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Dreadaeleon’s glance flitted down to the auntlet that hadn’t been there before He caught a glimpse of Bralston’s eyes, narrowed to irate scrutiny, upon the glove

‘The spoils?’ he asked

‘This?’ Denaos held it up, ad it ‘I prefer to call it an honest day’s pay for an honest night’s work’

‘Hardly anything honest about it,’ Dreadaeleon said ‘You never once stepped out to help us on the deck You didn’t even give us the signal that you were safe’

‘And you sank the ship without ure we’re even Everyone made it out unscathed, anyway’

‘Not Lenk,’ Asper pointed out

They fell silent at that

It was only when they had returned to the shore, the ship long since sank, that anyone noticed the absence of their silver-haired companion Bralston and Dreadaeleon had u, having been picked up by Hongwe, stood beside the Gonwa nearby Gariath and Kataria came to join them, without a word from either of them, only a fewto Sheraptus and left in silence

Lenk hadn’t e

No one had searched for him

Dreadaeleon told himself now, as he had then, that it was not his fault Searching for Lenk would have been pointless in dark water, if it was even an option It was only when they had all stood upon the beach that he realised he had left Lenk behind He suspected, if their sunken expressions were any indication, the others also shared siuilts

Yet, he didn’t ask Nor did anyone ask hied between theerest of sounds would be agony And so they had parted, the sight of each other suddenly tooabout their lost co back into the village the next ash in his shoulder He sat hih to stitch up his wound

After that, he had staggered to Togu’s hut, where his companions and the chieftain stood asseu had survived after being hurled bound into the ocean Instead, he stared for an eternity into bulbous yellow eyes that refused to meet his own before he looked up at the creature’s hut and uttered the words

‘Gevrauch’s debt’

They had taken to the task with varying amounts of enthusias herself to what u had stockpiled Kataria had taken arrows; Lenk had taken a shirt of mail; Dreadaeleon had taken a new pair of boots; Denaos had taken everything else Gariath acknowledged that his grudge against Togu wasn’t as great as theirs, so he contented hi on the lizardman’s throne

When the torch had cou who had gently silenced hination, or perhaps he was pleased that the co The lizard until Lenk had whispered a few unheard words and stalked off

Togu had said only ten words

‘All that grows on Teji,’ he whispered, ‘once grew in that house’

And he had sighed and he had shuffled down the stone circles as the last fragrances of floere consulances shot in the direction of their beloved leader’s s hut The Owauku had yet to ask a question as to why it was burning Of course, Dreadaeleon acknowledged, they had yet to come within fifteen feet of the co

‘Any idea where Lenk went?’ Dreadaeleon asked

‘No clue, no cares,’ Denaos replied ‘Maybe he wanted to try on that ar cut up again’

‘That’s a concern ast you?’

Bralston spoke with a sudden depth to his voice that none had heard before The question co?’ the Librarian pressed, his hard stare never leaving Denaos

‘Hazard of the job,’ Denaos replied coolly

‘Adventuring is not considered a job,’ Bralston said ‘It is long thought to be the last haven of scum, criminals and murderers’

It wasn’t the first time those three words had been used to describe the profession And by Dreadaeleon’s count, that was around the sixty-fifth time those three words had been used to describe Denaos specifically The rogue had never had anything for the accusation beyond smiles and snidery

The sixty-sixth time, however, he merely stared back at the Librarian

‘From Cier’Djaal?’ he asked

‘It is with pride that I confirue said

‘It once was’

It was there for an instant, the briefest twitches across their faces, perfectly synchronised Dreadaeleon watched their reactions with a quirked brow, as unsure as to what had just happened between them as he was unsure why Denaos turned and stalked off towards the forest

‘What was that about?’ Dreadaeleon asked the Librarian

‘I don’t like the look of thatform

‘I think that’s intentional on his part’

‘You are e ‘That is a man too comfortable in masks What we see is what he wants us to see What he doesn’t want us to see is what lurks beneath A coward … a predator’ He looked to the forest and his voice became a spiteful razor ‘A murderer’

Dreadaeleon suspected absently he should speak up in defence of his coht the saue Besides, before he could open his mouth, someone else beat him to it

‘And ould you know of predators?’ For the first time, Asper turned to thery flames had not left her eyes ‘What would you know of him?’

‘I have …’ Bralston hesitated, apparently taken aback by the outburst, ‘seen his type before’

‘And there is no lack of types to be used in deciding who is who, is there, Librarian?’ she pressed, stepping towards hiuely astonished at the audacity Even if she weren’t facing a man who had aptly proven his penchant for and ability to turn things into ash, he was still a powerful physical speci nearly as tall as Gariath Beyond that, he was a Librarian, an agent of the Venariu all threats to the Laws of Venarie and with extre