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Her nod is subtle. “She shares the same bleeding heart for the mortals as the exiled king. No wonder he is so smitten.”
“The exiled king who deserves to be back on his throne.”
“Time will tell if there even is a Cirilean throne before long,” she says noncommittally. “I wonder what the current king would say about this kingdom within his, if he knew?”
“Who says he doesn’t already know? Who says he didn’t receive a letter from Ulysede yesterday morning?”
“Is that so?” She sneers. Atticus must have had the chance to but didn’t tell her about the letter, and she’s not pleased with that. “I suggest you exit out the side entrance before you risk notice.” Her gaze flips behind me.
Nonchalantly, I glance over my shoulder.
Shit. Atticus is here. He’s dressed in casual clothes, so he must have snuck past Boaz’s notice. He won’t recognize me, but he’ll identify Jarek in a split second.
The warrior is already on his feet, preparing to leave.
“Thanks for the heads-up.”
“See? Wouldn’t it be wise for Her Highness to have me as an ally?”
“She was under the impression that you wouldn’t be up for that.” Whatever else she is, Bexley has always been helpful to me. “Also, she wanted me to pass on a message. An apology, actually. She couldn’t keep her end of a bargain, but she would never have caused you harm.”
Bexley studies my face as if memorizing it. “Go now. I do not wish to answer questions about you. And watch the bearded one by the door. He goes where the king does and always with his sword.”
“Noted.” I slip out of the booth, but instead of taking the hallway, I veer left, toward Kaders’s table.
The captain of the Silver Mage looks up, sees my face, and raw interest sparks in his pale blue eyes as they drag over my chest. He hasn’t changed a bit, his face still golden and weathered, his hair a wild mane of sun-kissed curls. “You here for a little deal? I don’t have one of ’em fancy marks, but my wind woman checks my drinks for any additives, if ya know what I mean.” His voice is gruff and laden with an accent. Skatranan, I think.
I know what kind of deal he’s into. I set the point of a solid gold dagger I procured from my vault on the table next to his mug, for his purview.
His greedy eyes widen.
“Meet me in the alley out back in two minutes, and we can discuss.” With that, I turn.
And bump into a broad chest.
Atticus’s broad chest.
My heart pounds, but I feign indifference. “Pardon me.” I move to step around him.
He steps with me, blocking my path. “I don’t know you.” He surveys my face with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
“And I don’t know you.” But I could kill you where you stand. My affinities crackle beneath my skin, waiting to be unleashed. But that would only complicate things. And besides, Zander doesn’t want his brother dead. In here, tonight, he’s not the king, I remind myself. I don’t have to bob and bow and play nice. “Do you need something? Because I’m on my way out.”
“Be safe out there. The city is dangerous.”
“I gathered that. You know, with all the corpses everywhere.”
A harsh look skims across his expression, but it’s gone a second later and a smarmy smile appears as he steps aside. “Have a good evening.”
I duck down the hallway and out the back, allowing myself a breath once I’m leaning against the wall. A minute later, Jarek comes around the corner, having taken another exit.
“Bexley made you right away.” And she might have made me, too, though I have no idea how.
“We need to go now.”
“Not yet. I need to arrange something.” Already I hear approaching footfalls. “I’ll explain it as soon as I can,” I say as Kaders steps out.
He takes one look at Jarek’s imposing figure and starts to back up, shaking his head. “Uh-uh. That gold will get you what you want, but I didn’t agree to him.”
I press the dagger against Kaders’s neck, stopping him in his tracks. “Would a chest of gold and jewels be enough?”
His gaze shifts warily between the two of us. “What are you lookin’ to buy?”
Not what you think, you pig. “A ship out of Cirilea.”
He barks with laughter. “They won’t even let me step foot on it to get my compass. There ain’t no ships leaving Cirilea anytime soon, not without a letter from the king himself, and I don’t see him bein’ keen on granting one to the Silver Mage.”
It’s what Seamus said too. “What if I can get that letter for you?”
“You two lookin’ for a ride to Seacadore?”
“To Northmost, and I want your entire hull.”
“To Northmost!” He chuckles. “If the sirens don’t get us, the rocks surely will. That’s a tricky port to navigate.”
