Page 66 of The Omega Thief

“Where will I get a rat?”

She arched an eyebrow. “There’s an alehouse at the other side of the crossroads. Whatever you do, don’t drink their beer. It’d likely give you the plague. People, sailors, and the like, seemed to have built up a natural resistance to the swill they serve because it’s cheap, but I don’t recommend it for anyone wanting to live to see the Winter Festival. You need a gray rat. Just check the cellar after closing.”

Attiker stood and practically threw his arms around her. She huffed, returned the hug for a minute, then pushed him away. “You sort this out, then you tell your prince to give us a royal warrant.”

He frowned. “A—”

“The bigger ships have to use Cadmeera, we know that, but if they gave us back the fishing warrant, the locals would be out the next day.”

“Why haven’t you got one?” Attiker asked.

“Because it was transferred when they widened the channel. Rich people thinking it didn’t matter.”

Attiker took her hand back. “I promise. He’s a good man.”

She grimaced. “Well, get on with yer, or else he’ll just be a dead one.”

It wasn’t hard to find the alehouse, and it was even easier to break in, but even Attiker had to cover his nose when he descended to the cellar. He heard the rats before he smelled them. Contrary to all the tales from before, the gray rat wasn’t a terror out for human blood. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They were definitely afraid of humans. Their risk was the poisonous bite, so Attiker was careful and thanked his lucky stars for Gerry’s gloves again. If they could stand dragon fire, he was pretty sure a lethal rat bite wouldn’t penetrate them.

And Attiker was right. He quickly scooped up two of the little demons and dropped them into a sack. They were out of the alehouse faster than they broke in, then mounted the horses after stuffing the rats into a leather satchel their teeth couldn’t penetrate, and they headed to the small port.

“You had any more thoughts on what the people’s champion might do?” Ash asked very casually.

“No,” Attiker said in a huff, keeping a lookout, although it all seemed deathly still. By this time, he’d have expected some locals to be up and about. “If I had any, they’d be firmly in the back of my mind, along with my disappearing wolf and the slight problem that I can’t give him heirs.”

Ash was silent for a few hoofbeats, but then he said, “Well, he knew that before you mated.”

“I know,” Attiker admitted. “But he’s the last of his line.”

“Uh-huh,” Ash agreed in mock-sympathy. “Shame you don’t know a kick-ass princess with a brother that needs an alliance.”

Attiker’s head whipped around so fast he got a crick in his neck. “She would make a perfect queen,” he ground out, bitterness sour on his tongue.

Ash laughed so damn hard Attiker thought he was going to fall off his horse. “As if he isn’t so totally smitten with you, anyone with half an eye couldn’t see it.”

He didn’t deign a reply, but he couldn’t resist a little flicker of something deep down in his belly.

“Seems quiet,” Ash said, looking around, and Attiker agreed. The port might be closed to trade, but that didn’t mean the locals wouldn’t be out in the water trying to feed their own families.

Attiker glanced behind him, a shiver running down his spine like an unseen hand.

“Seven fuckin’ hells,” Ash swore and reigned in sharply.

He turned, but seeing what he saw, Attiker couldn’t have replied if his life depended on it. The normally empty port was anything but. There were a dozen small troop ships all tied to the key, but further out, three gun ships were anchored in the deeper water.

And he knew exactly what he was looking at. The Abergenny fleet was poised and ready to invade the moment Markell gave them the word.

In fact, judging from the troops all silently lined up on the quayside, the villagers huddled and guarded at sword-point, he doubted if Markell was even going to wait until Attiker came back.

With a sinking heart, he knew neither of them expected Raz to live that long.

Chapter twenty-nine

Ashdraggedhimback,thankfully before anyone noticed them stood gawping. “Fuck,” Ash swore. “What do we do?”

Attiker looked at him, but Ash was already shaking his head. “No, I aint leaving yer.” Attiker almost smiled. Ash could talk with barely a trace of an accent, but when he got anxious, he sounded exactly like the people on the streets around the port he’d grown up on. Ash joined the army to get away from his da’s fists. And he was good at soldiering. He was also a good friend.

“You have to,” Attiker said. “You know as well as I do this is an invasion fleet. If they’re not prepared, it won’t matter how many Neerals I bring back.” Ash met his gaze, and Attiker thanked the goddess that Ash wasn’t going to make him say it. Because the first thing a conquering force did was murder the old rulers. Raz would be dead either way, and Attiker had no intention of letting that happen.

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