Chapter 18

robe and hunt for her shoes. It was time to retrieve a wayward thieving

zyndar. Without thinking about the fact that he’d paid for her healing. She

was positive he’d sought to win her favor so she would look the other way.

That would not happen.

As the wagon rolled closer to Dharrow lands, the densely packed houses and

commercial dwellings of the city giving way to small farms and horse

pastures, Jev alternated between listening to the watchmen talk to each other

and contemplating how he’d ended up wanted by the Water Order.

Zenia’s absurdly brief description of the missing artifact wasn’t that

helpful. What had she called it? The Eye of Truth?

He’d never encountered an eye carved out of ivory. He had handled all

manner of dragon tears and lesser gems over the years, and his soldiers had

occasionally found tools and artifacts, ivory and otherwise, among the elven

camps they had managed to overrun, but he’d never pocketed any of them for

himself. Per his orders, he had boxed up any loot they recovered and sent it

back to the king’s castle for Abdor’s people to analyze. It had always bothered

him to take such loot, even if the items might be used to humankind’s

advantage, and he never would have considered pocketing interesting pieces.

He’d always hoped the loot would be returned when the war ended, perhaps

as part of a treaty. He doubted that had happened. In the end, there hadn’t

even been a treaty. The king had died, and his people had withdrawn. He

didn’t think anyone had even told the Taziir.

“You think we’ll still have jobs after the coronation?” one of the

watchmen asked the other.

The two guards sat on benches across from each other, placed so they

could ensure Jev, Cutter, and Lornysh didn’t jump out the open back of the

wagon. As if the men could have stopped Lornysh if he was inclined to leave.

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“They say the new king was a soldier and will favor soldiers. Give the

men who just came back our jobs.”

The watchmen looked over at Jev, eyeing his soldier’s uniform. As if he

might even now be contemplating his application to the watch. Or captain of

the watch, he supposed. One of his distant ancestors had held that job at a

time when only zyndar had been considered capable of such a critical

position. The captain commanded hundreds of men and had to ensure that the

underworld guilds never grew too powerful or became a threat to the average

citizen. Jev had no idea whether a zyndar or common man held the spot now.

“What do you know of the new king?” Jev asked, having forgotten about Targyon’s predicament while dealing with his own.

“They say he’s just a boy.”

“I heard he’s bookish. Might be he’s more likely to give librarians our

jobs instead of soldiers.”

“As if librarians can be watchmen. You can’t use a book to bring in a

criminal.”

“You can if it’s a big book. And you thump him over the head enough

times with it.”

Jev sighed and lifted his gaze toward the canvas top of the wagon. He

doubted these two intellects knew anything worth knowing. Once he had

cleared his name, he would go to the Alderoth Castle and check on Targyon in

person.

“How much farther to your castle?” Lornysh asked quietly from his side.

He had chosen a position as far from the watchmen as possible.

Jev glanced toward the countryside out the back. They were traveling past

the Groshon family’s estate now.

“About three miles until we reach Dhar-din Village and turn off the

highway. It’s another mile up a side road to Dharrow Castle. It won’t take

long in this.” Jev waved to indicate the vehicle with its steam-powered

engine, though neither it nor the boiler and smokestack were visible from

inside.

“Would it be simpler on you if I disappeared?”

“Now you ask that?” Cutter asked from the bench opposite them, not

bothering to keep his voice down.

The watchmen glanced at him.

“I invited you to stay on my land for as long as you wish,” Jev said

quietly, ignoring their guards, “and that invitation stands. You’ve spent years

working with the army. You deserve a peaceful place to rest in our kingdom.

Even if the common man doesn’t know that yet.” His father didn’t know it yet

either, but he would soon. Jev held back a frown. To think, a few months ago,

the only thing he’d dreaded about coming home was having to discuss the

details of his brother’s death with the old man.

“He didn’t answer the question,” Cutter observed.

“I noticed that,” Lornysh said dryly.

“It would have been simpler if you’d been wearing a hood when you

walked off the ship,” Jev said, “but at this point, I’d appreciate it if you stuck

around. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I may need an ally or two.”

Especially if his father denied him access to the only home he’d ever

known, which might happen, given his father’s feelings about elves. And if

Grandmother Visha was there, she would be even worse. She would offer

freshly baked cakes and cookies to Jev while screaming obscenities at

Lornysh, seeing nothing odd about doing both at the same time.