Gavin crouched across from him, holding a knife in hand. “Why are you following me?”
The man blinked, wincing. “I’m not following you. I don’t know—”
Gavin jabbed the knife toward him. “I’ve been watching you. You keep making passes behind me. You’re following me. I want to know why.”
“Like I said, I’m not following you.”
He debated how aggressive to be. He didn’t know anything about this man. He might have been following Gavin, but that wasn’t reason to stab him. Besides, he still thought he might be able to get information out of him.
“What were you doing?” Gavin asked. “I observed you making three circuits around the block.”
“You saw what?”
“I saw you. Now, if you want to keep denying you were circling the block, go right ahead. I saw it. Unless you give me a good answer as to what you were doing and why you were there, I might have to…”
Gavin thrust the knife at him again and watched as his eyes widened. He let the man’s imagination do the rest of the work, and he smiled to himself.
“I wasn’t following you,” the man said again.
“Who are you following?”
“I wasn’t following anyone. I was looking at…”
Gavin leaned back, slipping the knife back into his sheath. “Who?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters. Who are you looking at?”
“She doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“That’s what this is about? A spurned lover?”
Gavin felt like an ass. Not because he had punched the man and dragged him off to the side of the street, but because he had misjudged the situation entirely. The man had indeed been looking at him, but maybe it was because he was trying to hide what he was doing.
Gavin shook his head. “If she doesn’t want anything to do with you, then you need to leave her alone.”
“I’m trying to leave her alone, but I just can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
Not that it mattered to him. He didn’t really care if this man stalked some woman he had a crush on, but there was something about all of this that troubled him.
The timing. What if he had been right all along? What if this man had been following him? He had the look of a soldier. The closely cropped hair. The scar above his brow. Even the build. All of it suggested he was trained—the kind of person that Gavin had fought before and that he would expect to follow him.
The man leaned against the building and breathed, as if he was trying to gather himself and control his breathing. Another sign of training.
“Who are you?” Gavin asked.
“I’m no one. I told you. I was just looking along the street because—”
“Because you have a crush on somebody. That’s what you’re telling me, and I’m telling you that I’m not sure I can believe you. So what I’m asking is for you to give me a good reason I should believe you.”
“What more do you need me to say?”
“I think you need to show me who you were looking at.”
“Please. Don’t make me do it.”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry. I’m just being cautious.”
The man stared at him and frowned. Gavin simply waited.
After a moment, the man got up and dusted his hands on his pants. “If it’s going to convince you to let me go, I’ll show you. But don’t make me take you inside her shop.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s asked me not to go in.”
Gavin almost chuckled. The story was completely believable. Were it a different time and were he not already on edge, he might have believed the man instead of pushing and pressuring him.
He forced the man forward and held onto the back of his jacket, keeping the fabric twisted in his fist. He walked close behind, ready for any suspicious movement.
What he wasn’t ready for was someone to slam into his back.
The man in front of him spun and kicked, forcing Gavin to let go of his jacket and step back. He glanced over at another attacker, who was small, lithe, and compact with longer hair. She reminded him of Imogen.
He raised an eyebrow. “Not a spurned lover.”
The man darted forward. Gavin blocked by lifting his leg and thrusting it so that he could throw off the attack. He twisted and spun his fist, driving it outward.
The woman blocked him. She was quick. Almost impossibly quick.
Could she have an enchantment?
Gavin hadn’t fought against anybody who used them in quite some time. It was dangerous going against someone like that without enchantments of his own. Some of the ones he’d encountered in the past enabled people to be faster or stronger, while some helped with healing. But he didn’t need an enchantment for fighting. That was one area where his training gave him the advantage.
He twisted around and kicked, connecting with the man’s midsection. The attacker grunted and dropped to the ground. Gavin tried to dart forward, wanting to deal an incapacitating blow to the man’s head, but the woman slid between them.
The people on the street had given them space. In fact, Gavin suspected that the crowd had disappeared altogether long before the fight broke out. Maybe they were all part of this.
Interesting.
The woman’s hands darted rapidly in several quick thrusts. If Gavin hadn’t trained the way that he had or experienced what it was like to fight somebody faster than him, he might not have been able to parry each blow. But he deflected one, then another, and each time he sent her attacks glancing off, he prepared himself to handle the next.
Gavin used her defense against her. She was backing away, and he summoned a hint of power from his core, nothing more than that. With that, he jumped, flipping in the air.
The suddenness of the movement surprised her. As he twisted, he brought his leg around and kicked toward her. He expected to catch her on the shoulder, but she maneuvered far more rapidly than he expected.
As he landed, she was already moving forward. She blocked his punch, and he swept his leg down. His kick connected, and she stumbled. Gavin kicked again, and she grunted as the blow landed on her side.
Something moved behind him, and he spun, driving out with his heel, and he connected again with the man’s stomach.
Gavin cocked his head to the side. “You shouldn’t lead like that,” he muttered.
The man went stumbling down, and Gavin turned back to the woman.
She was gone.
He darted toward the man and unsheathed his dagger. He glanced at the blade. No glow. No magic.
Gavin jabbed the dagger toward the man. “Either answers, or you’ll give me a reason to use it against you.”
“No answers. We were just hired to trail you.”
“Hired by whom?”
“I don’t know. That’s not how it works.”
“Really?”
Gavin pushed the dagger into the man’s side. He didn’t press too hard or too deep, but just enough to draw blood. Just enough to make him believe that Gavin would push even harder.
And he would. He wasn’t opposed to more violence if necessary. Gavin didn’t know whether he’d been tasked to do anything more than give him a beating or if he would’ve left him bleeding out on the street. Neither of them had carried weapons, which was reason enough for Gavin to at least hesitate.
“I told you, I don’t know,” the man said.
“Where did you take the job?”
The man stared at him defiantly.
Gavin lingered, watching the man for a moment. “You aren’t going to like the way this ends.”
There was something about his movements during the fight that disturbed Gavin. Maybe they were enchanted. Gavin pressed the knife deeper into his side.
The man’s eyes widened in fear. “I can show you.”
“Good. Why don’t we start with that.” Gavin shoved him. The man staggered forward. “Where did your friend go?”
>
“I don’t know. She probably took off when you beat us.”
“Who is she?”
Gavin couldn’t shake how similar her fighting style had been to Imogen’s. With her build, he could almost believe that they were related. He wanted answers, but with everything else that had been going on, he didn’t have the time to get them. He wasn’t even sure if Gaspar would provide answers to his questions.
“I don’t know. We’re paired up for the job,” the man said.
“Don't think I'm going to believe that answer."
“It's true.”
“You had to have had some conversation with her while working.”
“Less than you’d think. She doesn’t like to talk much.”
Another similarity to Imogen. Gavin shook his head. “Tell me where we’re going so there won’t be any surprises.”
“It’s not far from here.”
“How long have you been following me?”
“Since you left the tavern.”
Great. Another person aware of the Roasted Dragon. In the time he’d been in Yoran, Gavin had placed the Dragon in danger far more times than he preferred. At least this seemed to be a typical sort of attacker and not one of the El’aras.
Gavin could handle normal fighters; even several of them all at once. In fact, there was a part of him that wished he had the opportunity to go against more at a time.
“How long have you been waiting there?” he asked.
“Not long. They said you might be coming out.”
“They said?”
“Right. They said it. We were supposed to follow you. If you came this way, we were supposed to slow you.”
“Just slow me?”
The man nodded.
They reached the end of the street, and he pointed to a house that looked like any of the others around it. Most of the houses along the street were simple. They were all pressed together, one after another, an entire row of them. All were made of wood and with simple windows that looked out over the street. A few of them had obviously been painted at some point in the past, an attempt to give them more color that ultimately mattered very little.
The street itself was narrow and the buildings squeezed in, nothing like what was found in some of the more central parts of the city. Not much was different about this particular house. The windows were dirty, with no light shining through. No smoke drifted up from the chimney. People moved along the street, unmindful of the building.
Strange.
“Why just slow me?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask details.”
Gavin grabbed the man’s collar and threw him forward. “Well, let me tell you about the kind of jobs I take.” They started toward the door. “You see this dagger?”
The man glanced back and nodded.
“I’m sure you’re curious whether I’d be willing to use it,” Gavin said.
The man looked up, holding Gavin’s gaze for a moment. He nodded again.
“Don’t tempt me, and you won’t have to find out.”
Gavin shoved him toward the door, and he stopped there for a moment. This wasn’t all that far from where he’d been heading, but it wasn’t the same house. He nodded at the door, and the man knocked. Gavin took a step back, holding onto the dagger.
He wasn’t altogether surprised when it started to glow.
Chapter Seven
Gavin hadn’t expected to see an older man answer the door. He had thick glasses, and he was dressed in a maroon gown. He flicked his gaze between the two of them, then waved his hand at Gavin’s attacker, who shot Gavin a quick look before he walked away. There was something about this man that said he took care of himself. Sometimes older men let themselves go, but this man gave off the impression that he still was relatively fit. He was shorter, stocky almost, and had short black hair. His nose looked flattened to his face, and Gavin could almost imagine that it had been broken a time or two.
Gavin smiled. “I suppose I have you to thank for my greeting?”
“They were supposed to hinder you, nothing more than that.”
“And you are?”
“Chan. Davel Chan.”
“I suspect you know who I am?”
Davel stared at him for a moment and nodded. “You may come in, I suppose.”
“Just like that? You aren’t concerned about what I’m going to do?”
He eyed the El’aras dagger. “You might as well put that away. You aren’t going to need it.”
“I think I might keep it ready. Just in case,” Gavin said, shrugging.
“It’s your choice.”
Davel headed into the home and Gavin paused, looking along the street. He didn’t see the man he’d fought, but he did catch a glimpse of the woman. She was standing at the end of the street, watching him. The woman had a dangerous edge to her, and again he was struck by her resemblance to Imogen.
Was this woman enchanted?
Gavin didn’t know if that was the case with Imogen or not. In Imogens’ case, it might simply be a matter of almost impossible skill.
All of this was strange, though these days, Gavin wasn’t sure if he was even able to take normal jobs. He had to believe that this was somehow tied to the reason that he’d been summoned.
But why?
When he stepped inside, the El’aras dagger started to glow more brightly. There was magic used here, and whatever was here would be considerable.
He looked around the home. It was cozy. A long velvet-lined bench rested in front of one wall, and a similar one was on the other wall. A table with chairs surrounding it stood in the middle of the room. There was no hearth. Cupboards within the kitchen were closed, and a kettle rested on the stove. It was the only source of heat within the room.
“Close the door behind you,” Davel instructed.
“Are you here alone?”
“Are you?”
Gavin smiled. He hadn’t tapped the enchantment, though he was growing increasingly tempted to do so. It may be beneficial for Wrenlow to know what had taken place, but for now, he would keep the silence.
“Right now, I am,” Gavin replied. “Others know where I’m going.”
“The same could be said for me,” Davel said.
“Why did you hire them to slow me?”
“They weren’t supposed to attack you, though from the sight of the blood on your dagger, it seems as if that message wasn’t conveyed quite as clearly as I would’ve hoped.”
“You hired thugs to delay me, and you’re surprised they attacked?”
“I didn’t realize they were thugs.” Davel turned toward him, and he held a mug out.
Gavin shook his head. “I’m sure you can understand why I won’t take that.”
“I suppose I can.” Davel took a sip of the tea, and he watched Gavin. “Are you still taking jobs?”
Gavin started to laugh. “All of that to draw me here?”
“Well, if you are who I believe you to be—”
“Who you believe me to be?”
“The rumors of Gavin Lorren within Yoran have been too consistent and persistent for me to ignore.”
“If you’ve heard rumors of me, then you know the kind of work I’m involved in.”
“I’m well aware.” He said it with a strange irritation in his eyes.
“Then who would you like me to target?”
“It’s complicated.”
“It always is,” Gavin said.
“I feel conflicted about even asking this at all.”
“As you should.”
“Anyway,” Davel said, ignoring the comment, “I thought that perhaps if anyone might be able to help with this task, it might be you.”
“What task is that?”
“I need you to acquire something for me.”
“Acquire?” Gavin frowned, arching a brow.
“You’re a tracker, are you not?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“That’s the rumor.”
>
Gavin resisted the urge to groan. He had a strong suspicion about where that rumor originated from. More than that, he suddenly thought that he understood just why Davel Chan had believed that he could send thugs after him to slow him.
Balls.
“What do you need found?” Gavin asked.
“There’s an item I need. As you can understand, in this city, it’s not something I can openly pursue.”
“An enchantment.”
“It’s not so much an enchantment as it is…” Davel sighed. “Well, perhaps it is an enchantment.”
Gavin shook his head. It seemed that he was getting pushed to take very different jobs than what he typically did. By Jessica. And Gaspar. And even Wrenlow.
Were they trying to turn me into a different kind of person?
More than ever, he knew it was time for him to leave Yoran. After he found this boy. Until then, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to leave.
And while I’m here, did I want to take jobs like this? Jobs that involved magic?
“I’m afraid you have the wrong person,” Gavin said.
“I can pay. I have money.” Davel set the tea down, and he raised his hands in a pleading fashion. “That’s one thing I have in this city. I can’t use my art openly, but I can pay.”
Gavin wanted to sigh—to turn away, to refuse this man—but if he was going to leave Yoran, he needed money to do it. Not that he couldn’t find enough paying jobs along the way, but having a few coins would make it easier for him.
“How much are we talking about?” he asked.
“Well, that partly depends upon you.”
“What are you looking for?”
That might’ve been the better question. If it was something difficult or potentially dangerous, then he would need to ask for more. He didn’t particularly want to go chasing after magical and enchanted items, but he could have Wrenlow look into it. It wouldn’t be all that difficult for him to extend his resources to search for something like that.
“It’s called the jade egg,” Davel said. “It’s an item of some power.”
“And you believe it’s in the city.”
“I know it is.”
“Why?”
The Chain Breaker: Books 1-3 Page 34