Page 24 of The Curse of Gods (The Curse of Saints #3)

Trekking through the crowded streets of Colmur had already felt suffocating, and that was before Aidon knew the Midlands forces would happily skin Will alive to garner favor with their queen.

Now, the clay walls felt like they were closing in on him. Every stranger was a threat, every sidelong glance an assessing look that had Aidon peering over his shoulder and itching to grab ahold of his sword.

“You’ll attract more attention if you keep fidgeting like a fugitive,” Will bit out from the corner of his mouth.

“You’re awfully calm for someone who just found out two countries want his head,” Aidon shot back.

Liam snorted from beside him. “He’s used to people wanting to kill him.”

Aidon couldn’t tell if it was meant to be a joke or not. He supposed there was some truth to it. Will made enemies the way Aidon made friends, easily and without bias.

The crowds thinned the further they moved from the market, and once they reached the far east end of Colmur, the streets were empty enough that they seemed wider. Even the air felt cooler here, and not just because the desert was crawling toward sundown.

Aidon scanned the street, taking in the homes that were built into the clay wall that continued to circle the city in an indecipherable pattern. If he had to guess, they were near the outer edge of it—about as far east as the city stretched.

The residences here were further apart, and while they were clearly more worn than those nearer the market, with their ornate carvings and golden filigree woven into the doors, these were still well-kept, if not rather plain.

Will counted the doors until he found the one Dauphine had instructed them to. He glanced down the street before rapping his knuckles quickly on the faded wood.

Aidon held his breath as they waited. Dauphine had ensured them that someone she trusted with her life would be waiting for them in the safe house, and that she only needed an hour to ensure they were ready for them.

They’d taken refuge in the brothel while Dauphine had left, and Aidon had spent every second since wondering if they were fools to trust the mercenary.

The door to the safe house swung open. There stood Dauphine, her leather-clad hip cocked, arms folded over her tan vest.

Her lips stretched into a jaunty grin. “Took you long enough.”

“Of course the person you trust with your life is yourself,” Liam grumbled as he shoved past her. Will remained silent and brooding as he followed Liam inside. Dauphine shot Aidon a wink as he brought up the rear, shaking his head in a mix of exasperation and amusement.

She was clever. He could at least give her that.

The door gave way to a small entryway and rickety wooden stairs. Aidon gripped the banister tightly. He wouldn’t be surprised if one of the steps broke clean through under his weight.

The stairwell was steep and dark, but it led to a landing flooded with natural light. Aidon blinked against the sudden brightness as he took in the large open space.

The clay walls were smooth, the outer one set with large windows of obscure glass that lent to the open and airy feel without sacrificing privacy.

Aidon stepped into the sitting room, noting the plush furniture and ornate rug over the tiled floor.

On the far side of the room, an archway gave a glimpse of what looked like a large kitchen, and toward the far corner was a spiral staircase that led to another floor.

The bedrooms, if Aidon had to guess.

He watched as his friends took in the space, Liam with reluctance and Will with an assessing frown as he ran a finger over the polished surface of a mahogany credenza.

Several candles sat on the surface, their wicks low and tops melted.

Will lifted his finger, his frown deepening as he inspected his skin.

No dust, Aidon realized.

“Either you cleaned before we came, or this is quite the well-used safe house,” Will noted as he let his hand fall by his side. Aidon didn’t miss the way his fingers brushed across the blade strapped there.

Dauphine ignored the subtle threat as she flopped down on the couch, her long legs stretching along the length of it.

Aidon didn’t think he’d ever seen someone dismiss the Enforcer so thoroughly.

He almost wished he could enjoy it more.

But Dauphine still had that jaunty tilt to her lips, and he’d known the mercenary for less than three hours, but he already knew to be wary of her.

“It’s part of the whole strategy, Enforcer.

It would be strange, would it not, for a place to suddenly look occupied and lived in?

” She closed her eyes as she sank into the couch further.

“There is little privacy in Colmur. It’s a miracle you three made it into the heart of the city without raising suspicion.

” She squinted open an eye, amusement glinting in the green of her iris.

“I would stay off the streets at dusk, however. You wouldn’t want to be wandering during shift change, especially here. ”

Aidon frowned at he turned her words over. It was common for guards to change shifts at the dusk hour—it was in the City Guard’s rotation in Rinnia as well. But the way Dauphine had emphasized here , specifically…

“Seven hells,” Aidon hissed, his spine straightening as he glared down at the woman.

The uniformity of the street. The emptiness in the daylight hours. The plainness in a city that cherished embellishment.

“This is the guards’ quarter of the city, isn’t it?”

Dauphine grinned up at Aidon. Even with her head tilted upside down like this, her red hair flowing over the arm of the couch, she still managed to look deadly. “You still have a general’s mind,” she remarked. “That will serve you well on this suicide mission of yours.”

The scrape of an unsheathed sword sounded from across the room. “You set us up,” Liam snarled, blade in hand.

Dauphine heaved a sigh as she sat up, her motions as fluid as the breeze she could summon with a flick of her wrist. She swung her legs around, planting both feet on the floor as she pushed herself up.

“Liam, darling, put your sword away before you hurt yourself.” She lifted a hand, a gust of wind bursting across the space and sending Liam slamming back into the wall. “Or before I hurt you.”

Aidon drew his sword, but Dauphine winced in pain before he could even make a move. His gaze darted to Will, whose hands were in his pockets, his posture utterly relaxed as he focused on Dauphine.

“Nice try, Enforcer,” she gritted out. Her hand stayed extended, the air still pinning Liam as he struggled against it.

Fucking Visya and their tempers.

You’re one of them, too , that quiet voice inside Aidon reminded him. It had never felt further from the truth as he watched this standoff of affinities.

Slowly, Aidon set down his sword and raised his hands in a calming gesture. “Let’s all just…breathe,” he advised.

Dauphine looked sidelong at him for a long moment before dropping her hand. Liam slouched with the movement, and he shot Dauphine a venomous glare, but he sheathed his sword.

Dauphine rubbed at the back of her neck, as if the muscle there ached, and Aidon looked to Will, who was still considering the mercenary as if counting the ways he could kill her.

“I stopped,” he muttered without bothering to look at Aidon.

“Not before you made it feel like my neck was getting crushed,” Dauphine snapped.

“And to think that was only a taste of what you’ll feel if I learn that you’ve betrayed us. Now why don’t you explain exactly what the hells you’re thinking, bringing us to a house surrounded by guards.”

Dauphine’s bravado had ebbed slightly with the pain of Will’s power. She looked rankled as she crossed her arms, her lips pressing into an irritated line as she surveyed them as if she couldn’t believe she had to deal with them.

The feeling, Aidon thought, was entirely mutual.

“The guards do not patrol their own streets,” Dauphine explained slowly, as if teaching a toddler.

“There is no place safer from their watchful eyes than right under their noses. They come here to relax. It is the one place their guard is truly down.” She looked between them again, her brows lifting as her gaze settled on Aidon.

“You of all people should have been able to piece that together, Your Majesty. Now, any other foolish questions, or are you three done wasting my time?”

Aidon hated that he could see the reason in it, and he hated it even more that Dauphine was right; it was logic he should have clearly seen. He knew how soldiers operated. Was he losing this instinct as well? Would he soon learn that he had never had any real talent as a general either?

Not a king. Not a general. Not a prince.

What the hells was left?

“I need to check on the Athatis,” Liam muttered. He pinched the space between his brows as he shook his head. “How do you suggest I do that without getting tangled with the guards.”

Dauphine’s nose wrinkled. “Can the beasts not fend for themselves?”

“They are protectors of the Dyminara,” Liam snapped. “If they are found, our cover will be blown. Not to mention they will likely be killed. I need to find them shelter. I know you’ve never cared for anyone but yourself, Dauphine, but do pretend to have some semblance of a soul.”

Aidon clocked the mercenary’s gaze as it darted to Will before resettling on Liam. Interesting .

“There’s a desert farmer a few miles from here who owes me quite a large favor.

He can give your Athatis shelter. They’ll be safe with him.

As will your identities. I’d have sent you there for hiding, but I need proximity to the city to assemble the team, and something tells me I shouldn’t let you out of my sight for too long.

” She smirked before nodding toward the window.

“You’ll need to leave now, though. And I suggest spending the night.

I’ll send a missive along with you so he knows I sent you. ”

Liam let out a dry laugh. “You have lost your mind if you think I’m walking into a trap like that so easily.”

Dauphine sighed. “It’s not a trap. But believe what you want. What do I care if your wolf lives?”

“I’ll go with you,” Will offered, exhaustion bleeding into his voice. “You’ll need someone to watch your back, and the exchange will be safer if there’s two of us.”

“Absolutely not,” Aidon argued. “You’re a wanted man. I’ll go with him.”

“You need to stay here,” Will replied with a pointed look to Dauphine. “As you said, it’s my name on Nyra’s bounty, not yours.”

Aidon could hear Will’s meaning in the undertone of his words: If this was in fact a trap, it might very well be laid here and not at the farm.

Which meant if the guards did come, it would be better for them to find Aidon than Will, even with the rumors of his power circulating.

They would not kill a foreign monarch. Not immediately, anyway.

The same could not be said for Will.

“What will it be, Fire King?” Dauphine asked from where she perched on the arm of the couch. “Will you keep me warm tonight?”

Aidon loved a gamble as much as the next person, but these stakes…they were getting too high.

But he heaved a sigh, his shoulders falling as he turned back to Will. “If I kill her, you only have yourself to blame.”