"Only a blacksmith would be able to help us!" replied Ileus cryptically.

"We can ask for one over here," Dawn suggested looking at the vendors who were haggling with the customers.

​​

"No, let's go to the tavern and not ask for one over here. It will only garner attention.

The tavern was located in a back alley. There was a loose wooden shutter that tapped the exterior wall. Footfalls of the drunken men and women on the road sounded along with distant fluttering reverberations.

From the inside the tavern, roars of drunken laughter and singing were coming. Smell of mead, fire, meats, earthenware and stale bread wafted through the alley.

"Our blacksmith should be here!" said Ileus and stepped in.

Dawn and Brantley followed him. The tavern was dimly lit. The wooden tables and chairs were covered with grime. As they walked their way towards an empty table towards the left of the inn, all eyes fell on them. Men with horns—single or double, with scales, with grey skins and eyes that were completely black with yellow slits.

People stopped talking and there were hushed murmurs. Being werewolves, they could easily hear what others were talking about.

"This one 'as a funny weapon. I am placing my bet on 'er 'morrow," said a man wearing a yellow jacket and a green slimy skin.

"She wouldn't last another day," said his partner.

Dawn pursed her lips and ignored those comments. When they sat at the table, a man with a limp who was wearing a blue apron over his grimy clothes, came up to them and said, "What would you like to eat?" He stared at Dawn.

"You can give us a pitcher," said Ileus.

"Ah! We got the best one here!" he said. Then he looked at Dawn and said, "You can have it for free! I will be placing my bet on you tomorrow."

Dawn raised her eyebrows, feeling like a racehorse in the tavern.

"In fact you can have it for free till you are here lady," he replied. "You have brought in a lot of tourists to Ixoviya and we are sold out!"

She didn't know whether to say thank you or buzz off. So she just nodded again.

The man left and Ileus turned his gaze around. "I think we will have to leave as soon as possible."

"Why? What about the blacksmith?" asked Brantley.

The man returned and they became quiet. He placed the pitcher on the table and narrowed his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it and left.

Brantley and Ileus had the mead while Dawn scanned the place to find the smith. All of them fit in that category.

"Come with me," said Ileus, as he got up after finishing the glass.

"Where?" Dawn asked.

He didn't answer her and led them to the counter where the man with the limp, the owner, was wiping the place. He pointed with his chin to a room at the back of the counter, "See you there in two minutes."

The room at the back was even darker. Ileus flicked his finger to burn a flame at the end of his finger.

"Where are we?" Dawn was beginning to feel nervous.

The owner's voice came from behind. "Keep walking," he said in a stiff voice and passed them to open yet another door.

They followed him.

Dawn's mouth fell to the floor when she saw a black man working over there, forging metal over fire. The man was blind. But the precision by which he was hitting the hot iron was mind-boggling. She looked around only to see javelins stacked in one place.

Ileus smiled and turned off the flame in his hand. He withdrew a jambīya from his belt, on the hilt of which red, blue, green and yellow gemstones were embedded. As he drew it out, the blind man stopped working and looked in the dagger's direction and sniffed the air.

"Dagger of Zor'gan…" he hissed and licked his lips.

Ileus gave the jambīya to him and said, "You need to make it sharper than it already is, Sherwin."

Sherwin glided his hands over the dagger. "Yesss… I will make it sharperrrr… It has lost its touch…" Suddenly out of excitement, bat-like wings erupted from his back.

Dawn stumbled back with shock and Brantley caught her so that she wouldn't fall. A flash of light emanated from the furnace behind him and she saw a shadow of two horns on his head. Sherwin was a blind winged demon.

"I need it by the evening," Ileus instructed coldly.

"Yesss…" Sherwin hissed. He took the dagger to his mouth and licked it greedily.

When they all stepped out, Dawn had to ask, "How did you know about Sh—?"

Ileus cut her off. "We need to get out of this place as soon as possible."

A gust of wind passed through the alley and Ileus burst into mist to surround Brantley and Dawn. All at once they saw a herd of five winged demons flying past them—their bat-like wings flapping strongly behind them. They stopped right beside them and turned to examine the place with their red flinty eyes.

Dawn and Brantley stilled, holding their breath.

The demons flew away reluctantly.

"Those were winged demons! Dolgra's people!" Dawn said disbelievingly as her heart raced.

Brantley held her hand and they walked out of the alley as soon as possible. "I think her people are spying on you Dawn. We must go back."

"Hell no!" Ileus protested. "We are going to walk around, spend the money we have made and then we will go back."

Dawn had a thousand questions in her mind, but she refrained from asking. The next one-hour was spent in buying gold jewelry and three red negligees. Both Ileus and Brantley were mortified with Dawn's purchases, so they maintained distance when she shamelessly bought them.

When Dawn walked out of the shop, she said brazenly, "You guys should learn!"

Brantley thought he could jump in a well out of embarrassment. His future mother-in-law was too much to handle, he wondered how her daughter would be.

When they reached the tent, Brantley went to fetch food for her and Dawn started with her volley of questions as she threw her shopping bags on the bed and perched on it.

"How do you know Sherwin and what is that dagger about?"

Ileus took a deep breath. He knew this was coming, so he went to sit on the chair. He stretched his hands forward and said, "Sherwin was a frontline soldier in the army of Zor'gan. He had fought many battles for the king. However, when he became blind in one of the battles, they took him to guillotines to kill him. No one knew that Sherwin was also an oracle that had hidden his powers from the others. When he became blind, his mystical powers only increased. He was saved by his old friend Edwin—the owner of this tavern, a warlock, who abducted him a night before he was about to be beheaded. Ever since he has been kept inside that chamber. And now he uses his skills to forge iron weapons."

"Wow!" Dawn breathed out. "And the dagger?"

"That jambīya belongs to the king of Zor'gan, which my mother had acquired from him in one of her battles. It is kind of his scepter." Ileus sighed. "Now they think that I have the dagger, and Dolgra has plans. She wants to retrieve it! But they can't!" He grinned. "And that dagger is your only chance to kill Dolgra!"

"Why do I feel I am a pawn in a bigger conspiracy?"