Finally, we arrive at a stable made of tin walls and worn wooden beams. A man with a massive, wide-brimmed hat sits in an enclosed booth built in front of it, chewing disgustingly on a mouthful of seeds.
When he catches sight of Thane, he spits to the side and sighs. “Shit. Notyouagain.”
“Yes.Me again.” Thane stops short of his booth, waiting for him to come out.
He’s a short man, ruddy with a pot belly. His bones pop and crack as he climbs off the stool, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth to clear the seed shells. “What happened to your last horse?”
“Sold it.”
“You don’t get attached to anything, do you?” Big Hat asks, cracking a grin.
Thane doesn’t smile. Instead, he gestures to the stables and says, “Best horse you have.”
“That’ll be a pretty coin,” Big Hat replies.
Thane digs into his pocket, producing a handful of coins. He shoves them into Big Hat’s hand and demands, “Horse.Now.”
“All right, all right. Take it easy, killer.” The man takes off after counting the coins and enters one of the stables with a chuckle.
Okay, first Chaun mentions blood on velvet tables and buried men, now Big Hat is calling himkiller? I start to ask Thane what he means by that until someone else’s voice overpowers mine.
“I know that’s not who I think it is!” a booming voice calls from behind us.
I whirl around while Thane inhales and exhales slowly like he’s been expecting this man but had hopes of dodging him.
“Garyn.” Thane finally turns to face the person wearing a red vest and matching gambler hat. His skin is purplish-brown, and he has thick, silvery-white braids that stop at his shoulders. He wears a black eyepatch over his left eye, but his right eye is alarming. The pupil is large and seems to absorb the color of his iris.
People who have eyes like theirs do the nastiest kind of drugs. Kopa is the worst of them because it’s created with beastial blood and makes mortals feel invincible, like they have speed, flight, or can climb walls, too. And maybe they can. I don’t know for sure. Analla spoke about kopa all the time, but only to serve as a warning for me to never,everdo it.
That creepy eye of Garyn’s swoops toward me. He flashes what I assume is meant to be a charming smile. I step back as Thane shifts forward, partially blocking me from Garyn’s view.
“We’re getting a horse and leaving,” Thane tells him.
Garyn keeps that twisted grin plastered on his face, fixing his attention on Thane again. “What? No fight in you today?”
“No time,” says Thane.
“Right, yeah.” Garyn sniffs as Big Hat returns from the stables guiding a black horse with a silky ivory mane by the reins. “But see”—Garyn waves a finger—“I don’t think I should just let you leave. Last time, you ripped through my tavern, and I lost eight good men. You disappear for weeks and now you’re back, prancing throughmyterritory and buying horses like you own the place.”
Thane tilts his head. “Horses in Redclaw are the cheapest. Plus, I figured your people would need the coin after what happened during my last visit—you know, the one you all so eagerly keep bringing up in conversation?”
Garyn’s smile vanishes,and he works his jaw, inching closer to us. I ball my hands into fists, and my nails bite into my palms as I back away. More men line up behind Garyn, each one more menacing than the next.
“Maliek’s been looking for you. Did you know that?” Garyn runs his tongue over his yellow-stained teeth.
I don’t miss the way Thane curls his hand into a tight fist at the mention of this Maliek.
Garyn notices as well and sneers. “So how about this,” he says, waving that same annoying finger. “You pay me for destroying my tables and killing my men, and Iwon’ttell Maliek I saw you here.”
Thane’s silence is deafening as he gives Garyn a lethal stare. Then he scans the men gathering behind Garyn. There has to be at least a dozen of them. Each one holds a weapon of some kind. Seeing the blades, axes, and hatchets twists my stomach into knots.
“Maybe you should just pay him,” I suggest. Surely, he has enough coin for it. I’ve given him a full pouch—and if he doesn’t, I have some to spare, too. Not many gold coins, but it’s still something.
“Get on the horse,” Thane orders me without taking his eyes off Garyn.
“What?”
“Get on the fucking horse, Quinlocke.” Hearing him say my last name causes a spiral in my belly…and not a bad one, despite the knots of dread that are developing. It’s good to know he remembers part of my name, at least.
