Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains by Jeff Inlo

she also watched the reactions of other humans that
passed them in the streets. Night had taken hold, but it was not so late that
the streets were deserted. The town was active enough for Holli to gain a true
perspective of the citizen reaction to armed activity, and it surprised her.
Not one resident who passed paused to gawk at the parade of guards escorting
apparent prisoners through the town.
    That fact seemed almost incomprehensible
to her. In living among humans, she learned that they were a curious race. Such
spectacles should have brought much more attention, but the townspeople
actually shied away from their approach. Shutters remained closed on all
windows as did the doors of many homes. The residents of Huntston clearly
wished to distance themselves from such incidents.
    Bizarre.
    Humans simply did not act in such
a manner. Some might keep to themselves, might seek the shelter of obscurity
and avoid spectacles, but not an entire town. Many, if not most, would seek to
view the commotion, not shield their eyes from it. Yet, there were no crowd of
onlookers, and those that walked the streets deliberately avoided the parade of
soldiers escorting two strangers.
    Turning her mind once more to the
goblins and how they entered Huntston earlier that evening, Holli wondered if
the residents acted in a similar fashion. Did they ignore dark creatures
roaming the streets? Did they simply look away and mind their own business? Did
they hope that any potential threat would simply dissolve away?
    Extremely Bizarre.
    The soldiers escorted Holli and
Ryson on a fairly long walk. They led them to an ominous building just
northeast of the center of town. The entire structure was built from rock. Only
a few very narrow windows lined the front exterior wall. Bright lanterns lit up
the streets and alleys surrounding the building, but the stone walls themselves
were bathed in shadows. There were no adjacent structures, as the nearest
building stood several paces away across a very wide side alley.
    A brick walkway led from the
street to two massive doors that served as the front entrance and appeared to
be made of iron. Holli believed that assessment to be true when she watched one
of the soldiers struggle to open the door. A soldier waiting within gave quick
instructions once they were all inside and the heavy doors were closed.
    "We're bringing them to the
back, follow me," he stated in the fashion of an order he expected to be
followed without question or delay. This particular soldier had at least some
level of authority, but Holli didn't expect it extended beyond the stone walls.
    She believed he was a station
commander, nothing more. He didn't create the orders. He simply issued them to
the guards under his command. The true decision to take Holli and Ryson captive
came from someone further up the chain of command. If she was going to get any
answers, she wasn't going to obtain them from any of the soldiers they had
encountered so far.
    Ryson's discomfort continued to
grow. He reviewed their surroundings and realized they had been brought to a
guard station that also served as a jail. He and Holli were led down a narrow
hall and through another set of heavy iron doors. The entire back half of the
building was a wide expanse—very much like a storehouse— but with several areas
squared off with metal bars. The cells were more like isolated cages, as
sections of iron bars completed four walls and containment ceilings for each
individual holding area.
    Ryson expected the interior of the
facility to be dark and dreary, but the jail area was exceedingly bright. Far
more lanterns than were needed hung along each wall. Though the unpolished iron
bars offered little solace, the white stone floor actually sparkled under the
dancing flames of the lamps.
    Holli peered curiously into each
cell they passed. Most remained empty, but a few housed an occupant. No cage
held more than one prisoner and each one was human. Once more, she found no
sign