Terms of Surrender (25 page)

A somber mood hung over the Rusted Plow. The fires in the field were cold and dead, the bodies buried, but the eyes of almost every man and woman in the tavern told the same story: in their minds they were still on the battlefield, still fighting. Feeling every cut and seeing the face of every fallen friend, again and again.

Achille, the young crusader Renata had spared, sat alone and stared at the hearth fire. Nobody spoke a word against him, but nobody would talk to him either. They left him there, invisible.

Renata wearily trudged down to the common room, lugging her heavy pack. The hilt of her rapier and the rolled folds of her mail shirt jutted from the open flap. Gallo, sitting at the bar and nursing a tankard of ale, looked over at her.

“Where are you off to?”

“Back to Mirenze. My man’s in trouble.” She shrugged. “Going to go save him.”

Gallo groaned as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Fine, fine, give me five minutes to get my things together.”

Renata blinked. “Gallo, you don’t have to come.”

“Let me make sure I have this right. You intend to go out there and cross swords with both the governor’s men and Aita’s band of killers, all to rescue your fiancé?”

“That’s right.”

“Then I’d be an evil old bastard if I let you do it all by yourself, wouldn’t I?”

She gave him a tired smile. “I thought you were retiring.”

“A retirement you seem bound and determined to deny me. You’re a curse, Renata. I hope your Felix is aware of what he’s getting into, marrying you. He might be safer with Aita.” Waving a hand, he glanced at the corner table. Sykes and Lydda were playing cards together. “Hey, you lot. You want another job?”

They looked over. Sykes tilted his head. “Doing what?”

“Getting these lovebirds back together.” Gallo gestured at Renata. “Looks like we’re gonna go pick a fight with Mirenze. Not one
person
in Mirenze. The whole damned city.”

The bounty hunters shared a look. Sykes seemed dubious. Lydda gave him a tiny smile and a nod.

“Fine,” Sykes grunted, pushing his chair back. “But you’re paying us by the day, plus expenses. And if your money runs out, we’re switching sides.”

“Understood,” Gallo replied, not sounding worried.

On their way to the door, Achille approached Renata. Eyes down and silent. She paused, waiting patiently for him to speak.

“Can I come, too?” he asked.

Renata shook her head. “You’re too young, and it’s going to be too dangerous.”

She shouldered past with her pack, reaching for the doorknob.

“Please,” he said. She stared back at him over her shoulder. He met her gaze now, his eyes wide and wet. “You saved my life. I want…I want to do something good with it. I owe you—”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Renata told him.

“I owe…” He shook his head. “I owe my brother. I know he’s watching me, from the Garden. I talked him into signing up with me. I
pushed
him into it. And now he’s dead.”

His lower lip trembled as he walked closer, staring up into Renata’s eyes.

“Please. Let me do something that’ll make him proud of me, before I have to face him again.”

Renata took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh.

“All right.”

He walked in her shadow, and Gallo, Sykes, and Lydda filed behind. They spread out as they emerged into daylight, taking one last look at the village of Kettle Sands.

Then they headed north, toward gathering storm clouds.

I’m coming, Felix
, Renata thought. Her pack jangled on her back, the hilt of the rapier brushing against her shoulder like a metal-gloved hand.

I’m coming, and I’m bringing steel with me
.

Well, here we are. Just one part of this tale left to be told, with all the world coming to Mirenze and a four-way showdown looming in the wings. I hope you’ve been enjoying the story so far, at least as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing it to you! Of course, I couldn’t do it alone. Special thanks to my fantastic team: Kira Rubenthaler’s editing, James T. Egan’s cover design, and Susannah Jones for her awesome ongoing audiobook narration. And thank you for reading!

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