Synové’s eyes narrowed in the shadows of her hat, their blue ice sparking, a wicked smile curling her mouth. “Who cares where she’s been? What has she been doing? Tell us everything.”
I told them about the labor hunters and our escape—and about the chain that kept us together. I skipped the parts of our journey that I knew Synové was hoping for. “But the best part is I’m inside Tor’s Watch now and have a reason to stay for a while.” I explained further about the letter to the queen, and the conditions I had laid down. “My little business agreement with the Patrei will not only give me access and time to search the compound, but will also provide reparations to the settlers in the process. They’re going to get everything back that they lost.” They stared at me, not looking as pleased as I had expected. “It really couldn’t have worked out better,” I added. “Any sign of Natiya yet?”
“Hold on just a minute,” Synové balked. “You think we’re going to let you breeze over the main item? Him. You were both out for blood last we saw you, but just now, the sparks flying between you two could have singed my hair. What’s going on?”
I looked to Wren for help. She shrugged. “Might as well tell us. You know she won’t stop.”
I confessed that there had been a moment or two between us when we were out in the wilderness, but now it was over.
Synové snorted. “As over as an old man’s grudge. Did you do it? You know, it?”
“No!”
“Don’t be so touchy, Kazi. Whatever you had to do to occupy your time is fine with me. And he does clean up well. So does his friend. That tall, dark, handsome one. What’s his name?”
I looked at her in disbelief.
“Just playing with you,” she said and shoved my shoulder. “Sort of.” She leaned against the wall of the shop we were hiding behind and folded her arms, ready to get down to business. “There’s no sign of Natiya and Eben yet. We’ve been watching for them in town. Nothing.”
It was a worry. It wasn’t like Natiya to be late, but our plan had cushions in it for the unexpected, like weather or lame horses. We discussed the possibilities—even bandits on the road—but between Eben and Natiya, we were sure bandits would be on the losing end of any encounter. Eben had been trained to become the next Assassin of Venda, but after the war that position was eliminated. The queen disapproved of stealth murders, especially since she had narrowly escaped one herself. But his skills were still there. His mastery of a knife was awe-inspiring.
“We know they’ll show up,” Wren said. “They’re just delayed for a good reason. That will give us plenty of time to lie low, like she ordered.”
“And for you to milk as much as you can out of the Ballengers for the settlement,” Synové added.
I smiled. “Yes, that.”
Wren’s brow lifted with skepticism. “You really think they’ll keep their word?”
Jase loathed the idea. His brothers were furious. But yes, I did believe they would keep their word—that lofty Ballenger pride. It was a business transaction they had agreed to. “They’ll not only keep their word—they’re doing the work themselves. It was all part of our deal. The Ballengers will be digging fence posts.”
Wren grinned. “You’re evil,” she said. “You could steal the nose off a man’s face, and he wouldn’t know it was gone for a week.”
“It’s genius, I admit,” Synové said. “Even Natiya would crack a satisfied smile at that one. Any sign of our man yet?”
Our man. The reason we were here. I heard the tension in her voice.
I shook my head and explained that it was a large, sprawling compound with multiple homes and offices that were as big as palaces. “And there’s the tunnel too, though I’m not sure it leads to much. To search everything is going to take a while, plus there’s a lot of people who work there that I—”
“And dogs!” Wren interjected. “They have crazed dogs! Did you know that? Dozens of them!”
Dozens? I had only seen two. Becoming friends with that many might be more of a challenge than I thought. Wren said their efforts to look for me inside the walls of Tor’s Watch were thwarted by the nasty beasts.
“A few arrows could have taken them down,” Synové replied.
Wren frowned. “And a dozen dead dogs just might rouse the guards’ suspicions.”
Synové shrugged. “Could have taken them down too.”
“And killing everyone in sight just might go against the queen’s orders,” I reminded her.
Synové knew that. We were ordered not to kill anyone in order to catch our game—unless our own lives were threatened. There was still some distrust when it came to Venda—we weren’t to make it worse for Vendans who were trying to settle in new areas. Get him and get out. That was our task, and that was it. Like plucking a rotten apple from a crate.
I told them that we also had the bad timing of being plummeted into the middle of a power war spawned by Karsen Ballenger’s death. Other factions wanted control of Hell’s Mouth and its riches. “And these other factions were the ones who sent in the labor hunters. They paid them up front with no other expectation than to scare the citizenry and create a mutiny of sorts in order to gain control. It could be they were the ones who really attacked and burned the Vendan settlement too.”
“No,” Wren argued. “Caemus said—”
“Caemus said the Ballengers took a short horn as payment. That is all.”
“That’s enough. It’s still stealing.”
“I’m not disagreeing with that, but it was too dark to see who attacked and pillaged the settlement that night. Maybe someone else is trying to stir the wrath of the Vendan queen. Jase denies it was them.”
“And you believe him?”
I shrugged. “It’s possible.”
Wren and Synové exchanged a long knowing look.
“I know what you’re thinking but—”
“He’s duped you, Kaz,” Wren moaned. “You of all people. I can’t believe you’ve fallen for—”
“I haven’t fallen for anything, Wren. I just want you to know there are other risks here besides the Ballengers, and we have to watch out for them. Someone’s been setting fires too. Six so far. Have you seen anything?”
“We set one of them,” Wren answered.
“Maybe two,” Synové added.
“You what?”
“I had no choice!” she said. “It was the middle of the night, and we were still hiding from corner to corner trying to get out of town. I shot a burning arrow into an oil lamp and another into a woodpile. I had to create a distraction so we could get our horses out of the livery. You know that bastard stable master stole our saddles and gear?”
Dear gods, if Jase finds out that they set even one of those fires—
“Did you burn a house?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.
“A woodpile, Kazi. And a wagon of hay. Why are you so jumpy?”
“Because the Ballengers are jumpy and determined to find who is attacking the city. I don’t want you mixed up in that battle.” I thought about the severed ears. “They wouldn’t understand, and it could get ugly.”
“No one knows we’re here.”
Yet. Jase memorized details. Their changed clothes and hats wouldn’t hide them for long. They needed something more permanent to protect them. They needed Jase’s word.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
JASE
“Where is she?”
My back had only been turned for seconds. She’d been right next to me. Drake and Tiago jumped, embarrassment flooding their faces, their eyes shooting across the plaza, down avenues, wondering how she could have disappeared so fast.
She was gone.
I didn’t think someone could have taken her. She was gone because she wanted to be.
I scanned the plaza, looking for Yursan, and spotted him outside the pub. He shrugged. He had lost her too. But there was no sign of Garvin—which was a good omen. We moved to the center of the plaza, watching for him, waiting.
And then a whistle pealed out.
His signal.
*
“Hello, Kazi.”
She was walking on the boardwalk in front of the apothecary when I intercepted her. “Where’d you rush off to?”
Her steps faltered, then stopped. “Me?” she answered innocently. “I didn’t rush anywhere. Just taking in the sights. I guess I must have wandered off.”