Gaspar shook his head. “Are you sure about this?”
“What do you want me to do?” Gavin asked. “Clean them out? If she’s right, and if the jade egg is the source of the constables’ enchantments, then all of these were created by the constables.”
Zella nodded slightly.
“And I don’t disagree that the power belongs to them, I just disagree with how they’ve been getting it back. The way they’ve attempted to use me,” Gavin said.
“What do you intend to do?” Gaspar whispered.
“Finish the job.”
He stopped at the door and looked back at them. “Stay out of my way.”
“Or what?” Zella said.
“Or you’re going to see just how far I’m willing to go to finish all of my jobs.”
Gavin headed through the building and stepped back on the street. He took a deep breath before stalking off.
Gaspar caught up to him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m going to have words with Davel Chan.”
“We were there already. There was nothing.”
“We were there, but I don’t think there was actually nothing.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m pretty sure I was hired by constables,” Gavin said.
He hurried back toward the home where they’d found Mekal and Kegan. Gaspar stayed with him, quiet until they reached the home.
“Where did you leave the constables?” Gavin asked.
Gaspar motioned for him to follow, and they rounded a corner into an alley. Gavin crouched down in front of one of the constables. He had a rounded face, soft chin, and ruddy cheeks. He looked soft. Soft men often cracked.
The others were leaner, and one of them even had a scar on one of his cheeks, suggesting he had some experience with fighting. This was the kind of man Gavin would respect but wouldn’t necessarily be able to get answers out of as quickly as he wanted. Besides, he figured the first man was the one who led them.
Gavin shook him. Then he waited. The constable didn’t come around.
“See if you can’t wake him up,” he said to Gaspar.
It was one thing to be offered a job, but it was another for Gavin to take it so foolishly and ignorantly that he hadn’t paid attention to who was hiring him. This had happened too often in Yoran.
Gaspar reached into his pocket and pulled something out, resting it underneath the constable’s nose. “Why do you think Davel Chan is a constable?”
“The money,” Gavin said.
“How much did he offer you?”
“Thirty gold crowns.”
Gaspar grunted. “That’s… considerable.”
“It is, and I thought the reason he was willing to pay so much was only because he had me going after someone with magic. Now I wonder whether or not it was simply because he has an unlimited supply of coin.”
“Not unlimited.”
“Mostly though,” Gavin said. “I realize it comes from the taxes charged, and the people of the city are the ones paying, but…”
The constable started to come around, and Gavin leaned forward, pushing Gaspar off the side. He crouched down next to the constable and held the dagger underneath his neck.
He looked directly into the man’s eyes. The constable stared back.
“There you are,” Gavin said, leaning close. “You have a dagger under your neck. And a knife to your groin,” he said, shifting the other knife. “Trust me when I say I’m not afraid to use either of them. Your answers will determine which end of the blade you experience. Do you understand?”
The constable didn’t say anything.
“You can blink once if you understand.”
The constable blinked.
“Good. Now I’m going to pull the dagger at your throat away a bit, but I’m not going to remove it altogether. I expect answers. Nothing more than that. If you strike me as being misleading in any way, you’re going to find pressure on one of the blades. I decide at the time which one it is.” Gavin started to withdraw the dagger slightly, and he stared at the constable. “What’s your name?”
“You’re making a mistake. You would dare to attack constables of—”
Gavin shoved the knife forward but not by much. He had enough control over the blade that he could tell it wasn’t going to slice all the way through the man’s groin, but enough to give him a haircut.
“Listen,” Gavin said. “We can do this many different ways. I’m perfectly content to have you continue to chat away at me, but know that I have all the time in the world. You are off in an alley, and the longer you talk, the more likely it is that my hand is going to slip. Is that what you want?”
The constable stared at him.
Gavin nodded. “Better. Name.”
“James Thierry.”
“Good. Now that I’ve got that established, I have a few questions for you. First question: Do you know the name Davel Chan?” A hint of tension fluttered the corners of the constable’s eyes. Gavin had his answer, but he wanted to know what James might say. “No answer? Fine.”
He shoved again, sending the blade into James’s groin. The man screamed, the sound sharp and high-pitched. Gaspar was there in an instant, clasping his hand over James’s mouth.
“Thanks,” Gavin said, looking over at Gaspar.
“You see, I don’t like that answer. The next one might anger me even more. Do you know the name Davel Chan? It’s a simple question, and in my mind, it would have a simple answer. All I’m asking is for you to tell me whether or not you know the name. I’m not asking you to tell me where to find him.”
“I know the name,” James said.
“That’s what I thought. Now, the next question might be a little bit harder for you considering how difficult the last one was. Where is he?”
James said nothing.
Gavin offered a tight smile. He pressed the dagger forward into James’s neck. Blood dribbled down the edge of the blade.
James
