Chapter Thirty-Seven
“All of you did incredibly well tonight.” I looked around the parlor of the house Vas had rented for us.
We had just moved in earlier that day, before the auction.
I was especially glad to have a private home after the night we just had.
I couldn't imagine what the desk clerks of the hotel would have done if they'd seen us walking through the entry hall looking as we did—in torn, bloodstained clothing.
The whole crew had gathered—the Raltven, Tesal, and Behez eagerly reporting our activities to those who had stayed behind. Now it was time to show my crew some appreciation.
“Especially you three.” I looked at the Raltven. “You showed exceptional skill and cunning, adding to my orders when you saw the need. I'm so fucking proud of you.”
“There's one more thing I added, boss,” Cesha said as she pulled a black leather book out of her jacket and handed it to me. “I followed you into that office and then stayed behind to search it. I found this.”
I opened the book and started to laugh. “Cesha, you're getting a bonus this month.”
“What? I thought you said the three of us did well?” Navin said.
“Yes, you did, which is why I'm praising you. Behez and Tesal too.” I looked over at the Brandva men.
“You were amazing tonight. Those people couldn't have escaped without your help.” I looked back at the Raltven.
“But this is a record of Bara's sales. We have the names of all his buyers here. This is the proof we need to expose him. I can hand this over to King Raventar now.”
“Does that mean our job is done?” Drellan asked.
“It's done here, yes. But we still need to return to Rushao and stop the Spider and the bone cleaner. At least now we know the Spider's a woman.”
“Wait. Aren't we going to kill that bastard Bara?” Behez asked. “You said we would!”
Before I could answer, the front door burst open and Hulfrin men poured into the room to surround us.
My crew shot to their feet, but we'd been taken unaware.
It was our first day in a new place, and with all the preparations for the auction distracting me, I hadn't thought to ask Cesha to install some traps around the house.
So, we had no warning and were restrained in minutes.
Even Vasren. Although it took four Hulfrin to get him into a pair of manacles.
Then Eliel came stumbling into the room covered in blood, with one wing broken, and one eye swollen shut. Bara kicked him in the back, sending him crashing onto the floor. The ribbon was back on his wrist. So even though he was broken and bleeding, he got to his feet to stand meekly beside Bara.
“Eliel!” I shouted.
“I don't tolerate interference,” Bara drawled as he strode forward, Eliel meekly following. “Not in my business or my love life.”
I watched Bara but also flicked my gaze around, noting where each of his guards stood and how they restrained my crew. Vasren was the only one chained. The rest of us were merely tied with rope. Fucking idiots.
Bara stopped before me and looked me over. Then he backhanded me. My head swung to the left, and blood flew from my lips. Vasren roared and threw off one of the Hulfrin holding him, but the chains held.
“For fuck's sake!” Bara waved at Vas. “Get him under control.”
“Yes, boss,” one of the men said.
“Incompetent fools!” Bara motioned at three other men who were standing behind my crew. “You, you, and you. Help them.”
Oh, yes, that was very helpful indeed. But I didn't let my delight show as I straightened and met Bara's stare.
He lifted a white ribbon and dabbed the blood on my lips with it. My confidence stuttered as I realized what he intended to do.
“I'll fucking kill you!” Vasren shouted. “You touch him and you die!”
Bara lifted a brow at my lover as he tied the bloodied ribbon onto his wrist—right beside a few other ribbons.
The other ribbons bore multiple bloodstains.
But I didn't have time to contemplate them.
I had to decide on a path of destruction.
My gaze shifted to Eliel. He stared balefully at me. I winked at him. He gaped back.
Then I nodded.
Although Cesha didn't have the time to set any traps, when our attackers came bursting in, all the Raltven had enough time to slip into their shadow-forms. I think it was instinctive for them—survival instinct.
Whatever it was, it was brilliant. They had backed up against the walls and hid in the shadows until I had given the signal.
Then they did what they did best.
As my mate distracted Bara and his men, the Raltven cut the ropes holding my crew. And then they handled Bara's men.
Hulfrin dropped rapidly—knocked out instead of killed.
I understood the reasoning behind it. A dying man makes noise, even if you slice his throat.
But an unconscious one just falls to the floor.
Most of the Hulfrin were comatose before the remaining few finally noticed.
Then Hulfrin roars added to Dragon roars until the house shook with them.
Bara reached for me, ribbon in hand. But I was already free.
Spinning downward, I pulled the knife from his belt, and with the same motion, gutted him.
It was so fast that Bara kept growling and reaching for where I'd been even as I continued my spin to take me away from him.
Then his belly realized I had done some damage and opened wide.
Bara looked down to see his guts spilling out and screamed.
That too was over quickly. I wouldn't draw out a kill just to get more satisfaction from it.
I wasn't a torturer. I didn't enjoy bloodshed.
There was no point in letting this motherfucker live a second longer.
Straightening, I went into a new maneuver, my body using the same momentum to take me up, under Bara's chin.
My hand hooked under his bent head and lifted as I drew the blade across his thick throat.
He stopped screaming.
As Bara fell to the ground, his guards jerked back and held up their hands. They all wore ribbons. My stare shot from their wrists to Bara's. His ribbon bore multiple bloodstains. Shit. How many people had this motherfucker enslaved?
My team moved toward the Hulfrin anyway.
“Stop!” I shouted. “They're slaves. Get those fucking ribbons off them.”
“What the fuck?” Tesal muttered.
“Damn it! I wasn't done killing!” Baelxa pouted.
As my crew removed ribbons from Hulfrin wrists, I left the gasping Bara to free my mate. I didn't need to watch the asshole die. I was confident in my work. My mate's wellbeing was more important.
One of the Hulfrin stepped into my path and handed me a key. “Thank you,” his voice came gruff and gravely. And then he bowed.
“You're welcome.” I went to Vasren. “Nicely done, Mate.” I unlocked his manacles. “I couldn't have timed your distraction better myself.”
I expected Vas to smirk and confirm that it had all been a show. Instead, as soon as I got one manacle off him, Vas yanked me into his arms, folded his head over me, and shuddered. Just shuddered and breathed.
“Vas?”
“Kat.” He held me tighter. “My Kat. Are you all right?”
“I'm fine. We were fine from the start. Didn't you notice that the Raltven had vanished?”
He leaned back to look at me, and his stare shocked me into stillness. It was full of panic that was only just receding. “No, love. I didn't see anything but you in danger. He almost . . .” Vas glared at Bara, but then his eyes widened.
I turned to follow his stare just as I heard a shriek.
“Just fucking die, you bastard!” Eliel raised a dagger over his head and brought it down on the choking Hulfrin. He brought it down over and over and over. “Die!”
Behind Eliel, Navin stood, still holding the ribbon he had pulled from Eliel's wrist. His eyes were wide, and the sheath on his belt was empty.
The entire room went quiet as Eliel continued to stab Bara, screaming out his rage until Bara went silent and his stare fixed. And then Eliel collapsed onto the floor, one wing at a bad angle, and wept over the body.
“Eliel.” I touched his shoulder.
Eliel flinched and dropped the dagger. Our eyes met, and he launched himself forward. I caught him just as Vas pulled the body away and tossed it into a corner.
“It's over.” I settled us on the floor. “You're free now. He's dead.”
“Did I kill him?” Eliel looked up at me.
Over his shoulder, I saw the wide eyes of my crew and Bara's guards staring at us.
“You did. You killed him. You have avenged your honor. We all bore witness.”
“I don't want vengeance,” he whispered. “I want to have never met him. I want to go home.”
“I know. I can't remove the past, but I can get you home. I'll help you. We all will.”
Eliel shook his head. “No, I . . . I can't go back now. Not like this. I'm not ready. I can't see them. I can't—”
“Shh, all right. It's all right. You're in control now. You decide where you're going to go.”
His stare went jittery. “I went back to kill Bara. I should have just left, but I knew I'd never be able to rest with him alive. I had to see him dead.”
“I understand that. Believe me, I do.”
“You saved us too,” one of the Hulfrin said. “If you hadn't returned, we'd still be working for that evil psychopath.”
Eliel sniffed and looked over at the Hulfrin. “I thought you were evil too.”
The man bent his head. “I know you did. I'm so sorry. None of us wanted to serve him.”
“Oh.” Eliel looked back at me. “Can I stay with you? Just for a little while?”
It took me a moment to realize he had asked it of me. “Oh. We're not staying here. We're going back to Rushao. I need to find Bara's partner—the one who weaves the silk. There are more people to free and to save. The Spider is a murderer. She supplied the bones. I have to stop her.”
“The bones?”
“You don't know?”
“About bones? No. What bones?”
“The moths, Eliel. The white emperor moth is a type of silk moth. Bara fed their larvae marrow from the bones of murdered people. They made cocoons and their silk created—”
“Dear Gods! The silk! The cloaks and . . .” He looked down at his bare wrist.
“The ribbons. Yes. The ribbons held . . . control magic.”
“Control magic?”
“I can't tell you what the exact magic was that bound you. I . . . I don't know. All I know is that the silk was made from bone marrow and contained the magic of the dead.”
“And the cloaks?”
“Those were made from Raltven marrow. Their shadow magic is within the fabric.”
“Dear Gods.” Eliel shook his head. “He's even more evil than I thought.” Then he met my stare. “Yes, you must stop his partner. Please.”
“We will. I promise you. But I won't leave you alone either. I have a friend here, and I know he'll protect you while you recover. If you can trust me, I'll take you to him.”
“Yes, I trust you. Of course,”
“We'll go with you, Eliel,” a Hulfrin man said. “We'll protect you until you feel safe again.”
“Thank you, but no. I know it wasn't your fault, but seeing you won't help me heal.” Eliel lifted a hand when the Hulfrin started to protest. “If you want to atone, go with Kailan and help him catch Bara's partner.”
“My name is Katai, and this is my mate, Vasren.” I waved at Vas. We were pretending to be visitors.”
“Oh. So . . . did you come here to free us?”
“We didn't know exactly what Bara was up to, but we knew it was bad. We came to investigate.”
“You're Talons?”
“No.” I glanced at Vasren. “We're the people who help those overlooked by the Talons.”
“Great Gods,” Eliel whispered, and then he tried to stand. When he wobbled, Navin moved to help, but Eliel waved him off and stood on his own.
I got up as well, staying nearby in case Eliel collapsed.
“I'm all right.” Eliel lifted his chin. “Thank you.
Thank you all so much. You're right, Katai. The Talons never noticed. On the surface, there was no crime. But you saw me. You saw the truth, and you saw it instantly. Thank you. Thank you for looking when others did not.” He looked at my crew as he said, “You freed many of my people tonight.
They will tell stories about you. You will become legends.
Heroes. And when I'm strong enough, I will go home and add my testimony to theirs.” He looked back at me to say, “We will never forget you.”
My crew—my hardened, brutal crew—smacked their fists to their chests and bowed. When they straightened, several of them were blinking back tears.
“It was our honor to help you,” Navin said.
“And it would be our honor to help you finish this,” the Hulfrin guard said to me. “If you will allow us to accompany you back to Rushao.”
I considered the men. “Have any of you met the Spider?”
“Yes. Most of us have met her. Bara never trusted the Hulfrin sailors he hired. They weren't tied to him as we were.” He nodded at the pile of ribbons on the floor. “He always sent one of us to oversee the transport of the . . . cargo. We know the Spider and where to find her.”
“Excellent. Then we accept your help. Now, Eliel, let's get you somewhere safe.”
Eliel nodded, smoothed his hair, and wiped the blood from his face. It said a lot for his beauty that even beaten, with one eye swollen shut, he was glorious.
“Pack up, everyone. We're heading to the ship as soon as I'm back. Vas, I need you to stay here and oversee things.”
“The fuck I will.” Vasren grabbed my hand. “I can't, Mate. My beast is roused by nearly losing you. I can't be away from you right now.”
“All right. Will you at least stay in the carriage?”
“Why? Where are we going?”
“To the Royal Palace of Tabaa.”