Blaze said, “The Drynopians were trained in Okos. If we’re heading into trouble, they could be useful.”
Augustus’s heart stuttered over his two closest friends in the world: Lili and Blaze. The idea that they could end up anything like the crew of theAkias…
No. That wasn’t happening.
“You’re not heading into anything. Lili,” he said with a nod toward the four hunters. “Go with the Rangers.”
Blaze’s eyes widened. “We’re staying with you.”
Roslyn, Luc, and Xavier nodded their agreement.
Lili, face flushed, looked ready to burst from her skin. “Don’t think you’re getting rid of us that easily, mate.”
Milos, the blond Bladesworn, folded his thick, tattooed arms. “You’ll be no use to anyone dead.”
Darian cleared his throat. “We’ve got his back, friends. And yours.” He flicked his hand toward a few of his men to come forward. “Go with them.” When the Rangers didn’t move, he added, “Think of it this way: if things go wrong, we’ll need you. Stay close, but out of the way.”
“Fine,” Lili said, then sidled up to Roslyn’s side. “We won’t go far.”
Blaze filled his hands with knives, his focus on Darian. “Don’t fuck this up.”
Darian smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll do the job we were paid for.”
Blaze swept him from root to tip, his expression promising a personal skinning if the Bladesworn failed. He then wrapped Augustus in a hug, putting his mouth to his ear. “Be careful. I don’t like this.”
Neither did he, and maybe he was a fool for sending off the only people he trusted with his life. But it was done, and he had to live with it.
Augustus gave his friend a good pat on the back. “It’s me Thorne wants. Just…watch my back, will you?”
Blaze slanted a smile. “Always. Where’s Gus, by the way?”
Augustus scanned the open sky. He could really use the little guy’s help right about now. “Selene said he was excited to be on land—he flew over here hours ago. Probably off gorging himself in the woods.”
“You should go,” Darian said, eyeing a few pirates swaggering past with swords belted to their sides. “Milos will stay with you. Just in case.”
Milos tugged down on his leather vest with studded metal plates. “Follow me.”
The group crossed the road and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Augustus staring after them. Finally, he turned to Darian. “I hope you’re ready for this.”
The man pulled out the massive sword strapped to his back. “I’ve been itching for this fight for a while, Captain. I’m more than ready.”
But as he said it, Augustus couldn’t shake the sense that something was watching from the shadows. Something not quite human.
Selene couldn’t focus on the path ahead. They’d justlefthim. Between that and not yet knowing what they were leaving himto, she was damn close to turning around.
Oskar paused at the corner of a building so worn that it creaked every time the wind shifted. He pushed his cloak hood back and glanced around, then finally met Selene’s eyes. “We’re not leaving him; don’t worry.”
Her throat threatened to close. “We’re not?”
“I made a vow to keep you both safe and alive,” he said. “You didn’t think that changed with the fulfillment of a prophecy, did you?”
He signaled to the Blades. His men set off in various directions and blended seamlessly into the shadows—it was almost as if they were never there.
“With me,” Oskar said, ducking around the building.
She and Petrina followed his steps with practiced ease. Selene moved like a dancer, twisting through the crowds without thought, letting instinct guide her. No one seemed to notice or care who walked among them. These men and women laughed over barrels of ale despite the early hour. Shops opened doors for business with the tinkle of bells, and lines of wet clothes rolled out overhead to catch the golden sunlight. Children ran screaming from each other with wooden practice swords.
Half of Augustus’s entire personality was showcased here in these people. They were lively and unfettered and likely a little reckless. And because she loved him, she had no choice but to love this place, too, with its imperfections and its odd mingling of scents and the unending chaos.
