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A blush accented my cheeks, and I swatted his arm. “I’m not buying.”
He feigned a sigh and shrugged. “Then I suppose we’ll have to lean on his benevolence, though admittedly that may be hard to do.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Why?”
Ben tapped a finger against the name. “Their leader is a known recluse. No one even knows what he looks like, as he wears a different mask for every performance.”
“That sounds like a lot of trouble.”
“He must make them himself, as well, as no one’s been able to trace their creator.”
A smile slipped onto my lips. “And I’m sure many a female fan has tried.”
He grinned and inclined his head to me. “Many.”
I tilted my head to properly read the band’s name. “So it doesn’t sound like we’d have much luck getting him to talk about the flute.”
Ben stood and offered me his hand. “Should that stop us from trying?”
I snorted and accepted his hand, wherein he drew me to my feet. “I suppose not, and what do we have to lose?”
As it turns out that was going to be more than a morning’s time as we strolled into a hair-raising adventure of ghouls, graveyards, and groupies.
CHAPTERTWO
“So where exactly are we going?”I wondered as we trotted down the busy streets of Validen with Ferox the fierce pulling our vehicle. “That Phantom group isn’t supposed to be here yet.”
“We’re going to inquire exactly when they’ll arrive,” he told me as he gave me a mischievous smile. “One can’t fetch a good teacher if they don’t know when they’re available.”
I dropped my gaze to the cylinder attached to my arm. “Is this such a good idea? I mean, what if this thing accidentally kills him?”
He shook his head. “It’s more likely to kill you first than him.”
I dropped my arm and my face did the same. “That’s a comforting thought.”
A pensive expression slipped onto his face as he crossed one leg over the other. “We could try investigating the Prima Staff, but our inquiries would attract unwanted attention.”
His eyes flickered to a tall figure whom we passed. It was a guard, and I had to stop myself from flinching. “I see what you mean.”
Ben cocked his head slightly and studied me. “We could, however, have someone else make inquiries for us.”
Both my eyebrows shot up. “You meanhim?”
My companion nodded. “He’s rather useful for such expeditions. People feel more freely speaking with him than with a high-society swell.”
I blinked at him. “Why is that?”
He flashed me a wicked grin. “Because they already know who, and what, they’re dealing with.”
I leaned back against the seat and crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re going to have to tell me how all of that happened, and youstillhaven’t explained-” I waved my hand at his chest, “-well, allthat.”
There was that thoughtful look on his face again as he stared ahead. “We might make a brief stop elsewhere for that explanation. There is someone I know who would be better able to answer your questions.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Really? Who?”
“My mother.”
I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was. After all, I’d heard he had a parent. Still, there was one nagging question about that admission. “Your mom knows about what you do?”
