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An enormous figure unfurled from a seated position where I’d barely noticed him. When he stood, the glint of silver caught in the dual moons’ light, showcasing the sword at his hip. It wasn’t a cheap weapon, that was clear. And he wasn’t someone to trifle with based on the sculpted muscle mass he showed off with bare chest and tatted arms beneath a short cape. He was built like a boulder, but one that had been carefully curated to intimidate. It was slightly bothersome that my sister didn’t feel Torvo and I offered enough brawn for the journey.

Jym gave a displeased grunt, but when I glanced at him, he just continued smoking away. The scent of cheap tobacco in the air was starting to irritate me. Meanwhile, the behemoth made his way toward my sister, who nearly speared him with the finger she continued to hold toward his chest.

I was about to blast him backward when his shoulders relaxed and he smiled down at her like an old friend. My mind reeled.

“I can vouch for him,” Sharlyne said. “Kredo has navigated to where we’re going before. He’s a client of mine.”

“Client?” I ground out the word. She’d been doing readings as a seer—dangerous ones from the looks of things—when I’d specifically told her to hide. And why hadn’t the men I’d paid to protect my sister reported this to me? My vision became doused in red as my eyes burned. My muscles tensed as I curled a hand over the hilt of my sword, willing myself not to lose it, for her sake.

“I was not looking for work,” Kredo announced with a thick, unfamiliar accent. Where the fuck had he come from, exactly? “But if little seer says I should go on a journey, then I go.”

Glaring daggers at Sharlyne, I flicked my head to the side, cracking my neck.

“And one more,” she added, ignoring me as she spun toward the alley by the boardwalk we’d come down. But the tone of her voice gave me pause. I knew better than to demand answers, though. I’d end up with far more questions and a headache.

The three men at the end of the dock whispered harder in the silent pause, and another man who’d been standing mostly behind them stepped out. He wore a tattered uniform similar to the captain’s, and a black patch covered one eye.

“I’d be interested in joining this journey of yours,” he said, speaking straight to me. His hand casually rested on the hilt of a broadsword. “Maybe instead of letting the little lady pick her favorites you should worry more about who can help you survive.”

“Fiorge.” Lou surprised me by coming to my side, arms folded. She knew this scoundrel, then. I wasn’t sure what to make of that information, though I supposed many of these men were likely to be her clientele.

“I have to admit I’m curious as to what business you have with these outlaws, Lou,” Fiorge drawled, stalking forward.

“Careful of the names you call my associates,” Lou warned, voice steady, clear, and threatening. “You’re on thin ice after the way you broke my trust on your last visit.”

Galan slid closer to Lou, the movement almost imperceptible. He was good at pretending to be aloof, but when it came to Lou, I doubted he’d put up with anyone’s shit. Hells, he didn’t put up with mine either when it came to her. The Gray Fox was not a man to be dismissed. If he chose to act, I’d wager any amount on him coming out on top.

Sadly for him, this Fiorge fellow didn’t seem to register any of that. He just kept smirking down at Lou. One thing that had always impressed me about the woman was her ability to stand up to bullshit. She stomped one foot forward, and the next ten wooden boards between her and the encroaching man wavered and popped, bringing him to a fast stop.

“Why were you so protective of that girl?” he challenged. “You wanted her to learn to wield, not fuck, that was clear enough. Who was she, and what other shady business are you hiding?”

Girl she wanted to teach to wield, not fuck? If he was referring to the person I thought he was, he’d better hope to hells Galan got to him first. It would be far less painful than the punishment I was already imagining inflicting on him. I glared toward Lou, demanding answers I knew she couldn’t give now. But that didn’t quell the fury building inside me.

“And why,” I hissed, voice dangerous as a viper as I strode toward him over the now buckled boardwalk, “would she need to protect any of her girls from you?”

The idiot sneered back, unaware of the danger I brought. I was sick of greedy men holding power over others. Flashes of memory burned in my head, my mother’s body falling, Nyah fighting for her life when my own hired men attacked her… And here I was again, putting her and Sharlyne and others in danger. What the fuck was I supposed to do, though?

Kill them all one by one if they dare step out of line.

“I don’t see how any of it has shit to do with you,” Fiorge said, rolling back his shoulders. “If you hire me, which you should, I do what I want on my own time. I don’t need a lord, or a king.”

That word stopped me cold, ice pouring through my veins and dousing the fire inside. I didn’t like the way he’d emphasized that word. As though he were throwing it in my face. As though he knew who I really was and what Balram had stolen from my family.

If he knew, then we were all in danger.

The way the three men Jym had warned me about snickered only reinforced the concerns racing through my mind. If they all knew⁠—

They’d been talking about bounties.

I had to get us out of here. Don’t panic, Rivven, I told myself. I could take them all on if I had to, but the important thing was to keep the others safe.

“And why should I hire someone so hostile?” I asked cooly.

“Because I’m honest,” Fiorge said, showing off yellowed teeth. “Because if you pay me enough, then I’ll keep my mouth shut and help you do whatever dark deeds need be done. And don’t pretend you’re too pretty to stoop to such levels.”

He leaned in close, dropping his voice as his one eye kept locked on me. “Because I’ll convince my friends to keep their mouths shut long enough for us to shove off if you do.”

“And what is it you want in return?” I asked, imagining all the ways I could carve him up or set him on fire to make him plead for mercy.