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‘If that’s how you’re going to be, I’ll leave you to your debt,Kristopher,’ she said pointedly.
‘You would never,’ Kipp grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulders again. ‘Besides, Albert won’t allow take-backs.’
To Thea’s right, Wilder gave a sigh. ‘Bertie, I have a feeling I’m going to need some ale for this.’
The barman gave him a sympathetic nod. ‘I’ll keep ’em coming.’
‘Much obliged,’ Wilder replied, already stalking off towards the same booth they’d occupied last night.
Thea elbowed Kipp in the ribs and followed. But she stopped in her tracks when she reached the booth, for not only Torj and Cal occupied the benches…
Celadon eyes that mirrored her own stared back at her.
Wren.
Thea baulked. ‘What are you doing here?’ she blurted, almost flinching at the sight of her sister. Wren looked different. Her face was gaunt; dark smudges shadowed the skin beneath her eyes, and her lips were pale and cracked. The knot of bronze hair atop her head was half falling out, loose strands of hair curling about her dirt-streaked cheeks and neck, giving her a somewhat unhinged appearance. She was hunched over a list of calculations, charcoal staining her fingers.
‘I’ve been asking myself the same question for three days,’ Wren said, with an icy look at Torj.
The Bear Slayer gave a shrug. ‘I was just following Audra’s orders.’
‘Since when does alibrariancommand aWarsword?’ Wren snapped.
‘Since when does an alchemist complain so much?’ Torj bit back.
‘I had work to do,’ Wren protested. ‘Importantwork. That’s the problem with you warriors – you always think your priorities take precedence over everyone else’s.’
‘Like I said, I was just —’
‘Followingorders, so you’ve said. Several times.’
By the sound of it, they’d had this argument before, but Thea couldn’t believe it. Wren sounded exactly like her. There was no denying that they were cut from the same cloth, and that little detail made Thea’s chest ache.
Torj leant in close to her sister. ‘Audra seemed to think you were in some kind of danger. I was doing the honourable thing and keeping you safe.’
Thea’s skin prickled at that detail. Had something happened at the fortress? She knew Audra well enough to know she wouldn’t make a claim like that lightly.
But Wren simply scoffed. ‘Oh, spare me. Thezmarr is the safest place in the midrealms. You brought me along to torture me.’
Luckily, Albert saved them all from another round of verbal sparring by sliding a tray of tankards onto the table.
‘Thank the gods,’ Kipp said, reaching for one.
But Wilder slipped into the booth opposite him and pulled the whole tray to his chest. ‘Who said they were for you?’
Thea bit back a laugh as Kipp’s jaw nearly hit the table.
Wilder didn’t break eye contact as he downed an entire tankard and placed the empty vessel before her friend. ‘Are we going to bicker all afternoon, or is someone going to tell us why the fuck you’re all here ruining my day?’
Had it not been for Wren’s presence jarring the whole experience, Thea would have laughed.
Torj opened his mouth to comment, but Wilder silenced him with a glare. ‘Don’t even think about it.’
Thea slid into the booth beside Wilder and waited, noting how Cal and Kipp exchanged glances at the sight of her at the Warsword’s side.
‘Well?’ Wilder demanded.
Torj claimed one of the tankards and took a long draught before setting it down on the table. ‘Artos sent word to Thezmarr about the threat. Osiris ordered me to answer the call. We had already left by the time we heard you’d arrived. Figured we’d continue on anyway, see it for ourselves. Assist you, if need be.’
