Shadow Clone Sorcery
Chapter 50: Armed With Shadowsteel (2)

Penelope didn’t hand over her prisoner. Instead, she had him shackled and gagged in one of Esther’s more secure stalls for a week before she finally approached him. Lukas let it slip that he could understand them but didn’t allude to why, letting the sorcerer draw her own conclusions. She included him in the interrogation.

The wait let the creature stew. Just enough food and water kept him nourished, but it wasn’t enough for him to regain strength. Wards painted onto the walls also created a space devoid of magic that made it impossible for the Elder Wyrmkin to recover his stores. So, when they finally began the interrogation, the trembling specimen was more than cooperative.

“Name?” Bass took the lead, marching back and forth. He stood as tall as a panther, and his wings were different. All the feathers seemed to have shrunk into nothing. Only two skinny appendages that ended in sharp spikes remained. One sat folded against his back while the other traced the straw-covered floor, scraping against the hard, rough surface like metal on wood.

“Shae’heed,” the creature answered.

Lukas stood in a corner, watching and listening. He had offered his translation services, but Penelope didn’t need them. She understood everything through her familiar.

“How did you enter the city, Shae?”

“It’s Shae’heed.”

“I’m calling you Shae or Heed, prisoner,” Bass said. “You either answer while I ask nicely, or we hand you over to people who won’t be as pleasant.” His claw dug into the wood as he walked, drawing a line and digging out a spiraling strand of fiber. “Answer my quest. Shae.”

“Ship. Slave ship. Big slave ship. Shamin came first, only with her guard. We follow. Twos. Threes. Never alone. Never more.”

“And this was through the secret docks, yes? The one on the eastern side, shielded by the cliffs.”

Shae nodded.

“Ask him how they entered the undercity,” Penelope said.

Much to their surprise, she didn’t need a translation. “Tunnels. We follow slaves. We walk long way. They go up. We go down. It long way down. We get lost. People help. People die. Monster come. Shamin save us.”

“He’s got loose lips, doesn’t he?” Penelope chuckled. “See if he knows who helped them. We need confirmation of their surface contacts and friends.”

“Scary scar lady. She bring tribe from docks to camp. Scared soldier. He chain people who see us.” Shae opened his lizard maw to say something more but froze. His already scared eyes widened, darting back and forth. He looked at his investigators and then the walls. “And coven. Only Shamin talk to witches. Color feathers not allowed.”

“Color feathers?” Lukas raised an eyebrow.

“Color feathers. We serve grey feathers. They have magic. They lead.”

I was right. The colorful ones are the males, and they’re a matriarchal species. Are they born from dragons? Or are they hyenas?

His and the clones' research on wyrmkin wasn’t going as well as they hoped. The texts they copied spoke of genealogy, biology, history, and magic. Nothing he read explained their societal structure, culture, or customs. Either people weren’t interested in understanding the creatures in such a way, or the language barriers, distance, and secrecy made it impossible. Lukas strongly believed in exploring all avenues when sizing up his enemy. Understanding and empathy led to more victories than superior military or magical force.

As the interrogation continued, Lukas didn’t just listen to Shae’heed, but he studied his body language, inflections, and every other bit of information he could absorb. It was not an act. Shae appeared to be telling the truth. At the moment, he seemed more terrified of Bass and Penelope than the coven, Guard Captain Stefan Santana, or Kelpie. As far as he was concerned, they were all alive, getting along, and working together to cover their tracks. It wouldn’t surprise Lukas if the Elder Wyrmkin believed they were all alive and hunting for any survivors of his tribe.

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What Lukas wanted the most was the identity of anyone in the tribe. Unfortunately, Shae knew nothing of the matter. Only the ‘grey feathers’ had the permission to interact with the coven. They rarely let the males deal with outsiders. There seemed to be no trust between the genders. One ruled. The other served. Lukas imagined the ‘colorful feathers’ spent most of their time and efforts striving to win the approval and favor of the females. Even now, even after he found out that the ‘Shamin’ was dead, he continued to speak of her and the others with reverence. It was ingrained in him. He knew nothing else.

“What should we do with him?” Penelope asked once the interrogation was over. They returned Shae’heed to his isolation chamber with water and a piece of raw steak. “The city council wants him. Having the clones surveil how everyone reacts might help us figure out if any of them are connected to the coven.”

“I think you should put him out of his misery,” Esther said. “Save him the torture and pain. They’re going to put him through the ringer to figure out what he knows or to ensure he never speaks.”

“I’m all for execution,” Bass stated. “We won’t have to worry about the perpetrators targeting us afterwards. Only a fool would think we didn’t interrogate Shae and uncover something before handing him over.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Penelope sighed. “Currently, they’re focusing on covering their tracks and ensuring no one else finds out about what happened. We’re a concern, but not one worth silencing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the coven and their agents aren’t watching us as we speak.”

“Everyone saw us exit the undercity with him,” Lukas interjected, finally speaking up. “If he were dead, we wouldn’t have tied and gagged him. The coven knows he’s in the city, and we have him. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had someone or something watching us right now.”

“They can’t infiltrate this place,” Esther said. “Not the coven. Not their familiars. None of them can listen in or touch Shae’heed in here.” Her attention focused on Lukas. “What are your thoughts on the lizard’s fate?”

“I think he’ll make a good pet.” Lukas nodded at Penelope. “Your pet.” Bass growled, but went ignored. “He knows the cults, understands Wyrmkin and their plots. We can use him.”

“We can’t trust him!” Bass protested, baring his teeth.

“From what I’ve seen and understand of these creatures, they need someone to serve. A powerful woman is what they need to feel secure. It seems ingrained in their culture in his very being. If Penelope can claim the role, treat him well, guide him, and fulfill him, he might end up being the most loyal, non-magically-bonded companion you’ll ever find.”

Everyone felt silent. They stared at Lukas and exchanged glances. Esther flashed a little smile, but Penelope and Bass appeared unsure.

“Do you have your minions surveilling the neighborhood?” Esther asked.

Lukas nodded. “They’re all draped in Silencing Shadows and using Shadow Sight while constantly moving and occasionally flaring their arcane senses. They’ve neither seen, heard, nor sensed anything. Either the coven is great at what they do are keeping their distance, or have other means of surveilling us.”

“And what about around Nightingale’s Rest?”

“It’s business as usual,” Lukas answered. “You wouldn’t think anything is out of place or they’re concerned at all. If it weren’t for our feathery friend using the C-word, I would’ve still thought we were dealing with a lone mastermind.”

“It’s a coven for sure,” Esther said. “The Shadow Seekers have already launched and completed their first couple of probes. The signs are all there.”

“Are they ready?” Penelope asked, petting Bass, who had returned to his housecat form, and returned to her lap. “I’m recovered and ready. Long enough has passed for their guard to be down, but not so long that they’ve fled or erected some sort of defense. Witch magic is potent, but the downside is how long it takes ot prepare and how tied they are to lunar cycles, seasons, and times of day. The longer we wait, the worse it will be.”

“The Shadow Seekers are ready.” Esther pulled a piece of parchment out of her bosom and passed it to the sorcerer. “They’ve also picked out the perfect day.”

“Which is?” Lukas raised an eyebrow as Penelope read through the piece of paper. The way she looked at him suggested that he wasn’t going to be happy about it.

“I know you want to be involved, Lukas, but it's best if you’re not. I don’t know if they agree or if the timing is just perfect.”

Lukas sighed. “It’s the night of the auction, isn’t it?”

Esther nodded. “All the city’s important people will be there, and it's likely many will have a courtesan on their arm or waiting for them in a backroom. It’s the perfect time to raid the brothel.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Lukas hated having choices and decisions taken out of his hands. He valued his agency. But he agreed. It indeed was the perfect time for such an operation.