Ezro yawned as he walked through the central streets of Augus. Night had fallen and his back was stiff from spending the afternoon sleeping on the ground. If he could, he would have slept more, but he had to prepare for the next day. And, if possible, take a hot bath before throwing himself into a warm bed.
He knew he needed to look for an inn for that night. However, walking under the night sky was an old habit of his, and his feet took him through the city's alleys. Ezro had discovered over the years that big cities had their own soul and that it was divided into two facets. The one that appeared with the sun and the true one that came to light with the shadows of the night.
And he was eager to meet the true Augus, so his hot bath could wait a little longer.
Sphyr was very attentive on his right shoulder. After all, she had also slept all day and her golden eyes watched attentively the surroundings.
They were the first to spot the trio across the street.
The three wore cloaks, something that was not uncommon here, but they were not walking, looking forward but to the sides. As if they were looking for something. But before one of them spotted Ezro, he had already noticed the three.
Ezro had taken care to wear a cloak earlier, so his carrot-colored hair and clothes were not in sight. And thanks to that, he was just another in the crowd.
That wasn't the first suspicious group he had crossed since leaving the square behind, but Ezro wasn't worried. He was used to having enemies and being at a disadvantage to them.
After the three disappeared from view, the boy yawned and scratched his head with a hint of curiosity. After all, who was without new enemies? But Ezro wasn't in a hurry to get that answer. Surely it would come to him without him having to make any effort for it.
Then he turned his attention back to the surrounding city. Augus became another being when its golden lanterns took the place of the sun. The lights were accompanied by the sound of bars and taverns filling the streets with joy and a comfortable feeling. The delicious smells of meals served outdoors, thanks to the presence of guards patrolling the Central District, completed the scene.
This was the center of the city and where life happened, he knew that not all places would be the same. Even so, Ezro was enjoying himself and whistled a lively melody as the breeze caressed his face.
...
Finding someone in Augus was not an easy task, and Aron knew it. Even with the resources of the court on his side, he had until dawn to find that damn person. He had selected a group of twenty initiates to help him in the search. They assumed that the enemy had left the square where the incident had occurred earlier to hide somewhere in the city. So they began searching the Central District and questioning people there for more information.
However, this did not work. They could not get people to cooperate because of the presence of the guards. And it ended up that they had to change strategy. The twenty divided into pairs and trios and began searching the city. And so more people were questioned and contacts were activated. The court's machine was working at full steam, but even so, so far, nothing. Not a single clue.
Night had already claimed its place in the sky, and Aron had no more nails to chew. The cold he had felt earlier took hold of his veins.
"Calm down," the voice appeared beside him. Aron turned and saw Evin approaching.
Evin was an old acquaintance of his and the person responsible for him being involved with the court. And possibly his second chance was also due to him.
"It's already getting dark and nothing from that damn guy yet... he must have crawled into a hole and will only come out of there when it starts snowing again."
"Calm down," Evin insisted. "The night is just beginning and shadows have always been the court's best allies."
Aron knew that was true, but his fear was in control. His body was shaking so much that his chin was constantly chattering. He brought his hands to his head, but still couldn't control his nervousness.
Evin took a step towards Aron and delivered a punch to his restless chin. Aron fell back and hit his head on the ground. The pain ran through his body and he was paralyzed as if he had fainted.
That's when the pain of the impact went through his head. The shaking had passed, and he noticed that Evin was watching him with a hard look.
"Don't think about what's going to happen. Right now you're dead, a cowardly corpse. But you can still speak and move. Don't cling to your life, it doesn't belong to you anymore. You should only think about fulfilling the mission that's been assigned to you. The rest is a waste of time."
"Yes, I understand."
Evin's eyes narrowed.
"Then why are you still lying about what happened?"
Aron choked on saliva at those words.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
Evin sighed and crossed his arms.
"An enemy that attacked you by surprise? Seriously?"
Aron turned his face away. He had forgotten how he lied to the master in the attempt to save his life.
"It's impossible to find something if you don't even know what you're looking for."
"Alright, alright. What do you want me to say?" Aron gave in.
"I want nothing. Just do yourself a favor and speak the truth."
Evin spoke in a haughty tone that irritated Aron. He felt like a child.
"He just appeared and attacked us. I can't say exactly what happened, but it was impossible to land a punch on him. That's why I thought he was one of our enemies."
"If he was, you wouldn't be here talking to me."
Aron hadn't stopped to think about that detail.
"What does that mean?"
Evin shrugged.
"That's something you need to figure out."
Aron shook his head confused, he's still in the same situation as before.
Again, Evin sighed, and this time he spoke in an even more condescending tone.
"You have no choice but to try. Let's suppose he was just someone nearby when he saw what was happening and decided to intervene. There are people who do things like this. So he didn't even know what he was getting into. And he's now at home sleeping peacefully."
"And? Are we going to go door to door looking for him? Even with twenty men, it's impossible to do that tonight."
Evin gave an ironic smile.
"You think the others are looking for him? They're waiting for morning to come so they can take your place. You're on your own in this… I mean, you can count on me too."
Aron knew that was true. But he also knew that nothing was for free.
"What do you want in return?"
"You know what I want." Evin's eyes shone with intensity.
Aron felt the chill return to his spine. He would never accept that under other circumstances, but now. He had no other choice.
"Okay, okay. But only after we complete the mission."
Evin's smile widened, and he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a bottle of dark liquid. He shook the bottle for a few seconds before throwing it to the floor.
The glass broke, and a thin smoke appeared before them. The smoke danced in the air until two red eyes appeared in it.
"Ask what you want to know. The shadows will show you the way." Evin spoke, and Aron's hair stood on end.
He knew that this was a grim path, but it was too late to regret.