Page 119 of Bull Moon Rising

“How do you not understand?” Magpie snarls, her expression full of venom. She gestures at Barnabus. “He’s paying me a great deal of coin, and I need security! The guild is going to remove my contract with them unless my team graduates this year, and I’ll lose my commission. And we all know your Five won’t pass the tests. There’s no way.”

Lark flinches. I just glare at our teacher. Former teacher. She’s sold us out.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Magpie rolls her eyes. “At least with this lordling’s money, I can drink myself to death without worrying about keeping a roof over my head.”

“It’s not all about you.” I tell myself to be calm and collected, even as my hands curl into fists. “How can you betray Hawk like this?”

“I’m not betraying him! I’m looking out for me. The two have nothing to do with each other!” She focuses her angry gaze on me. “And you. You spoiled, foolish twit. Do you have any idea how hard I had to work to get my spot in the guild? Do you know how many years I suffered through bullshit before anyone took me seriously? You can’t saunter in as some rich girl and expect the same treatment just because you’ll suck a Taurian’s cock. It takes more than that to be a damned guild master!”

I gasp at her words, stung. This is the person I idolized for so long? “I looked up to you!”

“Then that’s your mistake,” Magpie says. “All I’ve ever wanted was to get paid.”

Barnabus clears his throat. “Are you ladies done jabbing at each other? Because I’d like to talk with my fiancée.”

“I’m not your fiancée,” I retort. “You can’t force me to marry you.”

“I know this, seeing as how you hooked yourself to the first male who glanced in your direction. A Taurian, Aspeth? Truly?” He looks revolted. “Was a human cock no longer big enough for you? Is that it? You have to go for something a little more titillating?”

“You’re both horrid and disgusting. Hawk is worth ten of you.” I flick my fingers at them. “Both of you together.”

“Yes, well, you’ll be pleased to know I’m no longer interested in marrying some bull-man’s leavings.” Barnabus pockets the chalk and its magical holder and pats his clothing, reassuring himself that it’s in place. “In fact, you can stay married to him for all I care. I’m willing to let bygones be bygones…so long as you give me the artifact ring you found.”

I go still, because of all the demands I thought he’d make, I’d somehow forgotten about the artifact ring. How is it that he’s imprisoned us in the tunnel without stealing it for himself first? How is it that he hasn’t figured out that I’m penniless and he doesn’t need it to take over Honori? Or does he just think I’d steal willy-nilly from the guild? That might be the most insulting part of this, that he doesn’t know me at all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The ring,” he enunciates, his voice echoing off the narrow stonewalls of the tunnel. “The one you found in the tunnel. Magpie told me all about it.”

I shoot a dirty look at my teacher, and Lark makes another outraged noise. Magpie ignores both of us.

“I want the ring,” Barnabus repeats again, pointing at the floor. “Take it off and kick it over here.”

Something doesn’t add up. “Why not come and take it, coward?”

He sneers at me. “I’m no fool. Your maid told Magpie all about the curse.”

Curse? What is he talking about?

In that moment, Gwenna steps on my foot. “It’s true,” she says to me. “I told Magpie all about how it can’t be transferred to another owner without permission once it’s been worn. That the runes on it are quite clear about that.”

Quick thinking, Gwenna. I could kiss her for being so smart. She anticipated trouble and lied to keep the artifact safe.

“Oh, you told them?” I pretend to be annoyed. “Well, it changes nothing. I still won’t transfer the ring’s power over to you, Barnabus. No matter how many times you ask.”

He keeps smiling. “It’s useless to you. We can make a bargain.”

I’m sure we can, one that involves me selling out my family or my friends. Or both. “It’s useless to you, too.”

“Yes, but I have the means to get the other half.” His smile grows broader. “I can have a team scouring every drop by morning, and you’re stuck here in this tunnel. You might as well give up.”

“You’re right,” I say neutrally. “Fine. You want the ring in exchange for letting us go?”

“I want the word of power, too.”

“It’s not a word, it’s a gesture. Here, I’ll show you.” And I make the rudest, crudest gesture I can think of.

Lark snorts with laughter.

Barnabus’s expression grows cold. “I see you choose to be a child about this.” He shrugs. “Fine. We can pull it off your dead body in a few weeks once the unfortunate cave-in has been dug out.”

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