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The fact was, if we were going to win this war, we had to fight Regner everywhere. And that included the hearts and minds of his people.
I opened my eyes and jolted. A large man had slid directly into Vicer’s chair. He’d moved so quietly, I hadn’t seen or heard him. Hadn’t sensed him.
My hands heated, and he grinned at me. I recognized that grin. This was the man who’d escaped Regner’s dungeon with Prisca. Calysian. That was what she’d called him.
No longer was he wearing bloodstained, torn clothes. Instead, his shirt, dark pants, and cloak seemed to have been designed so as not to attract any attention. Plain, almost boring, but he’d chosen good quality fabrics in a cut that flattered. His beard was gone, although a hint of scruff remained. And when our eyes met, a hint of wicked humor glittered back at me.
He was a handsome bastard, that was for sure. Handsome and far too large. What exactly was he doing here?
“Tired?” he asked.
“What do you want?”
“I did a little research about you, Madinia Farrow,” he said.
“Did you?” I purred. “Then you know I could turn your insides to kindling.”
Calysian laughed. “Relax, beautiful woman. I’m here to help you.”
I gave him a bored stare. “And why would you do that?”
“I owe your friend a life debt. Since she didn’t seem inclined to let me pay it before we went our separate ways, and she told me to give it to you, it’s yours.”
“I don’t need a life debt.” And I didn’t trust anyone who wanted to go out of their way to help us.
“Too bad,” he said. “Where I come from, a man’s honor rests on his word. Who do you need killed? Or perhaps you have someone who wants to kill you? Name the time and the place, and I’ll be there to protect you.”
His expression was serious, his words solemn. But I knew better than to trust strange men.
“I can protect myself.”
“Something else, then.”
Reluctant fascination cooled my hands. “What is it you think you could help me with?”
“You’d be surprised what I can help you with,” he said. I rolled my eyes, and he laughed at me, folding his arms. “I know this city. I know the people in it, and I’m relatively confident I know what you’re planning.”
Every muscle in my body tensed.
He waved a hand. His fingers were strangely long and elegant. “I want you to succeed,” he told me. “So I can go home.”
“Home?”
One side of his mouth curved. “I’m from…elsewhere. When Regner’s little barrier went up, it trapped me on this continent.”
Of course. Of course there would have been people here who became stuck, unable to get home. Curiosity slid through me despite myself. If I’d known this man, I might’ve asked him to tell me of his homeland. And any other places he’d seen.
“Why were you in Regner’s dungeon?”
Calysian shook his head, giving me a faint smile. “Irrelevant. Just tell me what you want.”
If there was a chance he truly could help…I’d be an idiot to lose that chance.
“What kinds of people did you say you know?”
“All kinds of people.”
“Get me a meeting with Caddaril the Cleaver,” I said.
