I leaned forward, grasping the reins until my fingers turned white. Never had I moved so fast, nor did I want to. I peered to my right, seeing the trees pass by fast enough to become a blur. After suppressing the urge to purge my lunch, I focused in front of us. Was the sheer speed making me sick, or the worry about being thrown from the horse. At this speed, I’d break every bone in my body. Glancing back again, I confirmed the apprentice still bobbed around on his horse, matching my pace. The urge to throw up intensified.

  Up ahead, the cloud of dirt grew closer with each passing moment. As I attempted to form a plan, I heard additional hooves slapping against the dirt behind me, to the right. I didn’t risk looking back again, as I didn’t want to see what happened if I vomited at this speed, but I had a gut feeling about who it was. “Sani.”

  “Yeah.” He burped, likely feeling sick himself.

  I pulled back on the reins, getting my horse to slow a step, allowing Sani to catch up. “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “You won’t face them alone.”

  “From what Yauri said, even together, we have no chance of winning a fight.”

  “You’d better have a good plan then.”

  I glanced at the apprentice, and then at Sani. “Yauri said something about two or more Void Wigons being in the same area, as if she thought they were working together.” Focusing in front of me again, I thought for a moment. “If they are a secret group, they would know a Void Wigon as renown as Dante. They likely have detailed knowledge about his experiments.”

  “Perhaps. How does that help us?”

  “Not sure yet, but it’s something.”

  Up ahead, the cloud of dust, now much closer, began to dissipate. The three Wigons trotted off the road, into a small clearing. I didn’t see Avian riding ahead of them. Had she decided to stop and fight?

  I followed them off the path and into the clearing. Avian stood with the trees to her back, a dagger in each hand. The Void Wigons were making enough noise for her to hear where they were, which would make them an easy target. While she had an accurate throw, I couldn’t be certain what spells ran through the veins of her potential targets. For all we knew, the blades would bounce off them.

  “Do you mean to start a fight, spy?” The largest of the men chuckled after asking.

  The woman glanced at him. “She’s a Brigand, Mace. Aren’t they normally assassins, not spies?”

  “You are quite right, Lirit.” Mace ran a hand through his thick brown beard, which reached the center of his chest. “Stop, whoever you are. Sneaking up behind us isn’t a wise decision.”

  “I beg your pardon, sir.” Staying in the saddle, I stopped my steed about five horse lengths from the man not called Mace. I thought for a moment, trying to remember his name, since Yauri had mentioned all three before I rode off. Omar. That is right. “You are Mace and Lirit.” I glanced at the third yaksha. “And you must be Omar.”

  Omar, while not as large as Mace, was no small yaksha. His arms were as thick as a knight’s. I had trouble judging his height while on horseback, but he looked to be much taller than the average man. Unlike Mace, he lacked facial hair. Either he shaved it recently, or his beard was as blond as his hair, making his stubble blend in with his skin.

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  “What do you know of us?” Lirit asked.

  “Dante mentioned you might venture into this area.”

  Omar’s eyes narrowed. “We didn’t tell the old man we were coming.”

  Mace locked eyes with Omar and shook his head. “We don’t work with Dante, nor do we know his whereabouts.” He pointed at Avian. “But we can discuss your arrival after we dispose of this spy.” He rubbed his chin. “Or possibly an assassin.” He grinned at Avian. “Were you sent to kill one of us?”

  “She was helping me.” I pointed back at Sani. “This human had escaped Dante before he could finish the new version of his potion. Dante ordered me to find and bring him back. I hired Avian to aid me.”

  “Another human?” Lirit said. “Didn’t one just escape Palla Cahua with that bandit group?”

  “They thought he did, but this one is clever. He acted as if he had escaped but stayed hidden in Palla Cahua. While I checked a few places in town for him, I sent Avian to search in the...” I snapped my fingers, as if trying to remember.

  “The tannery?” Avian said. “Necro thought he might hide in a place where most don’t like to venture.”

  Mace shook his head. “We are to believe you three work with Dante?”

  “If I may.” I dismounted my horse and approached the apprentice, lifting his hood and taking the gag from his mouth. I had to hold him by the neck to prevent him from biting the horse. “Dante had us bring one of his apprentices in case we needed him as a distraction.”

  Lirit’s eyes widened. She glanced at Mace and nodded.

  By her expression, I assumed she had seen Dante’s handiwork before, which gave us credibility. “If we may take our leave, the four of us will return to Dante.”

  “You can take the human and the apprentice,” Omar said. “But we need to finish speaking with the spy.”

  “I’m no spy.” Avian said. “Once finished bringing the human to Dante, I am to return to Layla and finish my next task.”

  “You work with Layla?” Lirit raised her eyebrows.

  Avian put down her hood and flicked her tongue. “She is my kin.”

  Mace scratched his chin. “If not a spy, why did you run?”

  “Because you chased me. I knew not what I walked into, but realized you weren’t tanners. Men don’t meet at such places to discuss legitimate business. Which made me think I had wandered into a dangerous situation.” Avian grinned.

  Lirit locked eyes with me. “If returning the human to Dante, why were you riding in this direction?”

  “When the bells tolled, I escaped hidden in a wagon, figuring I’d find a spot ahead to venture outside the gate.” I turned to Avian. “Then she rode by.”

  Mace studied my face long enough to make me feel uncomfortable. I was uncertain about the types of potions he had access to. For all I knew, he could read thoughts. My mind went into panic mode. I tried to clear it.

  “I know of a way out,” Omar said. “Perhaps we can escort them to Dante, see what he has to say.”

  Mace focused on Omar and shook his head. “We haven’t time.” He glared at Avian. “I don’t believe you saw much, but I implore you to forget what little you did.” A wicked grin spread across his face. “Tell Layla I spared your life, so we are now even.”

  Avian lowered her daggers and took a step forward. “What did Layla do for you?”

  Lirit scoffed. “Layla has been a good friend in hard times.” She jumped down from her horse and strutted toward Avian, stopping when within reach. She yanked one of the daggers from her hand. Avian resisted, but Lirit was too strong for her, likely because of a spell. “This will hurt but for a moment.”

  She grabbed Avian’s ear and stretched it, using the dagger to slice a small piece.

  Avian winced but didn’t struggle.

  “When I next speak to Layla, if I discover your story is a lie, I’ll use this to find you.” She placed the ear skin in a pouch. “If you speak our names to anyone, I will hunt you down, regardless of your relation to Layla.” She glanced at all of us. “This goes for your group.”

  Mace nodded toward Omar. “Show them how to get outside the wall, then meet us in Palla Cahua.” He turned and rode, with Lirit following close behind him.

  Omar commanded his horse to trot forward. “Where is your horse?” He asked Avian.

  “It ran off when I dismounted.” She shrugged. “I borrowed it from the village.”

  Omar reached down, offering Avian his hand. She took it. He pulled her up and slung her behind him. “Hold on tight, for I ride fast.”