Dead of Night (Hunters of the Dark #4)

by Dave Ferraro

Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Roma isn’t through with us,” Lupe declared as they neared the caves. “She has a trick up her sleeve.”

  “Her sort always does,” Ash agreed, looking ahead with determination. “I doubt retrieving your friends will be as easy as you think either. The Goblin Market is a dangerous place.”

  “What can we expect?” Shanna asked.

  “Just don’t eat or drink anything once inside,” Damien told her softly. “Or you will belong to The Market.”

  She exchanged a look with Serene, who seemed worried. She tried to offer an encouraging smile, but as she hardly felt confident right then, it fell flat.

  They entered the cave without incident, and although no light illuminated the passages, there always seemed to be a light ahead of them to keep them from stumbling about in utter darkness.

  “Witchfire,” Ash said before Shanna could ask. “It’s always just out of range, but provides the light you need. You’ll find it near such portals the world over.”

  “Are there many portals?” Shanna frowned.

  Ash shrugged. “Monsters have access to certain places, if they have the means to get there. Travel by magickal gates is essential for some. There is a legendary power that supposedly allows the bearer of an artifact to open doors to any reality. Can you imagine if that fell into the wrong hands?” He shook his head. “But it’s typically minor portals such as this one that you find, if you know where to look. This is one of three openings to The Goblin Market in the United States, but there are others, in England, Rome, Egypt, Russia, Japan, Australia…the list goes on and on. The Market is legendary for its black market offerings. Particularly souls and slaves.”

  “We should stop the whole thing while we’re here,” Krystal said, lifting her chin bravely.

  Ash laughed. “I’d like to see you try.”

  They walked for several minutes along the cave with rough uneven footing that caused Shanna to grab hold of Damien’s arm to keep from tripping. Even with the light, it was treacherous terrain.

  There was a gentle slope that constantly led them down, much further than the water table should have allowed, much like Incantations. And with how the tunnel seemed to consistently be leading them slightly to the left, it seemed like they were descending in a wide corkscrew.

  “Is it much further?” Shanna asked, glancing back at Ash.

  And like those were the magick words, the tunnel opened up ahead. It wasn’t a huge room, but it was wide enough for them to all stand side by side, which they did as they stared at the green glowing sphere before them. Green smoke seemed to roll from it, dissipating quickly, as it hummed like an electric fence.

  “I don’t really like the looks of it,” Krystal said softly.

  Ash chuckled. “Well, if you want to save your friends, you’ll have to swallow your fear, girl.”

  She glared at him. “I have a name.”

  “Yes, Miss Fellstar,” he smirked, before offering her a deep, mocking bow.

  Scowling, she turned to Shanna. “What do you think?”

  Shanna shrugged, staring at the green smoke, as if mesmerized. “We have few options.”

  “And every minute you stand around, trying to come up with another plan, your friends are more likely to have been sold off and lost forever,” Ash pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “He’s right,” Shanna nodded. She glanced over at the others. “We need to do this now.”

  Krystal swallowed hard, but nodded.

  “Who’s first?” Ash asked.

  “I am,” Shanna replied. And without ceremony, she stepped into the green ball of energy before anyone could protest.

  The humming grew louder, almost deafening, as the light consumed her. It didn’t hurt however, but made her skin tingle a little. When her vision cleared, she found that she was still standing on rock, and wondered if it hadn’t worked after all. But when she turned and looked back over her shoulders, her friends weren’t there. She did get a good view beyond some heavy foliage, however. She stepped forward and pushed the broad leaves of a bush aside to admire an immense space. She seemed to be underground, in a huge room, looking down from a mountainside. The warm yellow lights from the buildings below lit the area warmly, but Shanna couldn’t see the walls or the roof of the room because it was so dark further out. She got a sense that they were deep beneath the earth in a vast cavern, but wouldn’t have been surprised if that assumption were proven wrong.

  “Is that The Goblin Market?” Krystal asked from behind her.

  Shanna looked back as the necromancer walked up to her and surveyed their surroundings. “Wow.”

  Shanna nodded as she turned to look again as well. There had to have been hundreds of shops down there, the noise rising in a collective din of voices and general bustle. They were still too far away to make out anything too clearly, but the streets were crowded with movement, and in the middle of the clusters of shops was an enormous tree. Its trunk had to have been ten miles wide, its foliage disappearing into the darkness overhead. But all throughout the tree were windows and openings. Streets had been erected stories high to gain entry into the tree, while many still entered at ground level. The traffic was much heavier surrounding this tree, and even in the air, Shanna could see creatures flocking to openings miles above the ground, soaring in on vast wings.

  “What is that tree?” Damien asked.

  “That would be Blackwood,” Ash said. “That’s where The Soul Market is located. We’ll have to get in there to get to your friends.”

  “Great,” Shanna said with a sigh. “Any ideas on how to get us inside?”

  Ash considered. “Humans will stand out here, but a necromancer, a vampire, a loup-garous and a…” He tilted his head as he considered Serene. “Whatever she is…will draw little attention.”

  “We could put her in chains,” Lupe suggested with a little too much excitement.

  “Or I could glamour her.”

  Shanna frowned.

  “Just a little one,” Ash assured her, noting her look of skepticism. “I’ll give you an aura of magick, to make you appear to be a witch.”

  Looking to Damien, Shanna nodded. “Alright. Do it.”

  She closed her eyes and heard Ash murmur under his breath, something not in English, but that wouldn’t have been a barrier if he’d been speaking above a whisper. Then she felt his hand fall firmly on her shoulder and suddenly a wave of warmth flushed her skin, like the sun peeking out from behind clouds, before her skin cooled once more. When she opened her eyes, she didn’t notice any difference, but Damien assured her that he felt power radiating from her.

  “It’s a good glamour,” Damien admitted, approval in his voice.

  “You would doubt me?” Ash asked, amused. He sobered quickly and sent a look back at the portal. “We should make haste. If Roma does indeed intend to follow us here, she will be arriving shortly. And I doubt she will be alone.”

  “Agreed,” Shanna nodded. “Let’s get this little excursion over with.”

  They made their way down a narrow path built into the cliff side until they touched ground, then made their way toward the yellow glow of the city, which entailed another mile of walking.

  Pausing on the outskirts of the shops, where the glow of large spheres of light hung on strings like Chinese lanterns over the streets, Shanna watched the ebb and flow of the marketplace. There were certainly patrons who appeared human, mostly vampires and witches, but the vast majority of the people she saw milling about the streets were clearly not. There were short, green goblins wearing iron everywhere she looked, mostly running the shops. Otherwise, she saw so many different variations of fur, skin and feathers that she didn’t know where to begin identifying species, although several demons clearly stood out to her. The Agency would have a field day cataloguing the creatures here.

  The streets were wide and crowded, and decorated with elaborate stone figures and foun
tains at every crossroads, depicting goblins and other creatures decorated with treasure and bowls of food. Many vendors aggressively called out to people walking along, while others had lines of patrons waiting their turn to pay for whatever merchandise they were selling. And as far as Shanna could tell, it was mostly food. Even from where they stood, she could smell the aroma of fried foods and sugar, and it made her mouth water.

  “It’s like the state fair,” Krystal said, eyes wide. “Except, you know, with monsters and food you can’t eat.”

  “And where you can acquire human slaves, black market skins and magicks, and priceless other objects like souls,” Lupe said, dryly. “So many similarities.”

  “This is only the surface of the Market,” Ash informed them. “There are catacombs beneath the streets as well.”

  “It is impressive.”

  “Let’s blend into the crowd before we draw attention,” Ash suggested, glancing around nervously. “Remember to make your way toward Blackwood and stick together. And again, eat nothing.”

  “Eat nothing,” Shanna nodded. “Got it.” She glanced at Damien and squeezed his hand. “I’ll just pretend we’re on a date.”

  “I would take you to nicer places,” he protested.

  “And I will hold you to that.”

  They walked hesitantly into the market, gazing around in wonder at first, then tentatively making their way along the streets.

  “It is your first time here, yes?” a little goblin approached Damien, dressed in all black leather with a small axe strung to his back. “I could show you around for a small fee. Very reasonable.”

  “No, thank you,” Damien said curtly, continuing to walk along without bothering to look at him.

  Shanna sent the little goblin an apologetic smile, but it only glared back and disappeared into the crowd. She swiveled her head back and forth between the booths and openings in buildings to see goblins selling clothing, fine jewelry, weaponry, charms, and especially food. The food looked delicious: the fruit seemed like they came directly from trees and vines, plump and perfectly ripe. The fried doughnuts covered in powdered sugar, and sweet rolls, beckoned with intoxicating scents. It was overwhelming and Shanna found that she had to look away, the temptation was so great. It didn’t help that the goblins further enticed the crowds with their cries:

  “Come buy, come buy:

  Apples and quinces,

  Lemons and oranges,

  Plump unpecked cherries,

  Melons and raspberries,

  Bloom-down-cheeked peaches,

  Swart-headed mulberries,

  Wild free-born cranberries,

  Crab-apples, dewberries,

  Pine-apples, blackberries,

  Apricots, strawberries; -

  All ripe together

  In summer weather, -

  Morns that pass by,

  Fair eves that fly;

  Come buy, come buy!”*

  The descriptions were so sumptuous, and sung with such earnest and longing, that Shanna found herself looking again, but Damien pulled her closer to him and forced her gaze away. She smiled at him gratefully.

  There was suddenly a ruckus behind them and Shanna wheeled around with the others to see a troop of creatures descending from the same cliff side they had made their way down.

  “Roma,” Ash grunted.

  “That didn’t take long,” Krystal said.

  “We’re going to have to move a little faster.”

  “We can’t outrun them,” Lupe said, staring back at perhaps dozens of creatures coming down to the market.

  “Well,” Shanna said, licking her lips nervously, “We’ll have to try.”