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But Luc knew there were times you had to put your rage aside, just as sometimes blood was the only answer.

“I’ll join you for a meal and a negotiation. But I’ll have my people watching my back. If you don’t know why one of your people shot at me, you may have more in your ranks with similar ideas.”

“I’ll speak to them,” Baclar said. “But I agree. Have as many people as you like.”

Luc gave a nod, twirled a finger in the air, and the Rising Wave began to move.

“That was nearly a full battle,” Revek said when they were out of earshot.

Luc grunted in acknowledgement.

“We still won, though.” Massi patted Rev’s arm. She had always been more attuned to his feelings, and Luc guessed he had not come away from decapitating Hurst unscathed.

“We won that round,” he agreed. “Now let’s see if we can win the next.”

Chapter 26

Illoa, the small village that straddled the Kassian-Grimwalt border, offering accommodation for people on both sides who missed the evening cut-off, was bathed in late afternoon light as the caravan came over the hill.

Ava had given Melodie and Gregor a farewell hug and dropped down from Gregor’s cart just before the caravan crested the hill. She hung back to work a little more invisibility into her cap and then followed behind on foot as the four carts took the winding road down into the valley.

She would rather have a little distance in case there were people waiting for her in Illoa who were looking out for a caravan.

A massive rock stood in the river that separated Kassia from Grimwalt, its smooth, pale surface alight with the dancing reflections of the sun off the clear water.

She had been through here before with her parents, many years ago, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with nostalgia and a deep sense of loss. Herron had taken her parents at the prime of their lives, and she brushed away a tear as she thought of what could have been.

The carts rumbled through the town, slowing when they reached the busy streets and making it easy for Ava to catch up enough to walk a cart’s length behind. Gregor led the way, taking the direct route to the border post, and they all came to a stop at the bridge that separated Kassia from Grimwalt.

Two buildings stood, one on each side of the bridge, with a metal portcullis set between them. It was raised, as there were still a few hours before it needed to be lowered for the day.

There were guards milling around, but if one of them was paying close attention to the travelers, they were careful not to stand out.

Ava edged closer as her friends spoke with the border guards, and then moved to one side, watching, to be sure they were able to get over safely.

Reckhart was allowed through first and then Vanin Gruger, although both stopped just over the line, on the bridge itself, waiting for Madame Croter and Gregor to get approval.

Whatever Madame Croter said about her need for Gregor’s help in Taunen must have been convincing enough, because eventually they let her and Gregor through.

As soon as they started moving across the bridge, Ava lifted a hand to wave goodbye and then lowered it abruptly.

They couldn’t see her, and only Melodie and Gregor had known she was still with them, anyway.

She wondered if she would see Evelyn on the Kassian side of Illoa after the sun set. After all, where else could she go? The alternative was back the way they’d come, but Ava doubted she would want to get off the smoother, main road they had turned onto, and navigate the rough track on her own to find another way to Cattha.

Gregor’s cart finally reached the far side, and then all four carts disappeared from sight. Ava turned away and pulled her coat closer around her, shivering as an icy breeze blew through the streets, off the high snow-capped mountains on the Grimwalt side.

The bustle of stalls providing food and clothing drew her deeper into the village, and as she neared them, she realized she had no money. She wished she’d been able to take some from Sirna before she’d escaped, but that would have made him aware that she wasn’t as addled or confused as she’d seemed.

She would have to steal to survive, but she would try to find a way to compensate the merchants she took from when she was safely back in Fernwell.

She slipped some fruit and a pie from stalls that were packing up for the day, hoping that what she took would have been difficult to sell the next day, anyway.

Then she headed for the stables beside the tavern.

It was quiet. Long past the midday meal, but not day’s end quite yet.

If she was going to hear any news, it would be at the stables, or, failing that, in the tavern itself. But she might have to wait for the evening crowd for that to happen.