Chapter 333 Attention (2/2)

Alaric shrugged, but his beard twitched in a way that worried ht have spread soed a few people to come watch your trial”

“What kind of ru Alaric from the corner ofto coue”

I stopped walking suddenly and gave hi ascender being bullied by a naested that the ascender was so handsoifted…that he’d drawn the attention of even a certain highblood lady—”

I resisted the urge to bury ”

‘That certainly explains the ratio of woged and started walking again, weaving through the swelling crowd of people as we neared the exit portal to the first level

Darrin had watched this exchange with a tight-lipped setically before following Alaric

I stared down sparkling tiles of the street, hoping that these rued to catch up with the others, I fu else to talk about “So what’s the plan?” I asked finally “I’ve wasted enough tiet so around at the dozens of people passing by in both directions Most of the attention to us, but a few did double takes when they saw Darrin, and more than a couple pairs of eyes followed me as well

We bypassed theboth sides of the wide street as Alaric made a beeline for the portal to the first level Once the portals were in sight—like two pieces of glass hovering over a pad of colorfulthe second level

“Where are we going?” I asked

“I think it’s best if we leave the Relicto to my estate in the countryside of Sehz-Clar”

“Sehz-Clar?” I wondered aloud, trying to remember what I’d read “That’s sort of rural for a famous ascender, isn’t it?”

“I like it that way,” he said nonchalantly

I considered the size of Alacrya and where we’d entered the Relictombs from in Aramoor, which was in the eastern doh Etril before heading to Sehz-Clar? It was a very long way to go just to have a conversation, considering that ere surrounded by inns where a private roo back across the second level tohere I thought the massive portal into the deeper zones of the Relictoroup of men—all dressed in dark leather and chain ar at me only a second before

I quickly scanned the rest of the line The wo several people behind us Our eyes htly before she lowered her head, letting her dark hair fall across her face Besides the attention to the three of us

Questions arose but I kept the us away fro toone

It only took a couple minutes for us to reach the exit portal, where a uniforht and day traveling froht and airy, the first was dank and heavy with the smell of iron and excrement

Aat one of the portal guards about his pass The uniforuard had his ar

Behind hi in line to enter the second level,about the wait

I atching the commotion froht orange arh the portal She scanned the area, and when her eyes foundfrohtened senses and reflexes, the seconds that it took for the tanned woman to catch up to me passed by in a crawl

Just before she was in arht her by her wrist, crushi+ng the chain bracer into her flesh

The woround

“Did you not think I’d notice?” I asked, h hers as I twisted her wrist “Why are you following any eyes wide and her face pale “I just wanted your a-autograph!”

I glanced at the ground where the iteainst raved with chains that wrapped around the edges As I watched it, the woroped forward and tapped the pointed top

Several things happened at once

The artifact at ht

There was a flash froer appeared in her grasp

All around the portal platfor us warily or ignoring us in favor of gru line drew their weapons and turned as one toward me and my coh the portal back to the second level

This whole thing had been a setup—and there was only one group that would go to this kind of trouble

“Lord Granbehl sends his regards,” the orange-ar the blade ather by the wrist, I jerked the tanned woman off her feet and threw her at a nearby cluster of ar into them, but my attention was back on the artifact, which had opened like a flower and was glowing an to step doard it, intending to crush it under ht e over every inch of me like a second skin I could just ht, wrapping around me and my coot a force cage” Even with his voice e had wrapped around hile his body “And a pretty good one at that”

His words wereus dangerously

“shi+t,” Darrin swore, sounding like he was speaking with his head under water “This isn’t good”

Frole to pull the orange-ar her arm, I knew I’d pulled it fro at me victoriously

“Quite the handful, aren’t you?” she said while popping her arm back into place The woman sauntered closer toward us “A shame that I have to hand you over to the Granbehls So many better uses for a pretty face like yours”