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Caelan pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to their group chat.
We got a nibble.
FIFTEEN
Adrian Westergren
“If they were going to have us find a needle in a haystack, why couldn’t they have supplied us with a magnet?” Adrian muttered under his breath as they wandered out of another artist’s shop and down the narrow cobblestone street. The sidewalk was made of colored bricks arranged in an eye-catching array. He wished he could appropriately appreciate it, but after days of handmade everything in stunning designs and bold colors, he’d grown kind of numb to it all.
Especially when it felt like they were no closer to locating the prime minister.
For most of the week, he and Drayce had been canvasing every inch of the Artists Corner. The neighborhood was chockful of quaint shops, studios, and workshops of artists plying their trade whether it was in painting, sculpting, pottery, ironwork, sewing, or things he couldn’t even think of. This district saw a steady flow of visitors and tended to be the most popular in all of Brightspire. The work of the highly trained artisans was sought after, not only by the people of Ilon, but by people all around the globe.
As such, it meant that most of the locals didn’t think too much of some strangers wandering in and out of the shops. They were hoping that it also meant they heard and saw a bit of everything.
So far, he and Drayce had turned up nothing, and it was getting annoying.
The only thing that had changed recently was an increase in decorations to mark the start of the Solstice Celebrations. Today was the first day of the week-long event. The city itself felt a little barren, but he had a feeling it was due to the recent events with the local government. The shops, however, were attempting to put a good face on things with their twinkling white lights, holly boughs, and candles.
Unfortunately, Brightspire’s efforts only made Adrian more homesick. Stormbreak was pure magic during the Solstice Celebrations. The entire city glowed with lights and was almost always lightly dusted with snow. People were happy, greeting each other with an extra bit of cheer. It was a time to appreciate what a person had in their life and pull those loved ones a little closer.
Being here in Brightspire, when Stormbreak needed her king the most, felt so very wrong. But they weren’t going to get home until Thia was safe.
“We do have a magnet,” Drayce said, dragging Adrian’s brain away from grumpier thoughts. An easygoing smile filled his face, and his gait was relaxed, as if he had all the time in the world to mosey along. He was a man who had nowhere to go and nothing to do but waste some time.
“What?”
Drayce turned his face toward Adrian and grinned. “We have our magnet. Cael. He’s been stuck sitting in that library for nearly a week now. Stuck in one place with the only other person as recognizable in Ilon as himself.”
Adrian’s steps slowed at that thought. He’d honestly thought the entire purpose of the king being stuck in the library was to conduct the research he’d mentioned. It hadn’t crossed his mind that he was intentionally making a target of himself.
“Sure, it would be nice if we actually found something useful, but you and me asking questions is stirring the waters,” Drayce explained with an absent wave of his hand through the air. “Getting people whispering. Eventually, those whispers will fall on the right ears.”
He could only stare at the young man with the messy blond hair for a second. This was incredibly insightful on his part. With so many teams out, he’d thought that their goal was to track down the prime minister. He’d not considered that they were hoping the prime minister or one of his aides would come to them.
As it was, Nina was still carefully sneaking about Parliament Plaza in a new disguise, trying to confirm that Feroz was being held hostage. Both Rayne and Vitor were skeptical of it, but it remained an option until they saw proof otherwise.
Drayce suddenly snickered and shook his head. “Oh gods, I can’t do it. The way you’re looking at me.”
“What?”
“Dude, I made the same complaint to Caelan last night and he explained the plan to me. I didn’t know either.”
Adrian groaned and gave Drayce’s shoulder a shove. His companion continued to laugh as he stumbled forward a few steps. “You’re a fucking idiot.”
Drayce whipped around and pointed at him. “Ha! And so are you!”
Yep. He was definitely an idiot too.
But when it came to politics and all this crafty, shady maneuvering, he was happy to leave it to the experts. His job was to be a soldier. He protected his charge and followed orders. He didn’t need more than that to be happy.
“Hey! Check out that place! The food smells good there. Let’s stop and get something to eat.” Drayce pointed at the small pub on the corner with red and black paint on the exterior and big windows that overlooked all the street on the four-way stop. It wasn’t a bad place to sit for a while and watch the people as they passed by.
After several days at Drayce’s side, he’d learned the hard way not to argue with him when it came to filling his stomach. Drayce was a bottomless pit and always in the mood to eat. If he didn’t know Drayce was a dragon, he’d seriously worry that he was going to hurt himself or that he had some kind of tapeworm. A man his size should not be able to hold that much food. It wasn’t so much that he ate a ton in a single sitting, but that he was almost always eating a little something.
Naturally, as he contemplated turning Drayce down, his own stomach decided to speak up and complain.
Drayce cackled at the growl and thrust a hand in the air, knowing he’d won the battle.
