Page 7 of Quicksilver

“All right! Martyrs, you are all business.” He took a steadying breath. “I suppose now that you come to mention it, thereissomething I wanted to talk to you about.”

“I'm shocked.”

Ignoring my tone, Carrion plowed on. “I heard something very interesting earlier. I heard that a raven-haired rebel from the Third viciously attacked a guardian and stole a piece of his armor. A gauntlet. Can you believe that?”

Huh. The asshole sure did love to play. Every line of his face and the way every muscle in his body wassocasually relaxed gave me all the information I needed. Of course he knew that I had taken the gauntlet. I wasn't going to admit to it, though. I wasn't thatstupid. “Oh? Really? But...how? It's impossible for aresident of the Third toleavethe Third.” I took another pull on the whiskey.

For a moment, Carrion did nothing but stare at me. He was reading me. Naturally, he didn't buy my feigned ignorance for one second but wasn't about to start openly flinging accusations around in the middle of Kala's. “I know, right?” he said airily. “Crazy. Crazier still to think about that poor girl out there now, trying to find a place to hide such a massive piece of gold. Y'know, they're saying that she brought it back here, to the ward.” He laughed quietly. “But of course...she wouldn't have done that. That would have been way too dangerous.”

“Absolutely. Incredibly dangerous,” I agreed.

“She would have made sure she put it somewhere safe. Somewhere the guardians wouldn't think to look.”

“Without a doubt.”

“Do you think a girl stupid enough to attack and steal from a guardian would have the sense to secret away her prize somewhere like that?”

I was gripped by the overwhelming urge to damage Carrion's pretty face; it was only with a monumental force of effort that I refrained. “I don't think the girl’s stupid. If anything, I think she's brave,” I said through gritted teeth. “I think it was more likely that the guardian tried to arrest her, and he dropped his gods-cursed armor in the sand. I think—”

“But did she put it somewheresafe?” Carrion hissed. “We can debate this girl’s actions forever and a day, but if there's a problem in the ward—”

I rocked back into my seat. “What do you care about the Third? You don't even live here anymore, Carrion. Everyone knows you've got yourself a cushy little apartment below the second spoke.”

“I have awarehouseoutside of the ward,” he said in a low voice. “It's the safest way for me to get my wares from one wardto the other. Ilivehere, so I can take care of my grandmother. You know that. Gracia, remember? You’ve met her. Grey hair? Wicked temper?”

“Yes, I know Gracia, Carrion.”

He leaned closer, eyes sharpening. “Those golden fucks will rain all mighty hellfire down on this place if they think we have something that belongs to them, Saeris. You know they will. There'll be a river of blood running through the streets by morning ifthis girlbrought the armor here.”

He had a point. The guardians were all-powerful. They didn't have much to be afraid of, but they were terrified of the queen. Her justice would be swift and brutal if she had any idea the gauntlet was here. The gauntletIhad brought here. Elroy's dismay didn't seem like such an overreaction anymore. If Carrion, of all people, was this panicked about the whole thing, then maybe I should spend some time rethinking my plan. Or comeupwith a plan, perhaps.

“You're thinking. I can see that you're thinking. That's good,” Carrion said. He donned an arrogant smile, but it was for show. He wanted Kala’s other patrons, along with his friends sitting in the corner, to think that he was shamelessly trying to antagonize me into bed again, but the spark of concern I saw in his eyes was real. “That warehouse,” he said. “It isn't far from the wall. It would only take half an hour to move an item from here to there.”

Gods, he really was mad. “You think I'd give it toyou?” Too late, I realized that I'd given myself away. But what did it matter? This game we were playing, tiptoeing around the truth, was only wasting time. “You don't have anywhere near the amount of money it would take to convince me to hand that gauntlet over to you, Carrion Swift.”

“I don't want it for myself, idiot. I just want it out of the Third.” He murmured as if he were whispering sweet nothingsto me, but his words were laced with venom. “Our people suffer enough without a hundred guardians storming the ward, tearing the place apart and killing anyone who gets in their way. Take it to the warehouse. Take it anywhere. It doesn't matter where you take it, so as long as it's far away from here. You hear me?”

There was something very galling about being lectured by the likes of Carrion. He was one of the most selfish, most arrogant men alive. He loved for the world to believe that he didn't care about anyone or anything. But it seemed that he did care, andIhad done something so selfish that he couldn't stand by and watch it happen? Gods.

I threw back another manful gulp of whiskey and discarded the rest, pushing the glass away.“I have to go.”

“You're going to fix it?” Carrion's pale blue eyes drilled into me as I stepped away from the booth.

“I'm going to fix it,” I snarled back.

“Good. Oh, and Saeris?”

The guy just didn't know when to quit. I spun around, scowling at him.“What!”

“Even filthy and tired, you’re still beautiful.”

“Gods and martyrs,” I whispered. He was relentless. Carrion Swift’s silver tongue didn’t bother me for long, though. I had bigger things to worry about. When I stepped out into the brilliant evening, Hayden was gone. And so was the gauntlet.

3

THE KINDEST PURPOSE

Heneverlistened.Sure, he acted like he did. Repeated back the words you said to him. Nodded his head. But when it came down to it, Hayden refused to do what was asked of him, never paid attention, and then typically went and did the one thing you begged him not to.