Heir of Magic (The Kingdom War Book 1) by J. D. Ruffin

Author:J. D. Ruffin [Ruffin, J. D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780578947723
Publisher: J.D. Ruffin
Published: 2021-09-13T16:00:00+00:00

Ridley escorted Atikus and Liv to their rooms, then went outside where he found a bin with torches, lit one, and walked around to the back of the building in search of the door that Bel had exited. The back of the Guild Hall opened to a dirt alleyway. Across the alley was a densely wooded area that ran the length of the alley, as far as he could see in the dark.

He turned and walked down the alley in the direction Bel would have traveled. It would be impossible to conduct a thorough search by torchlight, but he wanted to at least get a feel for the place.

The Guild sat apart from the row of shops, and Ridley had to walk some fifty yards before reaching the back side of the first one. From there, the narrow buildings were packed together tightly with only a foot or two between them. This was the most upscale Merchant area in Freeport, where the elite came to shop and dine, but the back of the shops looked the same as those in the poorest neighborhood. Flecked paint, chipped wood, and overflowing rubbish bins gave the alley a grungy look. Each building had back door, but only a few of the doors held any label or marking.

The alley itself was mostly dirt and pebbles and appeared to be infrequently traveled. With each step, the path gripped his print and held it, letting Ridley know that tracks would remain if undisturbed. It was dry, so he didn’t think there had been any rain in the last couple of days to erase possible prints.

He walked past a building marked Cobbler, then Moira’s Naughty Nighties, then Men’s Grooming House. The next few doors were blank until he reached a door with chipped blue paint that read, “Gil’s Royal Tailoring” in faded black script. This was the building the serving girl said was Bel’s destination. He searched the outer wall of the building, then held his torch in between the building and its neighbors on either side. There wasn’t enough space for a person to squeeze through, and nothing looked like it had moved in years.

He turned away from the building toward the woods. When looked down, something caught his eye. Deep grooves in the dirt headed off the trail and into the woods. He couldn’t see the tracks continue on the forest floor, but he could tell by broken branches and disturbed leaves that the tracks led in that direction. When he knelt to get a closer look at the tracks, something small reflected a glint of torchlight back at him. He brushed leaves away, revealing a gold signet ring engraved with a crest he recognized from the conversation at dinner. It belonged to his missing victim. She must have dropped it for someone to find, leaving behind the only clue she could. Good girl, Bel, thought Ridley, scooping up his prize.

He pocketed the ring and took another walk around the back of the tailor’s shop before deciding to return in the morning with his team.

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