Stepping back, I swing the weapon around, getting a feel for its balance. I frown, yet to find a sword I’ve immediately fallen in love with.
“Too heavy for my hand.” I jerk my chin at the dagger strapped around his thigh. “But I’ll happily swap you for that. And the sheath.”
After a moment of pause, the guards share a look before the male sets the crockery on the ground, along with his spear. He unbuckles his sheath, and I first weigh the dagger’s feel before surrendering my stolen sword.
“Nice doing business with you,” I say, winking.
He clears his throat, stepping back into position with my dish on the ground between his feet. I notice a few beads of sweat now gathered on his brow.
“Quick question.” I set my candlestick bag on the ground and part my robe, easing up the hem of my shift so I can thread the leather strap around my hip and thigh. “You don’t happen to feed folk to the dragons here, do you? In, say … I don’t know, a giant blood-soaked coliseum with a stake in the middle that’s really uncomfortable to be tied to?”
I cut a glance at both males who are casting each other wary looks. They shake their heads in unison, and my brows bump up.
Interesting.
“What about your young elementals? What happens to them?”
“They attend Drohk Academy,” the guard on the left announces in his thick northern accent, dipping his head.
“And the nulls?”
“They’re given the option to discover if they have an affinity for the runes. If not, they may choose to study something else or gain an apprenticeship.”
Apprenti—Huh?
“Right,” I say, head cocked to the side as I blindly thread another buckle.
The doors shove open.
The big shirtless male with fiery hair stands in the hallway beyond, arms crossed, brow raised. “Harassing the guards?”
“Rather presumptuous of you.”
“Your reputation precedes you.” He pokes his head out the door and looks left and right, as though checking we’re all still in one piece.
Mainly them.
His emerald stare shifts between the dish on the ground, the guard’s reddening cheeks, and my freshly donned weapon. “I see you’ve managed to scam your way into being equipped. Quick work.”
I drop my hem. “Hidden talent. What’s yours?”
“Sweet fuck all.” He dashes his hand at the stairs that swoop toward the bouldered city below. “Let’s go.”
My heart drops, frown returning.
Am I not as free as I thought I was?
“What did I do to deserve an escort?”
He flicks me an up and down look, both brows raised. “You look like a tourist unaccustomed to the heat. If you’re going to hock off a solid gold candlestick, you might as well get a good deal. A merchant sees you with me, chances are they won’t short you.”
Actually, that’s thoughtful. Though I wonder if he’d be so supportive if he knew I intended on swapping said candlestick for an armory’s worth of Sabersythe scale blades?
“Thank y—”
“Unless they caught me tangled up with their daughters,” he tacks on, shrugging. “Or their sons. Then they’ll probably refuse to do business with you altogether.”
Creators.
“Weren’t you in the middle of a game you should probably finish?”
“Yes. And I was getting my ass kicked. Grihm’s lethal when he’s in a shit mood, and my pride’s already bruised. Besides, somebody stole our snacks and the fucking brandy ran out.”
Right.
Guess I’m stuck with him.
“In that case,” I say, bending down to snatch my bag off the ground, “shall we?”
He stuffs his hands in the pockets of his tight brown leather pants and leads the way, his long steps smooth and light despite his hulking size. The sun beats upon us like a distant blow of dragonflame, so I tuck my hood farther forward, casting my face in shadow, immediately easing the discomfort.
“I’m Pyrok.”
“Raeve. Though I suspect you already knew that.”
“Correct.” He extends his left hand across his body toward me, pointer and middle finger outstretched, the others curled in. I frown at it, looking up into his eyes, then back at his hand again before I mimic the motion, our fingers meeting.
He flashes me a half smile that’s so nonchalant it’s infectious. “There you go.”
I stab my stare down the stairs as we ease amongst the bouldered buildings clothed in more of the big inky blooms Essi would’ve loved.