He spotted her almost immediately.
Or rather: he spotted aversionof her. She’d altered her appearance, like she had on theArcadia. Instead of strawberry blonde, Rune’s hair was the pale gold of wheat, braided downher back. And when she glanced around, scanning for danger, Gideon saw her chin was more pointed, and her eyes were blue instead of gray.
If he didn’t recognize her illusion from the ship, he might have missed her altogether.
Gideon watched her push through the crush of people desperate to get on the last train—which was nearly full—while the porters tried to keep things under control.
Once she was safely on board, Gideon would turn around and go back. With so many of Cressida’s soldiers patrolling the station—many with hunting hounds at their sides—he couldn’t afford to linger.
Finally, as the stationmaster announced last call, Rune pushed her way up to the ticket inspector. Gideon had just relaxed, readying himself to leave the moment she stepped onto the train, when a loud bark made him freeze.
He glanced over to see a dog dragging a soldier through the parting crowd, heading in Rune’s direction and attracting the attention of several other soldiers nearby.
Even if Rune got on the train, the dog would follow her in.
Where she’d be trapped.
Gideon pushed away from the wall, shoving through the mass of bodies, using his shoulders and elbows to fight his way through. A few yards from where Rune stood with the ticket inspector, he stepped directly in front of the dog.
Pretending to stumble, he threw his weight toward the soldier and forcibly got himself caught in the leash.
“For Mercy’s sake,” he muttered. “Keep control of your dog, will you?”
The dog barked, trying to drag them both toward the train. But the leash was now looped around Gideon’s calf, and heplanted himself firmly in place. With Gideon’s full height and breadth blocking Rune from view, the soldier no longer saw which direction the dog was heading.
“Step aside, sir, or I’ll arrest you for interference.”
Gideon’s eyebrows shot toward his forehead. “Interference?You’restanding inmyway.”
Behind them, the train whistled, warning everyone away from the tracks. Gideon quickly glanced over his shoulder to see Rune disappear inside while the porter pulled the steps away from the train.
“Sir, this is your last warning.”
The dog snarled and yanked. The leash tightened around Gideon’s leg.
“Step aside, or I’m bringing you in.”
So long as the train was in the station, soldiers could still board it. Gideon refused to let that happen.
“How am I to step aside,” he said, staring down the young man in uniform, “when your dog has ensnared me in its leash?”
Two more soldiers arrived.
“What’s the problem here?”
Wanting to keep their attention on him, Gideon said, “The problem”—he shoved the soldier in front of him hard enough to cause a scene—“isboyswho can’t control their mutts.”
“Hey now.”
Gideon saw a soldier reach for a set of handcuffs.
“That’s assault of an officer.”
Gideon was about to turn and challenge him, too, when a third voice joined in.
“Captain Sharpe?”
Gideon looked at the new arrival to find a woman with silver casting scars on her cheeks. Her black hair was loose around her shoulders, and her eyes were catlike as they pierced him.
