To Be Determined

Chapter Nine: Tavern Talks and Times Astray

The three of us walk down the plaza, the guise of the forget-me-not spell brings a great deal of ease to my mind, but anxiety still runs hot in my blood. Nobody seems to have noticed that anything is amiss, but we are still walking into a lion's den. I trust Asha's confidence in the matter, after all, I do not have a choice. Nicolaj's warning still reverberates within my skull.

There will be a point where your newfound power will not be enough to keep you safe.

The tavern doors swing under Asha's light touch. The forget-me-not spell must be working because nobody bats an eye at the giant cobra peeking its head out of Asha's collar. As if being half-naked wasn't bad enough, I had to leave Bell back at the library to keep her from crawling around the bar and raising eyebrows. Asha needed Constantine to cast spells properly and frankly, the well-disciplined snake is less likely to blow our cover. At least I don't have to worry about any magical outbursts for the next little while. I feel an uncomfortable breeze on my exposed skin and suppress a shiver. Iliad walks to the opposite end of the bar and settles down. I sit down, ordering a gin and tonic. Asha stands by the door, leaning near its frame. The petite, overly confident man whom we were expecting looks up from his table and smiles, a perfect grin aside from 2 crooked incisors. I can feel the spell dissipate as the plan falls into place. He approaches me and takes a seat; His energy is charming and contagious.

"Let me ask you something. What's the first thing you notice when someone approaches you? The eyes? The smile?"

"The audacity."

"Aw, now don't be like that. Why don't you tell me what a tall glass of water such as yourself is doing wandering into this absolute pit?"

"Merely passing through. Needed a drink after the day that I've had. What's a handsome Devil like you doing coming up to random girls in this absolute pit?"

He dodges the question. "I take it that you aren't one for conversations with strangers."

"Idle chit chat isn't my thing. Empty conversations are boring and cliché. You know, I could sit here and wait for you to ask me what my sign is, or if you can buy me a drink, or if I come here often if it so pleases you."

"Oh, I know damn well that you're not here often. I'd remember a face like that for a thousand years babydoll. Tell me though, aren't you worried, being in a room full of all these ruffians and thugs? It's a dangerous world for a perfect face like yours.

"I assure you that I can manage." I ignore his gaze as the bartender comes back with my drink. I down my drink, pretending to enjoy the slight sweet citrus rubbing alcohol. I order another.

"People don't typically pass through Springdale unless they have some business to attend to. Tell me a little bit more about your travels."

"I'm interested in hearing what you think that I'm up to. Tell me my story."

"Hmm. I imagine that you are here to visit someone, and you didn't get the news that you wanted. Your determination is stunning though, I must say." He takes my drink from me and takes a sip. "You're educated, I can tell. So, you probably came from down from up north. Your accent makes that apparent. Perhaps it was a lover's quarrel that has you so on edge, and judging by your attire this was not where you imagined your night would have ended. Which I must say, you look quite appetizing in leather"

I smile and steal my glass back, uninterested in drinking it now that his mouth has touched it, but I muster through it. "I can assure you that I had no such quarrel, but the rest of your guess is pretty spot on. May I confide in you for a minute?"

He nods a little and rests his arms on the barstool. "As long as that mouth of yours keeps moving I'm all ears."

I fight every bit of myself that is screaming to slap the bastard. "I'm undercover right now. I'm looking for answers about the Plague of the East. I assume that you are familiar with this?"