Immediately, he saw her stiffen as she stopped talking to Sheldon and playing with little Isha. Her eyes hardened, and she lifted her chin and straightened her back. Then she stepped away from the other two, arms crossed.

The wind picked up and he could smell her scent instantly reek of anger.

Unyielding. Unforgiving.

And something else that made him cough. He almost covered his nose and forced himself to put his hand back down.

“I was right,” he muttered and sighed. And wrinkled his nose.

He’d been right. He’d expected it.

So why did it hurt?

And what was that smell?

Taking the last few strides toward them, he offered a small bow. “Miss Lita.”

“Taiken,” she said coldly. Apparently that was all she intended to say because she thrust something out toward him.

A letter.

Instantly, the mystery was solved. Though he was still bewildered. What are you doing, Diana?, he thought as he took the letter.

Without a word, he unfolded it.

To the keeper of the amphitheater, Taiken Vaughn,

We are informing you that your contribution this year will be to the amount of 700 blue pebbles. We expect payment by the fifteenth of the fourth month.

If you have questions, or would like to make other arrangements, reply to this letter when you wish to meet.

-The Brethren

For an instant, all he felt was bewilderment.

“Voids you, Aridon!” he exploded. He crushed the letter and used it to cover his nose.

“Isha’s here, watch your language,” Sheldon said. He freed a hand and held it out. “What is it?”

Fuming, Taiken handed the letter to his aide, and Sheldon scanned it. His eyebrows shot up.

“700 blue pebbles? Are they insane?”

“Not they,” Taiken corrected in exasperation. “Only Aridon would do this.”

“I wonder if the other Brethren know or if he’s taking advantage of their absence?”

“Does it matter?”

“We might be able to appeal.”

“They’ll back up that adder and then lash him in private.”

“We’ve been able to appeal in the past.”

Taiken balled his fists and ground his teeth. He was having difficulty keeping his fangs in check. If Isha hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have bothered.

He was aware of the child staring at him while sucking her thumb. So curled his hands harder to hide his rebellious claws.

“Read it again, Sheldon,” he said grimly. “Appealing is exactly what he wants us to do. Which means he has some trick or game underway and the best way to avoid it is to pay the void- the darn pebbles.”

“If the viper is playing a game,” said Lita casually, reminding both men that she was there, “and he’s up to something, what do you think it might be about?”

She wasn’t looking at him. Instead, arms still crossed, she was looking at the wall.

“If I knew, it would be easier to avoid.” Taiken clenched his teeth and closed his eyes.

700 blue pebbles. In five voided days!

“What message do you want me to take back?”

“What choice do I have?” He rubbed his forehead. “Tell them I’ll be by tomorrow.”

Lita barely gave him a nod of acknowledgement before turning to Sheldon. “It’s good to see you,” she said warmly. Then kissed Isha on the cheek. “I’ll see you next time, little one.”

“Take care,” Sheldon murmured as she left.

They were both silent for a few moments as they watched her walk away. If he hadn’t been so distracted, maybe Taiken could’ve appreciated the sight of her back profile more.

Maybe.

If she hadn’t been mad at him.

If he hadn’t deserved it.

“Here.”

Taiken held out a hand, expecting Sheldon to hand back the letter. Instead, the other man handed him Isha. His aide read the letter again while Isha squirmed around until she was comfortable, putting her head on Taiken’s shoulder.

“Do you want me to go with you tomorrow?”

“Into the viper’s den? No. I can handle that much. If you can finish up with the supply lists without me, though, that would be amazing.”

Sheldon nodded and folded the letter.

“Take Isha with you. Just have her back before dinner if you don’t want Verona skinning your hide.”

It was a scary enough idea that Taiken laughed.

***

Lita found a tree to lean against. Shaking.

She’d kept it together while she was there by focusing on her anger. But, now that she was away, all she could do was stare up the street with a blank expression while tears filled her eyes.

Years of emotions, the hot sense of betrayal still as fresh as if it had happened yesterday, had slammed into her the instant she’d seen the demon’s still handsome face.

Angrily, she wiped away the first tears that dared escape.

I’m done crying about this, she thought as she propelled herself off the tree and started stomping up the street. He’s a voided demon. I should’ve expected it.

She pulled her shawl closer to her body, the early spring wind chilling her. Around her, in increasing numbers, were other people doing the same. Once in the market area, she relaxed a little.

Here she wouldn’t stand out so much.

She wove through the crowd, stopping at various shops and stalls to talk to the owners or look at the wares. After she’d done this a good six times, she stepped into the stall she really wanted.

The old man didn’t even look up. Nodding off a little as he ‘guarded’ his blanket of jewelry. Big, crude jewelry.

“Nothing demon made here,” said Lita casually.

She knelt down next to the blanket to pick up a set of earrings. The old man opened one eye and blinked sleepily at her.

“How much for this?”

“A green stone.”

“Hmm.” Lita put it down. “What about ceremonial rattles? Do you have any?”

The old man cracked a smile. “Are you planning to marry soon, dearie?”

Lita’s face flushed. “I’m adding it to my hope bale.”

“No prospects?”

Her face flushed further and the old man laughed. He stretched slowly and casually nodded to the other end of the stall, where his grandson was helping another customer.

“I think that one would be interested.”

“I’m not looking for a husband,” Lita said firmly. “I just want to see some rattles.”

“Alright, alright.” The old man tried to get up and Lita hurried to her feet, offering him a hand. He took it. “The craftsman just brought us a selection yesterday. They’re inside.”

Letting the old man lean on her, she helped him inside.

Except for the light from the curtained doorway, it was dark enough inside that she could barely see hints of storage space.

“Don’t you have a lighter?” asked Lita as she looked around. Squinting.

“With the recent executions, our normal lighter has been working only for the Palace,” said the old man. He suddenly sounded more alert than he’d been and let go of Lita’s arm with a stretch. “Voided demons! Making our lives harder.”

Lita silently agreed. With a shrug, she reached for the nearest lamp and lit it with a push of magic.

It was almost all the magic she had and it left her gasping.

“Thank you.”

“You’re… welcome.”

She concentrated on catching her breath as the old man moved to the nearest of the shelves next to the curtained doorway. Leaving her in plain view of anyone who was looking inside while he rummaged around the shelves.

She looked around while she waited.

“This is beautiful. Tables, shelves. Minimal wood.” She looked up at the ceiling. “If you have a fire, it wouldn’t take long to fix things. How long ago did your family contract for this place?”

“My grandfather made the contract,” said the old man absently, opening another bundle. “Twas a smart move, but like a canker in the mouth.”

Turning her face just enough to hide her mouth from the doorway, she said, “Think we’ll have access to this stuff when the Chief takes over?”

“I’m sure he has a plan to keep the demons working for us. Twould be good on the soul to see them bow to us.”

Lita snorted in response and folded her arms. Meanwhile, the man found the bundle he was looking for and stepped toward a small table set beside the door. There, he unrolled the bundle so she could look at the selection inside.

She picked up a few rattles, looked them over, and finally chose one with five purple-dyed feathers.

“How much?”

“Just whatever you brought for me.”

“You need to eat, too, sir. Two green pebbles?”

“You lit my lamp, dearie. One pebble.”

Lita nodded and pulled from her hip pouch the pebble. That and a tightly folded parchment. She safely transferred the Ronda plans into the man’s hand, then nodded her appreciation as she walked out.