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It was less a fight and more an execution. Zara and Nero approached two of the Paladins from behind and slit their throats in unison. The Paladins never saw them coming. As the third Paladin turned to see what had happened, Naika appeared behind him and slashed through his throat, too.

As Nero dropped his spell, Zara had a hard time taking her eyes off of him. Somehow, she found him more attractive than ever when he was dispatching Paladins with ruthless efficiency. By the way he was looking at her, she guessed he was feeling the same about her. She squeezed his hand.

Was it odd to find murder romantic?

“Zara?” Basira looked stunned. She quickly turned Farhana around and tried to point the girl’s face at her hip instead of at the dead men around them, but Farhana dodged her hand to look anyway. “Ash and blood, I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Are you all right?” Zara asked. She looked in better condition than Naika. Zara could see no wounds, and she looked like she’d been on the road for less than a day.

“Fine.” She took notice of Nero a few steps behind Zara, and she gave him a reserved nod. “Hello.”

“Well met,” he said coolly. “Again.”

She gave a tight smile. “Sorry about that blow to the head.”

He shrugged. “I respect a woman who’s quick to take up a weapon.”

“Oh. Good.” She glanced over at Naika, who was idly tossing her dagger from one hand to the other. “I thought Naika had run off.”

“She found us and asked for help.” Zara felt sorry for her. Everyone regarded her with suspicion—with good reason, but still.

“We never saw her after that day they took her away. We ran into her last night, after we left the village. I think she ran from the Paladins.” Basira took a breath, shaking her head. “The Paladins must have chased after us when they realized we were gone.”

“What happened?” Zara asked.

Basira put a hand to her forehead. “Gods, where do I start? There’s a lot to tell. Can we move away from the corpses, first?”

They started up the slope away from the road. At Nero’s invitation, Basira put Farhana on Changa while the rest of them walked.

Basira explained that everything had gotten even worse since Zara had left.

Theron had been infuriated by her escape. He had forbidden anyone from entering or leaving the village or even sending messages with couriers. He suspected everyone of being night elf sympathizers. There were guards out at all hours, harassing and questioning people. Several other people had been questioned and beaten publicly, like Zara had.

Basira’s voice caught with emotion. “Tahir tried to reason with Theron, but his anger got the best of him, and he ended up shouting. There was…” She swallowed hard. “They came to blows. The Paladins took Tahir and locked him up in Theron’s house. I was afraid of things escalating even further after that. If something happened to Farhana…”

“I understand,” Zara said, seeing the guilt in her pained expression.

“I don’t think Theron would hurt her, but I don’t know.” She looked up at Farhana, who was picking at a thread on Changa’s saddle. The girl had been uncharacteristically quiet all evening. “I ran away with Farhana the next night, night elves be damned. I would rather face them than the Paladins.”

“A wise choice,” Nero said.

Basira looked at him carefully. “What would have happened if we ran into other Varai on the road?”

“It would depend on which Varai you met.”

“Would they have helped us?”

Nero paused to look over at her. Zara thought they all sensed the question she was really asking.

“I ran because we needed help,” Basira said. “The village needs help. We need someone who can force the Paladins out. But there is no one. There’s no higher authority above the Paladins who would fight for us, except maybe the army, or the Queen. And I know they’ve got no interest in our little village. Even if they did, they’d say it was worth it if it meant getting rid of the night elves. They’d say it’s all for the greater good.”

She lowered her voice to keep her words from reaching Farhana. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. I don’t know where to go now.”

“You want the Paladins gone, then?” Nero asked, stopping to look her in the eyes. He looked at Naika, too. “Both of you?”

“Yes,” Basira said. “Gods, I’ve wanted them gone since they arrived here, if only because they were so irritating with their posturing and loud praying and barging into my inn, making a mess with their damned muddy boots. But I never dreamed they’d get this bad.”

Naika rolled her eyes, as if her feelings should be obvious, and gave a nod, too.