Chapter 97: Dario’s Invitation

Alec took his time following the young boy. Sooner or later, he would come to a stop long enough for Alec to know where to go. Most likely, a couple of hours after sundown.

That should be when he turned in for the night and, if he reported to anyone above him, when he did that report.

Alec didn’t think he would watch who entered the city for no reason.

As expected, two hours after the sun went down, the young boy stopped moving. Alec made his way to where that was, careful not to get noticed by anyone.

However, when he arrived at exactly where the young boy was supposed to be, he realized one flaw of the spell.

It did not account for positional height. He didn’t know whether the target was in the air or on the ground.

In this case, though, it wasn’t such a big problem. Alec was standing in the middle of an open square with no one in sight.

The young boy was under him.

The problem was how to get there.

“Psst. What are you doing, standing there like a wacko? Over here!” A voice called out to him. Alec had to look around twice in the darkness before he saw a hand wave from behind a tarp that covered the front of a dilapidated stand.

Alec raised an eyebrow.

He was lucky.

He crouched down to creep under the tarp.

“Thanks,” He muttered.

“Yeah, it’s fine. You’re not the only one who decided to accept Dario’s invitation without knowing how to get to his base.”

’Dario’s invitation?’ Alec was confused, but stayed silent. He would probably get the rest of the information as long as he didn’t expose himself.

“So, what do you think about this whole thing? Is it worth it?” The young orphan asked Alec.

Alec shrugged.

“Not sure yet.”

“Good point. Hey, I haven’t seen you around before. Where are you from?” The boy asked as soon as they came underground, where beads of light lit the tunnel.

“I’m in the forest a lot.”

“Really?” The young boy’s eyes widened.

“Then I probably shouldn’t call you mad to the face. What’s your name, madman?”

’Didn’t he say he shouldn’t call me mad? And he did it twice?’

“Alec…”

“Well, nice to meetya, Alec. I’m Leo. Some call me Dario’s right-hand man.”

“Or gofer.” Another orphan sidled up with them from another tunnel and joined the conversation as they walked in a circle to get back under the square.

“Isac.” He nodded toward Alec.

Alec returned the nod.

“You only say that because you don’t know how much Dario trusts me.”

“Dario doesn’t trust anyone.”

“Exactly! Only someone who isn’t his right-hand man would say that.” Leo tapped Isac’s shoulder with a fist before coming to a grinding halt. The weight of dozens of gazes had that effect.

They had arrived at an underground meeting hall filled with orphans sitting on the ground. Glass beads in the ceiling lit up the hall, especially in the center, where the only exception stood.

It was an orphan noticeably older than most of the members of his audience, with broad shoulders and a scar running across his mouth that gave him an intimidating appearance.

“Leo, do you mind shutting up and sitting down? It’s about time to get started.”

“Of course, Boss. By the way, this is—” He started saying while gesturing toward Alec.

Dario held up a hand and stopped him.

“Not interested.”

Leo’s shoulders slumped, and he sat down, disappointed, without saying anything further. Alec and Isac joined him.

“Now then, I have asked you all to gather here today for one reason. The disappearances.

“Too many of our brothers and sisters have gone missing this past year. One or two are unavoidable.

“But we are talking THIRTY-NINE this year alone.” Dario’s voice filled the room with those two words before he returned to a whisper.

“But that’s just one part of the problem. The city REFUSES to do anything about it!

“That’s why I’ve asked you all to gather here today. I want to do something about it. I want to find out what happened, find those we’ve lost, and put a stop to it!

“For Yona, Alice, Marv, Simon, Flame, Gord, Elise, Milo…”

To Dario’s credit, he listed thirty-nine names without stuttering once. He truly cared.

“Are you telling us to follow your command, Dario?” Isac asked, not bothered in the slightest by the sudden pressure of almost everyone else turning to look at him.

“Isac. No, not at all. I am asking you all to cooperate. This request goes to everyone in the city, not just those here tonight. Whatever is going on is a threat to all of us.

“I am asking you all to share information with everyone, including each other. Someone has to have seen something, which, on its own, didn’t mean anything, but together with what someone else saw can point us in the right direction.

“We are being targeted, and whoever’s targeting us doesn’t care about our factions. They don’t care whether you sleep in the sewers with me or on the rooftops with Neyris. They don’t care whether you steal or make and sell trinkets. They don’t care whether you starve or eat cockroaches.

“They are coming for you!” Dario took Isac’s question as an opportunity to gather even more pathos.

Isac was silent for a beat or two before standing up.

“You have our cooperation,” he said before turning around and leaving.

A couple of others expressed a similar sentiment before also taking their leave through different subterranean tunnels. But a large number of orphans stayed, including the one Alec was tracking, so Alec also stayed.

Leo turned to him.

“So, do you know anything?”

“I knew people were disappearing, but I didn’t think it was this many.”

Shim had almost reached that many test subjects over the last several years. He could have omitted recording a few or something, but Alec didn’t think so.

Multiple people were kidnapping children from Gorao.

Since that was the case, it was even possible that Shim hadn’t personally kidnapped Milo. Alec had things to do before Milo could be laid to rest. His revenge wasn’t complete.

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