The next day practically dragged by. I went to my magical training as normal, but my distracted mind barely processed the Razvaraji’s lessons, and several times, I had to rely on Sara to supply me the answers to the man’s questions.

“The Scripture of Steel,” she whispered in my mind, and I dutifully repeated her words, realizing as I did that the Razvaraji asked me another question and, once more, I took too long to answer.

“Correct,” the man nodded. “The Scripture of Steel is what separates the Razvaraji from the other warriors of the Sun, such as the Vanatori. The Scripture states that only by becoming one with their weapons and armor, by becoming the very steel they hold, can a warrior truly battle the evil of the moons.

“However, a true Razvaraji knows that steel is a crutch, and only joining with the Sun’s power gives one the strength to battle the moons. All other tools pale in comparison to the pure fury of the Sun’s wrath…”

I tuned the man out once more as I began reviewing the steps I still needed to take before making my way to the docks that afternoon. I understood what he said, of course, but it seemed pretty short-sighted and provincial to me. I mean, sure, a spell that wiped out a couple dozen moon-cursed in one blast was great – but sometimes, an axe in the neck or knife in the heart worked just as well. If I’d fought the Vanatori the way the priest suggested, I’d have died…

“A bridge of blood,” Sara broke into my thoughts, and I once more echoed her answer for the Razvaraji.

“Yes, precisely. A bridge of blood can connect the caster and a target, penetrating many defenses and sometimes even crossing great distances. It doesn’t matter if it’s your blood upon your target or theirs touching you. Beware, though, as that same bridge can be used against you by someone with the knowledge and power…”

After our magical training, Renica and I went out into the city, carrying our packs and heading down to the docks to a warehouse I’d scouted previously. I’d watched the place for days, and people used it very infrequently; we waited outside it, pretending to stare into the water, for less than an hour before the place emptied and we walked inside. I’d chosen the place not only for its general lack of use but also because it had a second-story balcony that allowed easy roof access. We stashed our gear on the roof, refilled our packs with random items from the warehouse so it didn’t look like we’d just left them behind, and returned to the Cathedral to basically kill time until the afternoon – and to let Viora know what was happening.

I found the Sorvaraji in her room, reading through a book with a golden sun on the cover that I guessed was a holy book or something similar. As I entered, the priestess looked up at me with a smile. “Ionat,” she said pleasantly. “It’s good to see you. What can I do for you?”

I closed the door behind me and sat on the edge of the woman’s bed, resting my elbows on my knees. “Viora, Renica and I are leaving the city,” I told her simply. “Tonight.” I expected to see surprise, outrage, or even sorrow in her eyes at my statement. What I didn’t expect was simple agreement.

“You found a ship and captain you trust, then?” she asked me calmly. My startlement must have shone on my face since she smiled and added, “Ionat, I never expected you to stay in Panja. You’re a man who acts, not one who waits. I assumed you spent all that time in the docks quietly arranging passage from the city.”

I frowned; if she worked that out, the Pretmaraji could have. I sincerely hoped he hadn’t, but I had to assume he would. That altered my plans slightly but not significantly. I looked at the woman intently. “You could come with us, Viora,” I urged. “There isn’t anything holding you here, not really. Your oaths…”

“I don’t serve the church because of my oaths, Ionat,” she cut me off. “I serve because it’s what I choose to do. The Church of the Sun keeps people safe against the moons, strengthens communities, and provides for those in need. I serve because it’s where I’m needed, vows or no.” She made a face. “Although continuing that service is harder sometimes than others, in all honesty. I’ve found that my recollections of the Pretmaraji don’t exactly match the reality I’ve encountered.”

“What do you mean?” I asked a little suspiciously.

She shook her head and looked at the walls meaningfully. “There’s no reason to speak of it,” she said. “You’re leaving, and there’s nothing to be done, anyway. I’ll simply warn you that your movements are being watched…” She laughed softly. “Which I’m guessing you knew anyway.”

I nodded, and she simply shrugged before pulling out a leather bag and handing it to me. “Here, take this. It’ll help with your journey.”

“What is it?” I asked, opening the bag and glancing inside. A smaller pouch rested within, one that clinked metallically with the sound of coins, alongside several glass vials containing a thick, pale green liquid and a folded piece of paper.

“Some extra coins, just in case you need them,” she explained. “The vials are tinctures of gumleaf, which will help with an upset or nervous stomach.” I looked up at her sharply, and she smiled. “As I said, Ionat, I knew you wouldn’t be content to remain in Panja. I can tell that you have a greater duty of some sort, and that your duty is taking you to the capital. You strike me as a man who won’t rest until your job’s done, so I assumed you’d find a way to leave the city quietly aboard a ship.”

She reached out and touched the folded paper in the bag. “This is a letter of introduction. When you reach Mihabag, find the Great Cathedral – it won’t be hard – and ask for Pretmaraji Nandru.”

“Nandru?” I echoed.

She nodded. “He was my teacher, and he’ll continue your instruction if you wish. He’ll also know what’s happening in the capital.”

I nodded, unsure if I’d use the letter or not. I preferred to stay below the Church’s radar as much as possible, but I knew that might not practical. After all, a spellcaster powerful enough to attack the Cathedral would most likely be found in the Church, specifically among the Pretmaraji. At the same time, the clues I had suggested a connection to the Vanatori, and I doubted I could just walk into their headquarters and ask to take a look at their archives. Having an ally in the Church would make my investigation easier, if nothing else.

I looked at the woman, my eyes scanning her body, seeing her tense muscles, her bowed shoulders, and the sad expression in her eyes. “You’re going to report that we’re leaving, aren’t you?” I asked quietly.

She nodded slowly with a deep sigh. “I – I have to, Ionat. I don’t have a choice. If I don’t, the Pretmaraji will punish me even more.”

“What will you tell them?” I pressed, trying to keep my expression neutral.

“The truth: that neither of you are actually my acolytes, that we found you in the Darkwood, and that you’re heading for the capital for some reason I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Honestly, it might not matter. Once the Pretmaraji realizes you haven’t taken any vows, he’ll probably just let you go.”

I doubted that, personally. The Pretmaraji seemed determined to make sure nobody knew about the attack on the Cathedral, and Renica and I were witnesses – witnesses headed for the place where his superiors lived. I couldn’t imagine that news of an attack inside the man’s holy place would go over well, and while he eventually managed to restore the wards, people would ask why they hadn’t worked in the first place. His bosses would want someone to blame, and while the Pretmaraji would probably try to make that Viora – or maybe the Razvaraji – I didn’t know if that would fly. Assuming politics worked the same way in this world as it did on Earth, the Pretmaraji probably made some enemies on his way to the top, and they’d eagerly pounce on his failure. The Pretmaraji couldn’t afford word to leak out – and Renica and I, without any vows to hold us, were real dangers of that happening. He’d try to keep us in the city, probably confine us or even execute us on some trumped-up charge.

Of course, that would only be an issue if he knew about our leaving in time to act. Viora would tell him, of that I had no doubt, but only if I gave her the chance. Here, in this small room, with the advantage of surprise, I could kill her, easily. I wouldn’t even need to use my weapons. She sat three feet from me; I could take her back in a heartbeat, choke her out, then suffocate her before she came to. A casual observer wouldn’t even know how she died; only someone who knew what they looked for would find the bruising on her gums and inside her lips, the tiny broken blood vessel in her eyes and cheeks. People would connect our disappearance and her death, of course, but by then we’d be gone, and they might think that whoever killed her took us. That little bit of doubt would give us enough of a head start to hopefully evade pursuit.

The simple solution popped instantly into my head, and I felt my body tense reflexively to execute it. As I did, I saw fear and sorrow flash across the woman’s face. “Are you going to kill me, Ionat?” she asked softly.

“Kill you?” I repeated.

“To stop me from saying anything.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “It’s the only way to be sure that I can’t tell anyone you’re gone, and we both know I can’t stop you if you decide to. I’ve seen how you move and fight. So, will you?”

I gazed at her for several long seconds. The Faceless Man would have killed her in a heartbeat, and he’d have done it in a way to throw off pursuit. It wouldn’t be hard; I could stab Viora in the chest, find and kill a man and woman approximately the same size as Renica and I, and burn them until their features were unrecognizable. It would look like we had a falling out and killed each other, the Pretmaraji would be happy to have all his loose ends tied up so neatly, and Renica and I would be free to travel as we wished. As Viora said, she couldn’t do much to stop me, and it would be the safest choice – the smartest one, really.

I sighed. “No, Viora, I’m not,” I said, relaxing muscles that tensed in anticipation of combat. “Once, I would have – without even thinking twice – but that was…another life, I guess.” I rose to my feet. “Instead, I’m going to trust you. You feel like you have to report our leaving, and that’s fine – but you don’t have to do it right away. We’re leaving at moonrise. Wait until then to tell, and there won’t be anything anyone can do to stop us.”

“I – I can do that,” she nodded, bowing her head. “I’m sorry, Ionat. Part of me wants to go with you, but I can’t.”

“I know, Viora.” I rose and left the room, my thoughts churning in turmoil. My instincts screamed at me to go back and finish the woman, but I ignored them. The person I wanted to become in this new life didn’t kill good people just to shut them up. That was who I was; it wasn’t who I wanted to be.

Renica and I walked out of the Cathedral two hours before moonrise, when the sun hung low on the horizon and shadows spread thickly across the city. We split up immediately after leaving the church, each taking a different route toward the docks. I wound my way toward the poorest parts of the city, doubling back a few times, taking every chance to scan the streets around me. It still took me a few minutes to locate my tail and deal with him; apparently, Costel had the honor of watching me. I picked up Renica’s route and found Dragomir tailing her, watching her far too intently, and dealt with him quickly and efficiently. With the watchers gone, I donned my fancier clothing and caught up to Renica.

The blonde jumped a bit when I appeared beside her; apparently, she’d felt Dragomir watching her. People sometimes talk about having a “sixth sense” that tells them they’re being watched, but the reality is that our actual senses are much better than we give them credit for. Renica probably caught the man repeatedly from the corner of her eye and maybe even got multiple glimpses of him looking in her direction. The images probably weren’t enough to register in her sight, but her brain still noticed them and warned her that she was being hunted.

“You found them, then?” she asked, glancing at my shirt and vest combo.

I nodded. “We had two watchers, one on each of us. I guess that the rest only come out when the Sorvaraji leaves the Cathedral.”

She nodded and seemed to hesitate. “Did you…?”

“No, they’re still alive,” I answered her unspoken question.

“Why?” she asked bluntly. “They’ll report what happened, won’t they?”

“Not for a while,” I replied, concealing the tiny bit of surprise I felt at her apparent bloodthirstiness. “I knocked them both out, stripped them, and bound them in strips I cut from their shirts. They’ve probably both come to already, but it’ll take them a while to wiggle free of their bonds, and even then, they’ll want to wait for darkness before running naked through the city.”

“Killing them would still be safer,” she said a bit stubbornly.

“It would, but it could also backfire on us. If someone stumbled on their corpses, they’d call the guards, and that would change the patrol routes. The whole point is to avoid being spotted by anyone official, and I’d hate to mess up our plans just to be sure those guys don’t report back right away.”

“If someone finds them now, they’ll call the guards anyway, though, won’t they?”

“No, they’ll probably untie them, first, and once our watchers are ungagged, they won’t let someone call the guards. It’ll draw too much attention to them and might embarrass whoever they’re working for – most likely the Cathedral.” I looked seriously at the woman.

“It’s true that killing someone who’s a problem is typically a solution for the problem,” I told her. “However, the thing about killing is that once it’s done, it’s done. You can’t un-murder someone. If it turns out that it was a bad decision, you can’t go back and fix it, and murder can have all sorts of unintended consequences.”

“What do you mean?”

“Imagine if, when Vasily cast me out, I’d responded by killing him,” I told her.

“You couldn’t have,” she pointed out. “The Moon’s Truce was still on you.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” I shrugged. “It’s not as infallible as you might think, and I could have taken what Vasily did – essentially forcing me into the Darkwood in the middle of a close moon – as an attack on me. But what if I had? Would you have still gone with me into the Darkwood Heart?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I would have tried to put a crossbow bolt in you.”

“And then, I would have either had to kill you, and probably Serghei, and maybe even Viora – or I would have had to flee the village. I doubt I would have found the Darkwood Heart, but if I did, I would have been the one being sacrificed, and even if I escaped, I wouldn’t have beaten the leurik without the fire discs you brought. I would have died, and when the soldiers came, the village would simply have stopped existing without anyone knowing the truth.” I shook my head. “You see? One death that might have been justifiable could have led to countless others.”

She frowned. “You still kill people, though.”

“Sometimes, it’s the only option, like when we fought those soldiers. Sometimes, it’s the best option, even with the potential fallout, like in the Darkwood Heart. However, if I do have options, I usually choose not to kill someone without a powerful reason to do so.”

She nodded, and we walked along in silence. As we neared the dock, I adjusted my stride and body posture to match the noble I played. “Remember,” I murmured to Renica, “I’m a wealthy person of some importance who doesn’t want to give his name. You’re my huntmaster, one of my servants. I’m going to talk to you like a servant, and you need to respond like one.”

“I remember,” she said a little waspishly. “Agree to whatever you tell me to do, call you ‘master’ instead of your name, and never speak to you unless spoken to or if it’s really important.”

“Exactly.” I reached out and smacked her lightly on the back of the head. “And be careful of your tone. We’re close enough for people to see us, so we have to start acting the part.”

Renica muttered something under her breath, but I ignored her, smothering my grin. That hadn’t really been necessary, but it was kind of fun to annoy her like that. This trip promised to be an interesting one, to say the least.

We stopped at the warehouse to pick up our stashed supplies, then proceeded to the wharf without incident, and I got my first look at the Gleaming Eye. The ship was long and broad, with three tall masts, a high rear deck, and a long projection jutting from the front. It gleamed orange in the fading sunlight, and I saw movement across its decks and up and down the gangway leading to it from the dock. We walked toward the ship, but as we neared, I noted a half-dozen figures lounging indolently nearby, watching us carefully with a predatory expression.

I rested my hand on the hilt of my rapier as the figures unwound from the various crates and poles they leaned against and moved to block our path to the Eye. The largest of the group, a man with a coarse, graying beard, scarred forearms, and dressed in rough, sleeveless linen, crossed his arms and spit on the dock, lifting his chin insolently in our direction.

“You!” he grunted, pointing a finger at my chest. “Hold up, there.”

I stopped, staring flatly at him. “Out of my way,” I snapped frostily, standing straighter. “I have a ship to catch, and you ruffians are in my path. Stand aside!”

“Ruffians?” the man laughed coarsely, his smile revealing several missing teeth. “Here we were, about to ask you the time, and you go and hurt our feelings! You’ll have to pay for that, I’m afraid.”

“The only payment you’ll get will be steel in your belly,” I said, drawing the sword a couple inches to demonstrate my point. Pun totally intended.

“Now, he’s threatening us!” the man said, pressing a hand to his chest as if hurt, while the others laughed roughly at his act. “For that, my good gentleman, you’ll need to pay extra. Your purse – and your woman. We’ll send her along to join you after we’re done with her, don’t worry.” He chuckled. “She might even thank you for it.”

“I give you one more warning,” I said in an icy tone. “Stand aside, or suffer the consequences.”

“What do you think, boys?” the man laughed. “I’m thinking we’ll be just fine dealing with the consequences…Urk!”

He cut off as I yanked my blade free and jammed it into his throat. As I said, I didn’t really know how to use the weapon, but the basic principle seemed simple enough. I held the hilt, thrust with my arm, and jammed the pointy bit into the man’s neck while stepping forward.

As it turned out, I had even less idea what I was doing than I thought. The blade sank into the man’s throat, but I’d thrust too hard, and it struck his spine and twisted, nearly tearing free from my grasp and turning my wrist painfully. I managed to keep hold of the handle and yanked it back as the man fell to his knees, gurgling. I ignored the throbbing in my wrist as a second man roared and threw himself at me, jerking a knife free from his belt. I stepped to the side and stabbed at him as he passed, this time not pushing hard enough and only gashing his ribs. He stumbled and fell, clutching his wounded side but obviously not badly hurt. I hefted the weapon, but as I did, I realized my best bet would be to drop it, forego the disguise, and use my knife and hatchet to kill these men. If I didn’t, I might keep up the act but lose my life.

Fortunately, I wasn’t alone. Renica’s crossbow thrummed loudly, and a third man dropped, clutching the bolt jutting from the center of his chest. Vikarik barked, her war cry causing the others to flinch, before she barreled forward and caught the man I’d wounded on the side, knocking him down bearing him to the ground. The man’s shriek of pain and terror ended in a gurgle as she ripped out his throat.

I stepped forward, but the other three men turned and fled, scrambling away from us as fast as they could. Vikarik took two steps, but Renica clicked her tongue, and the cairnik halted, turning back and standing at the woman’s side.

“Well, that was poorly done,” a voice said, and I looked around to see a man dressed in a golden coat with green trim, his blonde hair pulled tightly back behind his head. Four figures stood behind him, all wearing white shirts and dark pants that couldn’t quite hide their well-muscled bodies – and did nothing to disguise the various weapons they held in their hands.

“I beg your pardon?” I asked, sure to keep my voice haughty and somewhat outraged.

“You should have had the cairnik kill the leader first,” the man laughed. “The others would have run at that point, and you would have saved yourself some time – and the embarrassment of trying to use that sword in your hand.”

Although I privately agreed with him, I forced my face into an expression of outrage. “How dare you?” I demanded. “Are you insulting me?”

“Not at all, good sir,” he said easily. “I’m merely observing that you have not as yet had a chance to learn the use of that blade. I’m sure, with practice, you’ll be master of it one day.” His eyes sparkled with mirth as he spoke, but his face looked perfectly calm and respectful.

“Yes, well, it’s true that I haven’t studied its usage, yet,” I admitted, rather clumsily sliding the blade back into its sheath. “However, I intend to remedy that in the capital.”

“A fine place for it,” the man agreed. “My name’s Captain Karol, by the way. I didn’t get your name, I’m afraid.”

“And I won’t be sharing it,” I shrugged. “Part of what I’m paying for is discretion – assuming you’re the captain of that ship over there.”

“Yes, sir, that I am,” the captain bowed. “And you would be my passengers – although I understood there might be a sister, as well?”

“Sadly, she couldn’t bring herself to join me,” I shrugged. “So, I’ll be traveling without her.”

“A shame. However, we did hold the cabin for her, so I’m afraid I’ll have to charge you for it in any case.”

I withheld my expression of disgust – that wasn’t remotely reasonable, considering that I booked the cabins yesterday and there was no way anyone else would book them in that short time – and quickly produced a silver bar. “As you wish. Here’s a portion of the money upfront. I’ll pay you the rest when we reach Mihabag.”

“That seems reasonable,” the captain shrugged. “Welcome to the Gleaming Eye, good sir, and may you enjoy your passage aboard!”