“You need to cut out your jabs.”
“When you do, then I will.”
“Fine,” Gaspar said.
They hurried along the street. Gavin stayed near the buildings, a row of homes with several shops. The homes were all squeezed together, narrow buildings that stretched two to three stories high, and though they were better maintained than some in the city, they were still run-down. One of the homes had a shattered window in the upper level, and it had been boarded over. Another’s door was askew.
Why would they leave the door ajar?
Still another building had evidence of scorch marks along the outside, though it hadn’t been completely burned. It was like a fire had come through but had been put out just in time.
Signs jutting out from the buildings marked the businesses. This wasn’t the typical merchant section of the city, so the buildings here had once been homes and were later converted into businesses. The owners probably lived above their shops.
When they caught up to the constables, Gavin looked over to Gaspar. “What do you suggest?”
“This is your plan.”
“How many of them will have this enchantment?”
“I don’t really know.”
“For someone who worked with them, you’re not a lot of help.”
“I never promised I would be.”
Gavin had seen constables in pairs before. This was the first time he’d come across a trio. He’d have to incapacitate all three to determine who might be the one with the item he needed. Doing that while also making sure that he wasn’t seen was going to be tricky.
“How about we just follow them for a while,” Gavin suggested.
“If you say so,” Gaspar said.
“If we attack them now, then we run the risk of them seeing us.”
“It’s more than just them seeing you.” Gaspar motioned to the people in the buildings nearby.
Gavin frowned as he followed the direction of Gaspar’s gaze, and he realized that the old thief was right. The people here would potentially betray them. Reporting to the constables what happened might earn them a level of protection for themselves.
He moved toward the constables, staying as hidden as he could. There didn’t seem to be much of a pattern behind what they were doing. They paused in front of several buildings, standing there for a moment before moving on.
“I think they’re detecting magic,” Gavin whispered.
“Probably,” Gaspar said.
“How do you think it works?”
“Probably the same as any other enchantments.”
“How?” Gavin asked.
“You don’t have experience with enchantments?”
“I have this,” he said, tapping on the enchantment that allowed him to communicate with Gaspar and Wrenlow. The enchantment that Anna had given them was different than the one that Gaspar and Wrenlow had shared. There was still a chain that connected the ear piece to the primary enchantment but the metal was a darker silver, and it had a stranger weight to it. “But I don’t have others.”
“Given the type of work you do, I would’ve expected that you’d want access to enchantments,” Gaspar said.
“They can be dangerous to rely upon.”
Gaspar continued to frown at him. The constables turned a corner, and Gavin hurried ahead, trying to keep up with them. He positioned himself so that he could watch the constables. In front of this building, they paused for a little bit longer. A different idea came to him.
If they followed long enough, the constables might help them uncover an enchanter. From there, Gavin and Gaspar could use that knowledge to figure out where the other group of enchanters would be.
Still, all of it would take too much time. He had no idea how long they were going to have with this, only that he suspected that the Mistress of Vines would make her next move soon. She wasn’t afraid of anything they might do—and she wanted Alex for some reason. Perhaps they should release Alex to the Mistress of Vines and see what happened. Gavin looked over at Gaspar, and he doubted the old thief would agree to something like that.
The constables moved on.
“They haven’t found anything,” Gavin observed. “I suspect the sorcerers in the city are much better at hiding their presence.”
“We don’t have many of them here. It was a wonder that your friend stayed for as long as he did.”
“You keep calling him my friend, but you do remember him attacking me.”
“Fine. Your old friend? Is that better?”
“A little bit,” Gavin muttered.
“We’ve all got friends like that,” Gaspar said.
Gavin looked over. Could the old thief actual be trying to make him feel better?
They made their way along the street and watched as the few people who were out continued to move away from the constables. The constables stopped at another building and lingered in front of the door. This time, they did something different—they opened the door.
It was a slightly smaller building than some of them, only two stories high, and it had been maintained recently, painted with a deep green. The shutters were neat and tidy, and all of the windows were intact. It had been well cared for, which meant it likely was somebody’s home.
“They found something,” Gavin said. He ran forward.
“What are you doing?”
“Now’s our chance.”
“Now?” Gaspar asked. “They’re inside someone’s home. If they… I see.”
“Good. Then you can help.”
Gavin reached the doorway. He paused, glancing along the street, but he didn’t see signs anyone out there was paying attention to them. Darting forward, he reached for one of his knives but changed his mind.
The El’aras dagger.
He had no intention of killing any of the constables. Doing so would only draw their attention to him. That is, unless he killed all three of them. Gavin didn’t want to do that either.
But he wanted to be ready for the possibility of magic used around them. If the constables had detected anything in this home, he needed to be cautious. The blade didn’t glow. That reassured him, though he still questioned what the constables had detected.
He stayed as low as he could and grabbed the nearest constable.
