In the second before the door shut, the man turned his head slightly, meeting Blaine’s gaze through yellow-green lenses. Blaine had met the eyes of many people over the years, but never before had he seen such coldness. The man’s gaze cut straight through Blaine in a way that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Then the door shut, hiding the two from sight. The prickly feeling in his skin didn’t fade.
The chemist didn’t seem pleased at having customers, judging by her glare. Blaine watched as Lore gazed blithely at her. “Evening. We’re wanting your draught for sustained pleasure.”
Caris made a faint choking sound that she forced into a giggle to hide whatever her true feelings were on Lore’s request. Blaine merely smirked when the chemist addressed him.
“Having a bit of trouble below the belt?” the chemist asked.
“More like these ladies would tire any man out,” Blaine replied with a chuckle. Lore made sure to eye him flirtatiously and simpered when he winked at her. “Do you have what we’re looking for?”
The chemist sniffed disdainfully before moving down the display case. She pulled out a small pillbox and set it on the glass countertop.
“One pill taken with dinner will aid your predicament. I sell them in packs of five.” She used her fingernail to undo the clasp of the pillbox, revealing five deep red pills nestled inside. “Fifty aurons for the lot.”
Blaine winced. “For five pills?”
Lore dug into her pocket for some bills, handing over the money. “We’ll take the lot.”
The chemist eyed the bills for a moment before taking payment with one hand while sliding the pillbox toward them with the other. “I’ll write you a receipt.”
Lore pocketed the pillbox. Blaine kept an arm wrapped around her waist, playing the part of an eager lover. When the chemist came back with the receipt, Lore took it with a murmured thanks.
“Enjoy yourselves,” the chemist said.
The woman didn’t retreat to the workroom, which meant they weren’t given the privilege of getting a peek at what was going on. Blaine gestured for Caris to follow them to the door. The bell jingled again as they stepped back outside.
The gas lamps on the street were flickering on, gaslights burning behind dingy glass. The mugginess of the evening lent the air a thick feel to it, but it still wasn’t enough to chase the lingering chill Blaine felt.
Caris sighed. “That seemed fruitless.”
Blaine shook his head as they walked. “Not quite. Did either of you get a glimpse at who was in the workroom?”
“A man and a woman, but I only saw the man’s face,” Lore said.
“The woman was expensively dressed. She could be nobility.”
“Or she could be masquerading as such. We can’t know, not without seeing her face.”
“And that’s if she wasn’t wearing a veil. What about the man?”
Lore frowned thoughtfully. “He could have been a customer.”
Blaine shot her a narrow-eyed look before lowering his voice as they walked past a man slumped against the side of the building, empty beer bottle in hand. “The information we received said the apothecary may have connections to the Collector’s Guild. That man could pass as a bounty hunter.”
“Who do you think he’s hunting?” Caris asked when they reached the intersection.
As they turned the corner, Blaine caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and he glanced back down the way they’d come. The crowd wasn’t nearly thick enough to hide the hooded and cloaked figure striding down the street, the plum-colored suit appearing almost like the color of blood in the approaching twilight.
“She’s hunting us,” Blaine said around a mouth gone suddenly dry with the horrible knowledge that they’d somehow been found out.
Ten
BLAINE
Caris’ question echoed in Blaine’s ears, but he didn’t look over his shoulder. His focus was on Caris and making sure she got out of this mess alive. He let Lore go to free his arm. His pistol was holstered to the small of his back, hidden beneath the linen shirt he wore. The weapon wasn’t atypical for a man in this part of the city, and he was glad he’d come prepared.
But preparation would only be useful if the person following them wasn’t a magician. Blaine lengthened his stride, forcing the ladies to keep up as he led them to a street they’d passed by before, one filled with pubs and restaurants and a crowd large enough to hopefully get lost in.
Blaine gripped Caris’ wrist, pitching his voice low. “Whatever you do, don’t use your magic.”
