Felix Cartwright's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Felix caught the man's wrist before he could grab his collar. The stranger's hand shook. His eyes darted toward the door, then back to Felix's face. "You have to listen," the man whispered. "If I tell you this, they'll come for you too." Felix let go and stepped back. They were tucked inside the cave's entrance, hidden behind the blooming roses that covered the stone arch. The Floral Cave had seemed like a good place for an exchange — neutral ground, quiet, away from the crowded market where Felix usually worked his trades. But now the flowers felt like a trap. The man moved between Felix and the exit. He pressed a folded paper into Felix's palm. "She told me you keep track of things," the man said. "That you remember who knows what. I need you to remember this, even if it kills us both." Felix opened the paper. Three names. Two he recognized from his network. The third made his stomach drop. He folded it again and slipped it into the pouch at his waist. The stranger was already gone, disappeared into the market noise outside. Felix stood alone among the roses, holding information he couldn't unhear and didn't know how to trade.