“If she’s in either of those city domes, Jacob will find her. It’s just a matter of time.”

I nodded, hoping Mia was right. “The waiting is killing me,” I admitted, gripping the railing and looking out over the busy city scape. “I need to do something.”

Ashur made a sympathetic noise next to me.

“Your best bet is waiting for word from Jacob at this point. Going off half-cocked will only waste more time.”

He settled his hand over Mia’s on the railing and she smiled up at him briefly, both of them in tune. It made my own heart ache for Adara.

Still, I knew they were right. I didn’t have enough information to narrow down the search between the two domes Adara suspected she was in. I’d acted on what information I did have by flying out here to Ashur’s territory.

I wanted to be waiting closer when Jacob got back to me.

When I’d asked Mia if I could come stay with them until I got word from Jacob, she’d immediately agreed, though she’d been more than a little surprised to find me flying in alone when I’d arrived. I’d told her the truth.

“If one of my subjects is behind this, I have no idea who else might be conspiring,” I said honestly. “I can’t afford for the wrong ears to hear the information I have and pass it on to whoever is holding Adara.”

Mia had nodded in understanding. “They could move her and make her more difficult to find,” she’d agreed, frowning. “But there has to be people you trust,” she’d added with concern. “Having no guards at all as the Phoenix King while you travel isn’t the safest.”

I’d agreed but stood by my decision. I trusted Igna and a few others to keep this information to themselves.

But did I trust them with Adara’s life?

When I couldn’t answer that question, I’d left alone, without informing anyone. I’d sent a message to Igna later explaining why I’d done so, though I didn’t tell him where I was.

He had not been pleased, but he’d been less angry then I’d expected him to be. He understood why I had reason to be paranoid.

He wasn’t my keeper. In the end, the decision was mine to make.

“Do you want—”

Mia stopped abruptly when the ding of an incoming message reached all of our ears.

I immediately opened it.

Got it narrowed down to my dome. An unusual bribe had me looking up a fake ID. Matches one of Eli’s people. Found a couple other hits too when I checked around the same time, including the man himself.

They must be here.

-Jacob

I had sent over pictures and descriptions of Eli and his flock, along with the same details for Adara and Siro. I checked the attachment. He’d sent me back the entrance log along with the IDs he’d uncovered. I didn’t know how Jacob had done it, but he’d gotten me more than I was expecting.

Evidence.

I felt adrenaline start to pump through my veins. Closing in now.

“Jacob says they’re being held in his city dome,” I said, looking up at them. “I’m going to go in.”

“You have a way in?” Mia asked.

I nodded. “I have an identity set up already,” I confirmed. “Though I would really appreciate it if you’d let me borrow a car. Going in on foot would draw too much attention.”

I was already dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, ditching my tunic and pants when I found out that Adara was likely being held among the humans. I needed to blend in.

“Of course,” Ashur agreed. “One will be ready and waiting for you at the garage.” He met my eyes straight on. “Do you need help? Would you like us to come with you?”

“Yes, we can come with you,” Mia agreed.

I hesitated. I could do much worse than Mia and a Dragon Lord as back up, but if things went wrong, they might do me more good on the outside.

I shook my head. “If you don’t hear from me in twenty-four hours, send word to Igna,” I said instead. “I’ll send over his contact. Let him know it was Eli and forward the message from Jacob I’m forwarding to you. I’d send everything over to him now, but I can’t have this leak somehow and risk them moving Adara and Siro before I can find them.”

Mia and Ashur both nodded.

“Got it. But let us know if you change your mind and need back up,” Mia added. “We’re near enough to possibly be of help.”

“Will do,” I agreed. I might have to take them up on it.

“I’ve already sent one of my people a message about the car,” Ashur said. “It should be ready by the time we get down there.”

He was right. When they led me to the garage, the attendant already had a sleek but not attention-grabbing car ready to go.

“You need something discrete,” Ashur explained.

I nodded. “This is perfect,” I agreed. “Thank you. For everything.”

“Keep us apprised,” Ashur said, Mia making an agreeing sound.

“I will,” I promised, getting into the car. It would be a little more time consuming to drive rather than fly, but it also meant I wouldn’t be as physically tired when I got there.

I sent a message over to Jacob letting him know I was coming. He gave me an address to meet him at almost instantly. Then I drove out of the garage with a wave at Mia and Ashur, going slowly as I went through the heart of the city.

Then I put the pedal to the metal as I reached the abandoned outskirts, the ruins of the old city in which they’d built their new one. It always sent a chill down my spine to travel through it, but I was out in no time at the speed I was going.

The drive to the city dome gave me plenty of time to contemplate all the things that could have happened to Adara between when she’d sent me the message and now. I’d been fighting thinking about the worst case scenarios since she’d been taken. Wallowing in fear wouldn’t help her though, so I kept fighting off those thoughts.

It wasn’t easy, but when I got to the city dome, I was calm once again.

Inching along in the line heading inside was no picnic.

When I reached the front, the guard came up to me and gave me a thorough once over.

My identity was rock solid. I’d used a trusted source who didn’t cut corners. The quality was reflected in the price tag, but I was willing to pay for something that important.

Neither of the guards stopped me as I went through the gates and headed into the city.

Adara was likely in here somewhere. I was so close I could taste it. The knowledge didn’t help my patience much.

The address Jacob had given me turned out to be one of those tech cafes where teenagers and adults alike could while away too much time. I was driving by, trying to figure out where to park, when I got an incoming message.

Pick me up at the front.

Ah. He’d seen me drive by. I turned around and headed back, keeping an eye out for the man.

He was difficult to miss. Tall and muscled, his good-looking face bore a scar down one side, left completely exposed by his buzz cut. He stood out in the crowd, even dressed in a simple dark gray t-shirt and dark wash jeans.

I thought it was more his aura of confidence that drew attention.

I came to a stop in front of him, and he immediately stepped forward to open the door and slide into the passenger seat.

“Sven Mishal, the Phoenix King,” he acknowledged with a sardonic eyebrow lift as he held out his hand to shake.

I shook it. “That’s me, Jacob Austin,” I said mildly. “Mia gave you a glowing recommendation.”

He grunted. “Let’s hope I don’t disappoint,” was his pragmatic answer. Then he got right down to business, which I appreciated. “I know you guys apparently have a good sense of smell. Could you pick up on either of their scents on the street?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Too many competing scents,” I answered. “Wouldn’t be able to pick out a phoenix thread unless it was really fresh or we were really close.”

He nodded. “All right.” He cracked his knuckles as he directed me to drive forward. “I’ve divided the city up into a grid. It’s a large area to cover, but more importantly, it’s dense,” he explained. “I have feelers out for any word on unusual activity, though that might not bear fruit for some time. In the mean time, I say we start a grid search.”

I nodded. “Okay. Do you have any idea where to begin?”

He grimaced a little. “Not a concrete idea,” he admitted. “Though I think we can reasonably narrow down the search by prioritizing areas that aren’t as busy. More traffic means more of a chance of people seeing something amiss. If it was me, I’d probably stay away from the more affluent areas as well—the places police actually respond to calls in a reasonable amount of time.”

“Makes sense. But that doesn’t narrow things down a great amount,” I observed.

He nodded.

“Sometimes you just have to put in the leg work,” he agreed. “We’ll start the search while we wait on my informants. I’d give that a few hours. In the mean time, we’ll check out the more questionable areas. They’re easier areas to stash someone and conduct not-so-legal activities, since they’re running mostly unchecked already.”

I nodded. “Okay.” He was the expert, so I’d let him lead. For now.

This wasn’t going to be easy, but at least I had something to do now.

Hold on, Adara.