only hope, and fight for a reason to stay here another day if Ronan comes up empty-handed.
The hunger in that boy’s eyes, however, assures me that won’t be the case.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Time in Kerost is nonexistent.
Hours have passed since sundown, and yet enchanted lights continue to paint the streets while the bustle and noise keeps them fully awake. The gambling dens remain open, serving liquor and taking bets with no sign of stopping. Casem pulls my cloak’s hood over my head as we slink into one, concealing my face. I roll my eyes; these people care little for politics, and they’re far too busy with their games to notice my entrance.
Coins are tossed liberally from one greedy hand to another, and workers call to us from beside tables and bar tops, offering ale and wine while imploring us to join their games. I catch Bastian eyeing a blackjack table with curiosity, scanning each individual face in the crowd.
I try not to pay too much attention, but his curiosity prickles within me, making my skin itch. When I can no longer take it, I ask, “What are you looking for?”
He straightens. “Shanty. She’ll be trouble if we give her free rein in a place like this.”
The way he says it isn’t unkind, but concerned. I’d even dare say it was a bit affectionate. Jealousy stirs within me, and I hate myself for it. Though I knew she and Bastian were somehow connected in the past, I never thought about the extent of it. Not until now, anyway.
“You know she can change her face, right? The whole point of her magic is to make her impossible to recognize.” The honeyed velvet of Vataea’s voice is enough to draw the attention of several patrons seated at the bar. They turn, eyes widening at her overwhelming beauty. If she notices, she doesn’t pay them any mind. Having been on land this long, she’s become almost desensitized to the ogling of us humans. Though, sometimes, I’ll catch her staring back at those watching her with daggers in her unnervingly golden eyes. She’ll slip them a toothy smile, showing off her sharp incisors. Usually, that’s enough for them to leave her alone.
“Sometimes there are tells,” Bastian argues. “Like a tattoo or hair color she favors, or jewelry she chooses not to disguise. Enough for someone who’s purposefully looking to be able to find her.”
“Just how well did you used to know Shanty?” Discomfort riles my stomach. I’ve no reason to be concerned about something so trivial, especially when I don’t want a relationship with Bastian right now. Still, I can’t help the curiosity eating at me.
The bone-white smile Bastian flashes is disarming. He knows full well why I’m asking, but to my surprise, he doesn’t taunt me. Instead he says, “I knew her before she formed the barracudas. After I first got booted off Zudoh, I spent a period living on Ikae. Shanty was my closest friend from back then, though it didn’t take long until I realized that living on the land wasn’t going to be possible for me. I met her when she was still learning her magic, and I know sometimes she can get a bit lazy with the changes she makes when she knows no one is suspecting her. She has certain traits she always falls back on. At least, she did back then.”
It’s strange, thinking about the life Bastian once had before the two of us met. If not for the trouble with the kingdom and the havoc caused by his brother, it’s entirely likely the two of us would never have crossed paths. Visidia’s a massive kingdom, after all. Even if I explored every inch of it, I doubt I could ever meet everyone. And yet, I can’t imagine a life in which I’d never met Bastian. I don’t even want to try.
“Come on.” He nods toward a table unlike any I’ve seen before; it’s one with numbers on it, where those playing place bets and roll dice. I’ve no idea how it works, but considering that more than half of those gathered around it are several drinks in, it can’t be hard.
“Are you sure we should even be in here?” Casem demands, eyes darting around the crowd. His whole body is surprisingly tense.
Sympathetically, Ferrick places a hand on my guard’s shoulder, shaking his head. “It’s no use, Casem. Welcome to a crew that knows no reason.”
There’s a girl standing at the table with curves that could bring a person to