Free Hunt for Justice by James R. Vernon

would eventually feel the same way as she got closer to catching him.
    Turning a corner, she poked her head out and looked around. Perfect. She was exactly where she hoped to be. To her left, far down the open street, she could make out the High Horse Inn across from the wagon fields. They were on the far west side of the homes off of Fisher's Row. Across the street sat homes that were a marked contrast to the house where her family now lived. Stone and brick buildings, most two stories tall, lined the street. Towering behind them stood the temple of Drenks, a huge, oval building covered in banners of gold and silver. Flags ringed the walls of the building close to the clay-tiled roof. Each flag, sitting motionless in the moonlight, bore the sigil of a Hawkpurse family. All of the family flags were displayed sequentially, repeated four times around the perimeter of the building.
    Ezzy's body shook as she looked at the four empty spaces where a flag was noticeably missing. Her family's flag. A part of her wanted to have Paz try and rip the entire building down.
    "Focus," Nolan said from behind her. The foolish man knew her too well.
    "This way," she snapped.
    They followed the empty street towards the west side of town, then continued several more blocks into an area with multiple homes being constructed. Past that were a few more houses, some finished and others still being constructed. Then they reached an area where open space sat on either side of the road. Not even the base of the wall had been started this far north in the city, so they had a clear view of the fields and farms to the west. Far to the north, Ezzy could just make out the dilapidated temple of Iaradune, the fallen god of battle. To the south, the road curved around until homes started to pop up on the left and the partially constructed city wall sat on the right. This was Nolan's street.
    As they walked towards his home, Nolan tapped her on the back.
    "Don't you think you should bring Paz over? This is close to where you left him."
    "Yeah, well, after I left you, I sent him over the bridge. He's sitting by the Lost Soul's Inn."
    "Really? That was a smart move."
    "Don't sound so surprised."
    "Don't act so surprisingly responsible and I won't act surprised."
    Ezzy grunted at him and picked up the pace . Let's see him crack jokes as he tries to keep up.
    By the time they reached Nolan's home, he was sweating. Ezzy smirked as he moved past her and unlocked his door. He went in and was back out in an instant with his bag around his shoulder. When he struggled to situate the bag and lock the door, a pang of guilt struck Ezzy in the chest.
    "Here," she said, grabbing the strap of his bag. "Let me take that. I can carry both bags."
    "I'm fine," he snapped back at her.
    "Just give me your bag, Nolan. If we have to run, you'll pass out before you even make it a few paces."
    "Alright," she said after getting both of their bags adjusted on her shoulders. "Up Main Street, then over the bridge."
    "Ezzy, they could be on Main Street, especially if they searched Fisher's Row and came up empty."
    "I know what you are about to say and the answer is no."
    "It will be safer if we cut across Main Street and head down Melcoi's Curve--"
    "No, Nolan, I can't handle that."
    "Would you rather risk getting caught, or worse, starting a fight and someone getting hurt?"
    She responded to his question with silence. It was one thing to know he was right, another matter altogether to say it out loud.
    It's fine. It's only a road after all.
    If only she could believe her own thoughts.
    "Let's go." She had tried to keep the quiver out of her voice and failed. Nolan looked like he was about to say something, but she spun and walked away before he could. If she was going to head down Melcoi's Curve, the last thing she needed was Nolan trying to comfort her.
    Ezzy glanced back once to make sure Nolan was following her and then continued on at a fast pace. Best to get this over with and get out