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Kipp ignored him entirely, leaning across the warrior to speak to Thea again. ‘So what else is new, Your Royal Highness? You’ve got your Warsword back, got yourself a new sister, you’ve discovered the delights of my second-favourite tavern…’ He waited eagerly for her to fill in the rest.

Unable to help herself, Thea reached out and tapped Kipp’s arm with her finger, sending a sharp zap of energy his way.

‘Ouch!’ He leapt up, dramatically clutching his arm to his chest before his eyes went wide as the realisation hit him. ‘You don’t say…’

He whirled around, thrusting his hand out to Cal and Torj again.

‘Hand it over, my friends.’

Cal gave another groan and fished more coins from his pocket, his face flushing deeply.

Torj just stared at Kipp’s hand. ‘I already gave you everything I have.’

‘Well, I hate to break it to you, but you shouldn’t have bet outside your means then, should you? That’s irresponsible gambling —’

Torj raised a single brow in challenge. ‘How about I fight you for it?’

‘How about we call it even?’ Kipp said smoothly, sitting down with a joyful glint in his eyes.

‘That’s what I thought,’ Torj muttered, shaking his head in disbelief before he addressed Wilder and Thea once again. ‘You two are quite the talk of the midrealms at the moment.’

‘Is that so?’ Thea asked.

‘Indeed,’ Torj replied. ‘Half the kingdoms think you’ve run off into the sunset together and are both traitors to us all. The other half think you’re on the hunt for the fallen Warsword again, Thea, and that this time, you’ll bring him back in pieces.’

‘We’ve tried to encourage the latter idea where possible, of course,’ Kipp added.

‘For which we’re grateful,’ Wilder said.

Kipp leant in, his bulging coin purse rattling. ‘How grateful?’

Torj pulled him back into his chair, shaking his head. ‘Hawthorne, will you tell us who exactly we’re meeting? Before I lose any more of my hard-earnt coin? Before I strangle this imbecile for his incessant chatter?’

Wilder barked a laugh at that, but Thea’s magic prickled suddenly, as if in recognition. She shot to her feet as three hooded figures entered the room. When they each lowered the fabric from their faces, a little cry escaped her and she surged forward, arms outstretched.

‘Wren!’

Within seconds, the sisters were in each other’s arms. Audra, the Thezmarrian librarian, and Farissa, the fortress’ Master of Alchemy, waited behind them.

‘I can’t believe you’re here,’ Thea blurted, pulling back to study Wren’s face. Her sister looked older, stronger, and she hummed with magic of her own. ‘I’m so happy to see you.’

Thea meant every word. So much had happened since she’d last seen her little sister; there was so much she wanted to share with Wren. Thea didn’t know when things had changed from being vitriolic between them, but they had. She no longer saw Wren as a nagging – sometimes scheming – younger sister, but someone to be respected, and at times, feared. A teammate. She was proud to have a sister like that.

‘And you, Althea Nine Lives…’ Wren returned Thea’s smile before her eyes flicked to Wilder with a look of apprehension. ‘He’s not in my special chains, I see.’

‘Not anymore,’ Thea said.

‘She had her fun with those wretched things,’ Wilder replied. ‘Told her if she wanted me restrained, all she had to do was ask.’

Wren’s nose wrinkled. ‘I didn’t need to know that.’

‘Here I was thinking you needed to know everything,’ Torj chimed in with a smirk.

‘I donotneed to know everything,’ Wren muttered. Torj had clearly found his way under her skin again. ‘But the essentials would be nice.’

The Bear Slayer only grinned.

Wren ignored him and instead waved to Cal and Kipp. ‘Glad you’re both still in one piece.’