We wind our way through the maze of dark alleys, and after a few “wrong turns”, he stops us in front of a dingy door.
The man flinches as the door creaks and hesitates before continuing.Whoever’s behind this door obviously wants no part in us meeting.
We push past him, the three of us stepping inside the cramped hallway, following after him as he walks us back towards another heavily rusted door. His hand comes up, signaling for us to stay back as he lifts his fist to it.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
It takes a few minutes before the door groans open, the thick, heady scent of opium wafting out. “Is anyone even alive in there?” Bennett coughs quietly, waving a hand in front of his face.
I step up and grip the man by his cloak hood, “we’ll take it from here.” I say, grinning widely as I drag him along.
“Who the fuck is bother–” The chair set in the center of the room swivels around, revealing a large, agitated man. He’s dressed the same as the rest of Sabel, in a mixture of brown fabrics and metal gear. A singular goggle is fixed to where his left eyeshouldbe, a jagged scar running underneath it. His lips quirk at the corner, revealing dark and crooked teeth as he sneers. “Well, well, what do we have here, eh? Curtis – care to explain how the fucking hell you got yourself in this position?”
The runner whimpers under my grip. “I’m afraid he is a bystander.” I answer for him.
“Oh?”
I nod, “we really came here foryou. This man,” I liftCurtisonto his tiptoes, and chuck him down at the dealer’s feet, “was merely our guide.”
The man reclines back into his chair, hands clasped and resting on his protruding gut. “And what can I help you with? Need a little fix of your own?”
My head shakes, and I take a wide step towards his desk. “No. No, see what I need are answers.” Closing the distance, I brace my palms on the edge of his desk and lean forward. “Tonics.”
“Got several. What about them?” He answers casually.
I cock my head, “what kinds?”
“What kind are you looking for?” His beady eyes glint in the amber glow of the room.
I rise back to my full height, and clasp my arms behind my back, and slide my dagger out from underneath my sleeve and into my palm. “Magic binding.”
The druglord’s eyes bulge, and he shoves up and out of his seat. “Who sent you here?” He asks hotly.
I shrug, “answer the question.”
“I run an establishment. No black market shit comes through my men.” The man’s face grows red, his breath becoming short and puffy as he grips the edge of his desk.
I turn my head, looking around his so-called office. “Yes, it all looks very ethical…” I drone. “Then I guess we’ve come here in vain.” Sliding the dagger back up into my sleeve, I spin on my heel, motioning for Bennett and Max to leave. We make it as far as the doorway before the man’s gravelly voice stops us.
“You know, you’re not the first to come in here asking for something like that.” My head turns to the side, peering at him from my peripheral vision, his smug face waiting. “Yeah. Not too long ago, an unnerved man came in here demanding I sell him some.”
There it is.“What did the man look like?” I ask slowly, trying not to give too much away.
The lord hums as he recalls the description, and I wait with bated breath, “tall like you – but long, greasy blonde hair. Pale too, real pale. Don’t see many like him wandering around these parts.”
Ezra.Drugging her… gods know what else he’s done.
“But, I didn’t sell him any, because–”
“Because no black market shit comes through here.” I finish for him, my fist clenching in and out. The pressure I keep is the only thing controlling my reaction and the Wield that will most assuredly come out with it.
Twisting my head forward, the three of us storm out of the office, and once we were outside, I felt less inclined to rein in my reaction.
“I fucking knew it.” A dry and humorless laugh escapes me, “ha. I fucking KNEW IT!” I shout.
“Rorin.”
I raise my hand to both of them, needing a moment to process one of my fears coming true. “He’s fucking killing her,” I whisper.
