I clenched the vial and was already moving, the merchant’s voice trailing behind me, still pleading for one more second.
The man hunched his shoulders, his hand closing over the hilt as Marin walked past an empty stall beside a deep rock crevice. Her focus was still on the scythes another twenty feet away.
Mine—was on him.
A low pulse thudded at the base of my throat. Not panic. Purpose.
His dagger flashed.
I popped the cork on the vial, purple liquid spilling beside the empty stall. The cloud surged around my feet as I dragged the man into the mist.
His face hit the rock, a sharp cry splitting the air, smothered by the thick fog. The blade slipped from his grip, landing nearmy boot. I kicked it away.
My dagger bit into the side of his ribs, and I pressed until he choked on his breath.
“Hey, hey, man. Relax. I wasn’t—”
The dagger slid deeper, drawing blood, a thin stream slipping off the blade and vanishing into the mist. I shoved his face harder into the stone.
“She’s yours! I get it!”
“No. You don’t.”
My head dipped, voice rasping near his ear. “That woman out there—she once told me to count the stars when I lose control.”
A dark laugh scraped from my throat. “Stars… can you imagine?”
He whimpered. Just a thin, broken sound.
“But maybe she was right about counting.” I twisted the dagger, slow and deliberate. “Touch her… and I’ll count your bones.”
I flicked the blade from his ribs and slashed it through the loop on his belt, catching the coin pouch before it hit the ground.
“The fee for looking.”
Sheathing my blade, I slipped out of the mist. It swirled around the empty stall, still growing thicker.What do you know? It did cling longer than a hangover in the sky.
Marin looked over her shoulder, completely unaware, and hefted a wicked-edge scythe off a rack.
“This one isn’tthatheavy.”
I forced a grin. “Not a chance. The handle alone is taller than you.”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “So then it doubles as awalking stick.”
“Put it back.”
Marin wrinkled her nose as she handed it to the merchant. “Next time, I’m bringing my own money.”
She folded her arms, circling me as she inspected the cutlass strapped to my back. Her narrowed gaze landed on my sleeve, where a streak of blood stained the fabric.
I stilled, the breath seized low in my chest. For one brutal second, I thought she might see past the blood and the banter. Might have realized what I’d done. What I would always do. But then she scoffed and shook her head, and the knot inside me unraveled.
“Seriously, Gavin? Did you already cut yourself on your brand-new sword?” She clucked her tongue. “We’re going to run out of Cass’s salve.”
I shrugged, my grin widening now that my secret was safe. Her world was dark enough. She didn’t need to know every danger. Not the ones I could shield her from.
I brushed at my sleeve. “Out of practice, I guess. It’s been a while since I’ve had to watch someone’s back.”
