“You and me?” He chirps, his eyes lit with humor.
“You and me, let’s go.”
Bennett and I dove headfirst into the commotion, the two of us winding and shoving through the crowds. And after about twenty minutes of mindless wandering, he shouts over the noise at me.
“Where exactly are we going?”
“Everywhere.”
He clasps a hand firmly on my shoulder, forcing me to a halt. “Ha. Right, except for that this is a large city, Ror, which means I’m going to need you to narrow that down.”
Rather than meeting his eyes, I keep mine trained on scanning every head around us – looking for Ezra’s pale face and bright blonde hair.
“Rorin, I’m going to need some sort of direction here.”
“Eveera would hate it here,” I grumble, hoping to see her wild hair and gold eyes in each of the women who pass us.
SNAP! SNAP!
Bennett’s fingers come into view, and reflexively, I slap them out from in front of my face. “What? What!” Steam blows out of his nostrils as he huffs, giving me a frustrated look.
“Get out of your head for a moment andthink.” He taps his finger twice against my temple, “where would he put her? Where would he go without her? We can’t just wander all night long, my legs are getting tired.”
I have no idea.I admit, I didn’t pay hardly any attention to him.
In fact, the extent of things I did know was limited to three: his disdain for Eveera’s lack of listening skills, her “unsavory” coping methods, and the fact that she was so willing to be near me. And none of those three things is helpful right now.
Bennett stares incredulously, waiting for my answer, until he throws both hands in the air. “Rorin.”
“I don’t know! We’ll just have to make people talk.” Confusion mars his features, and I raise my hand, wisps of smoke slipping in and out of my fingers.
“No. No, Rorin. There are too many people.”
I cock my brow at him, “it’s gotten us this far, hasn’t it? I’ll be subtle, I promise.” He sighs. “Don’t become like Will, Bennett. I only have the patience for one argumentative guard.”
“You have to be subtle. No. Killing. We’ve… done enough damage as it is.” My eyes roll while he spins in place, gesturing towards the businesses that surround us. “Pick.”
I turn around, looking intently at every mismatched building, until I spot through the mass of bodies the darkened entrance of a tavern. Or at least from this distance, what I can assume is a tavern.
“There.”
“Where?”
I place both my hands on either side of his head and twist it so that he’s looking exactly where I want him to. “There,” I say again.
“Ah.”
We elbow our way through the street until we are standing directly in front of the doors. The left is propped open, and we can hear the patrons behind it.
“Alright,” I say, taking a step forward. “Let’s try thisagain.”
Despite the late hour, the bar has about fifteen people inside, including the barman standing behind the counter. He’s got a grim expression, and he’s covered in the same thin layer of grime and soot I’m realizing is commonplace here.
“Ah-hem.” I clear my throat, and when he doesn’t immediately look up, I knock on the sticky counter twice. “Excuse me.”
“You wanna drink?” He asks slowly, his accent thick and slurred.
Bennett and I both shake our heads. “No. We need to know if you’ve seen someone.”
