Lira!

Panic sharpened my senses. I put my head on a swivel, panning away from the horse to the forest on my left and right.

Lira the noble. Lira the mage. Quiet, quiet Lira.

No wonder she came alone.

My will consumption spiked.

She was looking for us, hunting somewhere close.

The world spun.

My will was draining. I needed to get out of Lira's line of sight, but where was she?

I strained my senses and put my back to the tree. The moonlit forest was as bright as day and as silent as death. This was normal in the Dellends. There were no chirping bugs. No hooting owls. So, when a twig snapped in front of me, a chill ran up my spine.

Lira appeared from behind a tree, a few feet away from me, with a loaded crossbow levelled at my chest. The crossbow bolt's tip was wooden and bulbous. The kind of arrowhead Castille used to hunt rabbits.

"Don't. Move," Lira said.

I reached for my cane.

The crossbow thrummed, shooting the bolt into my solar plexus. The breath was knocked out of me. The force slammed me into the tree and triggered a spasm of pain from the arrow wound in my back. I doubled over on my hands and knees, the shock dropping my jacket's enchantment.

"How can you see me?!" I asked in a breathless wheeze.

"I'm used to seeing the unseen."

I lifted my head to meet her eyes while slipping the fallen crossbow bolt into my left hand.

I still had a chance. She would need to reload her crossbow. If I could throw the bolt at her—distract her, I could close the distance.

As if reading my mind, she smirked and then the forest swallowed her whole.

What?!

One moment she was in front of me, the next...

"We should talk, you and me."

Lira's voice was beside me!

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"Follow me, Jacob..."

Light footsteps crunched past me into the clearing.

My shoulders sagged.

What should I do?

I didn't have enough will to fight, and if I ran, she could follow me back to the others. That left only one option.

I got to my feet, brushing off the dirt on my knees and rubbing my sore stomach with the meat of my palm. I followed the sound of her footsteps into the field of tree stumps.

"Sit," Lira said.

She was somewhere in front of me, but I needed to be sure. I needed to wait for the right moment to kill her.

I sighed, sitting down on the nearest stump. A moment later, Lira reappeared. She sat on a stump near her horse, her crossbow loaded with another bolt. This one had a sharp, metal tip that glinted in the moonlight.

"Good night for hunting?" I asked.

She raised her chin.

"Yes. Although it hasn't been much of a challenge."

I scanned the horizon for more enemies.

If she could hide herself, could she hide others?

"You came alone?"

"I sent my scouts South so we could talk. They'll expect me back in a few hours."

I narrowed my eyes.

"OK, what did you want to talk about?"

"A deal. Van wants you dead, but the men mainly want your gold. They aren't happy about the trick you played on us."

I smiled at that. Lira continued.

"You should know we're bringing your wagon. After the stunt you pulled, there was talk of sticking things in... unfortunate places."

"You know you can say asshole, right."

Her lips curled in a toothless grin. She raised her crossbow into a shooting position.

"And you know we have you right where we want you."

"Then why parley? No, you need me for something."

I wiggled the blunt crossbow bolt between my fingers.

"And you need me alive."

Lira sighed, lowering the crossbow back on her lap while keeping it trained on me.

She smiled again, this time showing teeth.

"I see why you're her favourite."

I winced.

"Does Reed talk about me?"

"No, but I can tell you're the prize. The one everyone wants."

There was a bitter edge to her voice that made me raise an eyebrow. Lira continued.

"If I can stop Van from killing you-"

"Reed will forgive the Lagos cartel and let you into her new Compact," I said, interrupting her.

I crossed my arms. I hadn't realized how weak the Lagos cartel's position was until now. Van Lagos had refused to commit forces to the defence of Steeltown, and while Finnick had eventually decided to help, he also damaged the Sanctifier Guild's property: Me. That was two slights against the Guild, and Reed killed people for less.

Lira frowned at my interruption. Her finger moved closer to the crossbow's trigger.

"The men are afraid. We need your gold to shore up support. If you give it to me, I can make Van Lagos stand down."

She smiled to herself.

"I've done it before."

"And here I thought you were swimming in gold."

The corners of her mouth twitched with irritation.

"Times have been hard. So many mouths to feed. So many people to bribe."

"So many expensive parties, and with your cartel kicked out of the Compact, your river of gold is about to run dry."

Lira said nothing. Her confident smile matched her relaxed posture. She was good, as difficult to provoke or unbalance as any Inquisitor.

"What if I don't take your deal?" I asked.

"Then Van kills you and we take the gold anyway."

I laughed.

"Is he in any condition to fight? I saw that fall."

Lira grinned.

"He's better now."

I tried to match her grin but faltered. As bad as the Lagos cartel's position was, ours was worse. I needed another angle, a way to get control of the conversation and find a way to survive while keeping my freedom. I blinked. The angle was obvious and painfully familiar.

"Aren't you tired of loving someone who doesn't love you back?"

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