Page 30 of Bounty Hunter

“I’ve been around a low king, but I haven’t met or seen any of the others, that I know of.” She looks uncomfortable. “I find it odd that you, as a criminal, have such a glowing opinion of our leadership.” She looks at me with a mix of thoughtfulness and confusion.

“I told you from the start this was all a misunderstanding. I’m not a criminal.” I meet her gray gaze with mine, challenge in my eyes.

She looks away first. I want to ask her more. I understand her anger over the treatment of the lower class. I admit that I should consider how to approach such large cultural treatment of a class, but unfortunately, changes such as those take time and patience. In the meantime, I want to find out where those other beliefs come from, about kings, but I think I’ve pushed the limits of this conversation. I only nod as I pull the now-cooked rabbit from the fire and hand Vera her portion. We eat in silence, the fire crackling warmly between us. I have roughly six more days to convince this woman to accept an official contract. Six days to change an opinion that, from the fire in her eyes, has deep roots. Six days to figure out what she knows about the Tulips. I tear off a large bite of perfectly-cooked meat. This adventure just got a lot more interesting.

Chapter 22

Vera

Irelay our conversation in my mind and internally cringe.Why did I share so much?Something about this man puts me dangerously at ease, even has me removing cemented bricks from my fortified, emotional walls. It feels a lot like we’ve developed a neutrality of some sort, and I only just arrested him two nights ago. It’s hard because he is surprisingly… normal. I remind myself I didn’t share anything overly personal, nothing that would give me away, but if this continues, I know it’s notifI will, it’swhen. And that’s the problem.

It’s not often I find someone I can vent about my dislike of kings and classes to, and who better than a mercenary? He says he’s not a criminal, but that’s to be expected from a criminal. It felt good to say it to someone who understands, to get it off my chest, but it’s also dangerous. I can’t forget that he and his friends are after the Tulips.They’re after me.I finish chewing and force the bite of meat down my throat. Though it’s delicious, it sticks in my throat like I just ate a hunk of old, moldy bread. I am a naive fool to forget who this man is. Just hours ago, I watched him kill a murk without any magic, aside fromhis enchanted sword. I’ve never seen any hunter defeat a gloam creature without magic, but I made sure not to make too big of a deal out of it. The confidence nearly radiates off him, and I don’t think he needs any extra. Besides, I don’t want him knowing how much it shook me. I swallow tightly. Instead of feeling safer with the knowledge of what he can do, I feel even more scared of the danger he inherently is.

I lift my gaze to look at him across the heat rising from the fire, and his eyes meet mine for a moment that seems long. All steely blue intensity. Hard and focused. Calculating, even. I thought all his magic was securely locked behind that handy cuff, but I begin to doubt it. Aside from magic, there’s no other way to explain the way his eyes hold mine and draw me in, and it’s not all terror that’s holding me there. I’ll be the first to admit that my criminal is attractive. There’s a pull about him that makes me feel a little panicky. Like I’m tied to a rope he’s slowly but surely winding closer. He’s intense. I can almost tangibly feel a drive within him that is entirely too intimidating. All day long I felt that presence behind my back, as if his overconfident self was just waiting for me to mess up so he could step into control and I would thank him for it.No way, mister.I narrow my eyes at him. He simply quirks a seemingly innocent, questioning brow at my glare, like he’s wondering what in the world he could have done to warrant it. I’ve chosen the worst criminal.

I shake my head and turn my attention to Rupi, who’s perched on my shoulder. She spent the last few minutes cleaning her feathers with her small beak, and now I stroke her fluffy softness. She pecks softly at my earlobe before she tucks her head down and sleeps. Which leaves me with nothing to do but watch the muscles of my criminal’s forearms move as he stokes the fire. He’d rolled his sleeves to his elbows toclean the rabbit earlier and left them that way—to my detriment or pleasure, I can’t say. I press my lips together unhappily. Why can’t he be filthy and gross? His voice nasally instead of rich and smooth? His hair matted or dirty instead of shiny and artfully mussed? I mean, we just walked out of a canyon pit full of sand winds and prickly bushes. Pretty sure it shows for me.

Just to show how much I don’t care what he thinks or how attractive he is, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand in a very drawn out, unladylike fashion. If he thinks I’m gross, then good. Maybe he’ll stop talking to me. Then I stand so quickly that Rupi gives a surprisedcheepand her feathers begin to quill at the abrupt movement. Ikar watches me like he doesn’t know quite what to think, but says nothing. At least he won’t be able to figure me out. I can’t even do that myself. I laugh a little sharply to confuse us both even more as I stalk grumpily to my pack and prepare my bedroll. Theonetime I arrest a criminal on my own and he has to be likethis. I huff a breath out as I adjust my blankets in an angry fashion, then fold my arms atop them and stare at the sky. There must be something wrong with me. Maybe I swallowed too much dark, disgusting river water, and now I’m attracted to hardened criminals for the rest of my life. I lay flat on my back and frown at the stars in the sky while I wait for sleep that refuses to come, Rupi’s tiny body pressed up against the warmth of my neck and nested in my hair.

I’m still awake when Ikar rises to prepare his own bedroll. He tosses it out, then digs through his pack for a moment. In his efforts to find whatever he’s looking for a small glass bottle drops out, rolls a few inches away, and settles comfortably against a patch of coarse field grass and dirt. Not sure if he noticed, and more curious than I should be, I scoop Rupi from the confines of my hair to the warmth of my blankets and climb out of my bedroll. I pluck the vial from the ground.Fae potion?I know from personal experience working with the makers that these are quite expensive.

I hand it back to him, and after a mumbledthank you,he nonchalantly tucks it into an inner pocket, and proceeds to arrange his pack again just so. He’s a tidy criminal, then.

“What kind of potion is it?” I ask, curious. Glamour or healing is the question.

“Healing, but it’s no longer potent.”

“Are you sure? How long ago did you buy it?”

When fae potions, which have always been the holy grail for healing elixirs, cross the fae borders, within hours they have lost half their power. And within a week or two, they will no longer heal at all. Part of the wholemagicdyingthing.

“I’m sure,” he says in the darkness, “it’s over a week old.”

Most people buy fae potions for specific reasons, or even travel to the fae to use them to ensure they aren’t wasted because their prices are so high. I’ve never known mercenaries to have so much money to spend… and waste. His enchanted sword looks like the best quality, custom type. And he purchases fae potions just to… keep on hand and forget about? But it’s none of my business. Heisa criminal, I remind myself. He probably lifted it off someone he killed or used dirty money to purchase it. Those reminders have me quickly settling back into my bedroll several feet away and feeling grateful for that lock around his wrist.

With the help of the map, we left the Black Canyons and its deserts and entered into a forest that is much like the rest that fills the majority of the kingdoms. The trees are tall and thick, and dark green needles fill long branches and dustthe ground beneath. Moss grows along the trunks of the trees, covers rocks with its green cushion, and carpets the forest floor. Small flowers sprout amongst forest grass here and there, but the shadows prevent anything too tall from growing within these depths. We pick our way through, and I’m trying not to compulsively check the map, but it’s hard.

I open it again and hope he doesn’t comment on the fact that I just opened it a few minutes ago, but I can’t help it. Everything in this dratted forest looks the same, and I only catch glimpses of the suns when there happens to be a gap in the tight weave of branches above. How am I to determine if we’ve been traveling in the right direction?

I squint a little to see it better. My criminal pointed out the Black Canyon Desert, which seems obvious to me now that I’m looking at it on the map, and we still need to get through the Shift Forest. Problem is, I can’t tell one forest from another on here. I turn the map a bit, trying to see if I can match it up with our direction, and I justknowhe’s watching me with that hard gaze of his. Judging my lack of map reading talent, I’m sure. I should just ask him. He’s as motivated as I to get to Moneyre, so I can trust him at least this much, right? My pride, though, stings like a flame spider’s bite.

Without allowing myself a second more to think about it, I stop in my tracks and angle the map toward him. He jerks to a stop, like I caught him off guard.Good. Keep things weird. Rupi takes this moment to coast on a light breeze and land gently on my forearm as I hold the map out, quirking her head between the map and Ikar. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she knows how to read my map as well. It’s a ridiculous thought. I would laugh, but I still have to ask Ikar for help. Best get it over with.

“Where do you think we are?” I keep my voiceunemotional and flat, but inside, I’m hoping he doesn’t comment on the fact that I’m asking.

He looks at the map, turns it the opposite way I had it, and then points to a spot in the middle of an unmarked forest.

“Here, but we should probably shift a bit to the north to get to the city that leads into the Shift Forest.”

Rupicheepsand hops to his still-extended wrist. Is this supposed to mean sheagreeswith him? My cheeks itch to turn red, but I quickly fold the map up. “Great, exactly what I was thinking, too.” Never mind I had the map upside down. And what’s up with Rupi? She looks even tinier perched on him than on me. I frown at her as she happily accepts a gentle stroke from Ikar’s forefinger, who looks afraid he may break her with his touch. It could be endearing if the man wasn’t a Tulip killer.

I grow a bit concerned about Rupi, wondering if she may have eaten something odd and it’s affecting her behavior. Rupi in her right mind would never accept affection like that from a criminal—she never has in the eight years I’ve worked with bounty hunters. I wait a second longer for her to return to my wrist, but she appears content to stay where she is. Instead of waiting for her I scoop her into my hands and carefully snatch her back from the mercenary, now truly worried she’s unwell. I decide I’ll keep a close eye on her the rest of the day, so I deposit her on my shoulder.

“You need to stop eating strange things. It’s not safe,” I scold her, quietly. But when I twist my neck to see her on my shoulder, she angles one eye at me. And for some reason, I feel like if she could manage an eye roll, I would have seen one. “Stay close,” I tell her, ignoring her attitude.

I start walking and look over my shoulder at him, but I shouldn’t have. All I see is that smile he does that’s annoyinglyconfident and calm, but this time it seems a bit smug. I whip my head back around. That’s the last time I’m asking him for help.

I tell myself that I have to wait to open the map again for at least an hour as I try to head in a morenorthernlydirection to find Shift City. I wrap my hands around the straps of my pack over my shoulders to ensure I don’t grab the map in the next two minutes and prepare to trudge silently on through this dark piece of the kingdom.

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