Page 103 of Bull Moon Rising

She puts her hands up, shaking her head. “No. I got it for you. You keep it. I don’t know anything about Old Prell anyhow. It’s safer with you than with me.”

Maybe. I don’t know. I examine the ring again, looking for any symbols I might have missed, and then tuck it into my neckline, lodging it between my corseted breasts. It feels like a pebble stuck in my clothing, but that’s not a bad thing. I’ll notice if it slips. I reach out and take her hand, squeezing it. “Thank you, Gwenna.”

“I did it for you,” she says, squeezing my hand back. “I didn’t want something like that going to Barnabus. He’s a prick.”

“He is,” I agree, my mind racing. “You think we can convince Magpie to take us back down to the drop? Tomorrow?”

She shrugs. “She’s waiting for guild permission, right? It might be slow in coming, what with her drinking and all.”

Gods, she’s right. Magpie is a mess and everyone will know about it after what happened. I wince. Something tells me she’s not going back anytime soon, and our Five can’t go without a teacher.

As if she can read my mind, Gwenna asks, “What about Hawk?”

I think about Hawk. And his fingers. And his horrid questions.Are you a spy?“Hawk and I are not on speaking terms at the moment.”

“Already? But we just got back.”

“It’s been a very fraught evening.”

“Do you…want to talk about it?”

Do I? I consider this for a long moment, and then my shyness takes over. I can’t imagine having to explain to Gwenna how Hawk had his fingers deep inside me, rubbing a spot in my body that made me want to fly apart—and then demanded to know if I was a spy. That I was feeling used because I’d sucked his cock just moments earlier and I thought we were in a better place than that. “Just trust me when I say if I approach him with a stolen ring, he won’t help us. He’ll probably turn us all over to the guild and get us sent home. He knows who I really am.”

“He does? Shit.” She paces back and forth, agitated. “So what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know.” I feel defeated. “Avoid him and hope he doesn’t turn us in?” It doesn’t seem like Hawk to turn me over, but he was also rather upset.

Gwenna grimaces. “He’s definitely not much of a rule breaker. I don’t suppose we know anyone in the guild who would be willing to help us?”

I stare at her. “You…you’re kidding, right?Thisguild? The one that mocks us for being women? That thinks we shouldn’t be allowed to go into the tunnels because we don’t have penises? This same guild?”

“You’re right. Stupid question.”

Not stupid—we’re just low on options. “Do you think Lark might know someone we can trust?”

“More than heraunt?”

Again with the impeccable logic. I purse my lips, pressing a hand to the ring in my dress. “I don’t think we have a choice. We need to speak to Magpie and get her on our side. I know we stole from the guild but what if we offer her a cut?”

It’s a risk, but what are our choices? The drop inside the walled-off area is completely controlled by the guild, with passes required and security at all times. Unless we bribe our way in, I don’t see an option. And we don’t have money.

There’s another way to bribe, of course, but I don’t even want to consider it. One single Taurian in my bed is enough trouble as it is. “Let’s talk to the others in the morning first, see how they feel about helping us. Then we can approach Magpie.”

I fish the ring out of my corset and hold it back out to her. “I feel bad keeping this when you found it.”

Gwenna shakes her head. “You hold on to it.”

“Are you sure?”

She pushes it away from her physically, her expression determined. “If I get caught with that thing, I’m a thief. If you get caught with it, you’re a holder’s daughter who’s being mischievous. Do you see the difference?”

I do. I tuck it back into my clothes and hate that she’s right.

THIRTY-ONE

ASPETH

2 Days Before the Conquest Moon

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