The discount cut through the tension as only a bargain could.
Kenneth seethed in his chair beside her as Captain Barker signed the document.
“We look forward to this partnership,” Erinna grumbled. They were out the door before the ink was dry.
Chapter
Seven
The Yarrows wound their way briskly down the stairs and out of the military building. Erinna’s body shook with effort as she tried to conceal her frustration. She glanced pointedly at her father, knowing he was aware of her disquiet. She bit her cheek, swallowing the choice words she had ready for him.
Once their feet hit the ground outside, Erinna turned, ready with a tongue lashing. How could he take the bait?
“Not here,” Kenneth snapped, glancing warily at the guards as they wound their way from the military sector of Crown Quarter. It was the biggest contract of the year, but neither Yarrow felt particularly victorious.
“I’m not the one who lost my cool,” she said from the corners of her mouth. The meeting was done, but their day was far from over. The crowd buzzed with activity near the main square at the center of Crown Quarter. The activity had grown significantly since their arrival. More vendors had been approved to set up temporary locations around the wide-open space.
“They were looking into us. Hard,” Erinna stated once they were a comfortable distance from anyone in a uniform.
“He was just guessing, Eri. Your maternal grandmother was from the Great North, so naturally, he’d be suspicious,” was Kenneth’s excuse, but doubt decorated every word. Suspicious now? After decades of working peacefully beneath their radar? It didn’t make sense, and they both knew it. Something triggered the interest, and Erinna couldn’t shake the feeling that her father had bitten off more than he bargained for.
“And to ask for another worker? What were you thinking?!” She rubbed at her temples to massage a growing headache.
“We need more hands.” Kenneth’s tone was tense, the words carefully selected so as not to reveal more.
Another gong pierced the air.
If Erinna had the strength of the Mother Goddess, she would punch that blasted bit of bronze to the heavens. Or better yet, the farthest reaches of the nine hells.
“We need to lay low. Now more than ever,” she hissed, expecting more defiance from her father in response. Instead, defeat worked its way into his demeanor, sagging his shoulders and drooping his head.
He let out a worn and weary sigh. Kenneth understood what he’d done. Even if it was just a guess, her father all but answered the question. Erinna had northern blood in her veins, and her mother had strong connections to the mysterious continent.
It wasn’t illegal to be from the Great North, but it was certainly unwelcomed. The northernmost continent was shrouded in both mystery and magic. Protected and sequestered at the top of the Sumora by a veil as mysterious as it was deadly.
The last time Tarth had seen a northern ship was during Iprix’s own youth. After years of lost contact, the rumors stuck and twisted over time. Nothing but monsters resided beyond the Veil.
With a heavy chest, and a bit of remorse for the bite in her tongue, Erinna fished through the bag from Madds; they couldboth use something to brighten their spirits. She plucked one of the sweet buns. It was cold, but at least it wasn’t stale. Anything made by the infamous baker was sure to taste good, regardless.
“Madds wanted you to have this one in particular.” She held the pastry out to her father, hoping some sugar would improve his mood before their next task.
It eased some of the tension in his jaw. Kenneth gingerly took the confection, ripped it in half, and devoured his half in one bite. A look flashed across his face, so quickly she barely noticed. A darkening in his features, a narrowing of his eyes. Erinna was about to ask, but the shrill timbre of the town crier broke through her thoughts.
In a far corner of the courtyard, the gallows were nearly set for a hanging. The crier announced the presence of two criminals as they shambled on stage. The bitter taste of hate formed in the back of Erinna’s throat as soldiers prepared a young woman for the noose. She looked no older than nineteen. A leather collar hung loose around her neck with a metal tag to denote her crime. An aberrant and a traitor. Likely one who refused to aid the king.
Beside her was a wretched pirate, the prized accomplishment of the season. Even dressed in rags, Erinna could see the pride in his posture—like he was putting on a show for the jeering onlookers.
He was the scourge of the sea, but Erinna was surprised at how young he was. She expected an older, grizzled man, but Kane could be no more than thirty years of age. A scar cut through his right brow. Dark hair fell into his dark eyes, and she could swear his lip quivered like he was biting back a smile. Doubt clawed its way through her mind, but Erinna shook it away.
The girl did not deserve her fate, but the pirate could rot for all she cared. Erinna bore little sympathy for a pirate. She sawthe damage they could do from ships that were lucky enough to make it to their shores. She saw the bodies carted off in stretchers. She heard the fearful whispers in taverns as sailors cursed Captain Kane Atwater’s very existence.
They were all the same. She winced, shoving back memories of her mother that came unbidden to her mind. Her mother’s ship had been attacked by such brigands. Sent to the bottom of the sea by greedy pirates. Not even a plank of wood had been recovered.
The voice of the crier cut through Erinna’s thoughts once more. His shrill voice announced the time left before the two criminals were to be hanged.
If they were getting ready to execute Kane Atwater, they must have learned the whereabouts of the Minor Apprentice, Erinna surmised. Hopefully, it would ease some of Damien’s stress if they could return the highbrow mage to the normal status quo.
Another gong echoed in the courtyard, the sound rattling her eardrums and leaving a thrumming aftershock in her mind.
