“Which means we need to find it tonight or else we’ll have to wait another day,” Elian continued.
“But how are we supposed to find this place? And this Brontaios?” Liora asked.
“Minotaurs are crafty and loyal, they will not simply give up the identity of one of their own,” Hektor began. “This Brontaios sounds like he is high up in his clan’s organization if he runs such a profitable business. His identity will be hidden by layersand layers of security. Even if we manage to find this gambling den, we must accept the possibility that we might not even get close to him tonight. We must prepare to stay here for a few days. Perhaps weeks.”
Stay here? In the same room as Liora for the next few weeks? That sounded like pure torture.
“So, we can’t just ask around?” Maldenis suggested.
Liora scoffed. “Didn’t you hear what Hektor just said? They’re gonna protect someone important like him.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t ask,” he said. “I mean, what about…” He glanced around, then saw a waiter headed their way, holding a tray laden with empty coffee cups and plates of half-eaten cake. “Excuse me!” he called.
“Maldenis,” Liora hissed. “What are you doing?”
“Just hold on.” He waved her protestations away with a hand as the waiter approached them. “Hi there.”
“Good evening, sir, what can I do for you?” The waiter was slender for a minotaur, probably still in his late teens. His muddy brown hair was brushed back and he wore a crisp white shirt and black linen pants.
“This is ridiculous,” Liora said.
Ignoring her, he asked the minotaur, “Do you know a Brontaios?”
“What?”
Maldenis sat up straight so they were face to face and he could look him in the eye. “Brontaios. Do you know him?”
“I—” A strange look passed over the minotaur’s face, then he said, “Yes. I know him.”
“Really? Where can we find him?”
“He runs an underground gambling den in town. Hidden under the Krusty Krag. It’s a bakery on Dunhaven street. Go ’round the back, knock five times, and give the password.”
“What’s the password?”
“Minotaur.”
Wow, original.
“Thanks, you’ve been very helpful.”
“Anything else I can do for you, sir?”
“No, you can go.” He turned back to his companions. “See? That was easy.”
Liora eyed him suspiciously. “Yeah…almost too easy.”
“Who cares?” He shrugged. “Now we know where to look. So, why don’t we all order something to eat, then head to this Krusty Krag so we can find this guy.”
The triplets were still eyeing him weird, but he ignored them and grabbed the menu, mentally patting himself on the back.
Maybe this guide thing wasn’t going to be so hard after all.
Chapter 11
Liora
After dinner, they made their way through Glenmorgrund’s narrow stone streets, following the directions the waiter had given them. Liora still hadn’t quite shaken the nagging thought about how easily Maldenis had gotten that information.
