Cole drew his sword and yelled, “Leave her alone!”
Mistel jumped, clearly startled by Cole’s sudden presence, but she didn’t step aside or run toward him. “It’s all right,” she said breathlessly. “It’s only Master Crow.”
Which didn’t exactly set Cole at ease. He eyed the blind bloodvoicer warily. The man’s milky, unfocused eyes were without their bandage tonight. Cole sheathed his sword, willing his breathing to slow as he checked the shields around his mind. He hoped Mistel had done the same.
“Ah,” Crow said, his head tilting as though he were studying them. “I’m not surprised to find Master Tanniyn so nearby the lovely Miss Wepp. He does take your safety quite seriously, does he not?”
Mistel beamed at Cole. “He does indeed.”
“What an unexpected delight finding the two of you prowling about the Fisherman’s Quarter at this hour,” Crow said.
Cole jumped in with a quick defense. “We weren’t?—”
“Skyfire,” Mistel said. “We came to see the skyfire as we were told it’s quite romantic. I’m sorry you cannot see it, Master Crow. The reds and oranges are breathtaking.”
Romantic? Cole’s face burned. Thankfully, Mistel kept her gaze fixed upon the old man.
Crow chuckled, the sound low and phlegmy. “Romantic, is it? I wouldn’t know. I’ve only seen skyfire through the eyes of others, and that’s been over a dozen years ago now. I don’t suppose either of you would share your vision with an old, blind man?”
Cole stiffened. “I’m afraid not, Master Crow.”
“No, thank you,” Mistel added, a slight tremor to her voice.
Crow hummed, leaning on the cane he carried. “Curious how this romantic skyfire led to such a loud scream. What happened, girl? Did you find the romance overwhelming?”
The flush in Cole’s face crept down his neck. Overwhelmed by romance…What did the old man think Cole had done? If Kurtz had heard that comment, he’d tease Cole for months.
“We were headed back to fetch our horses from the stables at the Tipsy Taproom when Cole realized he dropped a glove,” Mistel said. “I was waiting here for him when something scurried by. A rat, I think.”
“It’s my fault, really,” Cole added.
The blind man chuckled again. “You best head back before the romance—or the rats—get the better of you. The Fisherman’s Quarter is no place for young folk after dark.”
Cole and Mistel exchanged a look, then muttered their goodnights to Master Crow.
Once they were out of earshot, Mistel looped her hand around Cole’s arm and said, “That was terrifying.”
“Proof we shouldn’t have come down here without Kurtz,” Cole said. “I wonder what happened to him and Lady Viola?”
“Oh, I think we did all right for ourselves,” Mistel said. “I heard you tell that man I stole your coin purse. That was quick thinking.”
“Why did you run after that wagon, anyway?” Cole asked.
“Because of the runes.” Mistel told him of the symbols painted on the side of the wagon holding the boars.
“Runes of concealment,” Cole said. “Which means no bloodvoicer can see what’s in Thusk’s wagons. Good eye, Mistel. That’s a fascinating discovery.”
Mistel beamed and bumped her shoulder against his arm. “Thank you.”
“It could be that Thusk is transporting prisoners from Cliffwatch in one of his wagons. But is he helping them escape? Or is he selling them?”
“The latter is too horrible to think about,” Mistel said.
It certainly was. They reached the Tipsy Taproom and headed into the stables. “Let’s not talk about it until we reach Fat Vandy’s,” Cole said. “These streets have ears.”
They rode in silence all the way to Fat Vandy’s, and only when Cole had unsaddled Bart and was brushing him down, did he circle back to the topic.
“I wonder if there’s a rune that counteracts the concealment ones,” he said. “Or if we were to erase the concealment runes or paint over them, would that end their magic?”
