Patrol 2: Lost & Found

Chapter 18

"Good evening." Eddin smiled. "I was just about to knock, but you opened the door."

"Ah. Well, good night, Vania." Derry smiled at her. "I see you'll have a trustworthy escort home. Licia will sleep better tonight, between the wake-up calls."

Vania frowned as she walked out the door. "You're making an awful lot of assumptions, Derry. Maybe he's here to see you."

Derry just laughed, waved, called one final, "Good night," and shut the door. Vania heard the bolts sliding into place as she turned to face Eddin. Derry sure was smirking. He called for Eddin to come, didn't he?

"Good evening, Vania. Derry said something about you needing an escort? Where are you going? I thought... you were staying here."

She shook her head and stepped away from the door, starting down the alley toward the street. "Of course not. You saw that note—I can't. I can't do that to them."

"You're not thinking about going to the Grog Hall are you?" Eddin asked, easily looping the reins of his bay around one arm and walking beside her. The horse snorted and shook her head, trailing along behind the full length the reins allowed.

"I... I don't know." She turned onto the street and walked faster. "Is the killer in the cells now?"

Eddin easily kept pace with her; "No. Not yet. There were... complications." He sighed, looking around the dark street. The few streetlamps along their way were far apart and dim, making the cloudy, gloomy night feel even more oppressive. It felt quiet, like an indrawn breath. An expectant, listening silence.

"What happened?"

Eddin looked around the street again as the mare grumbled and butted her head against his arm, teeth snapping together over thin air as he pulled his arm away. "The wizard fought back, of course. You'd think... eight trained enforcer wizards and two senior members of the Wizard Council would've been more than enough..."

Vania froze, eyes wide as she looked at him, waiting.

Eddin stopped beside her, his shadow throwing her face into darkness as he looked down at her and whispered, "Three of ours died, plus both council members. And he got away. Again. The entire garrison is up in arms, hunting for him. I'm surprised the search parties didn't come here."

She shook her head; "We didn't hear anything. And if there's groups of enforcers walking the streets, we always know it. It was quiet today." She looked puzzled as she asked, "But, if the entire garrison was sent out to find him... why are you here? Shouldn't you be searching for him, too?"

He shook his head, voice remaining low and quiet when he said simply, "I received special orders."

Special orders, her mind repeated. She paled. Anytime an enforcer receives special orders, it means bad things. She could barely ask, "What else happened?"

The bay mare snorted, pulling at the reins by throwing her head back. Eddin snapped to attention, eyes scanning the street.

"Not here." He grabbed her and slung her onto the stomping horse, quickly jumping into the saddle behind her. "We need to move."

Vania barely had a chance to take a breath before the horse reared back, then took off at a gallop. The buildings, including her home, passed in a blur of shadows; the clattering of the mare's hooves became louder when the dirt turned to cobblestones and the streetlamps grew brighter and closer together.

"Where are we going?" Vania demanded. She winced at how close his arms felt on her. She hunched herself smaller to escape his touch; his arms stayed close, holding her tighter. "Eddin. Where are we going?"