Still staying on the ground Edhas moved his spear in a circular way and a thick, red smoke surrounded the three of them. When the smoke was gone, they found themselves in a small room illuminated only by a candle. There were only a few items of furniture, yet the room still looked cramped. In a corner there were a few clothes dropped on the floor and somewhere near the window you could see a tray with half eaten food on it.
The brother and sister were seated on a small bed next to a table, in front of them Edhas was staying on a chair.
"I'm sorry for the derange. I wasn't expecting guests." Edhas said making a sign with his hand and the clothes and the tray disappeared in a thin, red smoke.
"You mean you didn't expect to kidnap someone."
"No need to be dramatic. I just want to talk. Tea?" he snapped his fingers and a trail with tea and some cookies appeared on the table.
"Yes, please." Rohan eagerly took a cup of tea and some cookies. His sister looked unpleased with her brother's eagerness to eat whatever a stranger gives him. On the other hand, Rohan seemed unbothered by his sister's glare, probably already used to it. Rohan could say that the tea was of high quality and the cookies were certainly made by a professional and he was not going to miss the chance to eat such delicacies.
"You won't let us go if we don't talk with you?"
"Nup."
"Then talk. You want your damn money back? Go ahead, take them." Jess said as she took the bag from her brother's pocket and threw it on the table. She was a lot more defensive than Edhas would have anticipated.
"You can keep them. That's not why I brought you here."
"Neat!" Rohan exclaimed and wanted to take the money from the table but his sister stopped his hand. She scoffed at him, silently judging his laid-back attitude in this scenario.
"What's the catch, shorty?"
"Again, I have a name: Edhas. I ask you to use it. And there's no catch. Take them. Go nuts, buy a dragon. Even better, buy two."
"Don't be absurd, dragons are extinct. And I know you won't let us have the money just because of your good heart. What do you want?"
"They are? I mean, yeah of course they are. Anyway, I am serious when I say that you can keep the money."
They locked their eyes. This way Jessalyin tried to see if she could find even the smallest detail that would betray the fact that he was lying, but all she saw was determination and sincerity. The eyes of a person determined to achieve their goal no matter what. The eyes of a dangerous individual. No one in their right mind would give away money without asking for something in return. Jess wanted to refuse, but as always, her brother had to butt in, answering without thinking it through.
"Sweet. We accept your generosity then."
"Not so fast. What do you want? What do you get out of all of this? "
Edhas slowly laughed and threw a hand through his hair. Then his face became serious. He knew it wouldn't be easy to persuade Jessalyin. She was smart, she was powerful and he wanted her in his team. Same goes for Rohan. Even though he was mostly passive during their encounter, Edhas knew that if something were to go wrong, he would not hesitate to help his sister.
"Be part of my team."
"Absolutely not!" Jess stood up and started walking towards the door. Seeing this, Rohan showed Edhas an apologetic smile and followed his sister. They didn't get very far, their path being blocked again by their so-called kidnapper.
At first, Edhas wanted to team up with some older people who were more experienced, but sensing the power of the brother and sister, he changed his mind. He wanted them on his team no matter what.
"Wait! You won't even consider it? That's a huge amount of money, you know? I'll give you even more."
"We heard what you had to offer back at the inn. Your offer didn't sound appealing then and it doesn't sound good now either."
"I'm with Jessalyin on this one. What was with that speech? You surprised me when you just said Come with me. We shall find the rooks! Really? I was expecting something better."
"Did you just agree with me?" Jessalyin asked incredulously.
"I am also surprised. It's weird."
"I know, right?"
"Yeah, let's not do this again."
Edhas looked at the two of them, feeling a little bit embarrassed by his own words. He really should have chosen his words more carefully, but his social skills were a little rusty. If he did prepare a better speech, maybe now he would have had a team. Then again, Jessalyin has said that this was a city where only people who didn't have magic lived, so maybe this was for the better. Magicless people weren't a problem for him. He has seen some of them even fighting as equals with powerful magic users. They were hard workers and some of the most loyal people he has met, but having some magic users on the team could be useful.
"Look. I know that it was a poor choice of words, but just give me five minutes to explain it better."
"Dude you are red like a fire toad."
"That's because you keep bringing up my embarrassing past."
"I wouldn't call it past. It was like 20 minutes ago."
"Yeah, I think I still can hear some guys laughing about it outside."
"Yes, yes, it was a memory we'll all cherish forever. I'm happy my pain is funny for you. Can you just sit down and listen to me?"
The pair of siblings looked at each other and then at Edhas. He was actually a little bit shorter than both of them and this made him seem a little less threatening. With dirty-blond hair, green eyes and elegant clothes, he looked like a spoiled nobleman. Besides, Jessalyin has already pinned him down once, she could do it again. Rohan and Jessalyin sighed in defeat.
"You have five minutes."
"Finally. You were playing so hard to get. I would have let you leave, but if you insist to stay."
"No, you wouldn't have let us go."
"No, I wouldn't have. But it's nice you decided to stay on your own."
After the two decided to remain and talk with Edhas, they occupied their places on the bed and patiently waited for him to start speaking. When Edhas was finally ready to speak, he made a sign into the air with his spear and out of nowhere the images of seven stones appeared in front of them.
"Those rocks that I was taking about, they are not just some usual rocks. They are very powerful. There are 7 in total. Anyone who possesses such a rock is declared to be one of the most powerful people in the five realms. I would have went after them by myself, but one cannot possess more than one. I need a team."
"So the Sinner's Stones."
"Come again?"
"The Sinner's Stone. Those weird stones with sin names that can only be wielded by the first person who touches them and which if brought together shall grant you a wish. The ones Aahlaad used to seal Matchitehew. These stones?"
"Well, I didn't know they were named, but yes. That's what I am taking about."
"Then you are delusional. Even if we say that we'll go with you, which we don't, you wouldn't find them anyway. No one who goes in search for these stones ever comes back. And you know why? Because they're either dead, trapped or eaten by who knows what creature. They might even be only a myth."
"I have a map."
"You wouldn't be the first."
"This is the real deal."
"That's what everyone says."
Without hesitation Edhas snapped his fingers and a map materialized on the table in front of them. If she doesn't believe him, he'll have to prove her wrong. Jessalyin took it and carefully inspected it and then passed it to Rohan. After all, her brother was the expert when it came to maps and treasure hunting. She knew that his skin itched to go in this adventure, even if it was a scam. After all, it wouldn't be the first time and surely won't be the last.
"It's the real thing." Rohan said handing the map back to its owner. Then he looked at his sister who was questioning him with her eyes "I can sense ancient magic coming from it. That makes me believe it's the real deal, or a very old fake."
"That's correct. But I can guarantee that it's not a fake. I need a team, you want money and power. I can give you both. Why not help each other?"
"Great, I guess we'll join your team then." Rohan said enthusiastically but then groaned exasperated when he heard his sister stop him yet again.
"Wait!"
"What now?" Edhas asked, his patience running thin. Perhaps turning her in a bug and only pairing up with Rohan wouldn't be such a bad thing. But she uses fire magic which was kind of useful and her brother wouldn't agree to travel with someone who transformed his sister in a disgusting being.
"If we do find the stones, then what are you going to ask for? I believe that that's your goal: to make a wish, or else you would have just gone after one of the Stones by yourself." Jessalyin wanted to know if it was alright for them to help him find such powerful weapons. If his wish turns out to endanger the people all around, then she will not be part of it. She had already enough on her conscience.
"That's for me to know and for you not to worry about."
"What do you mean? If we do this we should at least-"
"Jessalyin, he's offering us both money and power. If we help him we're helping ourselves."
"He's got a point." As always, Edhas had to make a smart remark.
"Alright, fine. But if I smell something fishy then we're out of the team."
"So it's a deal."
"It's a deal."
Edhas and Jessalyin went for a handshake and when their hands touched a red smoke circled their hands. Jessalyin felt like an electrical shock went through her entire body. She immediately retracted her hand. Nothing was wrong, or so it appeared. The deal was official. There was no going back now.
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