“Who is this, Thane? How do you know him?” I ask.
“Old friend,” Thane answers, raising an eyebrow at Algar.
“Old friend? Please,” Algar scoffs. “We’re practically family! We gowayback. To wee little children whose heads used to be too big for our bodies.”
Thane sighs. “You’re still thieving, I see.”
“More likethriving,” Algar replies, puffing out his chest.
Thane glances at Zephra, who is snarling in her bubble with her claws up. She slashes at the bubble, but it doesn’t budge. “What in the shadows are you doing withthatthing?”
“Oh, Zephra? She’s my partner. Assists me in thethieving, as you like to call it. Set her free, though, yeah? Shehatesbeing trapped.”
Thane makes a throaty noise of disapproval and waves his hand, removing the bubble. Algar reaches for Zephra, and she hurries to him, climbing up his arm until she’s settled on his shoulder.
“Don’t those things carry diseases?” Thane looks from him to the pink creature.
“Not my Zephra,” Algar says. “I found her in some bone merchant’s shop. He was going to kill her and drain her blood, sell it to the beastials.”
“Hm.” Thane puts his attention on me. “All right, grab your things. Let’s go.”
“Wait—now hold on,” Algar calls as I collect my quilt, shawl, and rucksack. “Aren’t you going to tell me what you’re doing? Or where you’ve been for the last couple of years?”
We follow Thane down the wet, creaky stairs and out of the building and don’t stop until we’re close to the awning where Pearl is tied up. While we walk, I notice a limp in Algar’s step.
“I’m sorry.” I throw up a hand to pause the situation as the sun warms my skin. “Algar, how did you even notice us?”
“Well, that’s a story, isn’t it? I was on my way to Meriva—figured I’d try my hand at the gambling tables for some coin. Gotta feed Zephra and all. Right, girl?” He gives her furry chest a scratch, and she squeaks. “Anyway, I passed by here and heard the horse. Figured whoever was hiding away in a building this shit and staying so close to Ruvain was asking to be robbed—that, or they have something to hide.” He shrugs. “If it wasn’t me, it’d have been someone else. Best for both of you that I was around, huh?”
Thane shakes his head as he tosses his cloak on. “Last I heard, you were locked away in one of Ruvain’s prisons for cheating their prince out of his coins.”
“Um, two things. One: that was nearly three years ago. Two: their evil little prince is full of himself so, in my opinion, he was asking for it. And as you can see”—he raises both of his hands in the air—“I broke out.”
“Broke out?” Thane arches a brow. “From aRuvainprison?”
“It’s easier than you think when you’re fooling around with one of the lady guards—especially one whodoesn’tmake you take your assigned muting elixir.” Algar winks at me.
“Muting elixir?” I whisper to myself. I’m pretty sure those are only used for sorcerers and charmers to dim their magic. Most elixirs are taken orally, and if Algar was in prison, they probably had a lineup and forced the prisoners who held magic to take it.
Other times, if one wants to be sneaky about it and overpower a person with magic, they can douse an object in the elixir and offer it to them. A necklace, a stone, a cuff—anything, really. As long as the object touches their skin, it’s effective for several hours. The downfall is that it has to be used the same day it’s doused.
All of this leads me to wonder…is Algar a sorcerer, too?
“You didn’t break out,” Thane says. “That’s never been done before—not without a person getting caught.”
“Okay…you’re right. I did my time. But Ialmostdid.” Algar scratches the top of his head. “Didn’t quite work out, though.”
“Right. Well, I’m glad to see you’re still alive.” Thane’s voice drips with sarcasm as he tosses his rucksack over his shoulder while walking my way. He requests my bag, too.
“It’s not like you to travel with someone, Thane.” Algar watches as I hand my bag over. “Especially a woman. Is there something I should know?” He looks from Thane to me, waggling his eyebrows and grinning.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Thane assures him.
“So you’renotboning this pretty lady?”
My jaw drops.
Thane stops dead in his tracks. “No.”
