Such emotion made one weak, and he had made sure to rid himself of as much fragility as he could.
“But why do you need me to make such a bargain?” asked Niya after a beat, eyes resuming their hard edge. “Surely you could have made your trade without all this extra work of bringing me here.”
“It’s to make a point,” he clarified. “We both know the Thief King does not respond well to threats—”
“He pulls the bowels from any who make them.”
“Let alone ones from those he already has a bounty on,” continued Alōs. “I knew I had to hold one of his precious pets prisoner for him to sit up and listen. Plus, with you aboard, it stops him from merely blowing up my ship to be rid of me.”
“You will not get what you want,” declared Niya.
“We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we? That is, if your dear sisters ever come to rescue you. After all, the Mousai must save one of their own.”
“They’ll find me.” Niya tipped her chin up, and Alōs studied her in the low lantern light. Her red hair was wilder than before, covering half her face as the green neckline of her dress slunk down one shoulder. It threatened to expose parts of her body many creatures would pay dearly to see, his crew especially. Her skirts were ripped and frayed, and her one bare foot was smudged with dirt. Yet even so disheveled, she remained poised, her gaze holding nothing but confident contempt.
“Perhaps,” said Alōs.
“They will.”
“If you’re so sure, shall we place a wager?”
Niya’s eyes sparked, and he held back a grin. That’s right, he thought, a pretty gamble just for you. Her identity wasn’t the only secret he knew. He’d watched, more than once in the Thief Kingdom, as she succumbed to her vice of playing fate’s hand.
“A wager?” she repeated.
He nodded.
“About my sisters coming for me?”
“How about the time it takes for anyone to come for you?”
“Anyone?”
“Anyone.”
Niya sucked in her bottom lip in thought.
“Have a number in mind?” asked Alōs. “Feel free to make it high, for who knows how long it will take for you to be missed, let alone found.”
“Three days.”
Fool, he thought.
“Three? Are you sure? You do not know how far we might be from Jabari or the Thief Kingdom. And do not forget the Crying Queen has evaded detection this long. We both know how your impulsive decisions can land you in all sorts of jams.”
Niya’s lips thinned. “Three.”
“Very well.” Alōs pulled a small pin from the lapel of his coat. He pricked his palm, allowing a bit of blood to pool in the center. He gathered the buzz of his gifts, letting it float forward in his veins, a cold whisper. As he set his intentions, he pushed out a thread of his magic from his cut. “And what do you wager?”
Niya eyed the green glow of his spell circling his hand, apprehension clear in her features. “Must it be a binding bet?”
“Against a slippery creature like you? Always.”
This way I can also keep a closer eye on you, thought Alōs darkly. Binding bets ensured payments were met by allowing the winner to be able to locate the debtor. And neither could kill the other while bound, lest their own life be sent to the Fade as well. Any extra security against the wrath of this lethal creature, Alōs would take.
Niya remained still, no doubt mulling over the same details, wondering if they put her at an advantage or disadvantage.
“But if you’re having doubts about your sisters . . .” Alōs began to withdraw his offered palm.
“No.” Niya stepped forward.
Alōs’s pulse quickened as he suppressed a grin. That’s right, he silently cooed to her. You’ve taken plenty of reckless chances thus far; why stop now?
Niya reached for the pin, but Alōs shook his head. “As you pointed out earlier, you can do a lot with a little.”
She frowned but stuck out her hand nonetheless. He slashed quickly, keeping the cut small. Niya didn’t flinch as crimson began to seep out. She moved her fingers, her orange magic swirling forward to mimic the circle of his.
“If anyone”—she locked eyes with him—“comes for me in, or before, three days’ time, you will allow us to leave peacefully, sign your silence about the Mousai’s true identities, and destroy wherever you have the knowledge hidden in Aadilor.”
“That is a hefty payment.” Alōs cocked a brow.
“It’s to be thorough. I’m not the only slippery creature in this room.”
Alōs weighed his options for a moment. “All right,” he agreed. “I’ll allow you to leave peacefully, will sign my silence and destroy any knowledge of your identities hidden around Aadilor. But if no one comes for you by the first light of the fourth day, you will serve a year as crew to the Crying Queen.”
“What?” Niya pulled her hand away. “That’s insanity.”
“Knowing the Mousai’s identities is practically priceless and the fastest way to remove my bounty,” said Alōs. “I would be a fool to bet for anything less.”
“But you don’t like me. Why would you want me here?”
“I don’t like most of my crew, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying ordering them around. In fact, it makes it all the better.”
“I don’t know how to sail.”
“I don’t need a sailor.”
Niya’s brows knitted together. “I will not be the entertainment.”
Despite himself, a deep chuckle rumbled from Alōs’s throat. “Why worry, fire dancer? If you’re so sure you’ll win, think of all you’ll regain. My wager should hardly be a threat.”
“A year . . . ,” she repeated, more to herself.
“Time’s already falling.” Alōs nodded to their hands. “Make the bet or don’t, but we both know your secrets are not safe with me.”
She took in a steadying breath and glanced down at their blood-covered hands, where their magic pulsed in reds and greens in anticipation along their skin and reflected in Niya’s eyes, which seemed to hold a thousand thoughts.
And then . . .
“Vexturi,” said Niya, shoving her hand into his. My oath.
Alōs’s dark heart gave a thrilled thump.
“Vexturi,” he echoed, binding the spell.
Their individual magical gifts burned bright before intertwining, spinning where they gripped one another. Alōs’s palm felt slippery against hers but stuck as a heat licked between their grasps while the circle shrank, absorbing into their skin with a snap.
Niya pulled her hand away first as the outline of a thin black band appeared around her wrist. An identical one now marked Alōs’s—a binding bet to be determined.
It is done, he thought.
And Alōs was extremely pleased.
CHAPTER FIVE
Niya wanted to scream.
Or cry.
Or both.
By the lost gods, what have I done?
Alōs had exited swiftly after their binding bet had been secured, leaving Niya remaining numbly behind, thoughts racing.
Had she made a horrible mistake? Could she actually win and, after all this time, finally have her and her sisters’ identities safe? Why did I only say three days?
“I’m here to get you cleaned up and show you around.” A woman’s voice brought Niya back to the small compartment, to where a figure now stood in the shadows by the open door. Her head was shaved save for a line in the middle, and her black skin gleamed warmly in the low light.
She peered at Niya with indifference.
“I don’t care to be shown around,” said Niya, turning from the woman.
“And cleaned up? Captain doesn’t like any on his ship to look like they’ve been dragged aboard from the bottom of the sea.”
Niya arched a brow as she settled a steely gaze back on her unwanted companion. “But that is precisely what has been done to me.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to remain lookin’ like it.”
“Go away,” said Niya, her mood souring further.
When no reply came, she found the woman had done just that.
But there, on a crate by the open door, a pile of clothes had been left.