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T he Pox seemed to be crowded this day.

Not wanting to be seen entering through the front of the establishment, Magnus and Marcellus had come in through the rear.

Since the tavern sat on a waterfront that was quite busy, the usual path to enter was through the front door.

But the problem with that was that it could be easily seen by anyone who happened to be on or near the waterfront.

The tavern sat on a corner, crowded on the east side by other buildings, but there was a small yard and livery to the rear, accessed off an alley.

Instead of coming in on the larger road, Magnus and Marcellus came down through Watling Street, took a side alley, and ended up in the livery.

They paid the stable boy well to allow them to tether their horses as they formed a plan of action.

For all Marcellus knew, they were there to collect a cousin of Magnus’ who was running from her abusive husband.

That was the story the earl gave him, and Marcellus, a chivalrous man, was more than willing to help.

Once they collected Delaina, they would be heading out again the same way they’d come, only Magnus was going to head back to Westminster while Marcellus, with the lady, would head back to Lonsdale House.

With that plan in mind, they headed inside.

They came in through the kitchens at the rear, entering the northern side of the common room, which was divided into four big sections.

The northern section usually had tables where men could gamble, open to anyone.

The eastern section was usually reserved for private affairs, for those who could pay well for the privilege.

The western and southern sections were the places where most people gathered. Today, it was quite crowded.

“Some cogs must have come in,” Magnus said over his shoulder to Marcellus. “It is not usually this crowded.”

Marcellus had the look of a hunter. He’d been forbidden to come to The Pox by the earl and, like an obedient knight, he’d stayed away, so this kind of debauchery and filth was new to him.

And exciting.

“I’ve been told about this place,” he said, watching a man and woman fornicate over in a corner. “I’ve never seen it for myself.”

Magnus smiled without humor. “You have not missed much,” he said. “This tavern has been here for over one hundred years, and in that time, I’ve heard it has always been the same—the seediest establishment on the waterfront.”

“I can see that.”

Magnus chuckled when he turned to see that Marcellus was watching the shameless couple. The knight appeared positively appalled. Thumping the man on the arm to get his attention, Magnus motioned him toward the stairwell.

“Come on,” he said. “With me.”

Marcellus tore his shocked gaze away from the couple and trotted after Magnus, following him up a narrow flight of stairs to a second floor where it was surprisingly quiet.

The smoke wasn’t as heavy up here, either, but the floors leaned in a rather vertigo-inducing way.

Magnus headed to the first door on the right, knocking softly on it.

He did it a couple of times, announcing himself, but there was no answer.

Puzzled, he put his hand on the latch simply to rattle it, but the moment he touched it, the door swung open.

The chamber was empty.

Magnus stepped in, looking around the room with bewilderment. “Delaina?” he called out. “Where are you?”

There was no reply. Magnus quickly looked around, noting that her satchels were still there, and so was her coin. Everything was there, only Delaina wasn’t.

“Wait here,” he told Marcellus. “It is possible that she’s gone to the privy, though I cannot imagine why she would leave this chamber for that hellish hole in the rear yard. I’ll be back.”

Marcellus nodded. “What if she returns while you are away and panics when she sees me?”

Magnus scratched his head. “Mention my name immediately,” he said. “Tell her I have brought you. Hopefully that will alleviate any terror on her part, but if it does not, I will be back very shortly.”

With that, he bolted out of the chamber and descended the stairs far too quickly. He couldn’t imagine that they’d passed her somehow when they entered the establishment, but there were a lot of people. It was possible that they’d simply missed each other.

But he was going to give her an earful for leaving her chamber when he found her.

He charged out into the livery yard, where there were two privies—both of them stinking to high heaven—and threw the doors open on both of them. One was occupied by a man who didn’t take kindly to the exposure, while the other one was empty.

At that point, Magnus was trying not to panic.

Struggling to look at it from a methodical standpoint, he began to search every inch of the livery and yard.

Every barrel, every stall. He called Delaina’s name a few times but received no answer.

When no stone was left unturned, he headed into the tavern and went straight into the kitchen.

She wasn’t anywhere in the kitchen, and when the servants and tavernkeep looked oddly at the strange man in their domain, he explained that he was missing the lady that had been lodged in the room at the top of the stairs.

At that point, they began to show more interest.

In fact, one of the serving wenches recalled that the very lady in question had come down from her chamber to order food not a half-hour earlier, which explained why her door was unlocked.

The meat that had been boiling wasn’t ready for consumption yet, which was why the servant was still down in the kitchen, still waiting for the meat.

Magnus understood all of that, but he interrogated the woman as to when, and where, she last saw Delaina, and the woman could only tell him that she had been heading back toward the stairs.

But that was when something odd happened.

More serving women entered the kitchens, telling the tale of some men abducting women and taking them from the front door. It seemed that two of their servants were missing, women named Alyce and Bibi, evidently taken by these men. Patrons had seen it happen.

That had the tavernkeep moving, calling forth the armed men he’d hired for security at The Pox, men who would keep the stealing and murders to a minimum, but those men hadn’t seen anyone abducted because they’d been in the eastern room watching a game of dice that was becoming heated.

Abductions weren’t something they normally worried over, but it became clear as the tavernkeep spoke to his servants that something was amiss. Women were missing.

Something told Magnus that Delaina was one of them.

After an hour of searching The Pox from top to bottom, he was certain of it. He collected her money and possessions, making sure to wipe the room of any evidence of her should anyone else come looking, and left.

But he couldn’t shake the ghosts of Delaina that followed him.