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Nava hummed and tapped her fingers against the surface of the bar. It had once been polished wood but now was stained with moisture rings and scrapes from the odd blade. “It’s true I don’t belong here, which is why I’m looking to leave.”
“Leave the bar or the city?” The fae’s tone filled with curiosity, although her bright eyes remained glued to her tasks. Then her expression changed to a conspiratorial look, and she rested her narrow hips against the edge of the countertop, finally looking up to meet Nava’s gaze. “I saw yar doing magic back there. Ar ya a deserter?”
“I was not supposed to use magic out here. I don’t want a Crow to find me,” Nava whispered and glanced over her shoulder at the sea of faceless people. Coins were being slammed against surfaces and tossed to the floor. Nava straightened. Hopefully, if she voiced some of her real fears, her act would be believable enough.
“Haven’t seen a Crow in years,” the fae said and tapped her pouting lip with a long finger. “But the pricks usually use disguises.”
The very thing Arkimedes and Devon were doing right now. Two ex-Society members who used the tactics they’d learned once upon a time when they were Crows.
Nava grabbed her drink with trembling hands and took a small sip. “I need a ship that can take me out of this kingdom. I heard I might find someone in this crowd? Perhaps you could point me in the right direction?”
The fae stood straight, her friendly expression dropping within an instant. She eyed Nava from beneath her long lashes. “Who told you to come here?”
“I heard it out in the streets. It was rather busy today, so I don’t recall who said what, but the name of the bar stood out to me. Please. I really, really need to leave.”
“Ya still got meat around your bones, which leads me to believe ya haven’t been on the run for long.” The bartender spoke with empathy. Nava hadn’t expected that. “Have ya any clue how many deserters ask me that very question?”
Nava could not swallow past the thick lump that formed in her throat. Images of the family they’d found in the abandoned bakery weeks ago leaped to her mind’s eye. Caden, the special boy who had the gift of the Sight, his brother the protector, and his sister who’d fed them broth. Children running away—unable to escape. Cameron and the way she’d had to leave him behind to protect his freedom when Devon came to her potion shop. “I’m well aware. But I’m not alone, and I have to leave.”
“Another pint, Morgan!” someone yelled from the other side of the counter.
The bartender grunted a curse in another language and waved a dismissive hand toward the screamer. “For a price, I can pass yar information to the right merchant.” Her eyes said more than her words. A pirate, who was a lot more dangerous than a regular trading ship. “Like I do for most of those who come here asking the same.”
“How much would that cost me?” A wave of annoyance rushed through Nava. Why would this fae prey upon the deserters when they had little to nothing left? When most, as she so gracefully pointed out, were only skin and bones?
“Twelve gold coins, and even if you pay, I can’t guarantee that he will come to meet ya,” Morgan said. The corners of her lips tilted down as she studied Nava’s expression. She leaned forward, and her sour breath hit Nava straight in the face. “I know why yar looking at me like that, girl,” she whispered. “But nothing in this world yar attempting to enter comes for free. This is not all for me. The merchants charge a hefty fee to even meet ya, and it won’t be coming from me.”
It wasn’t worth getting into this argument. Nava would never understand what drove people to prey on the needy. But her main aim here was to find a magical artifact to save the kingdom from the Zorren. And the pirates were the only lead they had.
Nava reached inside her pocket and counted out fourteen round coins. Two for her overpriced drink and twelve for a meeting with a pirate. The uneven texture of the gold clanked loudly against the counter as Nava allowed it to drop from her hand. Greed was the downfall of all sentient species of this world.
28
NAVA
Nava rolled her shoulders to ease the ache that extended down her back from sitting too stiffly on that uncomfortable stool. How long had she been waiting for this supposed pirate to appear? A long time, if the lack of circulation in her legs was any measure at all.
Morgan had disappeared from behind the bar at least half an hour ago, and a younger server had taken her place. The new fae’s shifty eyes kept flicking at Nava like she was trouble. And perhaps he was right.
Had she lost fourteen pieces of gold for nothing? Surely this was why Arkimedes had attempted to warn her about not trusting anyone in this place. Heat rushed to her face as she finished what remained of her drink and glanced discreetly toward the main area. Come to think of it, where was he?
His feelings were very much present and filtered through to her in waves, which could only mean he was in the room. He wasn’t pleased, either, but hadn’t approached her yet.
A sudden shadow fell over her before the largest man Nava had ever seen settled on the stool beside her. He smelled like the sea and the lingering scent of pure sunlight, but not entirely pleasant at the same time.
What a ridiculous thing to think—who smelled like sunlight? Clearly, that amber whiskey had some of the fae juju in it, and she was losing her mind, after all. Nava blinked rapidly and turned away from the man so she wouldn’t catch his attention.
“Are you the mouse Morgan came yapping about?” He tipped his head toward the scrawny bartender, not sparing a look at her. The leathers of his clothes creaked as he leaned forward on the counter. “The magic-wielder looking to leave this fine piece of dirt?”
There was a healthy dose of sarcasm in his tone, and it bothered her. What did he have against her kingdom? No, not her kingdom. But even she could admit it had potential.
Nava looked at him and attempted to keep her features blank. He carried himself with the confidence of someone who had no troubles in the world. The complete opposite of how she felt because her nerves had returned with new vigor. This man wasn’t human, although she couldn’t quite place what he was.
He moved with the edge of someone dangerous enough that they weren’t one bit concerned about her potential to harm them. “I don’t have all night, mouse. Speak or this meeting is over.”
Nava straightened, pushing down her bubbling temper. She couldn’t afford to lose this lead. “I’m looking to leave…and have gold to buy me and my family passage.” She kept her words simple and close to what she’d told Morgan.
The pirate faced her straight on, and the breath caught in Nava’s throat as she noticed his missing eye. He studied her, not in a salacious way but with curiosity. A discolored scar ran from one end of his forehead, across his brow bone, and all the way down his cheek.
