"If we run into any trouble, a little cash usually does the trick," Rowan said with a rxed grin. “Trust us, Boss. We know what we''re doing. Whatever problemes up, we''ll handle it."


    "And if things really get hairy, you make yourself scarce and leave everything else to us," he added.


    Calliope nodded. "I know."


    She''d carefully chosen Rowan and the others out of a crowd of mercenaries. They were the fearless type—no attachments, no families toplicate things—which made them both reliable and expendable. And most of all, she''d saved each and every one of them in the past; to them, she was a lifesaver, and they''d never forgotten it. They were loyal, and Calliope rewarded that loyalty well. She was happy with them—and, judging by their contentment, the feeling was mutual.


    The SUV rattled on, the constant jostle of the rutted road grating on nerves, but otherwise, the journey remained uneventful. After hours on the move, the group was worn out. They pulled over at a clearing, settled down, and started pulling out food for a brief rest.


    Calliope sat on a dusty rock and checked her phone. Uriah had sent a video: Mavisy motionless on a bed, unconscious, her skin almost ghostly pale. She looked desperately ill. Calliope''s brow knit with worry.


    "Boss, you need to eat," one of the team urged as he handed her a pack of trail food. "You''ll need your strength to keep going."


    Calliope shook her head. "Go ahead, guys. I''m not hungry."


    The image of Mavis''s frail, barely-breathing figure stuck in her mind—she couldn''t bring herself to swallow a single bite. All she could think about was getting to Mavis, and starting treatment right away. If she was honest, she wasn''t sure she could pull Mavis back from the brink. But she also knew that if she couldn''t, no one else would stand a chance. Whether she liked it or not, she had to try.


    "Not eating isn''t going to help anyone. You''ve got to fuel up if you want to save her." Rowan pressed a piece of tbread into her hand. "It''s not gourmet, but it''ll keep you on your feet."


    Calliope managed a feeble smile. "Thanks, but you go ahead."


    Rowan insisted, "Even if you''re not hungry, you need the energy. If you copse from hunger, how are you supposed to rescue anyone?"


    After he coaxed her a few more times, Calliope relented and forced down a few bites. She''d barely choked down half the bread when suddenly, gunfire cracked through the stillness.


    "What was that?" Calliope snapped her gaze to Rowan. "Was that a gunshot?"


    "Sounded like it," Rowan replied, hurriedly stuffing the rest of his


    bread into his mouth. "We need to move now!" As he spoke, his hand went nstinctive to his be


    brushing over his sidearm. He knew this wasn''t the time for a fight. Their best bet was to get out of here, fast.


    Calliope was halfway to the car door when men suddenly appeared on both nks, wearing mismatched. uniforms their weapons were raised eyes steely and suspicious as they leveled their guns on the group.


    "Who the hell are you?"


    "What are you doing out here?"


    "Looking to get yourselves killed?"


    They didn''t bother being polite. The gang barked at them in Stormgard''s local dialect-foreign to Rowan and the others, but perfectly clear to


    Calliope. She responded evening


    speaking in the same tongue)


    exining they were merchants just passing through and politely asking them to let the group go. As she spoke, she produced cash, offering it discreetly to both sets of armed men.


    For a tense moment, the gunmen stared at her with open suspicion, but then their eyes flicked down to the money. They pocketed the bribe, but one of their leaders spoke coldly.


    "You''reing with us."