shimmered blue-violet and the lock clicked. I removed the leather bag containing my own personal store of charms, then nodded to Gerran.
He extracted Bren’s charms and wards one by one, unwrapping their oilskin coverings and comparing each item against a ciphered list. With each tick mark on his list, the satisfaction in his dark eyes grew.
“The delivery appears in order.” He added the final charm to the glittering row already laid out on the table, and peered over his spectacles at Kiran. “Though I’ll need to inspect the special consignment.” He motioned to the first of the muscle twins. “Hold him.”
Kiran’s eyes went wide as the man pinioned his arms. He drew breath, but his captor clapped a broad hand over his mouth. Kiran’s eyes rolled to mine in mute appeal.
My hands fisted, but I held my ground. Damn it, I’d known something like this was coming. Shouldn’t matter if it happened in front of me instead of after I’d gone. Besides, the second muscle twin was watching me with flat, hard eyes. Gerran’s insurance, in case I got any crazy ideas.
Gerran yanked Kiran’s shirt up to his neck, revealing the red and black snarl of the blood mage sigil. He examined the sigil intently, comparing it to a sketch.
Over his shoulder, Kiran’s eyes met mine, and it took every ounce of will I possessed not to flinch. Oh gods, the sick, stunned realization on his face...I felt lower than a mudworm. I concentrated fiercely on the thought of Melly, safe and happy. It didn’t help.
Relief joined the satisfaction in Gerran’s eyes. “Take him up to third-level storage, and restrain him until the buyer arrives.”
Buyer? The sour taste in my mouth got stronger. I’d thought Gerran meant to set the Alathians on Kiran. Not a pleasant outcome, but one I might have stomached, for the sake of Melly and poor dead Harken. Kiran had made it plain he’d prefer the Council to Ruslan; and I’d told myself the Council might be lenient, once they heard his tale. Yet the shame burning my throat said deep down I’d known Gerran intended something nastier than a simple snitch.
As Gerran’s man dragged him to the door, Kiran shut his eyes tight, his body tensing. I froze, images of dead mules and blackened trees flashing through my head.
Nothing happened, and I let out a shaky breath. The herbalist had been right about the hennanwort, then.
When Kiran opened his eyes, they were dark with despairing fury. As the muscle twin hauled him out the door, I turned back to Gerran, careful to display none of my shame and anger. The second twin hadn’t moved a hairsbreadth, his gaze still locked on me.
Gerran was busy opening his strongbox, without even a glimmer of concern. “Too bad you didn’t keep him unconscious,” he said, pulling out stacks of gold and silver bars.
“The delay at the gate was too long, and the yeleran wore off.” Try as I might, the words still came out sharp.
“It was a difficult job, Dev, but you’re being amply rewarded.” He counted out a gleaming pile of gold bars and laid a plain velvet bag on top. “Your fee and your gemstones, as agreed.”
I opened the bag and spilled out a sparkling rainbow of stones onto his desk. Silently, he offered me a jeweler’s glass. I checked each gem for flaws, keeping a wary eye on the hovering muscle twin. “Tell your men to return the cart to a guy named Silas, at a cabin a mile north of the gate.”
“Not a problem,” Gerran said. “Here’s the paperwork.” He handed me documentation that showed I’d profited from a sale of silerium ore, and a second set naming me as a gemstone courier to Ninavel, which I’d need in order to safely store the gold and gems in a warded vault. The Alathians kept nearly as close an eye on their banking houses as they did on the border.
I wrapped up the lot, my nerves jumping. Gerran’s promises notwithstanding, I half expected his man to leap on me the minute I turned my back. But I exited and crossed to the cart unmolested. Gerran’s door remained shut, the yard silent, as I unhitched and saddled the horse. The first muscle twin was nowhere in sight. He must’ve stayed with Kiran, wherever they’d stashed him. I jerked my gaze away from the warehouses surrounding the yard. Whatever they’d done with Kiran was no business of mine.
I repeated that to myself as I rode away. A