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“I’d do worse,” Sirsha said, “if I wasn’t in such a hurry. Walk.”
Kade stood, hands up. “Friends.” He laughed. “I thought you said they were a pack of infernal Martials who probably wouldn’t last the week.”
Quil glanced at Sufiyan, who shrugged. The prince could tell Sirsha wanted to lie and deny it, as theinfernal Martialswere now essential to her survival. But, to her credit, she just lifted her chin.
“Horses, Kade.” She tightened the knife against his neck. “Now.”
Kade nodded and slunk ahead of them down the stairs, out a back gate and to a large stable. Sirsha whistled in appreciation as she took inthe wealth of horseflesh. There were a dozen beasts here as fine as any mount a Mask might ride.
“You posh bastard,” she said as Sufiyan and Arelia saddled the horses. “You don’t need money. What the hells did my sister offer you that you’d betray a friend for it?”
“Get that away from me.” Kade glared at her dagger. “I don’t want you to trip and accidentally stab me.”
“If I stab you, it won’t be accidental.”
She was trying to sound snide, but Quil could tell from the stiffness of her shoulders and the set of her jaw that Kade’s betrayal had wounded her.
Which made Quil want to stick a knife in the pirate himself.
“Why betray me?” Sirsha asked Kade quietly, as if she’d forgotten Quil was a few feet away. “You know what my family did to me. I’d never have double-crossed you.”
Kade looked down at his hands, ink-stained and scarred. “This…murderer,” he said. “The one you’re searching for. You don’t know, Sirsha—you don’t understand how—how awful she is.”
Quil’s gaze shot to Sirsha.She?The Jaduna hadn’t shared that fact in all their days at sea.
“You’ve never taken an interest in my jobs before,” Sirsha said. “Why now?”
“Because you’re my friend,” Kade said, and at Sirsha’s scoff he sighed. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Is that why you sold me to my sister?” Sirsha said. “She was going to kill me, Kade. By drowning me and then leaving my body for the gulls’ dinner. You’d have passed by yourfriendany time you went to the docks for the next three months!”
“You think you understand what you’re dealing with. But you don’t. You—” Kade went strangely pale then, the color of frozen milk. “I can’t—” He turned away from her. Sirsha eased back, so surprised at hisdistress that she likely didn’t see the point in threatening him. “I can’t say more,” he said. “Don’t ask. Please—be careful.”
“Ready,” Sufiyan said. “Let’s move.”
Sirsha grabbed a length of rope from one of the hooks in the barn and tossed it to Quil. As he caught it, something occurred to him.
“You know this city,” Quil said to Kade. “What do you know about the Kegari reserve forces?”
“Lose the ropes and I’ll tell you.”
Quil put his scim to Kade’s stomach. “One more word that’s not useful, and I’ll gut you.”
“They’ve got five thousand soldiers south of the city.” Kade glanced down nervously at the scim. “Fifty Sails. They’ll be doing sweeps, looking for you.”
Quil nodded and dropped the rope, glancing back at Sirsha. “If he’s tied up, they’ll suspect we were here.”
“Put them off our trail, Kade.” Sirsha mounted her mare. “It’s the least you can do.”
Kade nodded. “I will. And I swear I won’t tell your sister anything.” His lips tightened. “She doesn’t keep her promises anyway.”
“What did she promise you?” Sirsha asked. “What did you need from her, Kade?”
“Sirsha.” Quil glanced outside. They’d tarried too long. “It’ll be dawn in an hour. If we want to get out of here without the Kegari seeing us, we need to leave.”
Kade looked at Quil as if seeing him for the first time. “The Kegari are the least of your worries.” He nodded to Sirsha. “Especially if you’re with her.”
21
