The barkeep looked up from drying a glass. He watched while I approached and set the glass on the counter.
“What’ll it be, lady?”
My fingers tugged nervously at the ends of my cloak. “I just need some information.”
He poured me a mug of ale and swiped the foam from the rim. “Information comes with a purchase. That’ll be two royal coins.”
I slid the coins across the counter and pulled the ale closer, using the cool glass to steady my hands.
“I’m looking for a man I saw here a few days ago. He was tall, thin, wore a dark coat and brown cap.”
“Sounds like every man in here, lady.” The barkeep frowned and began drying another glass.
“I realize that. He had blond, curly hair. I only glimpsed his profile, but he had a straight nose, narrow face…” I gripped the glass tighter. My description wasn’t doing much good. “Oh, and he walked with a slight limp.”
“Sorry, that ain’t much to go on.”
“No, I suppose not.” I drummed my fingers on the counter. “Oh, he was whistling too.”
The barkeep flipped his rag over his shoulder and fixed me with an incredulous look. “Lady, you’re in the Crown Pub. This place is full of drunkards and wastrels. All they do is whistle and sing and make noise. Half of them walk with a limp. Now, unless he had some other distinguishing mark, take your drink and go.” When I couldn’t give him anything else, he shook his head and walked the length of the bar to help another customer.
I hung my head, wishing I could bang it against the wood. Did I really think I’d just walk in and find Hendrik sitting at the corner table after he’d been missing for six years? No way would it be that easy.
A disgusted laugh bubbled in my throat, and I took a deep swig of ale. I pushed the glass aside and turned my back against the counter, looking around the tavern. No one seemed to match my description, vague as it was, but my gaze snagged on a board nailed to the wall. I crossed the room, weaving around the tables to stop in front of it.
Similar to the board at the agency, it was covered with paper. Most of the listings were for odd jobs or items for sale, but the one that caught my eye was the drawing of a young boy. It was the same missing boy who had been posted at the agency.
Ethan Bauer. Age fourteen. Last known residence: Ever Haven for Orphans.
A woman made a tsking sound behind me, and I turned to find her frowning with a serving tray balanced on her hip. “It’s such a shame what happened to that family.”
“Did you know them?”
She nodded, angling her head to study the missing poster. “The Bauers were locals and worked in the market. Good people. The parents are gone now, died of some sickness, but the two children were relatively lucky. They were sent to the orphanage.”
“Two children?”
“Yes, there was Ethan and his younger sister Annie. It’s a shame he’s gone missing. I hope they find him.”
My mind raced. Ethan had a younger sister? It was probably a coincidence, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.
“You haven’t noticed a tall man with blond, curly hair and a slight limp in here lately, have you?”
“Now you mention it, there was someone here the other day, served him myself. But I didn’t recognize his face and haven’t seen him since. We do get a lot of people who are just passing through.”
I sighed and thanked her before she moved on to serve her drinks. At least the sighting was something. But I wasn’t any closer to finding Hendrik.
Looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching, I pulled the missing poster down and folded it in half, then I slipped it into my satchel next to the box containing the blue flame crystal. I roamed the pub a final time, walking the perimeter before returning to the street. Gavin was probably looking for me, but maybe he thought I’d stopped at a few more shops. It couldn’t hurt to keep searching a little more. It might be a while before I got another chance.
Moving with the thin crowd, I stopped at the corner where I last saw the man who might be Hendrik. I closed my eyes, trying to separate sounds from the street noise, searching for that familiar tune.
Someone rocked into me, shoving me forward a step. I froze, blinking at the young man with the cap pulled low over his face. Disappointment surged in my chest when I realized it wasn’t Hendrik, but the emotion turned to shock as he grabbed my arm to steady me then reached with his other hand to jerk the satchel off my shoulder. He pushed me against the building and took off, the crowd swallowing him up as he ran.
“Hey, thief! Get back here!” I chased after him, barreling my way through a crush of bystanders. I strained to keep him in sight as he rushed between a set of buildings, disappearing down an alley.
I skidded to a halt at the entrance to the alley, uncertain if I should follow. But he had the blue flame and the drawing. I couldn’t let him get away with both.
Decision made, I followed him down the narrow path. The farther I went, the tighter the passage became until it felt as if the walls were closing in. Deep shadows caused my chest to ache with a familiar fear that made my vision blur and my heart pound. Panic tried to get a stranglehold, but I forced it down, determined to find the thief.
