Something weighty creaked on the boardwalk, without a thud of leather or bootheel. The sheriff was back. He paused at the threshold, looking at all of us with a grim expression. Disappointment bloomed in my chest. Did Jake die? Did Frag? Jake would be depressed about losing a life, and who knew how many Frag had left. I shifted in my chair by Savage’s desk to look at the sphinx in the doorway.

  “Are Jake and Frag okay?” Fig finally pushed herself up from her bellyflop ‘swoon’ on the long bench beside the window.

  “He will be fine, along with your other companion. The esteemed physicians of Symbiot wished to keep them for the day,” Zayan replied, stepping in. The rustic old office front seemed to shrink in his massive presence, barely containing it.

  “Sir,” Savage spoke, standing up behind her desk. She flicked a glance at me, then said, “They proposed we send them to Heartland Park for safekeeping. They got ties there, and said they’d be well defended.”

  Zayan weighed us with a predator’s gaze. “No. We will keep them here.”

  “Ashwynn can protect us,” I insisted. “All respect intended, it wasn’t hard escaping here. It’d be easy for the Killer to get in.”

  “You will be protected here,” Zayan stated. His expression darkened, displeased by the blunt mention of Jake and my jailbreak.

  The success of my plan hinged on the bargain I could make with Ashwynn to ensure our safety. I wasn’t sure if he’d help or tell me to pound dirt, but I was willing to try. A deal with a devil like the fae lord was risky. He could say no, or he could meet it with a twisted smile. Either way, I knew Ashwynn wouldn’t try to contain us like Zayan would. I was willing to take the risk.

  “If you want to send escorts with us, good. I’d rather you did. Is it worth throwing everyone you have at this problem?” I asked, glancing at the office. “The whole city still needs you.”

  Zayan’s gaze changed when I mentioned escorts. He glanced around the room at the deputies. His catlike lips twisted into a subtle grin. “You will keep your escorts close, even after you enter Heartland. They will consult with you every step of the way until the Killer is captured.”

  “Sure. And if we help you, all grudges between us can be forgotten,” I stated. Had to get that in there, or this thousands-year-old sphinx would probably just arrest me again, and this time not hold off my hanging until the next morning.

  “It is true that your petty crimes pale to the Killer’s. We will discuss it at a later date,” Zayan responded with the calm of someone in charge of the situation.

  Dammit. Worth a shot.

  “Savage, you and Williams will go with them.”

  “No,” I blurted, shooting a look at her. I swallowed and explained, “She’s your best deputy. She’s too valuable to babysit us in Heartland. I mean… that’s how I see it.”

  I didn’t want her along because she was too observant. We needed lackeys that would protect us, not Savage. She’d as soon shoot me as look at me. I think she took our prison break personally, but she should really have thought about it from our angle. We had stuff to do besides jail and hanging.

  The sheriff looked at Deputy Savage. “What would you rather do, deputy?”

  “If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’d rather not be locked down with this lot,” she said and tilted her head at us.

  “Very well, deputy Zeke, you will go.”

  The mantis guy stepped forward. My lips twitched. He was too freaking adorable with his little leather vest and badge, a leather satchel slung over a slender shoulder, and the hat on his wedge-shaped head. I couldn’t. My breath hitched, throat closing around the giggle that threatened. He might be a badass, but my chest squeezed to resist the burst of laughter.

  No mocking the deputy. Keep it together.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  If he hadn’t been wearing clothes, I wouldn’t have been amused. Bugs gave me the cringe. However. A bug man in a deputy vest and hat? Game changer.

  His name wasn’t Zeke. Above his head, his nameplate read, ‘Zkrr’eth.’ It was close enough. As the chuckle in my gut receded, I started formulating a plan of approach. It was hard to say what caught the Heartland Lord’s attention, but it seemed to be the weird and unusual, like me. This deputy fit that description. Hmm.

  “Glasses, Zeke,” I nodded. Too late, I realized what I’d done. Cody’s eyes narrowed behind his round spectacles.

  Elora poked my shoulder—thankfully in the non-wounded one—and frowned at me. Akilah scoffed loudly. Keep inside thoughts on the inside. Right.

  “Sorry. Sore. Tired.” My HP had been rising, but my energy was dragging, still low.

  Everyone nodded. I pushed myself to stand, sweeping a gaze over the group. “Let’s go talk to Ashwynn, if that’s alright.”

  I flicked a look at Zayan, then moved for the door. Glasses beat me to it, peering out before exiting. I followed, squinting into the blessed sunlight. A strip of mutton jerky appeared in my hand, summoned from inventory. I stuck it between my teeth and started walking for the city.

  Glasses fell in beside me, and I glanced around. “So, you guys don’t have wagons or cars, eh?”

  It would have made the trip a lot easier. Glasses looked at the corral beside the office and the barn just barely peeking out behind that. He tipped his chin that way. “We got horses and one wagon, but we don’t use the wagon much. Might ride, if we’re further than a district away. Sheriff’s fastest anyway, wings ‘n all.”

  I nodded thoughtfully. Light seeped into my pores, warming, healing, slowly rippling inward. I chewed on the jerky dangling from my lips as we crossed from Thorn Ridge skirting the border of hives that towered like houses, surrounded by flowering shrubs. A sentient plant meandered along in tall grasses, trailed by a bee carrying a basket on its back, nestled between its wings.

  Twilight bordered the other side, the cobbled road half in shadow. I strayed toward the hives to stay in the blue sun’s rays. I used to work nights, but literally wanting to never stand in the sun? I didn’t get it. Eh, vampires. I guess it tracked for them. The others? Not so much.

  We cut through the Colosseum bazaar. I waved at the fried dough lizard guy, who waved back. Didn’t understand a word he ever said, but he seemed alright. Nodded to Mr. Kim. I glanced back at our raggety group. Akilah, Elora and Fig walked close together, skin cleaned and patched, but their bloody, torn clothes made them look like the barely-surviving heroes of a horror movie. Not far off. Except the movie was only beginning.

  Zeke followed behind, his iridescent eyes glinting in the sun. He cradled his gun up against the raptorial foreleg with a bony finger—tarsus. I only knew those words because of high school biology and the teacher obsessed with entomology. Forever burned into memory.

  We left the familiar bazaar for the street past some mud huts and the weird floating rock called Othegarde. I looked up at the underside of it as we passed. Heartland Park wasn’t far beyond the streets surrounding the Grand Market.

  “Can’t believe I’m doing this,” I muttered, recalling my last meeting with Ashwynn.

  “Huh?” Glasses asked.

  I brushed my good hand through the air. “Talking to myself.”

  Second-guessing myself.

  We made it to the arch. No scent of ozone anywhere the whole walk. It didn’t soothe me. I led the group to Verdance, the little village of rock and vines. Aran was sitting outside Urstana’s house, weaving a basket. He smiled and waved, and I waved back.

  Petal Dew was flying in a lazy circle, as always. Still wanted to punch her.

  I stopped and turned to Glasses, facing everyone, but speaking to him. “Alright, Zeke and I will go talk to Lord Ashwynn. You all can relax here until we get back.”

  Zeke skittered forward eagerly, making a clicking sound with his mouthparts. Cute as he was, I still flinched. Glasses glanced around, frowning.

  “We should stay together. It’s more dangerous to separate,” he said.

  “I can’t bring all of you to Gleamholt. I could still get in trouble just for bringing Zeke. Keep an eye on Elora. I’ll be back, I promise.”

  I paused and glanced at each of them, then stared the deputy down. In the clearest, sternest voice I could muster, I said, “I won’t leave them behind. They mean too much to me.”

  Glasses blinked and slowly nodded.

  “Aww,” Elora cooed. Akilah smirked, but her eyes softened. Fig clasped her hands, beaming. Ugh. But it was true. They were my team. Mine. No hippie’s dream-crystal of an assassin would be taking them from me.

  “Okay, Zeke,” I said with more energy than I felt. “Let’s go see the district lord.”

  It was time to find out if my bullshit plan would work. Would Ashwynn help us—or shut us out?