Yellow blood seeped through the cloth I had wrapped around my hands. The climb down from Cusi had been more difficult than I had imagined, causing the skin on my hands to split in several areas.

  Sani and Avian had little trouble making the climb. We tied the apprentice to Haros’ back. He climbed down as easily as I strolled across a stone road. Kiri, like me, struggled. But she managed to make the descent without destroying her hands.

  “Just drink a potion.” Avian said.

  “I don’t want to waste one. I’m out of ingredients to make more.”

  She pointed ahead of us. “Norfield is but a short walk, and after that, Borra sits less than a night’s travel away. Ingredients for such a basic spell will be abundant in both.”

  “Really?” I raised my eyebrows, not fully believing her claims. In Mallma, selling ingredients with the intent to create a potion was illegal. “Regardless, the injuries to my hands are not fatal. They will heal.”

  She glared at me. “We’re about to enter a border town. No laws exist there. Every yaksha must protect themselves. The difference between life and death could come down to your use of a blade. Can you use yours well with your hands bandaged?”

  I shook my head, then dug into one of my pouches, pulling out a healing potion. It was one of the last ones I mixed, away from the fire and nothing but clear sky above the table. It was the most likely to work properly. After removing the cloth from my hands, I chugged the potion. At first, each wound felt like it was set on fire, then the pain switched to a fizzing numbness. The cuts closed up, and the abrasions faded away. My skin showed no signs of the former damage as if it had never existed. “Do you have the powders I gave you?”

  Avian shook her head. “I gave them to Yauri.”

  I thought about the two pouches the guards produced at my sham of a trial. At the time, I wanted to prove they were fake by ingesting them. If Avian gave them to Yauri, and she gave them to the watch captain, then I came really close to proving my own guilt. Scanning Avian’s face, I looked for any emotional signs. She gave Yauri the means to convict me. Was her trust for Yauri really that great, or was she willing to sacrifice me so easily? I buried the thought for now. This wasn’t the time to broach such an issue.

  “If this area is so dangerous, and if there are no laws, then wouldn’t having them be an advantage?” Even as I asked, I considered the implications of what I said. In the past, I would be shocked that any yaksha would allow themselves to slip into performing the dark arts. But here I am, considering using forbidden magic once again.

  Her jaw clenched. “Such magic would fetch a high price, making it a target for thieves. And while there are no laws, most yaksha here are Nasar Wigon. If they think a Void Wigon is in their presence, they might band together to slay him.”

  I gnashed my teeth as I processed this information. Things were much easier in Mallma, black and white. Everyone knew what they could and could not do. Here, the rules seemed to lie in more of a gray area. How could anyone ever be comfortable living with such uncertainty?

  “How far to Norfield?” Kiri asked.

  Avian glanced up at the sky, finding Petra directly above us. “If we move now, we’ll be there before Mid-Filis.”

  “That’s close,” Kiri said.

  “Most border towns are located further from villages. But they feel safe being this close, due to the difficulty of the climb,” Avian said.

  With that, we again set out.

  As we walked along the unpaved road that led through Norfield, I quickly realized how different it was from Mallma villages. Instead of first walking through the poor area, the entire camp seemed to be one big slum. The existing cabins were shoddily built. Many residents slept in tents or structures that appeared to be built using junk they found. One was constructed from a trader’s cart and an old tent.

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  Avian walked beside me. Sani and Kiri followed close behind. Haro remained in the forest, keeping watch over the apprentice.

  Like us, everyone I saw walked in groups. In Mallma, maidens would walk along the road alone at this time. Here, I saw mostly men, and never less than four walking together.

  We finally reached an area with larger buildings. I assumed it was their version of a village square, but it lacked the stone lock-up that each one had in Mallma. Instead, the largest building was a tavern made of wood. A sign, slightly crooked, labeled the place as A Stone’s Throw. I wondered if the name was meant to signify how close they lived to society.

  Avian pointed toward A Stone’s Throw. “Let us drink and get a feel for this village. We must find a place to stay for the night.”

  The rest of our team could have made camp around a fire, with only the sky for a roof. But without a tent, I would parish before Petra rose. Our tents, as useful as they were, sat on the ground right outside Cusi. Haro was the only one strong enough to carry them down, but he was already carrying the apprentice. Glancing around, I didn’t see a market where such things could be bought. “Is there an inn?”

  Avian shook her head. “They don’t get a lot of travelers in such a place, and out here, running a business based on housing strangers would prove more dangerous than it’s worth.” She continued walking, pushing through the front doors of the tavern.

  All eyes seemed to lock on us as we strolled through the crowded room. Tables, with chairs for four, were lined up in two rows. The only space to walk was between them, making us feel like we were marching through a gauntlet. All the seats were occupied, while at least a dozen additional patrons stood throughout the bar, some leaning against the walls while others hovered close to a table. The bar was at the far end of the building. We’d reach it after passing six sets of tables.

  Once at bar, the yaksha behind the counter nodded to us. “I hope you don’t mind standing. I doubt you’ll get a seat this night.”

  Avian locked eyes with the man. “Do you serve human ale?”

  He glanced around for a moment, then focused on her and nodded. “Did you come from Mallma?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Might I suggest our relaxation potion. We make it locally. Something you won’t find anywhere in Mallma.”

  The thought of a potion made to relax surprised me. I’ve never heard of one. I wondered if any of the Mallma Gothis knew such a thing existed.

  “We’ll take one of those, and three human ales.” She slapped a coin onto the counter. “I was also hoping to get some information.”

  “Residents of Norfield are protective of their privacy. I wouldn’t recommend asking questions about anyone here.”

  She shook her head. “We’re just looking for a place to lay our heads for the night. Who has a place to rent?”

  He pointed to a table. “If something is for sale or rent in Norfield, Hutch will know about it.”

  The table he indicated had four yaksha sitting at it, and two more standing close. The two standing close kept their hands on their hilts, as if being at the ready. Neither of them drank. The other four talked and laughed, seeming to pay little attention to anything around them.

  The yaksha behind the counter set down three ales and a yellow potion with red flakes. As the only yaksha in our group, I realized the potion was for me. Its effects would be different on a human, elf, or fidi.

  I pulled the glass vial toward me and stared at it. As much as I wanted to ask about the ingredients, I knew they wouldn’t disclose them. Drinking something I didn’t understand seemed dangerous. Even more dangerous was consuming anything in a seedy place when I didn’t even meet the yaksha that mixed it. Plus, I was once again in the position to break the True Blood ways. At this point, I was more Nasar than True Blood.

  Avian sipped her ale and locked eyes with me. “Drink up.”

  I paused at first, unsure if I wanted to. But the look in her eyes suggested I had no option. Lifting it into the air, I studied it one more time before chugging the contents.

  The tavern keeper clapped and whistled. “We have a first-timer here, fresh from Mallma.”

  Most of the customers kept to their conversations. A few held their drinks in the air, as if signaling they would join me. But the four yaksha at Hutch’s table studied us, as if noticing for the first time that strangers were in their presence.

  The potion kicked in faster than I expected. First, my muscles relaxed. Then my mind followed. All the worries that I tended to dwell on faded away. I had the sudden urge to sit somewhere, or maybe just lie on the floor. Glancing down, I realized the sloped wooden floor wouldn’t be the best spot to relax.

  Avian gently grasped my arm. “You should talk with Hutch.” She glanced at Kiri. “Go with him, but let him do the speaking.”

  I stretched and yawned. “What will I even say?”

  “Ask them if there is a place we can rent for the night.”

  Peering over at the table, I realized the walk was short, but I didn’t really want to go. My body felt heavy, and leaning against the bar elevated the burden. “We have little money. What shall we pay them?”

  Avian tapped a pouch that was tied to her waist. “Yauri gave us some earth gems. They’re used as currency in border towns.”

  I reached for the pouch.

  She shook her head. “Make the deal, then we will pay.”

  I sighed, feeling like this was more of a bother than necessary, then I turned and walked to the table. “Are one of you Hutch?”