Within the hour they were back aboard Xeiren's airship as it spiraled lazily towards the sleeping city below. The sky was still mostly dark, a pink tinge on the horizon carrying with it the promise of dawn. Now that they had a mode of transportation, Claire just needed to figure out where they needed to go. When she explained to Xeiren why they were in Drifit to begin with, he sent out a dozen runners to scour the city for information.
"Don't worry, if your magician friend was anywhere near Drift within the last few months someone will know about it," Xeiren assured her before the messengers in question all began leaping from the ship.
Claire gasped and rushed to the railing. One by one brightly colored triangles appeared against the brightening sky as hand gliders were deployed by the free falling messengers.
"Quite the spectacle, aren't they?" Xeiren asked, filling the empty space beside her.
Claire nodded, her heart still racing in her chest.
"Thank you, for your help," Claire replied after several moments of silence.
"No reason to thank me, I have my own reasons for offering my services," Xeiren replied as he leaned casually against the ship's railing. Draz scoffed but said nothing prompting his former mentor to smirk.
"How did a nice girl like you end up tangled up with a scoundrel like him, eh?" Xeiren asked.
"It's a long story," Claire said, glancing over at Draz who remained unusually quiet.
"Well, I suspect we'll have some time in the future, perhaps you will regale me with the tale some day," Xeiren said with a chuckle.
"Claire, can I talk to you for a minute... alone?" Draz asked, gritting his teeth.
"I ... well..." Claire looked to Xeiren – she didn't want to be rude to their host. Xeiren smirked and pushed away from the railing.
"Don't worry about me, I've got some things to attend to if we're to depart the city in a timely fashion," Xeiren said as he smoothed his fingers over the delicate fabric of his fine dinner attire. "Please, discuss whatever you need to at your leisure."
With that, Xeiren strolled off without so much as offering a backwards glance.
As soon as he was out of ear shot, Draz stepped in closer and lowered his voice.
"You know it's not too late to turn down his offer," Draz said, looking at Claire. There was a seriousness to his voice that caught her by surprise. Was he really that against traveling with Xeiren?
"I don't understand what the problem is," Claire replied. "How else do you suggest we get to wherever it is we need to go?"
"We can hire someone else," he said.
"With what money?"
Draz scowled and raked his fingers through his disheveled curls.
"Gah, he's just... I don't know how to explain it," Draz said.
"Try."
"Xeiren is dangerous, it's as simple as that. I know him all too well. He is an opportunistic narcissist and he has no loyalties except to himself, look at how quickly he turned on Sevik over money," Draz explained. "I just don't want to see you get hurt because you put your trust in the wrong person."
"Then it's a good thing I have the Great Drazenko by my side, isn't it?" Claire replied, offering Draz a playful smile. When he didn't immediately respond, she proceeded to poke him lightly in the side until he finally relented and offered a small smile.
"Fine, but I have one condition," Draz said, his expression growing serious again.
"Shoot," she replied.
"Don't go anywhere with him by yourself," he said, "and don't tell him the truth of how we met, or anything that happened before."
"That's two conditions," Claire teased, poking at him again. His hand shot, capturing hers before she could continue the assault. His fingers were warm, warmer than they had any right to be.
"Promise me," he said, his voice quiet. "It's important."
"I do, I promise," she replied, unsettled by the seriousness in his voice. Was Xeiren that big of a threat? Draz seemed to think so, which only made her more curious about the past the two men shared.
"Good, now, about Rollan..."
"We aren't leaving him behind."
"Come on, just hear me out..."
Claire scowled at him and Draz just let out a heavy sigh.
"Where is Rollan anyway? Why didn't he come with you?" she asked.
"Really? He's about as helpful as a boat filled with holes in the middle of the sea. I would have been rescuing him and you by the end of the day," he said with a shake of his head. "He's supposed to be laying low at some inn in town. It shouldn't be too hard to track him down, what with his big mouth and all. If we're lucky someone else has taken care of–"
"Draz!"
"I'm just kidding..." he muttered, though Claire wasn't entirely certain she believed him.
The sun had fully risen by the time the airship slipped with practice ease into the suspended moorings of the dock. The various platforms leading to other hanging gangways were a bustle of activity – mostly airmen loading and unloading cargo from airships of all shapes and sizes. Judging by the array of colorful patch work and vivid paint jobs which ranged from fresh to faded, the vessels had all seen better days.
At the end of the gangway where the ship had docked stood one of the messengers that Xeiren had dispatched hours before. He shifted anxiously from one foot to the other and the moment the ship had been securely lashed, the young boy scurried up the gangplank towards them.
He brushed by them wordlessly, heading in the direction of Xeiren who stood nearby handing out orders to various members of the crew. Claire watched as the boy talked animatedly for a moment, her gaze shifting between him and Xeiren in hopes that his expression or posture might give some clue as to the nature of the conversation.
Had the boy found someone who knew about Alek?
Unfortunately for Claire, Xeiren remained passive throughout the boy's speech, even as the boy lowered his arms and stepped back, clearly done giving his report. Finally Xeiren nodded and motioned for the boy to leave before turning and catching her eyes.
He strolled towards them looking thoughtful. "Yun said that he found someone who recalled the description of your magician friend," Xeiren explained. "However he wouldn't give him any details, he insisted he wanted to speak to you directly."
"Who?" Claire asked, trying to keep herself calm.
"He wouldn't give Yun a name, but assured him that the two of you knew one another," Xeiren replied. Claire looked to Draz who looked just as confused as she felt. Who could it be? She didn't know anyone in Drift. "He gave Yun a time and place to meet, The Mistral Inn at noon. It's not far from here. I have some things I need to attend to or I would accompany you myself, but I can send Jonas with you–"
"Don't worry about it," Draz said, interrupting Xeiren. "We can handle it ourselves."
Xeiren looked like he wanted to say more but in the end he simply nodded and offered a brief bow before turning to return to the crew members he'd been speaking with earlier.
"You don't have to be so rude," Claire said as she followed Draz down the gangway. "Xeiren was just trying to be helpful." He stopped and looked at her.
"Did you forget that he kidnapped you? Do you really think he is concerned about our safety?" he snapped. "He was trying to plant a spy in plain sight. Don't forget that he is only helping because he is using you as bait to lure Sevik out. Do you think he'll give a damn about what happens to any of us when he gets what he wants?"
"You're right," Claire said, feeling foolish. Xeiren had a way of making a person feel at ease, so much so that she hadn't given much consideration to his potential motives. "It's no excuse, but I've got a lot on my mind..."
Draz sighed and his expression softened. "I know, I'm sorry for getting angry with you," he said, "It's just when I think about what Xeiren has done in the past and think about how he could hurt you... it burns me up inside."
Claire nodded and then reached out to grab hold of his hand. "Come on," she said, tugging him back into motion. "Let's go talk to this mystery man and see what he knows about Alek."
It didn't take the pair long to find the location Xeiren had given them and after a few wrong turns they found themselves standing in the shadow of a two story building. Like most places in Drift, the Mistral Inn had seen better days. The once vibrant red brick structure was faded and chipped, a majority of the windows had been boarded over and those that weren't were covered in a layer of grime so thick it was impossible to see through them.
"This is the place?" Claire asked.
"Yeah, come on, let's get this over with," Draz said before pushing the door open and stepping inside.
The interior of the Mistral was only slightly better off than its exterior. While it was obvious the place had seen years of neglect in terms of maintenance it was also evident that great care had been taken in keeping the space clean. The polish had been worn off the wooden floors but they had been swept clear of debris and spills. No two pieces of furniture in the common room matched, but the disjointed nature of the decor coupled with a large fire crackling away in the hearth created a cozy atmosphere Claire could appreciate.
As her gaze swept the room in search of a familiar face she did a double take when she caught sight of the last person she expected to see.
"Rollan?"
She felt her heart sink in her chest. Was this the contact that Yun had been talking about? Draz frowned and they crossed the common room to the place Rollan was sitting.
"Claire! Draz! You're here!" Rollan said as he jumped up from his seat. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, we will explain everything later," Claire replied. "What are you doing here? Are you the contact we're supposed to be meeting?"
"About that..." Rollan said, motioning behind them.
Claire turned to see a tall, broad shoulder man making his way into the inn. At first she didn't recognize the clean shaven face and combed back hair, but the weathered long coat and deep scowl etched into his face brought her back to that afternoon in the pub.
It was her father.
"I don't understand," Claire replied, looking at Rollan.
"After Draz went to look for you, I decided to have a chat with your father," Rollan explained, "it turns out he overheard the conversation Alek had with a local. He didn't think much of it until I mentioned why we were in Drift."
A heavy thud drew Claire's attention back towards her father who had dropped a thick canvas bag to the floor at his feet. He stood there quietly, burying his hands in his pocket.
"Where is he? Where did Alek go?" She asked, no longer in the mood to beat around the bush.
"Ninguid Mountains," Rollan replied.
"If you knew then why is he here...?" Claire asked, unwilling to look at Valerick again.
"He insisted on coming with us," Rollan said. "The mountains are a dangerous place, we could definitely use his help."
"No," Claire replied, shaking her head. "Absolutely not."
"Listen, I understand how you must be feeling," Rollan said.
"No, Rollan, you have no idea how I am feeling," Claire shot back, causing Rollan to fall silent. She looked at her father who refused to meet her gaze. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but I haven't needed you in the past and I definitely don't need you now. Draz, let's go."
"You'll need a guide," Valerick said, causing Claire to turn back to look at him. "If you want to live long enough to find your friend, that is."
"Thanks for the advice, we'll be sure to look one up," Claire replied, making it obvious she still had no intentions of inviting him along.
To her surprise, Valerick laughed, a deep sound that filled the room. It was the sort of laugh a parent might produce in the face of a petulant and stubborn child. Claire frowned, doing her best to curb her growing annoyance.
"You certainly inherited your mother's temper," he said. "As difficult as this might be for you to accept, you won't find a better guide than me, not one that'll take you into those mountains without requiring a bag of gold about as big as your head, nor one that'll give a damn if you make it out alive."
"He's not wrong," Draz said hesitantly, "it could take days to find someone trustworthy enough–"
"Fine," Claire said, interrupting him. If she had to hear one more reason why she was making a foolish decision she wasn't sure she'd be able to contain her frustration. "But this doesn't change anything, Valerick. You're just a guide, nothing more."