My head tilted up to meet the eyes of Tiny Tom Harwick. I could barely see them through the mop of brown hair that brushed the bridge of his nose.

"So, you actually did it."

I smirked, leaning against the door frame with crossed arms. It was easier than standing, but he didn't need to know that.

"Did you doubt me?"

"Course I doubted you! Who wouldn't?"

I shrugged.

"Your uncle."

He bobbed his head, sticking out his scabbed bottom lip.

"Yuh got a point there. I gotta lot to learn from him. Anywho…"

His voice fell to an excited whisper.

"What was it like?"

I laughed.

"Terrible! I almost died. At least twice—I wasn't keeping count."

A goofy smile plastered his face.

"Must be nice. Did you figure it out?"

"What?"

"A reason to keep livin'."

"Oh, that..."

I frowned, glancing over my shoulder at Isla sleeping on the bed.

"I don't know. Maybe we have to keep living to find out."

Tom sighed.

"That ain't much of an answer."

"It's the only answer I got."

He snorted and thumbed over his shoulder.

"We're gonna eat soon. Wanna come down?"

I took another glance over my shoulder.

Sitting down to eat counted as resting. I think.

"Alright."

I followed Tom down the steps to the first floor of the Pit. Castille and Dugan were arranging tables and chairs as Thor watched from the sidelines. Dugan was walking normally now, and the swelling in Castille's face had gone down. It appeared that Dugan didn't need to ration his Landbound abilities. That was good news.

On my left was bad news. Reed and Kateen were talking in the corner. I had regained enough will to use the sceptre to enhance my senses. I strained my ears to listen in… and heard nothing. I had to squint to understand why. Reed erected a thin barrier around them. Its' pale golden tint was almost invisible in the daylight. It wouldn't block a punch, but it was enough to muffle their whispers.

What were they planning?

"Arwen, I brought 'em."

"Thank you, nephew."

Arwen sat at the bar with Cassandra on the other side. He waved me over.

"What's going on?"

"We're going to have ourselves a little feast to celebrate the victory."

"During a food shortage?"

Cassandra's lips curled into a slight smile.

"That's why it's little. Only enough people to fill the first floor of the Pit."

I scanned the room. The explosive stone pot thrown into the building was gone, leaving sticky, orange residue on the floor near the broken front window. Scraps of fabric and half-torn clothing cluttered the tables. In the air, the smell of grain alcohol lingered.

"What happened after we left."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Arwen raised his eyebrows.

"The stone men attacked. They had more numbers and size, but that worked against them. Our scouts saw them coming, and their numbers didn't mean much in our town's narrower streets."

"It was sum scrap. Even Van Lagos helped!" Tom said.

"What?!"

The mention of his name sent a jolt of panic through my body. I half expected him to walk through the door.

Arwen pursed his lips.

"Our scouts reported another force of stone men from the East. They attacked the Lagos estate."

He had my full attention now.

"And?! What happened?"

Arwen shook his head.

"We don't know, but we all saw it—even from here. A fire so bright it lit up the sky like a second sun. When it died down, the scouts said the stone men were gone."

"Oh…"

Shit.

A bead of sweat ran down my temple. I knew Van Lagos was strong, but strong enough to melt through stone?

I forced myself to breathe.

This was good news. Even if Van survived, he would be exhausted or unconscious like Isla. With any luck, we would be far away from Steeltown before he found out about Finnick.

"What about survivors?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

Arwen and Tom winced in unison, and, for the first time, I saw the family resemblance.

"The stone men's weapons were poisoned, weren't they?"

Arwen gave me a grim nod.

Tom shook his head.

"Ain't no way for a fella to die."

"Even a small wound caused nausea and vomiting… We've never seen anything like it."

I pushed down the bile rising in my throat. I needed to talk about something that didn't make me feel miserable.

"So, uh… this feast. That sounds good. Who's coming?"

"Not me."

Kateen walked by us with her chin held high.

"I need to see to my daughters. Besides, it smells too much like fish in here. Cassandra, a moment."

Cassandra bowed her head to hide her frown from the imperious woman.

"Of course, Lady Kateen."

Cassandra worked her way around the bar, and together, they glided to the front doors. I focused my enhanced senses in their direction.

"I'm leaving too."

From my left, Reed walked up to our group. I turned to her—big mistake. My jaw dropped at the perfect symmetry of her face. Her long, black hair. The sparkle of her reddish-brown eyes and the ruthless cunning hiding behind them. Through the enhanced senses granted by the sceptre, she was… gorgeous.

Reed smirked at my awe-stricken face.

"There's more work to be done around town. Enjoy your feast. I'll collect you and the rest of the party first thing in the morning."

I blinked, wrestling control over my senses.

"Where are you taking us?"

"To the Vangrave's manor house."

"You mean-"

"Yes, your reward for completing the quest."

"What's the catch?"

She smiled.

"Who do you think we are, Jacob? The Sanctifier Guild's main function is to ensure fair trade. You did the work; now you get paid."

I was skeptical. The Guild wanted me as a pawn in their schemes. I doubted they would let me pay back my debt and walk free. Yet, a part of me wanted to believe. With my cut of the reward, I could pay off my debt and still have a small fortune left over.

Maybe living wouldn't be so bad.

I grinned despite myself. The expression felt wrong on my face.

Reed chuckled.

"You should smile more. It suits you. Enjoy today. Tomorrow will be… busy."

Busy?

"Jacob. Tom... Arwen."

"Inquisitor," Arwen said.

She walked away with a slight sway in her hips that left the three of us staring. She tipped her club lower to clear the doors and squeeze between Kateen and Cassandra. I missed their conversation, but whatever Kateen had said made Cassandra's face pale.

"Dang, she's hot," Tom said.

"She's dangerous. Stay away from her, nephew."

"There's some tension between you two. What's that about?"

"I'm no friend to the Sanctifiers. They don't like me and my notions."

"What notions?"

He gave me a pained smile.

"You know what? I'm gonna go set up the dining room for the feast. You should help your friends."

I narrowed my eyes. More secrets. I used to think I held a monopoly on the currency, but then I met Isla, and my secrets didn't seem so special. What was Arwen hiding? What had Kateen said to Cassandra?

I had the rest of the day to find out.

# # #

As the sun began its downward descent, the Pit was stuffed to bursting. Guards turned soldiers drowned their memories of battle with hard liquor and cheap ale. Mine workers assigned to clearing away bodies tipped their servers with red, round crystals. Meagre meals of sun-dried meat and stale bread were handed out on wooden plates. Yet, the atmosphere was festive.

The air of celebration had improved Castille's mood. She sat close to Dugan, exchanging quiet words and intimate smiles. Thor slept at their feet, a belly full of our table scraps. On the other side of the table, I sat next to Arwen. That left Tom to sit at the table's head with two girls bouncing on his lap. The sight reminded me of Isla and Reed. The two women were on my mind more than usual, making my life more complicated by the day.

"I hear y'all are coming into some money," Tom said, snapping me out of my daydream.

His voice was almost lost in the drunken cacophony around us. I scanned the room anyway. Outside our table, no one reacted.

In the capital, it was dangerous to brag about money, but our quest was public knowledge. It was a matter of time before someone figured it out, and when they did, the news would spread like wildfire.

I bit into a piece of old jerky.

How quickly would the Steelowners turn around and rob their heroes? We didn't need to worry about that today, but tomorrow?

I understood why Reed said we would be busy.

Castille slammed her mug of ale on the table.

"And where did you hear that from, Tom?"

"The Special Inquisitor."

"She has a big mouth."

"Alotta things are big on her," Tom said with a grin, missing the sour looks of his two companions.

He nodded in my direction.

"What are you gonna spend your money on?"

"I... Uh..."

All eyes at the table turned to me.

"I-I don't know... I guess pay off my debts."

"That's borin'!"

He jerked his head to Castille.

"What about you?"

She hiccupped.

"I would spend it on booze, women, and the right man to share it with."

She wrapped an arm around Dugan's neck.

"Now, that's more like it!" Tom said.

Castille pulled Dugan closer.

"And you?"

Dugan frowned at the bottom of his mug. His hand tightened around its wooden handle until his knuckles turned white.

He looked up at us with hard, brown eyes and said the last thing I expected.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.