“Dal,” Falkner said with a brief nod as the overseer brought Dallion to an antechamber further in the palace.

There were no guards present, just a small room full of expensive chairs and exotic plants. The overseer didn’t set foot in the room—he didn’t have the right to—walking away without a word, instead.

“Ready?” the noble asked.

“Sure.” After everything that had happened, Dallion wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. With a bit of luck, he might even manage to hear the instructions given to the rest of his team.

Falkner made his way to a doom made entirely of jade at the far side of the room and knocked. The door swung open, taking both into a large corridor.

“Good evening,” a tall fury greeted them. Unlike all the previous furies Dallion had seen, this one had crimson red hair and clothes. “Welcome to the Night Auction.”

“He’s with me,” Falkner said.

“Thank you, Master Arlera. I have been informed. And welcome Mister Darude. Since this will be your first auction, it’s my duty to explain the rules.” A try of sky silver with two bracelets on it floated up to Dallion. “You’re to wear this at all times during the auction.”

“Blocker items?” Dallion asked as he took one of them. The craftsmanship was exquisite, although it felt more like a shackle than anything else.

“Think of them as a means to ensure that the event is kept civil,” the fury replied. “As a guest, during the auction, it is recommended that you keep all talking to a minimum, especially if not invited. You are free, of course, to consult with Master Falkner, since he’s the one who vouched for you on this occasion.”

“Understood.”

“Once the auction starts, you are to remain at your seat until the end. Then, you are only permitted to approach the master of ceremony should you have bought an item. If not, you are to leave as quickly as possible, though without creating a stir. I trust all this is clear?”

“I’ll try to remember all that.” Dallion added a note of sarcasm to his voice. It didn’t pass unnoticed, for the fury smiled in return.

“Wonderful. And finally, the bidding itself. Normally, the auction observes the ensnare principle, which is to say that all funds pledged are not returned, but become property of the auction. However, as a first timer, you are exempt.”

Only a noble could think of such a rule. Its only existence was to turn the event into a competition for people for whom money was no object.

“What about the bidding process?” Dallion asked.

“A very good question. All prices are in gold coins. Of course, since carrying such amounts could be bothersome, I will collect all the funds you wish to participate with and give you auction tokens instead. Once the event is over, you will reclaim the corresponding amount of funds upon receiving the tokens.” The fury paused for a few moments.

Getting the hint, Dallion took out the pouch he had received from the Archduke and poured it onto the tray in front of him. A dozen sun gold coins tell on the smooth surface. It didn’t look like much, but they were the equivalent of close to five-hundred pieces of gold.

Aware that this was a pitiful amount, Dallion quickly took the pouch given to him by the general and emptied its contents as well.

“Spellcraft cubes?” The fury nodded his head, impressed. “You must have quite a generous sponsor.”

“Something like that. How many tokens will that get me?”

“A fair amount.”

After quickly counting the cubes, the fury used his skills to float several stacks of marble tiles on the tray. The design was early, similar to casino chips. If it wasn’t for the material, Dallion would have sworn he had just entered Las Vegas.

“Here we are. Fifty-four thousand four hundred and eighty. Would you require a container?”

“Thank you.” Dallion nodded. There was no way that pile would fit in any of his pouches.

A wooden crimson box floated up to Dallion.

“When bidding, discretion is greatly valued.” The fury used air currents to place all tokens into the container. “Just a personal recommendation.” He handed the box to Dallion. “I wish you a pleasant auction.”

“Thanks. Just one question.”

The crimson fury leaned forward, expectantly.

“What is your name?”

“My name? It’s hardly something for you to trouble yourself about. I appreciate the gesture, though. You are every bit what they say you are. Please.” He gestured for Dallion to continue down the corridor.

Given no other alternative, Dallion did just that.

“It’s not a good look to ask servants for their names,” Falkner whispered, as he walked beside him. “Even for a hunter.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The auction room itself was a semi-circular dome divided into twelve sections. The front four were mostly empty, likely reserved for certain families of import. The one behind were virtually packed. Dallion followed Falkner to the second row of the leftmost back section. Clearly, even the son of a city lord wasn’t considered important enough for anything better.

“How long does this usually take?” Dallion whispered, leaning towards Falkner.

“Depends on the items in question. Sometimes it’s about an hour, sometimes more.”

That was too long. There was no way Dallion could get out in time to hear about the mission. The only thing left now was to have faith in March and Eury and enjoy the auction itself.

For the next five minutes, participants entered the room. When the last seat in the upper sections was full, a curtain was pulled over the entrance. Two rather impressive guards, both of them nobles, went up to both sides of the central podium, where they remained. The light crystals on the walls and ceiling dimmed to the point that only the podium itself remained lit up.

As the talking came to an end, a gorgon emerged in the far end of the room and took her place behind the podium.

“Good evening, dear participants, and welcome to the Night Auction,” the gorgon announced. “My name is Eos and I’ll be your master of ceremony for this session. Just to let you know, we have a number of rather exquisite finds for you tonight, so don't spend all your money on the early items. That said, let us begin.”

A circle of light emerged on the floor in front of the podium. Within moments, a large pedestal rose up from it.

“Magic?” Dallion asked in a whisper.

“All masters of ceremony are mages,” Falkner whispered back.

Floating slowly through the air, a rather crude-looking dagger made its way onto the pedestal. Looking at it, Dallion could clearly see the shimmering of several hidden domains within it.

“We’ll start with the Fulcrum Dagger. Found in the ruins near Gelenea in the Aseen province, this item is said to have the greatest number of sealed off domains to date. While not particularly useful as a weapon, it is yet to be completely explored. Maybe there is nothing left to explore, or maybe clearing it would reveal blueprints lost throughout the ages. Only you would find out, provided you’re adventurous enough to gamble on it.” The gorgon’s snakes stretched out, looking in every direction. “Starting price is five thousand.”

Five thousand gold coins? Dallion thought. As a hunter and item explorer, he knew there was no way the item was worth that much. Unless there was a skill gem hidden inside, the actual cost was a few dozen golds at most.

“We have five thousand,” the gorgon said. “Do we have five and a half?”

The number started rising. Dallion looked about, hoping to find the people bidding on the dagger. However, that proved impossible. The combination of dim lights and his seat location prevented him from seeing any movement—such an honor was reserved for the people in the front sections.

The item was sold for close to nine thousand gold coins. No sooner had the bidding ended than a new round began. This time, there was a shield for sale. While seemingly not special, it was said to have belonged to the copyettes during their peak. Bidding started at seven thousand, quickly reaching double the amount.

More and more items were displayed, each more expensive than the last. Time seemed to obtain different properties. By the time the ninth’s item was up, less than ten minutes had passed, yet Dallion felt he had been there for hours. On one occasion, he was tempted to bid on a rather interesting looking lyre-shield. Thankfully, his better judgment kept him from doing so. It wasn’t something that was going to help him against the Star, nor was it what the general requested.

“The third demon eye,” the gorgon announced. “One of a set of five, this gem went missing two decades ago, along with a number of other items, during the Mage Academy’s Firestone incident. Recovered a month ago, the item is now available for sale. I cannot comment on the potential properties of the item, but its rarity will definitely make it a conversation starter. Initial bidding price is twelve thousand.”

Dallion felt adrenalin being pumped into his veins. This was the item the general wanted to get. Assuming the price doubled, as was the practice up to now, Dallion would be able to get another something for himself as well.

Straightening up, he made a discreet sign with his hand.

“We have twelve thousand,” the gorgon announced. “Do we have thirteen?”

Dallion waited. For several seconds, it seemed that no one had interest until someone made the offer.

“We have thirteen. Is anyone willing to give me fourteen?”

Damn it! Dallion cursed. In his mind, there was no doubt that someone had bid out of boredom. However, now that the action had started, others would join in just for the thrill of it. Trying to maintain his cool, he raised a finger.

“Fourteen,” the gorgon said. “Is anyone willing to offer more?”

Dallion braced. If anything was going to happen, it would be now.

“Fourteen going once. Fourteen going twice.”

Please, please, please stay quiet, Dallion thought.

“Sold for fourteen thousand.” One of the gorgon’s snakes stared directly at Dallion and blinked, indicating that he was the winner.

Dallion let out a sigh of relief. At least that was done. Now he didn’t have the threat of the general hanging over him anymore.

“Why did you buy that?” Falkner whispered. “It’s worthless.”

“It came from the Academy,” Dallion replied, keeping the real reason secret. “It’s bound to have a few surprises.”

“Okay.” Falkner gave him a mocking smirk. “Just a waste of money. There’s nothing you can do with it.”

“With that, the warm-up portion of the auction has come to an end,” the gorgon announced. “After a minute, the main event will begin. Just in case, I’d like to say that tonight we’ll have two special items for sale. The parties willing to auction them off have insisted that the items be kept secret until the main event is over, so if you really want to obtain them, better bid wisely.”

Chatter filled the room. Dallion expected that most of the conversations to be speculations regarding the special items, but instead, everyone seemed to be discussing the prospects of the upcoming war. That made sense. As the empire’s strongest awakened, they would likely be sent to the front lines if things got serious. On the other hand, there were plenty of lesser awakened willing to take any risk in order to advance further. Dallion’s grandfather was a prime example of this, though at the time, the war was nothing but an internal matter.

“Do you know what the items of the main event will be?” Dallion asked.

“Some,” Falkner replied. “It’s difficult to get the entire list.”

“So, there’s something specific in mind you wish to buy?”

“A few things. Depends on how the bidding goes.”

“Well, let me know, and I’ll help you with what I can.”

“Dal, no offense, but you can’t afford what’s to come.”

“Maybe, but I might tip the balance in your favor.”