The decapitated head of a cat had been left in front of Rair’s door. Kaye was on her way back from drawing the farming fields outside the city when she spotted it, and despite the knot in her stomach there was something unknowable that kept her from looking away.

  “Rair?”

  Footsteps approached from inside the building, then he appeared in the entrance, pushing the door that had been left halfway open. Rair was about to say something when he noticed the dead cat.

  “What is that? Did you see who did it?”

  “No, I just got here. I thought something happened.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry that you had to see that. Come inside, I’ll clean it up. This is bad for business.”

  With one st gnce towards it, Kaye walked inside. An image of the cat screeching fshed in her mind and she blinked it away, closing her eyes the moment the machete was brought down. She stood by the entrance, watching as Rair found a piece of cloth to wrap the cat’s head with and started wiping the blood.

  “Is this because of us?”

  “Don’t worry about it, Kaye. Most people don’t mind you Nagra and we don’t know who did it, could just be some kids.”

  “Kids?”

  “Some kids can be cruel,” Rair looked up at her. “I’m going to dispose of this, but could you keep it between us?”

  Kaye considered it for a moment before understanding what he meant. With how protective Gairin was, he would likely decide to leave if he found out about it.

  She nodded, and while Rair was away she walked up to the second floor to store the money she had earned, added in the new coins and counted them.

  Rair only seemed zy but was a resourceful man, Kaye had found out. Though he was a candlemaker, he also seemed to trade on anything he could get his hands on. From Nagra bows and arrows, to sewing, to fixing shoes or even other people’s roofs, and Kaye helped him with everything he needed. Adding that to their sales, she had somehow managed to save eighteen silver coins in the past four weeks — thankfully she didn’t need to spend any of it on food or housing — not counting the few days she lost when they went back to Korok’Kan to check on Taya.

  Eighteen silvers, which was how much Captain Loshi was asking for passage to Geshin, a city she found out was northeast, in Mor. The richest kingdom in the whole world, with the rgest armies and highest number of Acolytes, matched in strength only by the Toronan Empire. At least, that was what everyone she asked about told her. It would be a good pce to start her travels, and Captain Loshi was scheduled to set sail in less than three whole days.

  What could she do in three days? Now that the time was nigh, she couldn’t keep from worrying about it. At least her mother would have seen her one st time a week before she left, but Kaye was more worried about her father.

  It had taken her a long time to decide on how to send the message that she had left of her own accord. She couldn’t leave a note when the Nagra had no written nguage, but with what little she managed to learn from Rair she could use her father’s friend as a way to pass on her words. She would leave them with a short letter that Rair could transte along with two amulets fashioned from locks of her hair. Gairin would still be worried, she knew. He would cry at night, and she would too, but it was for the better. After that, she could only hope that he would understand that her happiness was not to be found among the Nagra, that she needed to be free.

  She stored all the coins in a pouch, attached it to her belt and waited for Rair.

  When he came back, he had a troubled look on his face.

  “Something happened?” Kaye asked.

  “Not now, but I just remembered it. Did you hear about the fight?”

  “Fight? Is my father hurt?”

  “No, no, they had nothing to do with it. There was a fight st night in a tavern by the central square. Not sure what happened, I heard different stories about it, but two Nagra wearing wolf pelts beat up four men and one of the tavern’s guards.”

  “The Urcan.”

  “Is that how they are called?”

  “It’s a tribe. The chief’s most trusted men wear wolfskin. You think that was an answer to it?”

  “No harm is coming your way, I can guarantee that, I’m just telling you because it could be more dangerous to not know about it. Whatever happened is going to be settled by the city’s authorities, and whoever takes a look at you will know you aren’t these wolfskins. If you happen to have a wolf pelt, don’t wear it out into the city. I… I’m sorry that you had to see that.”

  What a kind man you are, Rair. At least I know father is going to be in good hands.

  “Don’t worry about it. I can keep a secret. Do you know where my father is?”

  “He left with Hogog a while ago, said they’d spend the whole day in the market. Last I heard they were arguing about whether they should try to get a horse or another ox. By the way, are you busy now?”

  Kaye shook her head. “Need help with something?”

  Kaye spent the afternoon following Rair around Kakinse in deliveries, growing increasingly more impressed by the man’s ability to strike a conversation with anyone, while she did nothing more than walking, carrying weight and gncing around for distractions.

  They had finished the job for that day and were making their way back when Kaye decided to ask, “Do you do all of this alone?”

  “If you’re asking why I don’t get someone to help me with it, that’s because I don’t pn to work until I die, so I need to save coin for my retirement. Do you know what retirement is?”

  “I understand the concept, but we have nothing of the sort. Us Nagra only need money when we are in Kakinse, and when one of us can’t work anymore, the rest of the family provides for them.”

  It struck her the moment she said it. Rair had never mentioned having any family, wife or children. It was odd, now that she thought about it, and her curiosity lit up.

  “But what about before? Have you always worked alone?”

  “Liss used to take care of the shop while I did the deliveries. She never liked the odd-jobs, so I would do some of it hidden. I’ve been doing them for so long that stopping would feel wrong though. If she wanted to curse me for it, she would have come back already.”

  “Can I ask what happened?”

  “Sometimes, Kaye, a person can simply happen to be at the wrong pce at the wrong time. Liss was the type to stand up for others. She was minding her own business when she came upon a boy being robbed, grabbed him by the arm and tried to escape, but guards came and there was a fight. One of the bandits escaped, the boy as well, but she was hit in the middle of it.”

  Kaye was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “No need to worry about it. That was a long time ago. Before you were born, even. What about you, Kaye Nanur, do you have a sad story to share?”

  “Haven’t lived long enough for that, unless dragging my uncle pissdrunk back home when I was ten counts?”

  Rair chuckled. “Did he puke on you?”

  Kaye recognized the street they were on.

  “A lot,” she said. “I think I’m going to meet them in the market.”

  “They’re probably back already.”

  “Maybe, but if they aren’t there then I’ll find my way back alone.”

  Rair shook his shoulders. “Go ahead, girl. And take care.”

  Kaye pretended to move one way, but watched to make sure that Rair kept going forward. When he was out of sight, she turned in the opposite direction to head for the docks. Even if her ship was only setting sail in two-and-a-half days, she didn’t want to run the risk of losing her spot.

  She became more aware of the tinkling coins in her pouch, tied it in a way that didn’t allow them to move around as much. It was really happening, she was going to lend eighteen silver coins to an official in the port, closing all the doors that would have stayed open had she remained with the Nagra, and open a new one to the unknown.

  The sun was starting to set when she turned to make her way back, casting long shadows through the city’s streets. Her eyes remained locked on the path ahead as she strode through Kakinse. She almost couldn’t believe it, and couldn’t decide if she was more nervous or ecstatic.

  Their cart and the oxen were poorly parked in front of Rair’s pce, closer to the middle of the street than the building. She approached them intending to fix it, but, realizing how odd it was, turned to the shop.

  Light on her feet, she entered the empty space. Kaye hadn’t brought her bow but always kept her bone dagger, which she grasped at the hilt, ready to unsheathe.

  Voices sounded from the room above and she recognized one of them as belonging to her uncle. Sighing, Kaye rexed and made for the stairs, ready to compin about the cart and for making her worry.

  Hogog was standing in the middle of the main room, but her attention was stolen by someone lying on the table. Gairin had his left leg over a pillow, his trousers pulled up.

  “Father? Father! What happened?”

  “Easy, Kaye. Easy,” Hogog said. “Rair is bringing a healer.”

  Gairin grunted something, a wordless sound. She looked through his body, trying to find what was wrong with him, but there were no obvious wounds. A wet cloth was pressed to his forehead; she reached for it, finding his skin hot to the touch.

  “What happened?” Kaye demanded.

  “Looks like he was ill but trying to hide it,” Hogog said, and though he had told her to take it easy, Kaye could see that he was troubled. “His knee splintered from a fall. Trying to carry too much weight, I think, until his bad leg gave in.”

  “Weren’t you with him?”

  “I was but… I just, wasn’t watching. I should have noticed… I’m sorry, Kaye, I truly am. I shouldn’t even have let him leave the vilge.”

  “You can’t decide for me,” Gairin mumbled, coughing.

  Kaye leaned closer to him a bit too fast, shaking the table. “What happened? Did someone do this to you?”

  Hogog pulled her back by her shoulders. She tried to resist, but found her legs shaky.

  “No one did anything to me, dear. It’s like your uncle said. I’m going to be fine, see?” saying that he raised his arms, and Kaye reached for his right hand, finding his skin as shriveled as it was hot. “This is embarrassing, but it’s not going to kill me. Can you pull that pillow up a little bit? Yes, like that, thank you. Come back here, Kaye, and look into my eyes. This is not going to kill me. Understood?”

  Kaye nodded repeatedly, feeling embarrassed herself. A prickling at the corners of her eyes told her she was close to tear; she barely managed to pay attention to her father’s words about how it wasn’t her fault.

  There was so much more to this, to her reaction, that she couldn’t tell them, but she had already closed those doors.

  “...I’ve sent someone to warn Taya,” Hogog was speaking.

  “You shouldn’t have bothered her with this,” Gairin said.

  “Brother, I think she would have killed me the moment we made it back with you on crutches.”

  Her father wheezed a ugh that turned into pained coughing. Kaye slowly rested his hand back on the table before moving away.

  “Dear? Are you well?”

  “She’s just startled. Give her some time.”

  Kaye had tried, really tried, to make things easier on them, to not give them any worries that they didn’t need, because she knew all along that this was going to be the time, and she knew for a fact Gairin had pushed himself for her, but it was about to happen.

  Would he feel ashamed every time he thought about his runaway daughter, remembering his injury? Or would he feel betrayed that she had left while he needed her the most?