“You better pray we’re not outlaws,” Joe said. “This is about the time when outlaws would start killing witnesses.”

“We’re not going to kill him?” Jace asked.

Joe looked over at him. “Like this? After he surrendered?”

Jace shrugged. “Too easy?”

“He’ll hunt us,” Cole warned.

“I’m seldom at a disadvantage,” Ansel said. “Can’t claim to like it, but I also can’t do much to change it. Not while the boy has that rope and you have that bow.” He gave a disgusted sneer, then clenched his jaw. “Tell you what. If you let me and Secha go, we’ll return the favor. I won’t pursue any of you. Easy as that. This never happened.”

Secha looked at Ansel with stunned surprise.

Ansel noticed her expression. “What? You got a better idea?” His eyes returned to Joe. “Offer stands.”

“This could end badly if he’s lying,” Twitch pointed out.

Ansel gave an angry laugh. “Traders who lie don’t stay in business. I claimed Cole lawfully. Don’t fault me for tracking him down. It’s like guzzling vinegar, but I’ll concede that you got the best of me. I’m in no rush to die. It’s time to cut my losses and walk away. That’s my word on the matter. Secha?”

“Me too,” Secha said. “Let us live, and this is forgotten.”

“How’d you find me?” Cole asked.

“Does it matter?” Ansel asked.

“You’re not the one asking the questions anymore,” Cole said.

Ansel heaved a poisonous sigh. “Wasn’t magic. I drew an image of you. I have a hand for faces. We hired some artists to copy your portrait, and I rounded up some men to share the pictures around town, offering a reward. Somebody working the door at the dazzle show last night recognized you. Word got back to me in time to have men follow you after the performance. At first they thought they’d missed you, but then you exited late from a side door. Once we knew your inn and your room, the rest was easy.”

Joe crouched near Ansel. “You’re not a good man. Legal or not, your occupation is despicable. But you’re a trader, and I’ll take you at your word. If we leave you here, you’ll never hunt Cole again, and you won’t utter a word to the authorities about seeing the group they’re looking for.”

“That’s my pledge,” Ansel said. “I’ll go on living my life, and you’ll carry on with yours. A profitable bargain for both parties. End of story.”

“Killing him would be safer,” Jace said. “We took out his guys. He might change his mind.”

“He’ll keep his word,” Joe said.

“You’ll all get caught,” Ansel said. “You’ve drawn too much attention. It’s just a matter of time. But it’ll have nothing to do with me or mine. You took out Ham, probably some of my other people on your way down here. That’s to be expected. Heat of combat, you or them. Water under the bridge at this point. Sunk costs. You don’t want to kill me in cold blood. I don’t want to die for doing my job. I’m giving you an out. Let’s all go on living.”

“He’s good,” Jace said.

Ansel spat sideways. “I like straight talk.”

Joe looked to Mira, and she looked to Cole. He considered Ansel, sprawled on the grimy floor. The trader had abducted his friends. If not for Ansel, Cole would be at home right now, going to school or playing video games or horsing around outside. Jenna and Dalton would be safe, as would the others.

But if slavery was legal, did Ansel have a point? Was he just doing his job? He was a bad guy, but he hadn’t killed any of the kids. If he promised not to chase them anymore, Cole couldn’t stand by and let him be murdered, even after the awful things the slaver had done.

Cole gave a nod. “I believe him.”

Mira nodded as well.

“All right,” Joe said. “We’ll take you at your word. I don’t want to see you again.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Ansel assured him. “Let’s become strangers. Leave us here and make your way wherever you choose. We’ll stay down here for an hour, and we won’t pursue you. Reasonable?”

Joe gave a quick salute. “See you never.”

Chapter 12

CARAVAN

“I booked us passage with a caravan that leaves tomorrow at dawn,” Skye said. “It was the soonest I could manage.”

They sat in a rented room not far from Trellis Square, where they had met Skye without trouble. The rescue had taken place in the first hour of the morning, leaving them plenty of time to make the scheduled rendezvous.

“Is a caravan the best way for us to travel?” Joe asked.

“We’ll draw much less attention than we would on our own,” Skye said. “The back roads of Elloweer are unsafe. Most people live near a castle or in towns behind walls for good reason. Strange creatures roam this kingdom. People are wary of outsiders. Considering the threat of the Rogue Knight, I vote for a caravan.”

“Isn’t the Rogue Knight fighting against the government?” Cole asked. “Doesn’t that put him on our side?”

“I wish,” Skye said. “From what I hear, the Rogue Knight hasn’t shown much interest in who he robs, as long as they have money. He hasn’t provided leadership to the cities he has conquered. He hasn’t sided with a cause. His only clear aim is to defeat champions and give away the spoils. His methods are reckless. He seems to want anarchy.”

“Anarchy would shake up the High King,” Jace said.

“Chaos in Junction City might help us,” Skye replied. “But wars are only decided by champions in Elloweer, so the Rogue Knight only shakes up Ellowine towns. Think about what no taxes really means—no guardsmen, no community maintenance, no public services. The High King and his governors are better than complete disorder.”

“A lady I spoke with thought the Rogue Knight might be the Duke of Laramy,” Cole said.

Skye rolled her eyes. “Everybody has a theory. I have it on good authority that the Duke of Laramy is dead. He was the nephew of Callista, our Grand Shaper. He remained vocal against the High King’s takeover after Callista went into hiding. We tried to recruit him into the Unseen, but he preferred to make his outrage public. He vanished before long. Drowned, as I understand it.”

“What about Callista?” Mira asked. “Do we know how to find her? She would probably help us.”