A week had passed since Renard had given Benjamin a week to find "the rat."
The deadline stayed in the air like a weight, pressing down on every minute and every breath that passed between them.
If the week ended without results, Renard had made it plain that Benjamin would be dragged out of the city without further discussion, negotiation, or any opportunity to explain is ay out of it.
The sun stood high and white over Thaad, turning the cobblestones underfoot into a bright, uneven glare that seemed to shimmer with heat.
Four figures walked down the long slope of the street toward the denser market area below: a green-haired elf boy whose slight frame moved with precise grace, a scarred and toned Amazon whose stride had the easy balance of long combat experience, a pale and young maiden whose hands stayed clasped tightly behind her back, and a very attractive blue-eyed woman—
[Wha—! Narrator, what gives?!]
Forgive my manners. The fourth person was Benjamin Mark, a MAN.
