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The infernus was the proverbial eldest in the family and usually the first to face Yaga’s anger.

His parents had been on the front lines during the Great Rebellion.

Or at least that is what those who’d fought against the false king called the uprising.

The cowards who’d refused to join us called it the Great Folly.

Drazen’s parents had fallen early in the Battle of Blood Water. The name of our little gang honored those who were lost there.

As it turned out, there really was nothing great about the uprising.

The false king had swatted the rebellious like flies on bula shit, the rivers running red with the blood of the dead.

Things might have ended differently if they’d had the numbers.

Unfortunately, too many of the villages refused to take up arms against the new king, too afraid to fight back. Flarking cowards.

My parents had fought as well to the best of their ability. Not that it had done them any good. Still, they’d done the right thing, not compromising their values and refusing to be corrupted by the king’s influence. Unlike some.

An image of my sister came to mind, and my gut clenched. While she may have been the one who betrayed us all, I was the one who’d let her. And every day since, I’d attempted to make amends.

I exhaled a deep breath. This wasn’t the time to wallow in the past.

Instead, I gazed at Kronk. Whereas Drazen could charm the scales off a dragon, Kronk had a somber tone.

No sense of humor. Solid. While I loved to antagonize him just to see if I could get a rise out of the stony brute, I appreciated his reliability.

One never needed to question what he was thinking.

Kronk would give it to you straight with little to soften the edges of his delivery.

The athos was the middle child of our family.

Like me, he’d lost his parents when the false king invaded his village, taking the survivors captive.

When Kronk’s family refused to join his army, the king had them executed, turning their stony bodies to gravel, leaving Kronk alone in an unforgiving world.

It was Kronk who’d discovered me the night invaders destroyed my family. Scared. Cold. Hungry.

Devastated .

He’d found me and taken me to Yaga.

The three of us had been inseparable since.

All orphaned by the same monster. If not for Yaga, we would all be dead.

The kingdom, for all its beauty, was unkind to younglings forced to survive on their own.

It was a fate I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

Well, except for the false king . He could rot for all I cared.

I swallowed, fighting the rush of emotion. I was often emotional once I’d exhausted my magic.

Again, Yaga took charge of our bedraggled crew. “Look at ya. Miserable bunch of rapscallions. First, I’ll feed ya. Then you’ll tell me why you’re really here.”

“Yes, Yaga,” we said in unison. There were few who dared to disagree with Yaga. Especially not the renowned Blood River Bandits.

It wasn’t long until bowls loaded with hearty stew sat before us.

I shoveled a steaming spoonful into my mouth, moaning as the rich broth hit my taste buds.

I puffed my cheeks, panting to cool the blistering chunks of root vegetables and meat, too hungry to care about my scorched tongue.

Between mouthfuls, I told Yaga about our failed heist.

“Why in blazes did ya accept a contract with Vex?” The aged woman’s wrinkles deepened as her cheeks turned a furious pink. “Do ya not have a brain between ya?”

Yaga’s disappointment was a splinter stabbing beneath my nails. As usual, it was my plan that put us in the mobster’s crosshairs. Despite being the youngest, where I led, my brothers followed.

Before I could defend my decision, Drazen jumped in. “King Idris’s men will be here in less than ten spans. We didn’t have a choice.”

“Ya did too. Anyone but Vex would have been better. Three of ya act as though you’re responsible for every village in the kingdom. You’ve gotten too full of yourselves.”

Except, I was responsible. If only I’d held on tighter. Been stronger. Been braver. Fought harder when Idris attacked my family. None of us would be in this situation. If my brothers really knew what happened that night, they’d hate me as much as I hated myself.

“Folks around here are nothing but a bunch of cowards,” Yaga huffed. “If they would have come together when that hell-spawn murdered his father and stole the throne, things would be much different now.”

We could discuss who was to blame until we withered and turned to dust. Unfortunately, the clock was ticking. “What’s important right now is what we do about Vex.” It would be impossible to help the village with his goons on our tails.

Yaga’s cloudy eyes grew thoughtful. She tapped her bristly chin. “Vex is a collector. To make amends, you’ll need to steal something to replace the lost deity. Something rare. Personal even.”

“But what?” Kronk scratched his granite temple.

“It’s not like we’re friendly with the guy, certainly not on a personal level.” Drazen faked a shiver of revulsion. “How are we supposed to know what will appeal to him? Other than the usual?”

“Usual?” Kronk asked.

“You know, whores, booze, weapons.”

“We cannot bring him whores,” Kronk said, nodding sagely.

Listening to my brothers, I fought the urge to pull out clumps of my hair. Instead, I turned pleading eyes to Yaga, silently communicating, Please help me come up with a better idea. I can’t take another minute of these two.

Yaga heaved a resigned sigh. “Ya can’t afford to make another mistake. Choose wrong, and he’ll have your heads. Only way to know for sure is to consult the fates.”

“Not the fates,” Drazen said, a protective growl in his tone. “Not after what happened the last time.”

Last time Yaga consulted the fates, she’d slept for several spans afterward. At one point, we’d feared she wouldn’t wake.

“Oh, pish posh.” Yaga waved a gnarled hand. “You all treat me like an old woman when I’m in the prime of my youth.”

I exchanged a look with Drazen, both of us smart enough to keep our mouths shut.

“Yes. You are, Yaga.” Kronk pounded the table, setting our dishes askew. “And may any who disagree feel my wrath.”

“Kiss ass,” Drazen muttered under his breath.

I snickered .

Yaga offered us a narrowed glare. “I tell ya, it’s not time but boredom that’s aging me.

Lot of the younger folks here are worthless.

Hell, half of them don’t know the difference between a cup of piss and a decent pint of ale.

And the older ones, bah. ” She swept her hand in a dismissive gesture.

“Try to rile them up for some fun and they fall asleep on ya, snoring away in their rockers. Me? I’m long overdue for a little adventure. ”

“Aren’t we all?” Drazen smiled, batting his thick lashes.

“I’m pretty sure you have enough adventures for all of us,” I deadpanned. To say my brother had a reputation was an understatement. For some reason I couldn’t fathom, all species of ladies loved the horns.

Yaga heaved her creaking bones out of her chair, bringing an end to the discussion.

“Welp. It’s settled, then. Tonight, I will consult the fates.

Tomorrow, you’ll have the information ya need to clean up this mess.

Maybe once the business with Vex and the village taxes are behind us, we can have a little celebration. ”

“I’d like that,” I said, even though I didn’t share her optimism. With the false king on the throne, there would be no end to Carcerem’s troubles.