“I suppose that’s fair.” He grinned, his dimples appearing. “But let it be known,youwere going to kiss me first.”
She sputtered, her face going red.
He grinned and leaned in close. “Love, you can assault me all you wish.”
Turning away, Klyde whistled as he strolled out of the alley. Lucenna was left staring after him dumbly. The fool wanted to test her patience today. She recast her hag glamor and followed him.
He led her out to another street, the opposite way they came in. “The inn may be compromised. I don’t think we should stay there.”
Lucenna sighed in exasperation, but he was probably right. She didn’t know if her uncle was searching for her or if he merely sensed magic. Better not stay to find out. What should we do?”
“First, I want to see you fed, then we will catch up with the others.”
She had no mind to protest when her stomach grumbled in agreement. Klyde led her confidently across the city until they arrived at a restaurant. The air smelled so delicious it made her mouth water.
Klyde ordered mutton stew for both of them, and they ate in silence, keeping an eye on the front door. She was glad to be out of view and to have her stomach filled.
The ground suddenly rumbled, and the chandeliers overhead rattled. Lucenna tensed.
“It’s only the train,” he said, nodding to the windows.
“They have a train?” she asked incredulously.
Lucenna couldn’t see much past the wave of people passing by, but most were leaving or going towards a large building with smoke trails rising above it.
“This state knows how to manage their wealth,” he said. “There are two trains. One that runs north to south through the state, and it stops at a station in each of the major cities. The second one runs east to west across Urn, from here to Xián Jing. Should we fail to steal Tarn’s ship, we could take a train to the west coast and attempt to board a ship there. They recently added a new track to Ledoga last year.”
Lucenna had heard of the great train that traveled from the Saxe Sea to the Dragon Canyon, but she didn’t know it originated here. She was curious to see what the trains looked like. “You seem to know a lot about Dwarf Shoe, and about Urn, for that matter.”
Klyde shrugged. “I have traveled a lot.”
“And on these travels, do you make a habit of using the commissioner’s identity?” She arched an eyebrow.
His smirk grew, obviously waiting for her to ask. “Only when necessary. I don’t make a habit of announcing myself if I don’t need to.”
“Hmm. And have you met the commissioner?”
“In passing. He is a good man with a reputable reputation. I knew his name would serve to get us through the checkpoint.”
Well, if it was only for that, Veron may not mind. Whatever happened to him after they had escaped the port?
Once they finished eating, they went on their way.
“Could we see the train?” Lucenna asked.
He winked. “Where do you think I was taking you?”
They came to the station with a train already on the tracks. The metal beast hovered with an invisible force above a set of tracks. She felt the magic thrumming through it as if it were a living creature. Whoever had created such a mechanism was indeed powerful.
The train departed the station as another arrived behind it on the platform across from them. All manner of fae, creatures, dwarves, and humans spilled from the doors, swarming the platform.
Klyde took her hand. “We need to go.”
His cautious tone immediately had Lucenna on alert as he pulled her away. “What’s wrong? Did you see mages?”
“Worse.”
What was worse than mages?
