Rey dismounted his horse and hurried inside the tavern. He elbowed his way past the people who were drinking and created a path to the innkeeper. The innkeeper was standing at the end of the room, writing down people's names as they came to book room.

He was a slimy-looking fellow, wearing a fake smile and sweating and rubbing his hands together as he counted their coins.

As Rey approached, the man raised his head, a wide smile on his lips, and asked, "How may I assist you, gentleman?"

The man paused and focused his attention on Rey when he heard no response from him. "Did you need a room, sir?" he asked again. "Should I get you a stripper to handle you throughout the night?"

Rey shook his head to signify that he didn't need anything the man asked for and walked closer to him to avoid raising his voice and attracting unwanted attention to himself.

"I'm looking for a group of bandits that came from Isengard," Rey whispered. "I was told that they were seen here a few hours ago. They had a small, light boy that had brown hair with them."

The bartender licked his lips. "What you seek is an invaluable information," he said, and Rey could see the lust in his eyes. "Nevertheless, it's the easiest thing for me. I can easily provide you with the information you require, but everything comes at a cost."

The man leaned forward, rubbed his hand, and held out his palm in front of Rey. He looked at Rey, smiled, and winked.

At first, Rey was disgusted by the man's attitude. He wanted nothing more than to smack him across the face and wipe the smile from his face at the time. But he had no choice. He needed information, and he was running out of time. He needed to save Garry, and he needed to return to Isengard before Gaius started worrying about them.

Seeing what the man wanted, he wasted no time. Rey dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a sachet of gold coins. The man's eyes widened as he saw it. Rey could guess the reason for that. Isengard's gold coins are one of the most invaluable treasures in the Middle Land.

"Isengard gold," the man said, shocked and impressed at the same time. "You're from Isengard, aren't you?"

Rey screamed at him, "Enough!" He looked around, wanting to be sure that he hadn't attracted unwanted attention with his voice.
When he was sure that no one was watching, he lowered his gaze to the man and said, "I'm the one that's still asking questions here. Since I've paid you, now tell me: Where are the bandits?"

The man licked his lips again and looked unfazed by Rey's threat. "The group of bandits you seek are called locusts. They come here every weekend to get their pay, and they pass through this area on their way back from raids."

"Are you saying they're not here again?" Rey asked, frustrated.

"Yes!" the man responded. "They left some hours ago. But you might find them at the lion's den that was located a few miles away. Follow this street to the end, and you'll likely meet up with them. And, if the boy you seek is worth it, you might not find him again. They don't hold captives for long."

"Thanks!" Rey appreciated the man and turned around to go when he felt a warm, clammy hand grabbing his cloth. "I've given you more information than you desired; don't you think you should add more to my gift?"

Rey scowled at the man. If he had more men with him, he wouldn't hesitate to hang him, remove his eyes, and send him off naked. But Rey ignored it and decided that the man wasn't worth his time. Perhaps he will come back for him. But now he had to save Garry. He was running out of time, and he was sure that Gaius would be worried sick now.

Rey shook the man's hand off his cloth. "Lay your hand on me again, and it will be the last thing you will do with your hand," he warned.

The innkeeper looked at Rey with new respect, retreated his step backward, and bent his head in shame.

Without turning back, Rey turned around and stormed out of the room, elbowing people as he made his way to the exit. He had never been so disgusted like this in his life.

Rey kicked his horse, riding down the street just like the innkeeper had told him, and hoped that he wasn't late again. By now, the sun was going down, and Rey was feeling very exhausted. He hadn't taken anything since morning, either liquid or solid. If he was feeling this way, he wondered how the horse would be feeling.

Rey concluded to find something for the horse to eat and drink once they reached their destination. As for him, he will hold it until he finds and saves Garry. A day of hunger won't kill him or lessen his strength. Especially with the new power inside him, he was sure he would withstand it.

Eventually, the street came to an end in a stone wall, and the last building on the right was a small tavern. Another tavern again.

The new tavern was built with red clay walls and a thatched roof, which looked rough and unkempt. It looked as if no one had cleaned it for years.

The first thing Rey did was examine the area with his eyes. From the look of the people going in and out, Rey was sure that it was the right place.

Slowly, he dismounted his horse and dragged it to a dark corner. He tied the horse to a pole he found and signaled for a boy who was smoking opium behind the building to come.

The boy ignored him.

Rey dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out another sachet of gold. He threw it at the young boy, and the latter snatched it midway. After that, he walked toward Rey to hear what he wanted to say.

"This horse hasn't eaten or drunk anything since morning," Rey began. "Please take care of it and watch it for me till I return. I need to solve some issues inside the tavern."

The boy smiled and said, "I've got you covered, sir."

"Thanks!" Rey said and walked into the tavern.

As Rey entered the tavern, he stopped at his track, surprised by what he saw. The place was dimly lit. It's one big room with a few flickering torches on the walls and a dying fire at the fireplace in the far corner. Black rugs were strewn everywhere.

There are several beautiful women in the room, too. They were lying on the rug, naked, bound by thick ropes to each other, and drugged. They were roughly arranged against the wall. Even from afar, Rey could smell the opium in the air, and he could see the pipe that was passed around through different corners of the room.

A few well-dressed men walked through the room anyway, kicking and nudging the feet of the women. From the way they were looking at the women, Rey was sure that they were testing the right and strong one that would keep them busy throughout the night.

Rey forced himself to ignore them and focus on what he came to do. He looked around the room and noticed a single man sitting on a velvet chair in the far corner. He was dressed in a red cotton robe, with two women chained beside him. Standing behind the man were three huge, muscular men. Their faces were covered with scars. They were taller, broader, and wider than Rey will ever be. They looked as if they were thrilled to kill someone. It was like they had been breeding, training, and learning the role of a guard ever since they were born.

Rey could now understand what was happening. This place was a sex den, and the women he saw chained together were for hire, while the man that was sitting on the velvet chair with the guards is the kingpin.

Without waiting, Rey burst into action. He picked up one of the torches that were hung on the wall and walked hastily to the kingpin. He was ready to force the truth out of the man and punish him for trading women for sex.

To be continued on Friday