He swept his gaze around and half expected to see one of the El’aras, perhaps even Theren, but there was no sign of them. Gavin moved carefully in the shadows, meandering along the buildings and glancing over his shoulders from time to time to double-check whether anybody followed him. He couldn’t see anyone. Whoever was there must be skilled.
Gavin turned a corner, and he came across a small square that he’d spent some time near. Typically, there was a market here, and today was no different. Dozens of stalls were arranged around the square, with a throng of people filling it. Sounds of voices carried through the air, and the smells of food from the street carts drifted toward him.
Three men drummed on small metal tubs, and children danced in front of them. Acrobats tumbled off to one side, spinning hoops, jumping, and demonstrating their flexibility.
Gavin needed to get back to the Dragon. Imogen and Gaspar were likely planning their departure without him. He had been gone long enough. He had met with Anna to get help protecting the city, and now that he had arranged it, it was time for him to join with the others.
But there was that sensation that something followed him.
And he couldn’t shake it.
He reached the far side of the square and ducked underneath the overhang of a nearby building. He didn’t see anyone.
Somebody had triggered his alarm, though.
A pair of constables marched through a clearing nearby. The area wasn’t large, and the two had no difficulty making their way across it without anyone bothering them. It was almost as if the crowd parted around them. He suspected they had. Few people wanted to interfere with the constables.
Gavin couldn’t tell which of them were enchanters with natural abilities. Maybe neither. If that was the case, he suspected that at least one of them, or probably both, carried heavy enchantments with them even now.
As he stared, he noted a glint of metal on the hand of one man. A ring. The other had a band of silver glittering around his neck. Another enchantment.
What he wouldn’t give for Zella’s ability to know each enchantment simply by touching it and testing it.
Were the constables the sense he had detected?
Gavin didn’t think so. They wouldn’t draw his attention, even if they had enchantments. He had to be feeling something else.
Could it be one of the El’aras that had attacked in the forest? There wasn’t any sign of them. Then again, if they moved as quickly as the ones he had seen, he might not even know. Would they be in the city with the barrier now around it?
Gavin needed more information, and there was only one way he could get what he needed quickly enough to be useful. He only wished that his friend knew just how valuable he was.
“Wrenlow,” he said, tapping on the enchantment in his ear and whispering into it. “Is Gaspar around?”
“All you have to do is talk to me,” Gaspar said through the enchantment.
“I didn’t know if you had the enchantment with you. Most of the time, you try to keep it out.”
“Most of the time, you go about chattering in my ear too often. You do realize that we are trying to prepare to leave. Imogen is ready. She told you more about her than she’s told anyone other than me, so be careful you don’t betray that trust.”
“I won’t,” Gavin said. “I’m not trying to delay us either, but this is important. There was an incident outside the city today.” He proceeded to tell them both about the attack, how Anna had handled it, and the concern he had about the Toral and the other El’aras.
“We know there are other factions of El’aras,” Wrenlow said. “I guess I never expected to see them battling each other openly.”
“I have a feeling Anna didn’t expect that either,” Gavin said.
“When you first went after her, there was another faction here,” Gaspar reminded them.
Gavin nodded. “There was, but I’m not sure if they were here because of her or because of Cyran. But anyway, I’m in the—”
“The Circus Square,” Gaspar said with a scoff. “I can hear it. So you can just admit that you enjoy watching the acrobats.”
“Somebody’s following me. I figured maybe you could sweep by here, let me know if you pick up on anything, and—”
Gaspar grunted. “I see. You want another set of eyes. You have to give me a little time.”
“You’ve got it. I’m just going to hang out by the wall on the far side of the square and wait for you. There are a trio of acrobats near me.”
“You’re a child,” Gaspar said.
“Because I’m watching the circus?”
“Yes.”
Gavin chuckled.
The enchantment went silent, and he took to waiting. As he did, he scanned the rooftops for anything he might have overlooked, but he didn’t see anything. There was the ongoing, unshakable feeling that there was something out there. He had been waiting for the better part of ten minutes when he heard Gaspar in his ear again.
“I’m on the far side,” Gaspar said. “Nothing suspicious here.”
Gavin looked across the square. Gaspar appeared to be haggling for thick yellow socks. A nearby performer blew out a long plume of fire. Gaspar narrowed his eyes.
“Fine,” Gavin said. “I’m not imagining it though. And why in the gods have you bought those?”
“It’s the best wool in the city and mustard brings out my eyes. And I didn’t say you were, boy.”
Gavin let out a small laugh. “I know that tone. You do think I’m imagining something.”
“You don’t know any such tone,” Gaspar said. “Besides, with all of the outrageous shit that’s been going on these days, I can’t deny that you might detect something.”
Gavin snorted. “Make your way over here and I can join you.”
“If there’s nothing there, I’m going to keep moving,” Gaspar said. “Have to finish making preparations before we leave.”
“I won’t be far behind you, then. It doesn’t take me nearly as long to get ready as it does you,” Gavin said. Gaspar grunted, and Gavin laughed. “But then, I do a lot of things faster than you do.”
“You might be surprised, boy.” Gaspar watched him, and there was a question glittering in his eyes. “I do want to tell you that you don’t have to do this.”
Gavin hesitated. “This is Imogen. She helped me. And Wrenlow. It’s not that I have to do it. I want to do it.”
There was a pause, and then Gaspar answered, “Good.” He sounded relieved. “She needs us, boy. She don’t always want to admit it, but she needs us. She’s been through some things, survived more than most. Maybe not compared to you, but more than most. And if we can offer her a measure of comfort, then that’s what we need to do.”
“I never said I wasn’t willing to help,” Gavin said.
“I know. If you’d let me finish, you’d hear me thank you. Don’t go getting used to it, though. This is the sort of thing I don’t like to do, especially when it comes to you. I have to admit that ever since you came to the city, things have turned a bit to shit, but I’ve felt like I had somebody watching over me as well. That matters to a man like me.”
Gavin looked across the distance, holding Gaspar’s gaze. “You’re going to make me go all soft here.”
Gaspar glowered at him. “There you go. Ruining the moment.”
Gavin turned serious. “I appreciate you as well. I don’t know if I could have done any of this without your help.”
“You couldn’t.”
Gaspar slipped away.
Even the enchantment went silent, which told Gavin all he needed about Gaspar and what he was doing. Whatever he planned on, it was something Gavin couldn’t be a part of.
A flicker of shadowy movement came from across the square, and Gavin looked up. He raced around the outside of the square, following that form as it bounded across the rooftops.
The figure was enchanted.
Were it another time, Gavin might not have pursued them, but somehow they were abl
e to move like that despite the barrier enchantments around the city?
That was troublesome.
And it was reason enough for Gavin to go hunting. He needed to understand how this person had the ability to run across the ground the way they obviously did. If only he had his own enchantment enabled that would allow his to still work within the barrier. He could try his core reserves, but didn’t expect that to be effective.
Gavin tried it anyway and called up the power within himself, and he found that something had changed.
He could access that power. But how?
Was the enchanted barrier down—or had they somehow permitted him to use power in the city? The latter would be useful, if they’d offer that to him.
Rather than continuing to use his own core reserves, Gavin reached into his pocket, grabbed one of his enchantments for speed, and slipped it onto his wrist.
Enchanted power filled him, and he started running. He reached the building with the last rooftop he’d spotted the person running across, then looked up, but he didn’t see any sign of them. Gavin scrambled up the side of the structure and pulled himself up the lower-level overhang. When he landed on the rooftop, he swept his gaze around. There was nothing.
He slipped forward carefully. There was reason for him to be cautious, if this person could bypass the magic mitigation barrier within the city.
He flattened himself onto the rooftop and waited until he saw the flicker of shadowed movement again. Then he darted after it.
Drawing upon the enchantment, Gavin pushed some of his own power through it. Doing so made him move even faster. It burned through the enchantment’s magic more quickly, but he knew where to acquire more.
The figure was small, like a child. Could it be one of the El’aras?
If it was, Gavin had to be more careful. He was tempted to reach out to Anna, to see if she might be able to explain what had happened, but he didn’t have time. Besides, a child El’aras would not be in the city alone. This was something else.
He leapt across the space between buildings and found the figure trying to get down from the rooftop. Gavin summoned his reserves, and he jumped. He’d discovered in the past that doing so would power him enough that he could sail, but he hadn’t expected to call on quite so much.
He lost control, flying across the distance and crashing into the cobblestones below.
Gavin lifted his head as the figure raced down the street. He scrambled to his feet, racing after them. When they rounded a corner, he lunged and tackled them to the ground.
The person was strong. Enchanted strong.
He spun them over, pressing their shoulders down into the stones.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Gavin asked them.
“Get off me.” A soft voice carried up to him. A girl’s.
He relaxed his hold only slightly, but the girl used his moment of indecision and kicked. Enchanted as she was, she booted him off easily.
Gavin went flying, landing on the far side of the street, but immediately lurched forward. He reached for his core reserves, pulling the energy through himself the way Anna wanted. He could feel something shift as power flowed through him.
He jumped forward, reaching for the girl, and crashed into her. She cried out and pushed on him, trying to get away.
“Why are you following me?” he demanded.
“I’m not following you! Gods, didn’t even know you were there.”
“You were following someone.”
She remained quiet.
Gavin snorted. “Talk or I’ll find the constables and—”
“I was paid to find something here.”
Gavin frowned at her. “And what is that?”
“Does it matter?” She shrugged and tried to scramble back, but Gavin held on to her.
Stringy brown hair framed her pale face, and she was surprisingly thin for how strong she was—though that could have only been because of an enchantment. She looked young, but he suspected she wasn’t quite as young as she appeared.
Maybe she was El’aras, but she just a child.
“I was given this to use,” she said, glowering at him. She started to reach into her pocket, and Gavin grabbed her wrists. “If you want to know what I’m doing, then you can let me show you.”
He released one, but held on to the other. “If you try anything, know that I’m quick with my dagger.”
“Yeah? Who isn’t?”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, circular item. It looked like a coin with a hollowed center. There were markings on its surface.
“What is it?”
“I saw the way you move,” she said. “You know what it is. Unless you’re dumber than you look.”
Gavin grinned at her. “I know what it is, but what are you doing with it?”
“I was supposed to follow it and then…” She shot him a look. “It don’t matter.”
“Show me,” Gavin said.
She shook her head at him. “You really are kind of slow. You see, you hold it out”—she wrapped her hand around it—“and when it vibrates, you can feel where it’s telling you to go. As it does, you follow it. Just like that. Do you need me to show you?”
“So what are you following?”
She shrugged and handed him the enchantment. She started to turn away, trying to pull free of him, but Gavin held tightly on to her.
He chuckled. “I don’t think so.”
“You don’t need me.” She looked behind him, and Gavin caught a glimpse of Imogen in the distance. What was she doing out here? “You already have this,” the girl added hurriedly. “If you’re after the same thing, then just follow it. I don’t really care.”
Her demeanor had shifted enough that Gavin had to wonder what she was afraid of. He glanced around and noticed two constables making their way along the street. Maybe it was that.
“You aren’t after me?”
“Gods no. Why would I care about you?” she said.
“I have no idea.” With that, Gavin let her arm go, and he pursed his lips. There was something off about her and the kind of power she was trying to access. He believed her, though, which surprised him. “How many other enchantments do you have?”
“Does it matter?”
She turned her hand over and flicked her wrist out, revealing a bracelet circling it. The band was made of silver and much thinner than the bracelets Olivia had given him. He suspected this was the one that gave her enhanced speed.
“What else do you have?” Gavin asked.
“Don’t need any more,” she said.
“You obviously have enchanted strength.”
She held out her bracelet again. “This one.”
“Somebody sent you after…” He frowned.
“Does it even matter?” she asked. “I gave you what you need. If that’s what you’re after, if you want the way to track it, you go ahead and take it. Like I told you, I don’t really need it.”
He frowned again. “Do you have some other way of tracking it?”
“Why would I need that? I don’t really care. I was just—”
She covered her mouth, and Gavin chuckled.
“You were just what?”
“I was just nothing.” She looked around. “Now, are you going to let me leave, or are you going to try to hurt me? I have some experience with men like you. If you want to hurt me, you might find it doesn’t go well for you.”
“I don’t have any interest in hurting you,” Gavin said.
“Yeah? Then why don’t you let me go?”
“I’m trying to decide what I want to do with you.”
She glared at him. “See? You are planning to hurt me.”
“Where’s your home?” he asked.
She glanced behind him again. “It don’t matter where my home is.”
He studied her more intently. Her hair was ragged and her clothing tattered. He’d never seen someone with access to enchantments living on the streets before.
/> Then there was her voice.
It had a hint of an accent, enough that Gavin couldn’t quite place it, but he suspected it was not from Yoran.
“Is whatever you’re tracking even in the city?” he asked.
“What kind of question is that? Of course it is.”
Gavin debated whether he wanted to keep her there but decided against it. There was no point. Besides, he knew what she meant by men who’d wanted to hurt her. That was the kind of man he’d lived with. Tristan hadn’t necessarily hurt girls preferentially, but he’d certainly been willing hurt others. And Gavin didn’t like the idea of this poor girl facing that same sort of thing.
When she backed away, he held his hands up.
“You can keep the enchantment on your wrist,” he said.
“Really? You would do that for me? You’re so kind, sir.”
Gavin laughed. “And you’re a little smartass. But you should be careful.”
“Maybe you should be careful.” She nodded to the tracking enchantment in his hand. “Good luck finding that. I don’t know what it is, only that I was supposed to follow it.”
“Who asked you to?”
“You’re really slow. I don’t know who hired me. I was just supposed to follow it. I wasn’t supposed to take anything. It’s almost like they didn’t think I could. Their mistake.” She grinned. “Back there in that square, I managed to grab a bunch of things. Too many people seem to think I can’t get anything.”
Gavin found himself grinning at her, imagining her working through the square. “And what did you get?”
“It don’t matter. Be seeing you, old man.”
With that, she scrambled away and disappeared. It was strange to see her jumping across the rooftops, but stranger still that he found it amusing more than anything else. Certainly not threatening.
Something was off about the whole thing. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was, only that he was certain he was missing something. She was a street girl, and she struck him as more savvy than she’d let on. Which meant she probably hadn’t been completely honest with him.
The Paper Dragon (The Chain Breaker Book 5) Page 11