Frederick swears, rubbing his hand over his face. “And they went toward the infirmary district?”
“I already said that.” The man stretches out on the bench once more. “Except it looked like they were heading for the slums.”
He then covers his face with his arm, sending us a clear signal that his part in the conversation is over.
“Come on,” I say to Frederick, already walking.
“Should we split up?” Frederick asks when we’ve walked a good fifteen minutes and passed a dozen people of questionable character.
“You gentlemen looking for someone?” calls a woman leaning against a building just inside the ring of lamplight. Her bodice is low, revealing the lace of her undergarments, and her makeup is heavy. She has a hard, world-weary look about her. Even in my frazzled state, I can guess her profession.
“A pretty blonde woman with a man,” I say desperately. “She probably had luggage with her.”
“I might have seen her.” The woman saunters toward us, sizing us up. “What’s the information worth?”
“Twenty fluots,” Frederick says.
When she looks like she’s going to turn around, I say, “A hundred.”
She raises a dark eyebrow and extends her hand. “They took a right at the tanner’s shop.”
I jerk my head toward Frederick. “I don’t have that much on me.”
“A hundred fluots,” he mutters, but he produces the money. After he counts five ten-fluot pieces into the woman’s hand, he says, “After we find the girl, I’ll give you the rest.”
She gives him a grim smile. “In that case, you want to go left at the tanner’s building. But don’t tell Elgin you heard it from me.”
Holding another ten-fluot piece between his fingers, Frederick says, “Anything else you want to tell us? Maybe something about this Elgin fellow?”
She snatches the coin, greedily adding it to the others. “He’s a lackey for the head of the local black-market ring, and he often conducts his business under the old mill near the river.”
“What would he want with Sabine?” I demand.
She gives Frederick a pointed look. Agitated, he shoves several more coins into her hand.
Leaning forward, she beckons us closer. “Along with the usual stolen items and illegal substances, rumor has it they’ve been known to sell people.”
My gut knots. “To whom?”
She shrugs. “How should I know? But I will tell you this, me and the girls know better than to get tied up with one of Elgin’s men. Francie ignored our warning, and just last month, she disappeared into thin air.”
“Did you report it to the constable?” Frederick asks.
The woman rolls her eyes. “Like they care about one less harlot.”
Frederick looks like he wants to protest the injustice, but I’m already yanking him down the street.
“Don’t forget to come back with my money!” the woman hollers.
This is my fault. I shouldn’t have caged Sabine’s magic. But I let my anger get the best of me—lost my mind when she said “human” the way she did.
Why didn’t I take her home like I promised? I could have found a different solution to my financial woes.
I set the pace, practically running through the streets. I’m not familiar with the area, but an old mill should be easy enough to spot.
“Maybe we should find a constable,” Frederick says reluctantly.
There are fewer lampposts here, and the buildings are old and worn. I’ve never been to this part of the city, but it has a grimy sort of feel to it.