"William, I think we need to talk." Kraft pushed open the door, bathed in the dusky glow of evening. Kup followed close behind, and once Yvonne entered, she quickly slid the bolt shut.
"About those mines... Huh?"
The room was unlit. A faint patch of light from a high, narrow window was slipping away from the bowed head at the table. To make their private discussion easier, they had asked the original occupant to move next door and lend them the whole house. Now Peter was the only one there, slumped over the table.
He really had been exhausted these past few days, chasing after an elusive target with a few tireless people, never knowing when it would end. At last, he'd had a free afternoon to catch up on sleep.
At the sound of their voices, Peter lifted his head and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. After a moment, his eyes adjusted to the dim light. "Mr. Kraft, why are you back? Didn't you go with William and the others?"
There seemed to be a dangerous implication in that question. There wasn't even a tavern in this village, so where else could they have gone?
"Gone where?"
"You don't know?" Peter could tell from Kraft's accusatory look that something was wrong. William must have left him behind as a messenger, someone to deal with any questions. "Mr. William found someone to guide them. He said they were going to the mines."
"Damn it, why did they have to go wandering off right now?" Kraft's voice rose without him meaning to, and he sounded breathless, as if something were chasing him. They had only just found a few clues and hadn't had time to sort them out, and now someone had volunteered to lead the others