I suppressed a smirk. “I’ve heard of it. Well, if you insist, I would be deeply grateful.”
His thin shoulders straightened, and his voice deepened as if he were trying to show me the man he wanted to be one day. “I do insist.”
“That’s twice you’ve helped me then. Thank you, Ruru. For everything.”
Even in the pale light, I could see the crimson blush creeping up his smooth cheeks. Such a tender heart for one trailingalong with the likes of Aiden and Maz. How long before that tenderness was beaten out of him by this life? I’d only been a few years older than him when it happened to me.
As he handed me the clothes, my stomach clenched. Where his left thumb should be was a mess of puckered flesh.
He followed my gaze. “Oh, a guard chopped that off about three years ago. Caught me stealing some sticky bread. That’s actually how I met Aiden.” He waggled his other thumb at me, flashing a thin white scar along the knuckle. “The guard almost got this one too when Aiden barreled into him out of nowhere and told me to run.”
I frowned. “And then he just took you in?”
“Iworkfor him. He said I had skills he could use. Whatever errands he needs running, I do them faster and better than any kid in Aquinon. He pays the best, too.” He smiled, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Now, I can buy sticky bread whenever I want. As well as treats for the little ones at the orphanage I used to live at.”
Shrewd of Aiden to use a young, indebted boy to do his bidding. But for what errands? Did they have something to do with the cargo Ruru mentioned? Aiden sounded more like a merchant in need of funding rather than a rebel seeking gold for an army. But there was still the tricky matter of him disguising himself like a Shadow-Wolf and breaking into the Den. Down-on-their-luck merchants didn’t do that.
“Speaking of food,” Ruru rambled on, “would you like some crackers? Or dried fruit? My stomach’s flapping against my backbone. That’s what Maz always says.”
A weak chuckle escaped me. His cheerful chatter reminded me of Delysia. Gods, I wished I could’ve said goodbye. She was probably wrapped up with her lover in front of a warm fire, a platter of fresh food available at the tug of a bell cord. Or she’dalready smuggled him out and was enjoying her sleep with a smile.
Be safe, little sister. May your dreams stay sweet.
“Kiera?”
I roused myself, blinking at Ruru. Gods, I needed sleep. “I’ll take a few crackers. My stomach feels like it’s inside outandwrapped around my backbone.” Ruru laughed. “But I should probably change first. Do you think they’ll be outside for a while?” I nodded toward the door. I couldn’t hear their voices over the rain, and I didn’t want to try with Ruru watching me.
“Could be. Maz probably wants to know what happened.” Ruru popped open a metal tin and shoved a cracker in his mouth. “Whatdidhappen in there? Did you see a Wolf? Did you get tortured? Did you have to kill anyone to escape?”
I sighed. Suddenly, I was less amused by his wagging tongue.
“Does that hurt?” he asked, pointing to his own cheek. I assumed he meant where Renwell had slashed me with my belt. It’d bled more than the scratch I’d received from Father’s ring.
“My face feels mostly numb now,” I admitted. A mercy that wouldn’t last. “I was a prisoner, like Aiden. I did see Shadow-Wolves. No, I didn’t kill anyone.”
But Maz and Aiden had. Between Aiden treading through a puddle of blood and him and Maz stabbing the other Wolf to death, I had more nightmares to add to my repertoire.
I wasn’t sure who I’d wanted to win between Aiden and the Wolf. Perhaps Aiden’s mysterious plot would’ve died with him. Or the Wolf would’ve simply pruned a branch from a flourishing tree of treason. But that thought wasn’t the first one I had as I watched the Wolf’s knife dive toward Aiden’s chest.
Loud chewing distracted me from my thoughts. Ruru’s wide eyes blinked at me like an owl’s. In my exhaustion, my emotions were probably written all over my face.
“How did Aiden get caught?” I asked nonchalantly as I dumped my borrowed clothes into the nearest hammock.
“Don’t know.” Ruru devoured another cracker. “Maz came to get me, saying we had to help Aiden. So here I am.” As if breaking a prisoner out of the Den was just another errand on his list.
What was it like to earn such loyalty? I didn’t have anyone who would rescue me from a prison. Renwell would’ve never let me inside one I couldn’t break out of. Everett and Delysia would probably send guards after me if I were in trouble. Father? He might’ve put me there in the first place—with no escape.
Mother... Mother wouldn’t have crossed Father if it was his doing—something I’d hated her for in my darkest moments. But she would’ve never left my side, as had been her way many times before when I was in trouble.
But now I had no one.
I leaned against the post, eyeing the laces on my boots. Gods, this was going to hurt. With Renwell’s blows peppering my rib cage and that damn jailer kicking me twice, my torso felt like a tree trunk someone had taken a dull axe to. The escape and retching over the side of the boat hadn’t helped, either.
Taking a deep breath, I bent over, reaching for the laces. Blinding pain seared through my ribs. I gritted my teeth. My fingers trembled as they tore out the knot. Steamy sweat gathered under my damp hair. Shadows purpled my vision until I yanked off the boot with a strangled curse. I slid down the post to sit in a heap on the ground.
“Kiera! What’s wrong?” Ruru rushed to crouch beside me, the cracker tin still clutched in his fist.
I tipped my head back, trying to steady my breathing. “I think that bastard hit me harder than I thought.”
