Page 32 of Ties of Bargains

The swordsmith eyed Val for another moment, grunted, and held out a meaty palm. “Fine. The bargain is accepted.”

Val dug the promised vial and tooth out of her pocket, handing them over before she claimed the sword. She immediately stowed the sword in the pocket, getting it out of Diego’s sight. She tried to appear casual as she turned back to her Wild Hunt leader. “What other deal? What are you doing here? I didn’t think you had any upcoming missions in the Fae Realm.”

Would he think her questions too prying?

Why was she even worried? This was Diego. Her Wild Hunt leader. She had nothing to fear from him.

“I was just fetching a weapons order of my own.” Diego waved at the swordsmith in a silent order.

The swordsmith scowled, but he ducked through thecurtains that divided the front booth from the back where he must have kept his tools and additional inventory.

As soon as the swordsmith was gone, Diego lowered his voice. “I’m planning a raid for the full Wild Hunt, and I’m calling in everyone who isn’t on a mission. As soon as you and the others return, we’ll ride.”

A Wild Hunt ride. A pounding thrill of monstrous steeds, swinging blades, and rampant destruction to any in their path. The Wild Hunt bands existed for such ravaging.

Once Val might have longed for such a thing, calling it freedom. Maybe even vengeance.

Now she could only imagine what Harm would think of her, if he saw her participating in such scourging.

Not that he’d ever see it. He’d be left far behind with his new master when it came time to ride.

Val worked up a blank expression and a precise nod. “I will be ready to ride once I return.”

“I knew I could count on you.” Diego flashed his glittering smile again before turning as the swordsmith stepped past the curtain, lugging a bundle of swords, spears, halberds, and other weapons.

The swordsmith handed them over without any hesitation or bargaining, so whatever price Diego was paying must have been arranged in advance.

Diego stuffed the whole bundle of weapons into his magical pocket. With one last parting nod to Val, he spun on his heel and slunk down the alley, disappearing from sight among the disreputable marketstalls and even more disreputable fae browsing through them.

Still fighting her itching instincts, Val stalked to Harm’s side. “Let’s go.”

Harm peeled away from the post, something in his stance stiff and wary. “Who was that?”

“Diego. My Wild Hunt leader.” Val spun on her heel, marching down the alley in the opposite direction from Diego. The companionable warmth had fled, replaced with the reminder that she was supposed to be a cold mercenary. Not befriending Harm. Or helping him to survive the Fae Realm.

Then why did that uncomfortable twisting return to her stomach at the thought of going back to kicking human puppies and merely delivering packages?

She kept up her furious pace until they left the darker part of the faerie market behind. By the time she located several booths containing basic food items, some of her dark mood had dissipated. She didn’t see Diego again, and he was likely already on his way back to the Realm of Monsters, taking advantage of the chaos in the Court of Revels to hop through a rift.

Harm, too, eased from whatever stiff wariness had gripped him, and gawked once again.

In a cleared space in the market, a wooden platform had been set up with logs for benches placed before it. Currently, a troupe of actors pranced about the stage. Though,actorwas a loose term. Val was no experienced critic, but they didn’t seem to be very good.

Harm cocked his head. “Is this…normal for performances in the Fae Realm?”

“No.” Val scowled as the donkey-eared man on the stage seemed to forget his line. Half the other actors hissed words at him, speaking over each other in a way that seemed to just confuse the man all the more.

“They’re awful.” Harm took a step closer. “But it’s strangely fascinating to watch.”

The audience was hooting: some with laughter and some with jeers. But the actors doggedly kept on with their performance, even as one of them—dressed as a tree with a plethora of branches strapped to his body—tripped over his fake trunk and fell in front of one of the actresses, and she took a tumble, her wide skirt flying up and over her head.

Val sighed and indicated a bench in the back row. “Then have a seat. We might as well watch in comfort.”

They had plenty of time to waste while the mouse goblin woman made Harm’s new clothes.

Harm slid onto the bench, and Val sat beside him, close enough to keep the cord tucked out of sight. Daisy wiggled her way between their legs, and Harm scratched her ears.

After the theatrical performance—farcewould be the more accurate word—two librarians from the Great Library—a man and a woman wearing the green coats designating them as assistant librarians—took the stage. Both of them had golden hair and pale skin, and while Val couldn’t get a good look, she suspected the female librarian might have been a human.

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