At this point, he felt he was biding time before the inevitable need to leave. Maybe it’d be easier for him to get moving now and head out of the city. He might even leave Wrenlow here.
His friend wouldn’t be pleased. Wrenlow would want to come with him, especially after everything they’d been through together in their travels around the country. But for Gavin to investigate Tristan’s survival, he would have to go someplace Wrenlow wouldn’t be able to follow.
He hiked along a narrow path leading him through the trees and then out of the forest, and was greeted by the outskirts of Yoran. The massive, sprawling city rested on the northern aspect of the nation of Henethell. The buildings were all made of a gray stone harvested from several miles down the road, joined with a mortar that cast a thick green color to it. Thatched roofs covered most structures, though the roofs of some buildings toward the center of the city were made of slate—something rare in this part of the world.
The crowd of people moving through the street was not nearly as dense as the throngs farther into the city. Most people avoided this area and the nearby forest because of the rumors and myths that were spread about dangerous creatures within the trees. People who’d heard stories about what existed beyond the forest might be more afraid of it were they to learn those were more than rumors.
Gavin took in a deep breath. The edge of the city had a different energy and smell than the forest. He was a city boy at heart, having been raised and trained in one of the powerful Southern fortress cities. Though he hadn’t spent much time within others during his training, he’d certainly spent plenty of time around them in the days since he’d left his mentor. Standing here now, he could feel the vibrancy like an energy that swirled around him.
“Are you coming?” Wrenlow asked.
“I’m on my way.”
“Good. Jessica seems to think she has a job for us. She needs you here now, though.”
Gavin frowned. “Jessica has a job for us? She knows the kind of work I do.”
“I know she does, and I don’t know if it’s exactly the kind of job you’d normally take.”
“Why don’t you screen it for me.”
“She doesn’t want me to. Just get here as quickly as you can.”
Gavin started to laugh, and the people passing by looked at him strangely. He couldn’t blame them. A thin man wearing a strange brown cloak with a conspicuous dagger hanging from his belt was laughing to himself. If he saw someone like that, he would’ve viewed the person as a little bit mad as well.
He flashed a smile at the nearest person, and they darted away.
Gavin was taller and more muscular than most within the city. It was both a blessing and a curse. It was difficult to blend in, and he worked incredibly hard to master that ability. He hunched over, trying to hide his height. Even now, years after his training had essentially ended, Gavin still struggled to blend into a crowd.
Wrenlow’s comment struck him as odd.
As quickly as I can?
That meant something was off.
He jogged forward, but the streets were packed, forcing him to take a detour. At another, he had to loop through an alley before seeing a way through.
What’s going on here?
Something seemed determined to keep him from getting back the way he wanted. Gavin hurried through the crowd, elbowing past people, then paused.
Constables marched along the street. They wore gray cloaks that covered heavy mail, and they were out in more force these days. Most people in the city didn’t have any idea why that would be, but he knew they were patrolling for the El’aras and any evidence of magic. Magic was outlawed in Yoran, and the constables must have some way of detecting its use, though Gavin didn’t know how they managed that. Probably magic as well.
Gavin didn’t think the El’aras would remain within the city, but he didn’t really know. They could have lingered, and he wouldn’t be any wiser to that. After all, he hadn’t known that they were in the city in the first place until his last job. Before that, he thought Yoran would be one of the last places to house El’aras. Perhaps that was the point. By hiding here, they were protected by the unlikely nature of existing in a city where they were unwelcome and feared.
The constables stayed in pairs, their boots thumping across the cobbles. He followed them for a moment before veering off to another side street. He proceeded until he reached one of the main thoroughfares in the city. Another pair of constables was here. Strange. Though he’d seen more recently, there were even more out today.
Is there something taking place in the city that I don’t know about?
The constables stopped every dozen feet or so before moving on. Even stranger still.
Gavin had been in Yoran long enough to be accustomed to seeing constables out on their patrols. Most of the time, they were harmless. They patrolled the streets not only to keep peace but also to search for signs of enchantments. It was one way that the people of Yoran prevented magic from being used around them.
Of course, the constables weren’t necessarily good at their jobs.
“Have you heard any buzz about increased constable patrols?” Gavin whispered through the enchantment.
“What was that?” Wrenlow’s voice pierced his ear, and he adjusted the volume slightly. The new El’aras enchantment gave him far more control than his older enchantment had.
“The constables. I’ve seen more in these few streets I’ve walked today than I have in several days. Something’s going on.”
“Something is always going on with them,” Wrenlow said. “I don’t think you
