“So let him! All I did was ask for help!” I shout, directing my words to the masked jackass, not giving a shit who hears me. At this point, I have nothing to lose. “Everyone around here is so afraid ofSeferin, but I’m not, and I don’t care if he has henchmen or snitches in this place to tell him that! All I want is to get my sister back!”
Thane freezes. Then his eyes dart up to mine. I swear his bright irises absorb the fire as they swell with fury.
There it is.His attention.It seems I’m not the only one around here who despises Seferin.
“Orvena’s sake, Z,” Bolivar grumbles.
“Please. My sister is going to die within the next month if I don’t do something,” I plead to Thane. “All I need is someone to look after me—to simply escort me on a brief journey. It’ll take two weeks, max. If I leave tomorrow, I can make it there and back in time.”
“Let her go.” Thane’s voice has a deep, gravelly timbre. I swallow as those fierce eyes scan every inch of me.
Bolivar huffs and then glares at me. “Zaira, thisisn’tthe way.”
I pull away from him, matching his stare. “I have to try.” Without another word to Bolivar, I turn back toward Thane, this time with more poise. “Can I sit, or are you going to toss me into the fire this time?”
He narrows his eyes briefly before he folds his arms and gives me one simple curt nod.
I sit and blow out a deep breath, rubbing my forehead, as if that action alone will lessen my stress. That’s when I feel all eyes on me now. The weight of them is heavy.
I look around, and of course everyone is watching us.
With what might be a low growl, Thane stares everyone down, his body tense like a predator ready to strike. With some exaggerated throat clearing and shuffles, the tavern patrons melt into the background, resuming card games and overly loud conversations about anything except what just happened.
“How do you know Seferin?” Thane asks, cutting straight to the chase.
“I don’t know him personally. My sister worked for him, but then she tried to steal from him, and matters…escalated.”
He studies me like he’s searching for lies. “Start from the beginning.”
“My sister stole a crystal from Seferin, and now he’s punishing her for it.”
“Acrystal?” he questions with a hint of annoyance.
“Yes. She had the terrible idea to sell it, so she tried to steal it. The only reason I know is because I snuck into his keep when I sensed something was wrong. She’s down there…and he’s placed a curse on her.” I feel eyes on me. I glance toward the bar, and one of the beastials with feathers on her arms jerks her gaze away when I catch her staring.
“Don’t worry about them.” He takes a thorough look around the tavern. “Even if you scream, they won’t hear you.”
I sit up, confused and, quite frankly, disturbed by that statement. “Why can’t they hear me?”
“Because I don’t want them to.” He waves a hand, and that’s when I notice an almost imperceptible shimmer of gold light surrounding us like a dome.
I gulp. “Oh.” I don’t know how I feel about this, but something tells me I should be terrified by it. I finger the pendant of my necklace as if the action will provide me a bit of security.
He narrows his eyes at my necklace before leveling his gaze with me. “Continue.”
Despite my stomach doing back flips, I do as the man says. “Right. So, um, she’s trapped and cursed and will die within the next thirty days if I don’t do something.”
I expect Thane to say something—to show a bit of sympathy for my woes.
He doesn’t.
He seems rather bored, spinning his dagger in lazy circles on the tabletop, watching the blade whirl.
“Anyway, I’ve asked a few sorcerers for help breaking the curse, and it seems the only way I can break one as powerful as this one is by visiting the Temple of Elphar and collecting a certain stone.”
“A prosperity stone.” He stops the blade’s rotation but doesn’t look at me.
“Yes.” I nod.
