Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves 1)

The tension grew more taut with every passing second. Shouting erupted.

“You’re not taking them anywhere!” Titus bellowed. “You’re trespassing in Ballenger territory!”

“You’ll pay for this,” Aram sneered.

“We’re a sovereign domain,” Priya yelled. “Your queen has no jurisdiction at Tor’s Watch, and you definitely don’t!”

“You’re our prisoners now! Drop your weapons!” Mason shouted, his sword drawn.

Our captives screamed through their gags.

Save this, Kazi. Somehow save this.

“Move aside, Jase. Now.” Please. I don’t want to hurt you. I stepped forward, and more swords sliced free from scabbards.

Jase looked around at the growing tension. “Hold your weapons!” he yelled, and he held his hand up in a stopping motion toward me. “Don’t move, Kazi. You’re going to get yourself killed. You’re going to get your friends killed.”

“Let them shoot, Jase!” Titus yelled. “They’re outnumbered!”

And we were. By far.

“Shut up!” Jase yelled over his shoulder and turned back to me. “Put it down, Kazi. There’s nowhere for you to go. We need these men. We have an agreement with them for—”

“There’s nothing that will make me give them back to you, Jase. Nothing. If we die, they die with us—and the scholars will die first.” I was in the way of most of their shots. I would go down first, but there would be time for the others to slit our captives’ throats.

The scholars moaned beneath their gags.

Jase’s gaze locked on mine. There was no going back, but I still saw pleading in his eyes. For these men? He slowly edged closer as if I wouldn’t notice.

“Give me your knife,” he demanded.

“I’m asking you one last time, step aside.”

“I can’t do that, Kazi. Everything we’ve said is true. We’re the law here, not you or your queen.” He took another step closer, his hand still outstretched. “There are thirty guards with their arrows aimed, and a lot of nervous straza. Someone’s going to make a mistake and one of you will—”

And then there was a shout in the darkness. From Gunner. “This is what you really want, isn’t it?” he called. “We’ll trade.”

Gunner stepped forward, his arm crooked around a man’s neck. The man struggled beneath Gunner’s grip, and our gazes met. Shiny onyx eyes looked back into mine.

My chest burned.

The air vanished.

My dagger shook in my hand.

I heard Jase shouting, Gunner, no!

More shouting. But it all seemed far away.

Kazi.

Kazi.

Where is the brat?

Time spun. Sweat trickled down my back.

Torches flickered and all I could see was golden light bouncing off walls. My mother reaching for a stick.