Page 16 of Between Wrath and Mercy

“Hello, I’m here to ask you a few questions about some of your recent patrons.” I wasn’t sure how I’d managed to be so polite. Based on the look Rainier was giving me, it surprised him too. I bristled and ignored him. The man turned his head a bit to the side, directing his ear toward me, and pushed his glasses farther up his nose.

“And what kind of questions would those be, lady?” The man’s voice was gravelly as if he’d spent his entire lifetime smoking a pipe. I didn’t like the tone either when he referred to me as “lady.” It sounded sarcastic.

“We are looking for a girl. About this height, blonde hair,” I gestured for the innkeeper. “She may have been with a man. He would’ve been a bit taller than me, black hair and a mustache?” I cringed a bit as I described Faxon in front of Rainier. I didn’t know why I cared what he thought, but I did.

“No, never had anyone check in here like that.” I began to reply, but then I heard it. His heartbeat was hammering in his chest. Other than patients with Mairin, or my family at home, I tried not to use this ability. It felt invasive, intrusive. With my family, it was second nature. But now, as we were questioning this old man, I realized I’d been listening for it, to see if he was lying. I turned to Rainier who had been watching me, waiting. He hadn’t forgotten my abilities at all. I shook my head once. Rainier’s eyes narrowed in recognition as he turned to the man.

“I’d like to check and make sure if that’s alright with you?” Rainier put his elbow down on the counter in front of him and leaned down so he was eye to eye with the man. “You wouldn’t refuse the Crown Prince, would you?”

The old man backed up a step and raised his hands in surprise. He took a moment to study Rainier’s face before he gathered himself together.

“Your Highness, yes, of course. Follow me.” He raised part of the counter, and we followed him through the curtain.

Chapter 7

Themanatthedesk escorted us back into an office and storage area. It was extremely cluttered and small. Thin streaks of light slipped between the boards of the back wall, illuminating dust particles in the air. Using his cane to push things out of the way, the man stumbled to a desk toward the back and opened a case full of keys which hung on the wall behind it. He pulled out a few and shoved them into my hand.

“These are all the rooms that have been checked out within the last few days. Feel free to check them, but please make sure you knock. None of them have come to return their key yet, so they may be inside. I pay my debts with discretion, so please do not pester my guests more than you need to.” He looked down and leaned against the desk.

Rainier stepped forward and examined the keys. It appeared that only three rooms had been checked out.

“When were these rooms reserved?” He didn’t waste a glance on the old man as he asked.

“Two were reserved two days ago and one today…Your Highness.” The man’s heart still beat rapidly. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was lying or perhaps he was just nervous that the Crown Prince of Vesta was in his dingy back office, questioning his business. Either way, I believed we were on the right track. Something seemed off. It was likely he knew nothing, but a man who was prized for his discretion must have reasons for not wanting to know what his customers did. Rainier clearly felt the same as he strode out of the room, through the counter, and approached the narrow stairs directly next to it, while I followed close behind. The inn consisted of three levels, with only the top two floors containing sleeping quarters. We had rooms to search on each one.

We knocked on the first door and heard voices on the other side of it.

“Just a minute!” The pleasant, singsong voice was a striking contrast to the dank surroundings. I glanced at Rainier, but he was staring straight ahead at the door. The stubble on his face was so much fuller now, unlike the sparse fuzz he used to sport. A young woman answered the door, a blanket wrapped tightly around her. Her lips were red and slightly swollen, her hair mussed. Rainier raised an eyebrow and glanced over at me.

“Uh, excuse me. We are looking for a young girl, fifteen, blonde hair. Have you seen her?”

“No. We ain’t seen nobody since we got here this morning. I ain’t paid to leave the room, I’m paid to stay in it.” The crooked smile she gave and the wink which followed was more information than I needed. I felt my face turn red as I turned away from the door, moving onto the next room.

“Thank you for your help.” Rainier spoke, and the door shut a second later. I glanced over my shoulder at Rainier, wondering what he thought of the woman. But his mouth was set in a straight line; he seemed unaffected by the interaction. We continued down to the next room and knocked. After a moment of waiting for an answer, I reached out, listening for heartbeats within.

“Nothing.” I mumbled to Rainier, fitting the key into the door. I pushed it open and saw the room seemed untouched. I took a step in, Rainier filling up the doorway behind me. My first instinct had me checking behind the door. I knew there was no one there, but still. Looking around the room, I felt uneasy. Walking over to the nightstand, I pulled open an empty drawer.

“You’ve never seen a libertine before, have you?” Rainier mirrored my actions on the other side of the bed.

“A libertine?” I’d never even heard the term, so how would I know if I’d seen one?

“The woman back there. They accept payment for…” He trailed off as he pushed the nightstand shut, observing me with an arched brow and a carefully curated straight face.

“Oh, no. I haven’t. I mean, I knew there were women who—”

“And men.”

“Peoplewho did that. I’ve just never met one before. She seemed happy?”

“Mira is small enough; she might have established clients who treat her well. I think it depends on a variety of factors.”

“Like what?” I truly wanted to know. I’d always thought to do work like that would be degrading, something one would only do if they had no choice. I didn’t want to know why Rainier seemed to know about libertines, but I was curious.

“Well, some libertines choose the lifestyle. They’re not all forced into it. If she has kind customers who pay her well, it makes sense she’d be happy.” He shrugged while I made a thoughtful sound.

“You learn something new every day.” I gave him a faint smile as I dropped down to look behind the nightstand.

He nodded, not a trace of a smile due to my naivety, and continued searching the room, pulling the curtains back to check behind and under them.

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