing,” he soothed, his typically perfect intuition right again. “And so did Shyrah. We just can’t afford to pass up a second chance like this.”
“You’re right,” she agreed, opening her eyes and setting the reader back on his desk. “I just don’t want to have to strain the spirit any more than I have to.”
“I know. Hopefully it won’t take long.”
She nodded. Using her powers against the Agency thugs on the Chevalier had nearly overwhelmed her. As formidable as her Angel abilities were, it was getting more and more difficult to use them. Each time it felt like the creature inside her was getting more of a foothold. Maybe it was. Even healing Damien—something that she should have been able to do with barely an ounce of effort—had taken its toll. For an operation like the one Kronn was suggesting, she would be doing a lot more.
But without her, they had no hope of finding this Donovan Esche. With her, they had a chance to get the vital information they needed. Perhaps they would even learn where the current Covenant base was in the city.
“All right,” she said. “We’ll have to spend most of the night putting this together.”
“Yes, but that’s fine. It will give Damien some time to mingle with the others, and if anything I think that will ingratiate him to us. He does want to help you, and I don’t think that will change.”
“No, probably not,” she murmured. “But he needs to know there are risks, and not just to me.”
“Give him a day or two before giving him the details,” Kronn suggested. “In the meantime, we need to get ready for tomorrow.”
She smiled tiredly. “And you promise nothing will go wrong?”
He smiled back with a confidence he probably didn’t feel. “Yes, I promise.”
Chapter Six
Avrick took a moment to appreciate the mighty structure in front of him, and he realized how difficult it would be to describe it to the others back in Louvette. He could detail the hundred meter tall building and cup-shaped interior, and he was sure they would understand the four spiraling staircases at each corner that allowed spectators to easily travel between any of the levels. They could also find a holo of the stadium easily enough on the global network if they wanted to look, and there were ruins of similar structures in Louvette from the time before the Reckoning.
But it wasn’t the building itself he would find difficult to describe; it was the event that took place inside of it. The Covenant had long since abolished any type of “competitive violence,” and only incredibly wealthy crime cartels were capable of sponsoring anything outside of a simple boxing match back home. Such theater had been phased out for the good of all the Lord’s children, but apparently Elassians had skipped over that page in the Sacra’thar.
“It seats well over a hundred thousand,” Vaelen commented, “and it serves as an excellent gathering place for business transactions, illegal and otherwise.”
“And people actually pay for tickets to watch this?”
Donovan Esche, the third member of their group, grunted derisively. “You haven’t a clue, have you, boy? Front row tickets go for almost five thousand voca. Even mid-level seats typically sell for a thousand.”
“You’d think no one here could find anything better to do with that money,” Avrick murmured, glancing back to the
But then Damien himself would probably be dead, or at the very least dragged back to the Agency. He would be trapped in Louvette the rest of his life, and any chance she might have had of contacting this spirit inside her would be gone.
“You did the right thing,” he soothed, his typically perfect intuition right again. “And so did Shyrah. We just can’t afford to pass up a second chance like this.”
“You’re right,” she agreed, opening her eyes and setting the reader back on his desk. “I just don’t want to have to strain the spirit any more than I have to.”
“I know. Hopefully it won’t take long.”
She nodded. Using her powers against the Agency thugs on the Chevalier had nearly overwhelmed her. As formidable as her Angel abilities were, it was getting more and more difficult to use them. Each time it felt like the creature inside her was getting more of a foothold. Maybe it was. Even healing Damien—something that she should have been able to do with barely an ounce of effort—had taken its toll. For an operation like the one Kronn was suggesting, she would be doing a lot more.
But without her, they had no hope of finding this Donovan Esche. With her, they had a chance to get the vital information they needed. Perhaps they would even learn where the current Covenant base was in the city.
“All right,” she said. “We’ll have to spend most of the night putting this together.”
“Yes, but that’s fine. It will give Damien some time to mingle with the others, and if anything I think that will ingratiate him to us. He does want to help you, and I don’t think that will change.”
“No, probably not,” she murmured. “But he needs to know there are risks, and not just to me.”
“Give him a day or two before giving him the details,” Kronn suggested. “In the meantime, we need to get ready for tomorrow.”
She smiled tiredly. “And you promise nothing will go wrong?”
He smiled back with a confidence he probably didn’t feel. “Yes, I promise.”
Chapter Six
Avrick took a moment to appreciate the mighty structure in front of him, and he realized how difficult it would be to describe it to the others back in Louvette. He could detail the hundred meter tall building and cup-shaped interior, and he was sure they would understand the four spiraling staircases at each corner that allowed spectators to easily travel between any of the levels. They could also find a holo of the stadium easily enough on the global network if they wanted to look, and there were ruins of similar structures in Louvette from the time before the Reckoning.
But it wasn’t the building itself he would find difficult to describe; it was the event that took place inside of it. The Covenant had long since abolished any type of “competitive violence,” and only incredibly wealthy crime cartels were capable of sponsoring anything outside of a simple boxing match back home. Such theater had been phased out for the good of all the Lord’s children, but apparently Elassians had skipped over that page in the Sacra’thar.
“It seats well over a hundred thousand,” Vaelen commented, “and it serves as an excellent gathering place for business transactions, illegal and otherwise.”
“And people actually pay for tickets to watch this?”
Donovan Esche, the third member of their group, grunted derisively. “You haven’t a clue, have you, boy? Front row tickets go for almost five thousand voca. Even mid-level seats typically sell for a thousand.”
“You’d think no one here could find anything better to do with that money,” Avrick murmured, glancing back to the
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