Torchlight washed Tanzik’s vision in a murky, orange light as his blindfold was yanked off his face. His gag was removed too, leaving him in a coughing fit as he tried to catch his breath. The shackles remained on, attached to the wall a foot above his head.

“I’ll keep this quick,” said his captor, a grizzled man with a deep scar across his cheek. His hair and beard were trimmed short like a solider and grey with flecks of black. “We know about Orbrozan and what happened there. We know you abandoned your post. We know about the dead soldiers. We know everything. That’s enough for summary execution right there, but Empress Ermina wants a bit of a show. Drag you back to the capital, public trial, throw you in the dungeon to rot instead of killing you to show how merciful she is. That sort of thing. Then maybe have you shivved in the back after the trial, real quiet like, I don’t know the details. But I’ve been around long enough to know how this sort of thing goes.”

“I didn’t kill anyone,” Tanzik said angrily.

The man sniffed and shrugged. “Don’t care. Three dead soldiers in Bandhi’s Watch and no blood on the native’s hands. Doesn’t matter who did it. It’s you. Scream your innocence all you want, it just justifies people’s anger against you. Galvanizes them. They love that sort of thing.”

“I won’t die for a conqueror’s vanity.”

He scoffed amusedly. “We don’t choose how we die, traitor, our betters do. Empress Ermina chose your death when you pledged yourself to her service.”

Tanzik looked around furtively, looking for something nearby he could use to free himself once his captor left.

“There’s not one,” the man said. “A way out, I mean. I know that look, been there myself.”

“You won’t get me out of the city. King Hárkat sided against the Empire and I’ve stopped Princess Furstin’s couriers from surrendering.”

“You think you’re smart, kid, but I’ve been doing this a while now. You really think I’m going to walk out the front gate? We’re smuggling you out. The Rooks aren’t political as long as there’s coin involved.”

A cold chill ran up Tanzik’s spine. He remembered Lura and Allena talking about the Rooks, and they were not the kind of people he expected an Imperial soldier to deal with. “I can’t believe you’d work with them.”

“Can’t say I mind what you think, Tanzik.” He walked away toward the door, but stopped and glanced back. “Look, I see the wheel’s spinning in your head. Don’t waste your time. You’re pretty short on it.”

***

Lura put Allena in a wheelbarrow and covered it with a tarp, then pushed her back to Yudhi’s hideout. She was bloody and broken, but Lura didn’t care. It was a small measure of vengeance, and her hatred gave her the strength to push her through the cobblestone streets despite her own wounds, which were healing as well as they could. She still had to stop a few times to catch her breath, and the pain was intense, but she managed.

She made sure no one was looking, then dumped Allena out and dragged her through the door. Yudhi was inside and carried Allena downstairs and tied her up. She went to her desk and made a small portion of a powdery concoction that she used to dust the end of a small brush, then held it up to Allena’s nose.

Allena woke up with a ragged gasp as the mixture threw her into consciousness. She couldn’t feel her legs, but everything else burned with pain.

“I’ve held my end of the bargain,” Lura said. “So I’m square with the Rooks?”

“That is not for me to say,” Yudhi said flatly while she eyed her new prisoner. “But I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“Hmm, not really what we agreed on.” Lura said as she narrowed her eyes.

“We didn’t agree on anything at all. I told you what to do and insinuated the Rooks may be grateful. This isn’t a job that you’re getting paid for you. Your life is on the line. You don’t have a choice.”

“Lura, please,” Allena said weakly. “You have to believe me, I had to do this.”

“Nah. You didn’t. But I’m glad you did. Showed me the snake you really are. Well, Yudhi, you’ve got your mage. Mind if I hang around and watch the fun part?”

“No,” Yudhi said. She pulled out a blade and used it to brush back Allena’s hair, showing the mangled scars where her ears used to be. “Mutilation?”

“Sea monsters,” Allena said.

Yudhi held up the piece of parchment that had the drawing Lura made of the face and the rune from the iron token. Allena closed her eyes and sighed. Her heart sank. “You know what this is. I have an idea. But I want yours.”

“No.”

Yudhi immediately cut into Allena’s skin next to her eye. She gasped in pain. “Next one doesn’t miss.”

“What kind of bird is the rune?” Lura asked.

“It’s not a bird.”

“Don’t lie to me! I asked an expert on this, I know what it means.”

“You couldn’t possibly.”

“This is ridiculous,” Lura said as she began pacing.

“I said I don’t mind if you watch, little girl, but I will not have you interfering. Leave”

Lura shot a glare at Allena, then left. After about an hour, Yudhi emerged wearing large rubber gloves that were dripping with blood. “What’d she say?”

“You’re insufferable.”

Lura cocked an eyebrow. “She said that?”

“I did. She will not speak. It’s been years since I met someone who could withstand my questioning. She does not fear any pain. Not physical. Not mental.”

“What do we do?”

“We take her to the Rookery.”

“That’s what the Rook’s hideout is called? I… think you’re taking the bird symbolism a little too far.”

“There’s someone there who will get the answers from her.”

“Why is it so important?”

“Because it is, little girl. You will come with me. Perhaps they will judge you less harshly if we get answers from her.”

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They went back inside and Yudhi pushed a bookshelf to the side, then knocked on one of the wood panels behind it. It yielded to her knuckles and she opened up a secret door that led to a tunnel. She picked up Allena and threw her over her shoulder, then gestured for Lura to go first. Once Yudhi went through, she dropped Allena, pulled the bookshelf back into place, then replaced the panel to hide their escape. She lit a torch and put Allena back over her shoulder.

After a couple hours of walking through the cramped tunnels, they approached what looked like an enormous cistern with other branching paths that led in and out of it. It was poorly lit, but Yudhi seemed to know where to go. One of the paths led further down into a large chamber that looked like a courtroom.

“Yudhi!” A man with slick black hair, pencil mustache, and a tailored suit said. He was looking over some papers on a table in the back of the room “Wonderful to see you again, who’s your latest victim?”

“Veza,” she said with a nod. “This is Allena Alva. She knows about the runic token.”

“Ah. Appropriately bloodied then, she is. And you must be Lurala Habod! I thought you were supposed to be dead.”

“So I’ve been told,” Lura said.

“I kept her alive,” Yudhi said. “She brought us Allena. Allena knows what the token is, but resisted my interrogation.”

“No small thing, that,” Veza said.

“She is a mage.”

“Right, well, wait I’m sorry, what was that again?”

“She’s a mage.”

“Ah. Yes. Well. What?”

“She uses magic,” Lura said. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes. It’s how she gave me this.” She lifted up her shirt to show the scar. “I threw a knife at her and she threw it back without even touching it.”

“Mhm, mhm, yes, yes. Right. Ah. So magic is real, then, is it?”

“Apparently.”

“And can she uh…” He made a hand gesture, waggling his fingers.

“Not without this,” Lura said. She took out the key she stole from Allena’s neck. “It’s how she focuses her power. She’s harmless without it.”

“Good, good. Good. Mm. Hm.” He put a knuckle over his mouth. “Yes. Well. Good thing you brought her here, then. I’ll have our best people on it. So, absolution then, yes? That’s what you’re looking for, Lurala?”

“My friends call me Lura,” she said with a grin, trying to be amiable.

“Yes, I know.”

Her face reddened slightly. “No, not looking for forgiveness. I just don’t want to die. Hopefully my contribution in delivering a likeness of the token and a living mage who knows what it is will be enough for a stay of execution.”

“Hm.” He tapped his forefinger to his lips a couple times as he stared off into space. “Fine. Done. Don’t do it again. Yudhi, take the prisoner away.” Yudhi nodded, grabbed Allena, and left. Veza turned back to Lura. “How’d you capture a mage?”

Lura’s eyes widened. She was pardoned, just like that. It almost didn’t seem possible. She didn’t think there was any way whoever this was just cleared her in an instant. “I… yeah. I traveled with her before she betrayed me so I knew her well enough. All I had to do was steal her key and throw her out a window.”

“Ha! I like it. Very stylish. Tell you what, I don’t care about your past. I care about your future. To me, the most loyal blade is the blade that’s been tempered and tested, or something like that. I don’t like metaphors. What I’m saying is, you’re not stupid enough to steal from us again, so would you like to join us?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m bloody serious. I’m in charge here, I do as I please.”

The realization hit Lura hard. This strange man was the leader of the Rooks. She never would’ve expected it from someone as posh looking and bad at conversation as he was, but it explained how he so quickly decided not to have her killed. “Oh. Yeah, well… what would I do?”

“What you’re best at. Just not for whatever scraps you usually get out of it.”

“Do I get to fight the Empire?”

“I don’t care. Probably. We do business with them on occasion, but undercut them when it suits us. Not interested in taking sides, I just care about the gold. A free Serevar is nice, but Imperial stability is nice, too. Anyone who can make me rich is fine by me. So you want jobs that hurt the Empire? Take them, it’s of no interest to me.”

“Lovely. Consider me on board.”

“I do. Speaking of fighting the Empire, one of theirs deserted in Orbrozan. Just got here an hour ago.”

Lura’s heart skipped a beat. That sounded like Tanzik. She figured he did get captured from his room, which explained the disarray. She arrived too late to help him, but tried not to let it bother her. She wouldn’t be traveling with him or Allena any longer since she found a home with the Rooks.

“He’s around somewhere,” Veza continued. “Got one of the Empire’s lackeys trying to smuggle him out of Stormhall to stand trial in Katavysia. We’re taking their money to get him out of here since we don’t want good King Hárkast catching wind and finding us. But since you hate the Empire so much, go do something with that. Set him free once he’s out of the city if you want. Deny the Empress her pound of flesh, cause a little chaos, whatever you like. Not interested in the details, just don’t leave any loose ends.”

“And Allena?”

“Who?”

“The mage.”

“Oh. Yes. Magic is real. Why?”

“After everything I went through for that bloody coin, I’d like to know more about it.”

“I meant ‘why is magic real,’ but yes. So would I. That’s why I wanted it in the first place. It means something significant, but I don’t know what.”

“Allena does.”

“Quite. And once she tells us, I’ll… well I’ll know. I’m going to leave now,” he said abruptly and began to walk away. “If I find out anything worth you knowing, you’ll find out too.”

And just like that, Lura was stand alone underground in a secret Rook hideout wondering what in the world just happened. She was given a job, though, and wanted to make a good first impression. Veza might sound like a pompous fool who didn’t know what he was talking about, but she saw the glint of danger and intellect in his eyes. He’d killed before and would again. And his casual indifference told her he killed just as casually and indifferently.

***

Tanzik panted from exertion, but it was no use. The shackles were bolted to the wall tight and he wasn’t able to get them to budge. His arms were tired and sore from being upright for so long, and his legs and feet ached from standing for almost a full day. The door to his room opened and his captor walked in.

He looked Tanzik over briefly and saw him covered in sweat, chest heaving and chuckled with a shake of his head. “Your loss, kid. You want to spend one of your last days on Deyrnas fighting a stone wall? Have at it.”

“It’s a long road to Katavysia,” Tanzik said breathlessly.

The man grinned slightly out of one corner of a mouth. “I’ve been doing this for a while, Tanzik. You won’t slip through my fingers.”

“If I had a crown every time I heard that,” said Lura as she stepped into the door frame. She smiled akwardly and looked at Tanzik with her eyes narrowed in a familiar way that Tanzik knew meant to keep quiet.

“If that’s supposed to be lewd humor, I don’t appreciate it,” the man said.

“What? Gross, not what I meant at all. Bloody lecher. I’m your way out of this powder keg. Come on now, pack him up.”

Tanzik’s heart raced. He didn’t know what she was doing, but it couldn’t end well. Either she was trying to free him or she really was working with the Rooks. He knew she’d never work with them after how she described them. But one look at the way she was standing told him she was wounded, and she’d never be able to take his captor in a straight fight. And if he noticed, his captor did too. Which meant no matter what, she was doing something that could, and probably would, get her killed.

His captor slung a bag over his shoulders and released the shackles from the wall. He dragged Tanzik forward to be in front of him. “Just follow me, prisoner. Traitor from what I hear, is that right?”

“The worst,” the man said.

“Her Imperial Majesty ought to have fun with that.”

“This is our duty, not recreation. It brings me no pleasure to drag back one of our own in chains.”

“All right, then.” She scoffed quietly. “Name’s Hab, don’t think the boss ever told me yours.”

“I didn’t give it.”

Lura muttered something under her breath. She led them through the tunnels and pushed open a hatch. On the other side was the cold bitter wind of Serevar, half a mile outside the city, by a river. She closed the hatch, which was disguised to be part of the scenery, behind her.

“Well,” she said as she stretched. “I—”

“Quiet, Hab. I can tell by the way you’re looking at Tanzik that you know him. Your thumb keeps rubbing the hilt of your blade. The way your shoulders are tense, ready to strike… you’re trying to free him.” The sound of steel scraping cut through the wind-blasted air as he slowly drew a large hand-and-a-half sword from his sheath and gripped it tightly with both hands.

Lura began to back up, hands cautiously moving to her daggers. The man walked toward her slowly and deliberately. He was too close for her to take out her bow, she’d be dead before she nocked an arrow.

“But that hunch. The slightest hint of a limp. You’re hurt. Brash. Impulsive. Killed a lot of kids like you during the last war.”

“Not something to brag on, is it?” Lura said. She grinned, but Tanzik could tell she was nervous.

“Just following orders and doing my duty. Like I am now.” The wind died down for a second and the air was perfectly still and silent for a moment. “You could run.”

“Mm. Not in these boots.” Her voice shook.

Tanzik knelt down and grabbed a fistful of sand from the riverbank.

The silence broke with the soft pattering of raindrops on the surface of the river and the cold peal of thunder growling through the sky.

And as the silence in the stalemate broke, the reflection of lightning flashed across the blade of Lura’s dagger as she whipped it from its scabbard and threw it.