Chapter 98: The Shop That Smelled Like Trouble
The next day....
Morning in Dawn House did not begin with birds. It began with servants moving trays, keys jingling, ledger books being carried like sacred objects, and Elena’s footsteps cutting through the hall like a commander inspecting a battlefield. The mansion was awake before Sekhmet fully opened his eyes. That was how it had always been. Dawn House never truly slept. It only shifted between quiet work and loud work.
Sekhmet sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the sunlit curtains for a long moment, letting the light remind him that he was not in a jungle anymore.
His mind tried to drag him back anyway.
He exhaled slowly and tightened his fingers once, grounding himself in the present. Today was not about survival in the wild. Today was about survival in the city, and the city hunted with smiles.
A soft knock came.
Knock... knock...
Elena entered without waiting, because Elena had been doing that since Sekhmet was a child and because Elena considered doors a polite suggestion.
"You are awake," she said, voice satisfied. "Good. Come for breakfast."
Sekhmet nodded. He rose, washed quickly, dressed cleanly, and ate without rush. Food did not call to him the way it used to. Blood hunger still sat behind his stomach like a quiet wolf, but he forced it down. He did not want to walk into the city smelling hungry.
He stepped into the main hall and found the first problem of the day.
Bat Bat.
Bat Bat was not in bat form. Bat Bat was in her tiny human form —six inches tall— standing on the breakfast table like a furious noble.
Her wings were blood-red, her small ears pointed, and her arms were crossed so hard she looked like she was trying to fold herself into a weapon. Her expression was pure betrayal.
"You go outside," Bat Bat accused as soon as she saw him.
Sekhmet paused.
"Yes," he replied calmly.
Bat Bat’s eyes narrowed.
"You go with Auri," Bat Bat said, voice rising like she was building a case in court. "You do not take Bat Bat."
Sekhmet stared at her.
"You are learning today," he said.
Bat Bat slapped the table with both hands.
Smack!
"Learning is boring," she declared. "Outside is fun. Outside is fighting. Outside is blood."
Elena cleared her throat in the background. It was not a loud sound. It was the kind of throat-clear that made entire rooms remember they had responsibilities.
Bat Bat stiffened slightly.
Sekhmet did not soften.
"No," he said. "You stay."
Bat Bat glared.
"I protect you," she argued. "I bite the enemy. I pee—"
Sekhmet lifted one finger.
Bat Bat froze mid-sentence like her mouth had been caught in a trap.
Sekhmet’s eyes narrowed with slow danger.
Bat Bat swallowed.
"I... not pee," she corrected quickly. "I learned. Lily teach."
Sekhmet nodded once.
"Good," he said. "Keep learning."
Bat Bat’s cheeks puffed again.
"You betray Bat Bat," she muttered.
Sekhmet leaned forward slightly, voice steady, almost gentle.
"I am not betraying you," he said. "I am keeping you safe. The city is not purgatory. The city is full of people who smile while stabbing. You do not know how to deal with them yet."
Bat Bat blinked, confused by the concept of smiling stabs.
Elena stepped forward and lifted Bat Bat with two fingers like she was picking up a loud piece of furniture.
Bat Bat flailed.
"Put me down," Bat Bat protested.
Elena’s voice was calm.
"No," Elena replied.
Bat Bat instantly stopped flailing.
Sekhmet watched that and felt a strange respect bloom in his chest. Elena could not fight gods, but she could defeat Bat Bat with a tone.
Bat Bat pointed dramatically at Sekhmet.
"I will remember this," she declared.
Sekhmet nodded as if accepting a royal curse.
"Good," he said. "Remember it while you study."
Bat Bat stared at him, then at Elena, then finally sighed like a tiny old woman carrying the weight of the world.
"Fine," she muttered. "I study. But if I become a genius, you will regret."
Sekhmet’s lips twitched faintly.
"I will survive," he said.
Bat Bat glared, but Elena was already walking away with her tucked safely in hand, like a dangerous little jewel.
Sekhmet turned toward the hall and opened the void land connection.
Auri stepped out immediately, already dressed in simple clothing suitable for a clerk, exactly as Sekhmet ordered. Her wings were covered beneath a cloak. Her posture was straight. Her eyes were calm, attentive, and loyal.
The servant girls who saw her pretended to be busy. Their jealousy made the air feel sharper.
Auri bowed.
"Master," she said.
Sekhmet nodded.
"Today we go to the shop," he replied.
Auri’s eyes sharpened slightly with focus.
"Yes," she said.
Sekhmet glanced at Elena one last time.
Elena was already dragging Bat Bat toward a study room like she was dragging a tiny hurricane into a cage.
Bat Bat yelled over her shoulder.
"Master," she called. "Bring blood."
Sekhmet did not look back.
"No," he replied.
Bat Bat’s scream echoed down the corridor.
"Traitorrrrrr."
Sekhmet exhaled once and stepped outside.
Click...
The Dawn House doors closed behind him like the final sound of childhood comfort.
The city greeted him immediately with noise.
Shout... chatter... wagon wheels... footfalls...
Slik did not whisper. Slik roared with commerce.
The streets near Dawn House were wide, built for heavy carts and heavier egos. Merchants shouted prices. Guards marched in pairs. Beastkin with horns negotiated with humans. A tall lizard-man argued with a short dwarf over a crate of polished chaos stones. A winged creature carrying baskets flew low overhead, almost hitting a noble’s hat, then apologized with the kind of smile that clearly meant it was not sorry at all.
Auri walked beside Sekhmet, quiet and observant.
Sekhmet did not speak much. He watched everything.
"Yesterday Auri came here alone," he reminded himself. "She took the address from Elena and found the building. The auction house and the shop are in the same building. One face for the public. One face for the hungry."