Chapter 7

7

The Crossing

The tavern was busy, the conversation loud. Dain fought the urge to let loose a roar and a round of magic to make everyone leave. The way Sidiq glowered said the Dark knew exactly what Dain was thinking. Dain had better control of himself than to give in to such…trivial emotions. He went back to drumming his fingers on the table, his patience running dangerously thin.

Arya was late. He hadn’t wanted to include her in his investigation in the first place, but he had relented. And now she was tardy? That wasn’t like her. He clenched his jaw as he thought about the bounty on their heads.

He stood swiftly, causing the chair legs to scrape loudly across the stone floor. Dain ignored the looks thrown his way as he stalked to the bar, his empty glass in hand. He set it down a little too firmly. Sidiq’s gray eyes narrowed a fraction before he reluctantly grabbed a bottle.

Dain leaned a forearm on the bar and regarded the tavern and those inside. As his gaze skipped from table to table, he noted the lone server, a female Wood Elf , who was adept but looked haggard. Dain scanned the pub for the human he had seen before.

A thud rattled the bar. Dain turned his head to meet Sidiq’s gaze. He straightened and glanced down to see that the owner had refilled his glass.

Dain flipped him a coin, which he snatched out of the air. “ Busy day.”

“ Aye .”

The Wood Elf came and rattled off a bunch of requests. Dain tossed back his drink as Sidiq effortlessly filled the orders. As soon as he set them on the bar, the elf delivered them.

Sidiq came to stand in front of him again, his expression flat and his eyes sparking. The left side of the Dark’s white hair was shaved, while the rest fell past his shoulders. Dain caught a hint of blue ink at Sidiq’s neck that his collar didn’t hide. There was a darkness about Sidiq , a quiet stillness that Dain recognized. Killers often did.

“ You need to contain your anger before it spills over,” Sidiq stated.

Dain placed his hands on the bar and met the Dark’s gaze. “ I’m always in control.”

“ Is that right?” he asked with a quirk of a white brow as he glanced over Dain’s shoulder.

Dain didn’t need to look. He heard the angry voices behind him. “ That isn’t me.”

“ You aren’t helping.”

There was no denying that. Dain inhaled deeply and contained his irritation. The voices behind him died down.

“ Better . What’s eating you?” Sidiq asked.

Dain curled his fingers around the edge of the bar. “ A gut feeling that something is very, very wrong. Where’s the human who was working here yesterday?”

“ Reva ?” Sidiq’s brows snapped together as he shrugged. “ I wish I knew. She was my best worker. Never thought I’d hire a human, but she earned the position.”

“ Was she here long?”

“ Eight months. Always picking up extra shifts. First time she didn’t show.”

Dain briefly closed his eyes as apprehension chilled his blood. What were the odds that Reva didn’t show on the same day Arya was late?

“ What ?” Sidiq pressed.

“ How well do you know Reva ?”

Sidiq crossed his arms over his chest. “ I hired her, didn’t I ?”

Reva couldn’t have taken Arya . The human didn’t have magic. That didn’t mean she wasn’t working with someone, though.

“ Tell me,” Sidiq demanded.

“ The elf with me yesterday is late. She’s never late.”

“ And you think Reva is involved?” His doubt was obvious.

Dain shrugged. “ I have to explore all options.”

“ Might it not be those responsible for the bounty on your head?”

There were many reasons Dain chose to visit The Crossing . Its location was beneficial, those within kept to themselves, and Sidiq didn’t put up with shite from anyone. Dain had watched the Dark break up fights with the ease of someone born to battle. Dain’s mistake was thinking the owner was out of the game.

“ If I wanted the bounty, I’d have turned you in a week ago,” Sidiq stated. “ Same with your companion.”

Dain had known the bounties were circulating, but he had hoped it was just in the bowels of each race. It appears he was wrong. And he hated being wrong.

“ The last time I saw Reva was right after the female with you departed. I thought she left early.”

Dain glanced to the side, where the door led to the tunnel to the Below . If Arya was late, it was because she wasn’t around to meet him.

“ Fuck . You think they took Reva ,” Sidiq said in a low voice.

Dain slid his gaze to the owner. “ I aim to find out. Where does she live?”

“ Around the corner. Third floor.”

Dain stalked from the tavern into the sun without a backward glance. He winced as the bright light stung his eyes. It didn’t matter how often he walked Above , he would never get used to the stares. Dark Elves usually did, but for him, it was about the scars that crisscrossed his face. He turned the corner and saw the dilapidated building. A few humans loitered around the steps, eyeing him curiously. Some even contemptuously. He entered and walked down a short hallway until he reached the atrium. He looked up to see that it went all the way to the fifth floor with rooms around the outskirts of the building.

Once Dain found the stairs, he took them three at a time to the third floor. There , he paused and counted fourteen doors. He would knock on each one if he had to. The sound of footsteps behind him had him turning around. He spotted a young woman with blond hair cropped below her chin.

Dain stepped aside to let her pass, but she didn’t budge. Her eyes darted to his scars. “ Do you know which one is Reva’s ?” he asked.

“ And why would I tell you?”

Many replies came to Dain , but he decided on something he knew would get her attention. “ I know you’ve heard of the people going missing. Reva didn’t show up for work. I’m just coming to check if she’s all right.”

The woman swallowed nervously at the mention of the missing people, her reluctance giving way to concern. “ Two of my friends have disappeared. So did my lover.” The woman pointed to a door on the far side of the building. “ That’s Reva’s . Number thirteen.”

Dain nodded and walked away. At the door, he knocked and listened for sounds inside. He waited the appropriate time before knocking again, louder. Still , there was no answer. He could shoulder in the door but didn’t want to bust it down and make it unusable. Instead , he put his hand on the knob and sent a bit of magic into it. The click let him know it was unlocked. Dain glanced over his shoulder to find the woman still watching him. He opened the door and entered.

The room was small, with only a cot along a wall. The blankets had been pulled tight and smoothed, the pillow fluffed. There was what some might call a kitchen area with a rickety table and a stool with a broken leg that Reva had stacked bricks beneath to stabilize. Next to the window was a small plant. A plate, cup, and utensils were drying next to the sink.

Dain walked toward the bed and found a book placed beside it. He squatted down and lifted the book. It was slightly bigger than his palm, the edges of the leather cover worn smooth. He thumbed through the pages written in a language he didn’t know to find a bright pink flower pressed within.

He replaced the book and stood slowly. Reva didn’t have many things, but she would’ve taken the ones she had if she decided to leave.

“ Fuck ,” Dain murmured, spun around, and then exited the room.

He locked the door on his way out and made his way to the blond female. He paused beside her and said, “ Be careful. Don’t go out at night. Stay in groups. Do you have a weapon?”

She shook her head, her blue eyes wide.

“ Get one. Above everything, be vigilant.”

“ Reva was taken, wasn’t she?”

Dain looked at the door with the 13 . “ I think so.”

He nodded at the human and walked back to the tavern. Sidiq shoved another drink at him, and Dain tossed it back.

“ She’s gone.”

It wasn’t a question. Dain blew out a breath and looked into Sidiq’s gray eyes. “ Not of her own accord.”

A muscle jumped in Sidiq’s jaw. “ I warned her to be careful.” A pained expression crossed his face. “ Who is taking elves and humans? And why?”

“ I don’t know who, but you can guess why,” Dain said in a low whisper.

“ Slavery is outlawed.”

“ There are always some who believe the laws don’t apply to them.”

Sidiq fisted his hands. “ I liked Reva . Everyone who came in liked her.” A strange light entered his eyes. “ If you’re going after them, I’m coming.”

“ I need you here. Be my eyes and ears.”

“ I’d be better out there.”

Dain had no doubt. “ It might come to that. Until then, make a note of anyone who looks suspicious.”

“ What are you going to do?”

“ Cause trouble,” Dain replied and stalked to the tunnel.