The guards released Gin, Rodri, and Juli to make their queries about the auction, Migal tailing them as they exited the palace gates. The king had ordered to keep Captain Zalez and Sam in the dungeons as a security deposit.
"Is he really going with us?" Juli jerked a thumb over her shoulder and at Migal behind her as soon as they passed the intricate arches of the gate.
"Yes, I'm going with you," Migal said, easily keeping up with their steps with his long legs.
Rodri sighed. "Why don't we split up?" he suggested. "Gin and I go to the market area, and you and the big guy go to the south. I hear the taverns there can be a good source of news."
"I'm not going with this--" Juli waved her hand at Migal. "--this thing."
"I'm not a--" Migal started to growl, but Gin cut him off.
"No need to split up. I know just the person to get this kind of information. Come on." Gin quickened his pace without turning to look if the rest of them were following. He needed to act fast. Every minute wasted meant the rope that held Ria's life was slowly breaking, thread by thread.
The news of her hand being delivered to the king haunted his thoughts, and he wanted to confirm it himself--to know if it was indeed hers. Guilt crept into his mind. He should have done better, should've acted quicker to save Ria, should've taken her faster to the safety of the Opal when they were in Basiago.
Juli came up beside him, matching his pace and jolting him from his rumination, her hair swinging like a tail behind her head. "How did you know the auction is happening in Cadrid?" she asked.
"I was wondering the same thing," Rodri added behind them. "There are dozens of Black Market Auction Houses in the Draga Isles. Why Cadrid?"
Gin set his lips before speaking. Though it had helped him to figure out where Ria might be, it was a price she should never had to pay in the first place. And he wished it wasn't hers. "The hand," he said.
"Ria's hand?" Migal's voice was dark.
"Think about it," Gin explained. "That package was delivered to the king almost the same day we arrived here in Sivona as your prisoners." He glanced back at Migal, squinting his eyes.
"That means she's near." Realization laced Juli's voice, her brown eyes widening.
"And the nearest Black Market Auction House around here is in Cadrid," Rodri concluded. "I've worked with you for years now, Gin, but sometimes the workings of your mind still impress me."
Gin let a smile tug at his lips, but it quickly faded as he hastened his walk, forcing the rest of them to walk faster as they passed through a busy street with stalls on the sidewalks, people crossing the road, and automobiles honking at their brave intersections.
"Are you sure it's the only Auction House near Sivona?" Migal asked, his voice nearly a shout over the noise of the street. He came beside Gin as they exited an alley and entered a broader and even busier road where people walked almost elbow to elbow.
"If there were another, we'd know. Black Markets are where we get our special supplies," Juli answered, shouting from behind them as she pushed her way around the sea of people.
"So, how will we know when the auction will happen?" Migal asked in his ear.
Gin started to get annoyed with his question. "I know a possible buyer," he said as they rounded a corner.
"And how do we know Ria's not sold already?" Migal said.
Gin clenched his jaw. She's not! Not Yet! He wanted to scream at his skepticism. "That's why we better hurry."
YOU ARE READING
Sea Gypsies: The Draga Isles
RomanceA princess in search of her past. A boy driven by money. A crew that is loyal to the end. Princess Ria is adopted, and she has lived with the acceptance that she will never know her real parents. But when she learns of the existence of her adoption...
