to hang him, the worst death for a Gan. No honor.”
“As you say.” Rillen reached for something in his tunic, and Van Gast almost couldn’t bear it—the itch in his head, the desperate need to run, grab Josie, get the fuck out of port while they still could. Only he couldn’t—locked up, cuffed. No doubt a dozen guards or more between him and the way out. He had to wait, see what Josie was planning.
Rillen moved—and so did both Josie and Skrymir. Josie’s gun was in her hand from the gods knew where before Van Gast could even register it. Skrymir’s sword was halfway to Rillen’s throat.
The staggered clicking, as of multiple pistols being cocked, followed by a flash of flame and a bang that almost deafened Van Gast in the narrow corridor, stopped them both. Skrymir jerked backward and slammed into a wall with a surprised look. His tunic had a jagged hole in the chest, black and leaking blood, the mail beneath a mangle of rings.
Either side of Van Gast, cell doors opened and gunmen, Yelen guardsmen, came out. Every pistol pointed at Josie.
She never even blinked. One shot blasted into a guard and sent him flying into the man behind, then she threw the pistol at another and dragged out a long knife from a pocket cunningly hidden in her skirts. Before anyone else had moved, she was at Rillen’s throat with it.
Even now, Van Gast couldn’t help but notice the smooth grace of her, the muscles, a dancer’s not a fighter’s, but just as deadly. Quick was her thing. She couldn’t often beat a man with strength, but she could gut him so quick he never knew about it. She’d do it too. Dangerous as a snake-pit, his Josie, and about as predictable.
The guards hesitated, a fraction of a heartbeat, as the knife slid along Rillen’s neck and drew a thin slice of blood after it. Josie didn’t say anything—she didn’t have to. It was all in her lopsided grin as she moved behind Rillen. Rob, kill or delight, that grin said. Van Gast was pretty sure delight wasn’t an option today, not for Rillen.
“It’s no use, Josienne,” Rillen said. “I’ve known who you are all along. You and your little game. It would never have worked, anyway.”
Josie’s hand twitched at the use of her true name, brought another flow of blood from Rillen’s throat, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“The key to Van’s cell,” she whispered in his ear.
The guards were moving, slowly, subtly. Regrouping, checking pistols. One of them came too close to Van’s grille. He slid his cuffed hands through, looped the chain over the man’s head and yanked him back hard into the door. The guard’s pistol went off, wild, and the bullet pinged off the ceiling before it embedded itself in the door by Josie’s ear.
“For fuck’s sake, Van. You’re supposed to be shooting them, not me.” Her grin was hard, bright, her words as sharp as steel.
“Get me out of this cell, I’ll shoot anyone you like.”
Rillen smirked at Van Gast. He didn’t like the look of that smirk, or the way his little-magics felt as if he’d swallowed a bucket of hot coals. Rillen had known who Josie was, hadn’t been fooled for an instant. There was more, somewhere. More guards, more guns, more something. He could feel it in his bones, vibrating in his head.
“Josie, you’ve got to run. Right now.”
“I—” She cocked her head, considering, but hesitated only a fraction. “Fuck that. The key, Rillen.”
Rillen made a move for his pocket, but it wasn’t for the key, Van Gast knew it by the claw in his chest even as the hand dipped in. Not only that—Josie’s little-magics didn’t run the same way as Van Gast’s. She couldn’t feel it, or know when it was time to run.
Van Gast did. “Josie! Now, run now!”
His shout made the knife move, just a finger’s breadth. Enough. Rillen barged backward into her at the same time as he pulled something out of his pocket. Josie’s knife flashed, caught him on the arm, but it was too late.
Rillen’s elbow got her under the ribs and sent her breath whooshing out in an angry hiss. He was quick, the son of the council, Van Gast had to give him that. Almost as quick as Josie and stronger with it. Two of the guards went to help him, and despite his strength he needed it.
Josie squirmed like an octopus under him, caught him a