Fenrin gave a threatening grin as Jakob, clearly reluctantly, gave Jayln the keys. She opened the cell and then leaned over to unlock Fenrin's ball and chains. He looked down at her, vulnerable to attack, he could so easily crush her right there.

But he could feel Jakob's eyes on him. He knew Jayln was right and if she died, there was a good chance he wouldn't make it out in his condition—but the temptation was still there.

Fenrin stretched and rubbed his sore ankle, scratching at the scabs that had formed from his pacing with the manacles on—and his occasional angry and futile assaults on the metal piece. Jayln watched his every move and he enjoyed the attention, occasionally moving faster than necessary to see if he could get her to flinch. She stayed steady and led him out of the cell and across to the jail his men were no doubt in. He stopped walking.

"Keep going," Jakob growled.

Fenrin waved a finger at him. "Uh-uh, that's no way to talk to your potential ally. Before I speak to my men, I need to be presentable." He turned to Jayln. "Get me a bath, some new clothes, and a sword."

Jakob stepped forward menacingly, but Jayln grit her teeth and reached forward to stop him. "Jakob, get what he asked for. We need his men to listen to him and he'll be less convincing in dirty clothes and his current stench."

As soon as the large man was out of earshot, Fenrin stepped closer to Jayln, who to her credit still did not flinch. "And I want a real meal."

"You've had real meals."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"With utensils."

While the food he'd been given had been of good quality, Jayln had been smart enough not to give him anything he could use as a weapon. She could dodge bowls and plates easily enough. She nodded. "Follow me."

To Fenrin's surprise they went to what he assumed must be her home, judging from the familiarity with which she entered and prepared a meal. He looked around, curious. It was a fairly simple home. There were a few woven rugs, a painting of a grove of golden and red trees, an assortment of hunting and fishing gear, and the basic household necessities.

Jayln laid out two bowls of some sort of porridge and topped it with berries and a slice of bread. She also poured out two cups of what Fenrin was delighted to find was mead.

"I propose we leave tomorrow at dawn for Redbay,” Jayln said as they started to eat, “from there we can catch a ship to almost anywhere. Except for this region, most of the continent north of Valhym has been thoroughly settled by the Empire. For land not under direct sovereign control, I suggest the islands."

Fenrin waved his spoon. "No good, the Duskar have the islands thoroughly watched. Do you have a map?"

Jayln fetched one from a cabinet. She rolled it out on the table, carefully smoothing the edges, as Fenrin scanned it expertly. After a moment, with Jayln watching him curiously, he stabbed the spot with his finger.

"There."

"But that's in the middle of the empire!" Jayln frowned at the valley Ferin had indicated.

He slid his finger over the range of mountains separating the valley from the rest of the Solis Empire. "Ah, but nothing stops large armies like a mountain range where we can pick them off from above and disappear in an instant. The trick is to become more of a pain to deal with than to leave alone. We'll take a ship from Taka to here and travel up through the mountains."

"How long?"

Fenrin grinned and scraped the last of the porridge into his gullet before answering, "I'd say about two months."