Chasing A Spectre (War for Dominance Book 0) Read Online Free

could be deceiving.
    Not recognizing anyone in the group, the Spectre turned back and walked to the front row, where he took a seat and set down his bundle.
    The not-elf must have asked for questions, because she was now talking back and forth with people in the audience. After a couple of minutes of this, the audience began slapping their hands together. Dantes thought that it looked like they were doing it in approval, so he joined in. Milos joined in making the slapping noise too, after Dantes elbowed him.
    As the slapping noise ended, Dantes watched as many of the people in the audience got up and left the room, pushing past other people that were entering.
    “I think he must be the next presenter,” Ghorza said as the Spectre took the spot previously held by the not-elf.
    Dantes smiled. “Yes, I believe so,” he agreed. Ghorza had a knack for stating the obvious that rivaled her careless use of magic.
    They watched as the Spectre began a demonstration of how to change a person’s appearance. He started by showing the audience how to cut up black sheets to make a cloak that would render the wearer hard to see at night, and then he made masks out of an assortment of materials. He finished by showing the audience how to make themselves appear bigger than normal.
    As he began the last topic, Milos whispered to Ghorza, “Aren’t you going to cast a Translate spell so that we can understand him? This is exactly what he does back home. Maybe he will make a mistake and mention our world!”
    “I don’t have the manna to cast a Translate spell right now,” Ghorza whispered back. “If I cast it, I will have to use some of my own life force, and I don’t think it’s worth three years of my life to hear what he is saying. It’s obvious enough to me that he is the Spectre.”
    After a few more minutes there was another question and answer session, and then the people repeated the hand slapping. When they finished, the Spectre gathered up his materials and walked to the door, stopping to interact with several members of the audience on his way out.
    Ghorza, Dantes and Milos got up and followed him out.
    “What do you think?” asked Ghorza.
    “I agree that he is the Spectre,” Dantes replied. “I think we should follow him until he leads us back to his lair.”
    “I hope he goes to get some lunch,” said Milos. “Can you do that trick again with the money?”
    “No, I cannot,” Ghorza answered. “Focus. Have you never missed a meal before?”
    “Many times,” replied Milos. “That doesn’t mean that I want to do it again.”
    The group followed the Spectre for the remainder of the afternoon, splitting up from time to time so as not to draw his attention. The crowd was large enough that Milos and Ghorza were able to blend in fairly well; unfortunately, nearly everyone seemed to want to touch Dantes’ horns. His mood worsened as the afternoon wore on.
    The crowd started thinning as dinner time approached, and people went in search of their evening meals. Dantes sighed in relief as the Spectre finally left the area that the convention was using for its gathering. The group followed him through the building and into an open space that extended upwards over 100 feet. Looking up, they saw that they were in the largest building any of them had ever seen; there were at least ten floors above them.
    “By the seventh level of hell,” mumbled Ghorza. “What is this place?”
    “It must be some sort of inn,” guessed Dantes. “Look! The people on each level seem to be going into or coming out of rooms. The Spectre must be going to his room.”
    “Finally!” breathed Milos. “Maybe we can finally catch him and then get some dinner.”
    The group dropped back as the Spectre approached the open area, and they lost the cover and concealment of the crowd. The Spectre crossed the area without looking back, halting in front of a closed door. He pushed a button on the wall next to it that lit up. The group moved