Chapter 7 · Price on Both Heads

Kade heard the bounty bell before he saw the poster.

One hard clang from somewhere above the lower-market roofs. Then another.

Mira grabbed the back of his coat and yanked him into a butcher's alley just as three city guards came around the corner with their crossbows up.

“Down,” she hissed.

Kade hit the wet stone on one knee. His palm landed in something cold and greasy. He did not look at it.

The guards marched past the alley mouth.

“Search every stall,” one of them said. “Riven is armed. Voss is considered compromised. Both are authorized for capture or disposal.”

“Disposal,” Kade muttered.

Mira's hand stayed on his shoulder until the guards were gone. Her fingers were cold through his coat. She pulled away like she had touched a hot stove.

“You planning to make a joke?” she asked.

“No.”

“Good. Save your breath.”

He looked up at her. Her dark guard coat had been turned inside out, the silver trim hidden, but there was no hiding the way she carried herself. Straight back. Eyes always moving.