Von retreated further into the shadow of an alley, with Len at his side. Dark eyes narrowing beneath her hood, she watched the carriage pass with cold calculation. Her gaze flicked from the surrounding rooftops to the knights and Royal Guards, taking in all variables. With her bow, Von knew how lethal she could be.
But they weren’t here for the Azure King.
“His life isn’t yours to take,” Von warned quietly beneath the hum of the city. “It belongs to the master alone.”
The only sign of Len’s resignation against any plan she may have been brewing was the settling of her gaze on the crowd.
“Come. Step lively. Every hour hastens Bouvier’s death.”
* * *
Von and Len made their way through the alleys until they reached the sordid part of the city, where all manner of depravity reigned. The Azure King liked to boast of his peaceful and wealthy kingdom, but every kingdom held those shady, hidden corners where people liked to … indulge.
The streets grew darker with the descent of the sun. They kept to the shadows as they moved through the silent cobblestone streets lined with shoddy taverns, gambling houses, and brothels, if the passionate moans and grunts coming from the darker alleys were any indication. The air reeked of filth and sin.
Len’s profile grew taut, like the string of her bow. A flash of steel slipped in her hand.
Ahead, Von’s gaze immediately drew to a building painted all red. It stood proud and defiant in the twilight, alluring passersby with a series of small dangling lanterns. The sign above the door readThe Night’s Rubyin swirling gold paint. It was the brothel Novo said the jailor frequented. Von was almost surprised it wasn’t called some other dowdy name meaning blue. Nearly everything in Azure honored the color by some unspoken mandate.
Von nodded for Len to follow him into the tavern across the street fromThe Night’s Ruby. It was loud inside with laughter, music, and the din of voices, the air thick with smoke. He headed for a table by the window with a view of the brothel. The two men already sitting there glanced up from their drinks.
Von jerked his chin. “Move.”
They scoffed, their glassy eyes turning hungry when they got a look at Len.
The man on his left leered. “Hello, love.”
Her knife pierced the tabletop in the sliver of space between the man’s fingers.
“The next one goes through your prick,” Von said.
“Right, off we go.” The man and his friend gathered their belongings, giving them a wide berth as they moved to another spot at the far end of the tavern.
Von and Len took their seats. A barmaid came by to offer them food and drink. Might as well eat while they waited. After placing an order, they resumed watch over the brothel as people came and went. With any luck, the jailor was already inside or would soon appear. Once he headed home, sated and drunk off his wits, lifting the key wouldn’t be a problem. They needed it to break into the warded prison.
If the laws of extradition hadn’t changed, they would transfer Bouvier to the beholder of his warrant within a month, if not sooner. The Blue Capital was a center of commerce and diplomacy. There was bound to be a representative of the United Crown here—the kingdom in the northwest which had a warrant for Bouvier’s head. A death warrant was precedent and would be dealt with quickly.
It went unsaid, but Tarn’s order had been clear. If they couldn’t retrieve Bouvier, Von had to kill the spy to protect his master’s anonymity. They had to get him out by tomorrow’s nightfall, at the latest. As far as the Azure Guard knew, Bouvier was a petty thief who stole from the wrong people. The longer he was in their custody, the sooner they would discover who he now served.
“Tarn is no one,” a voice declared.
Len stiffened across from him. They maintained their attention on the brothel while focusing on the conversation being held at the table beside them. From the filthy glass surface, he made out the reflections of four men drinking and playing cards.
“All this fuss over one man,” the same voice said, belonging to a reedy man with greasy brown hair. “It’s ridiculous. He’s nothing but a murdering bastard.”
Len bared her teeth. Von nudged her foot, silently warning her not to draw attention.
“Adangerous, murdering bastard,” corrected the dark-skinned man seated next to him.
Another, with a round belly and bald head, grunted. “He may not even be here.”
The men guffawed at that.
“Aye, and my mother’s a fertility goddess,” the first one mocked. “No other man could have defeated an entire cavalry of Rangers and three units of Azure Guards. Tarn’s Raiders took them out. Dead. To the last man.”
Von dully stared at his reflection in the window. They had nearly died that night and most likely would have, if not for Elon’s power.
“That’s why King Lenneus has dispatched the Azure Knights,” said another.
