Stormsworn: A Steamborn Novel

Book 9: Steamborn Series

by Eric Asher

Genres: Dystopian; Steampunk

Synopsis

An echo of war. A fractured alliance. A looming prophecy…

The attack on Ballern caught more than the Skyborn unprepared. Mordair’s sinister agenda has been revealed, leaving countless shattered lives in its wake. He seeks a pact with the Children of the Dark Fire. One that will break the foundation of the alliance.

Archibald and Lady Katherine have split their forces between Karn, Ballern, and the East, leaving them vulnerable to Mordair's ruthless strikes. Karn prepares to fight beside the Stormborn, leading Jacob and Alice to a nightmarish place known as the Dead Woods. There, the land itself is poisoned, making the air toxic to every creature who dares enter. Secrets lie hidden in an ancient control center, a glimmer of hope in the crushing darkness.

But everything comes at a price.

The forests will burn. The skies will darken. Amid it all, the Stormborn will rise.

 

Read more

Release date: May 28, 2024

Print pages: 406

Sample

CHAPTER ONE

Jacob gently pulled back on the reins of his Tree Killer, slowing the mount until she came to a stop beside their Karn guide. “Thank you for inviting us, Mali.”

Mali glanced between him and Alice. “It is good of you to join me. We don’t get many Ancorans in Karn, and that is something of an understatement.”

“It’s nice to be away from Ballern.” Alice patted the head of her mount. “I’m glad we could help with the rescues, but after two weeks …”

“There isn’t anyone else to rescue.” Jacob stared off into the Gray Woods, his quiet words hanging in the air for a time.

“Don’t tell Arun I quoted him, even though I am about to.” Mali gave them both a meaningful look. “But he’s told me a lot of things over the years. Some of them help me in the dark times. You gave what you could, and that is enough. You may feel like it never is, but know that for those who care about you, it is enough.”

Jacob didn’t miss the small smile that crossed Alice’s face when she glanced at him. He knew why. It was close to what she’d been saying to him while he spent hours in the workshop, followed by hours climbing through stones and ruins in his exoskeleton.

He’d complained about changes he could have made that would have been better for a rescue, but he hadn’t made them because he’d been too focused on what would be useful in a fight. And to that, Alice had told him he’d done enough. He was enough, and the simple fact he’d given so much effort was all anyone could ask of him.

But the truth of it was, he could do more. And he would do more. Wise words might be a salve in the moment, but they rarely pulled survivors from the rubble.

Jacob didn’t speak any of those thoughts aloud. Instead, he focused on Mali, meeting her gaze. “Thank you.”

“We have one more ridge.” Mali gestured to the lightening shadows in the woods. Movement spread out around them, creatures large and small either avoiding the Tree Killers or contemplating them for a snack.

Whatever the case was,

Jacob trusted Mali to know when danger was nearby. He might have known how to deal with Red Death and Widow Makers, but the creatures of the woods were another world entirely. Jacob patted his Tree Killer between the eyes, the many facets tilting back to study him like a thousand mirrors.

“We cross the ridge and climb the first Forest Giant, just there.” She pointed to an expansive trunk with curls of peeling bark near the tangled roots. “The limbs are wide enough to support far more than the three of us, and the leaves aren’t falling. We’ll be all but invisible to anyone who might be watching.”

Alice gestured to the ridge. “Lead the way.”

“It’s still a bit odd to be riding on a Tree Killer.” Jacob pulled the reins to the side, and his mount followed without protest.

“They’re no more dangerous than a Mantis, if you ask me.” Mali stiffened and glanced back at Jacob. “Sorry, I know your experience with them has been different.”

Jacob waved the thought away. “It’s fine, honestly.”

“Here, the Tree Killers are certainly dangerous, but they rarely attack people outright. And when they do, it’s not for food. If they’re cornered, or threatened, then they are one of the most dangerous creatures in the woods.”

“The Acidwings are rather unsettling,” Alice said, glancing up toward the canopy as they crested the ridge.

Mali nodded. “And they will happily feast on unsuspecting people. Best to be on your guard in the thicker parts of the Gray Woods.”

It wasn’t hard to identify the nearest Forest Giant. Far to the northwest, smoke crept through the scattered openings of the forest canopy, but they were well hidden behind the Forest Giant’s trunk.

“Let me get my camera ready,” Mali said. “I don’t want to be trying to assemble it perched on the Forest Giant’s branches.”

She stopped halfway up the tangle of steep roots before pulling a slim rectangular box from her leather pack. Jacob assumed it was plates for the camera until Mali pulled out another small box, swinging open a door in the back before inserting the second box. She spun a dial on the side and removed the front of the assembly, revealing a round lens.

“What is that?” Jacob asked.

“My camera? I’m quite sure you have these in Ancora, don’t you?”

Alice leaned forward. “Nothing so small. And I’ve really only seen the picture man’s camera in the Wildhorse up close. Not many cameras in Ancora.”

Mali blinked. “Truly?”

“Definitely,” Jacob said. “Not only that, but Ancoran cameras are huge.” He spread his hands to demonstrate that fact. “You need a tripod to keep them stable. How do you hold that one still?”

“It doesn’t take that long, honestly. I usually rest it on a branch.”

“And the smaller box is your plate?”

“The film?” Mali frowned before a broad grin crossed her face. “Oh, you’re going to like

 this. That smaller box I inserted earlier? That holds the film. Think of it like multiple plates on a long strip. I can take almost fifty pictures on a single cartridge.”

Jacob stared at Mali, remembering the huge plates the picture man had to slide in and out of the camera at the Wildhorse. How could fifty of those possibly be inside that tiny box? “I’d really like to see how that works on the inside.”

Mali narrowed her eyes. “You’re not taking apart my camera. Tinker or not.”

Alice chuckled and grinned at Jacob. “Maybe Archibald will buy you one. You could tell him it’s a necessary item for the new exoskeletons you’ve been working on.”

Jacob started to reply, but trailed off. “That’s … not a bad idea, actually. If you could have something that small mounted in the frame? Think of the reconnaissance someone could gather with that.”

“You’re talking about spies, aren’t you?” Mali asked. “I think spies have enough to work with already.”

“No … I mean yes, but not exactly.”

Alice raised an eyebrow.

“No, no, think about it. The exoskeletons aren’t going to be used by spies. They aren’t quiet or stealthy. Compared to a Titan Mech, maybe, but they’re still loud, especially armored. But if they were on the front lines, they could document what was happening. Send the photos back.”

“They need to be developed.” Mali tapped the side of her camera. “The film stays inside its cube, and that’s all we need to get back to the city.”

Jacob blinked at that. “It doesn’t … I mean, it doesn’t dispense like a plate on the bigger cameras?”

“Not at all.”

He shook his head and let out a small laugh. “I have to know how that works. When this

is over, do you think one of your tinkers could show me?”

Mali groaned. “Yes. And while they’re doing that, Alice and I can move back to Ancora so I can try this Cocoa Crunch you two have been talking about these past few days.” She turned to Alice. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll see him again in nine or ten years.”

“He is right, though, isn’t he?” Alice rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s not just the reconnaissance. Think of all the people and places that have been lost to history. Some we might have a few paintings of, but to have photographs would be … I don’t know, more real? Like a book, but different.”

Mali turned the camera over in her hands before securing it to her vest. “I never thought about it like that. Our tinkers are going to need to learn to make film a lot faster if we’re going to start selling these to Ancorans. Now, let’s focus, shall we? As soon as we reach the lowest branches, spread out along them. It won’t be hard to see where the Great Machine is.”

Jacob tapped on the center of his mount’s head, the signal to follow its leader. He took the rear as Alice trailed Mali, guiding them over the rest of the roots before the Tree Killers’ scythes cut into the bark itself. From there, the mounts moved something like the spiders, propping their riders up through training or instinct as they went.

A quick glance at the ground showed the forest floor vanishing below them far faster than it felt they were moving. It was disorienting at best. Jacob focused instead on his grip and the soaring branches of the Forest Giant. Every step of the Tree Killers above him sent small splinters and clouds of sawdust into the air, and for a short time, he wished he had goggles.

Soon enough, they reached the first branches. Calling them branches felt wrong, since Jacob was quite sure their Tree Killers could stand shoulder to shoulder across the width of the first branch.

Mali’s mount scurried out a good distance before she stopped. Alice took the second branch, dismounting and sidestepping around the Forest Giant until her Tree Killer could follow. Jacob trailed behind them, watching each step of his mount before he caught sight of Alice, staring into

 the distance.

He was about to ask what she was looking at when the gap in the foliage opened before him, and he saw the rolling banks of fog. Heavy nearer the mountains, the thick fog broke as it left the valley, nearing the ocean and plains leading to the Gray Woods.

As much as it obscured, there was a great deal to see. A trapezoidal shadow lurked in the fog, spitting towering columns of smoke into the air, a dark contrast to the mountain fog. It served to frame the surrounding city, and a city it was. It could have been Ancora without the walls, but the lines were sharper, the roofs swept up like a wave, capping every home and structure he could see.

A burst of fire rose from a smokestack, leaving an echo of soot behind as if it were a dark flame in the sky. The ground surged with people and machines and creatures Jacob couldn’t make out. But he’d seen something that looked similar before.

“It looks like a hive of Sky Needles. An impenetrable hive.”

“Mordair is inside that thing,” Alice said as the fog rolled back, revealing more and more of the Great Machine and what waited around it. Airships floated over the water and docked along a short, wide structure well past the Great Machine itself, and distant enough that the destroyers looked like little more than toys.

Warships continued along the shore and out into the bay, and suddenly Jacob understood why the ships Lady Katherine had sent in pursuit of Fel had never returned. Seeing what waited near the Great Machine, she’d been right to focus on the rescues. A direct attack on the forces before them would have been disastrous. They’d need more warships to break those lines, and even then, the Children of the Dark Fire had airships of their own. An attack here would require a fleet like nothing seen since the Deadlands War, and even then …

Jacob tried to shake the darker thoughts away.

Ranks formed to the southeast along the ground. A line of armored Walkers and crawlers.

“Are they marching on Ballern?” Jacob dismounted and walked out on the branch beside Mali.

Her camera clicked before she spun the side wheel and pressed the button for the shutter  again. “Those Walkers aren’t meant for a raid on Ballern. They’re coming for Karn.”

 

CHAPTER TWO

Jacob rubbed his forehead before taking a deep breath and trying to tie the Tree Killer’s bridle on in the proper fashion. They’d only just returned, but Karn liked to keep its Tree Killers ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. The bridle wasn’t anything like the saddles the Spider Knights used, and getting the knots wrong could cut into even the thickest of their chitinous armor.

Alice peered over his shoulder before giving her appraisal. “Looks like it’s not on backward this time.”

“It wasn’t entirely backward last time. I just fed the ties through the wrong side.” He didn’t keep the irritation out of his voice, but it had been a long couple weeks since the Battle of Ballern. “Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” She patted his arm. “But thank you. It’s been hard for all of us.”

“I wish Tatsu and Rin were here. The dragonriders are all better at this than I am.”

“Than we are,” Alice said. “I’ve had quite a bit of trouble, too.”

Jacob glanced at the perfectly flat bridle connected to the saddle of Alice’s Tree Killer. “I can tell.”

She grinned at him and squeezed his shoulder.

A tinker clad in black leather and shiny chitinous pauldrons pushed his way into the stables. “Mali, I have the photos you requested.”

“How many were you able to finish?”

“You have fifteen there. The rest should be done in the next two hours, should you need them.”

“Thank you.” Mali took the offered envelope, tied closed with leather straps, before dismissing the man with a nod.

“How long have we been back?” Jacob asked. “Fifteen photographs already?”

“We have multiple rooms attached to the factory here. All of the rooms can be used to develop these photographs, but the chemicals to do that quickly are harder to come by. Perhaps you’d like to visit sometime? When this is done.”

Jacob nodded, but Mali’s words stuck in his mind. When this is done. What did that mean? When Mordair was dead? When the Children of the Dark Fire were no more? Was that even something that could happen?

“I must speak with Arun.” Mali hesitated. “You two saw what is waiting at the Great Machines. Would you join me?”

“Of course,” Alice said. “Anything we can do, Mali. Just ask.”

“That’s very kind of you. Come, please. He’ll be in the Hall, I have no doubt.”

***

A short time later, Jacob found himself standing beside Alice and Mali while Arun leaned over a wide map of the Gray Woods. Strewn across it were Mali’s photos, and Arun slowly slid one on top of another, repositioning them as he went.

“I thought it would be easier to show you.”

Arun glanced up at Mali. “The elders should be in attendance for this, Mali.”

“No.” A hint of anger bled into her response, softening as she continued. “They don’t trust outsiders, Arun. It was a stroke of luck to get them to agree to let Lady Katherine use Karn as a waypoint.”

“I like to think it had something to do with my skills as a negotiator.”

Mali crossed her arms. “You know what I mean.”

“Yes, that I do.” Arun turned his focus back to the photographs. “Never have I seen so many vessels stationed around the Great Machines. Every bay of their airship docks must be occupied.”

“It’s the last photo I’m most worried about.” Mali wrung her hands together.

Arun slid the photo to the center of the table, a clear view of the armored Walkers and crawlers, beasts and machines side by side along the main roads leading away from the Great Machine.

“Do you think I’m right?” Mali asked. “They’re coming here? That’s the road to Karn they’re assembling at.”

Arun pursed his lips and glanced between Mali and Alice. “I am afraid that may be the case.” He pushed the photograph away and stood up straight. “We are not defenseless in Karn, but I would not wish to engage in a full-scale battle in the city proper. It would not take much for the oldest towers to fall, and we’ve seen what they’re willing to do in Ballern.”

“What Mordair is willing to do,” Jacob muttered.

“A king cannot strike without a weapon.” Arun’s words soured. “He has bred loyalty, Jacob. As sickening a thought as that may be to you, we cannot discount it. His hand did not fire upon Ballern, though his orders may have been the cause.”

Alice placed her hands on the table and leaned over the photos before meeting Arun’s gaze. “You need to talk to Lady Katherine. You lent her help for the attack on Ballern, and she’ll repay you for it. I know it.”

“We have survived a long time here without the need for outside help.” Arun blew out a long breath and studied the map again. “But I cannot discount the threat to Karn. It is certainly worth a conversation. I will discuss our situation with the Lady of Belldorn.”

“The carrier is scheduled to be back in Karn in two days,” Alice said. “You already know that, right?”

“I do, yes.”

“Then talk to Kat now. If you ask for reinforcements, she’s going to need time to get them on the carriers.”

“I will. For the moment, we need outposts stationed along all the roads to the north and west. Should any of those forces move toward Karn, we must know. Mali,

deploy our most skilled outlooks closer to the Great Machine. Seeing their defenses, I wonder if the control center may be our best option.”

Alice leaned back and stepped close to Jacob. “If we can learn more about the functions of the Great Machines …”

“We may learn how to sabotage them.” Arun gave a sharp nod. He eyed the trio before drawing a copper box from the interior of his vest. “Would you three remain here? I would like you to stay in case Lady Katherine has any questions I cannot answer.”

“Of course,” Jacob said. “Whatever we can do to help.”

Arun set the transmitter on top of the map and pushed the button. “This is Karn.”

Static came back before resolving into a familiar voice. “This isn’t the best time, Karn. Might I contact you in an hour?”

“I fear the news is dire.”

“A moment, please.”

They couldn’t hear Lady Katherine for a moment or two after her response, but Jacob suspected she was clearing out the room or bridge she was currently at. Her voice returned in short order.

“Continue. I am secure.”

“Mali took your Ancorans into the Gray Woods. I’m afraid—”

Lady Katherine cut him off, her words sharp. “Are they well? Have they been harmed?”

Arun gestured to Alice.

She leaned toward the transmitter and clicked the button. “We’re fine, Kat. It’s what we saw that’s the problem.”

“Sorry I interrupted you. It’s just … we’ve lost a lot of people the past few weeks.”

Jacob gritted his teeth as memories of the battle bubbled in his mind. The screams and blood, and the terrifying crash of the Bones crushing the city below. He shivered and blew out a breath.

Arun continued his report.

Most of it was a quick summary of what they’d already discussed, but instead of questioning whether or not the alliance of the Children of the Dark Fire and Mordair would be coming for Karn, Arun stated it as fact.

Jacob wasn’t sure if he’d been trying not to worry their Ancoran guests, or if he hadn’t decided if Mali was correct in her assessment until that moment, but it mattered little at that point.

“If you are able, we need your support, Lady Katherine.”

“I do not turn my back on allies, Arun. Karn has our support in full. Whatever trials you face in this battle, Belldorn will be at your side. I can speak with Archibald about the possibility of his tinkers assisting you as well. The worst of the debris has been cleared from the eastern blocks of Ballern, and there will be little need for Titan Mechs until the reconstruction begins.”

Arun hesitated before adding, “If any wish to fight, we will shelter and feed them in Karn.”

“You may have more who wish to fight than you realize, Arun. Mordair has struck a blow against many cities, and our alliance against him runs deep. Prepare enough beds for a full company of fighters. Ballern raises capable soldiers, as I’m sure you know.”

“Something I know all too well, my lady. It will be good to fight beside them.”

“Any resources you need, send word to my commanders. I’ll be sure you have them. With Archibald’s warships and two Porcupines at Ballern, the city is well guarded. We will make certain blood is not shed in Karn.”

“You speak of a battle in the woods. That is not something you or the Speaker of Bollwerk are familiar with, is it?”

Kat’s words sounded heavy when she responded. “We have more familiarity with it than I would prefer, my friend. We can burn the forest to the ground, or we can be the wall that the Children of the Dark Fire die upon. It is your city.”

Arun stared hard at the transmitter. “I’ve no wish to destroy the forest, Lady Katherine. Nor do my people. We will fight with you on the ground and in the woods. Karn is not defenseless, but we are stronger with you at our side.”

“To lighter days for all in need,” Kat said after a pause.

Arun tilted his head to the side. “And an end for all who war.”

The transmitter went

silent.

Mali stood up straighter. “How did she know that saying? I’ve never heard it outside of Karn.”

A small smile crossed Alice’s lips. “You should see her library.”

 

CHAPTER THREE

Gladys stood beside the stage in the heart of Fel. Dozens, if not hundreds, of broken blades riddled the edge. An oath from the fisherfolk, and not one made lightly. She remembered working on a stage in Midstream when she was in school, one of her teachers always calling it the apron. Gladys flicked the cracked base of a blade, listening to the ring echoing around them in the oddly quiet city.

“Give them time, Princess.”

She looked up at George, wondering if he had a few more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and perhaps a few extra strands of gray along his temples. “Are you sure we should wait here? We could have gone to their docks, or their pubs.” Her voice darkened. “If I’d abandoned my people who were fighting a war across the Crystal Sea, I’d certainly be hiding in a pub.”

George slowly raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Gladys muttered. “I’ll be diplomatic.”

“We are here to help them, Princess. They may be the least likely to fight physically against Mordair, but to abandon them would make it a certainty. We can invite them to Midstream, or spend more time here getting to know who remains. It would be in our best interest to court more allies.”

Gladys rubbed her forehead. “I’m aware of that, George. It’s just … the Children of the Dark Fire were here for so long. And look at what they did to Ballern, George.”

The scrape of boots on cobblestone cut off the rest of their conversation. Gladys turned to find a small band of fisherfolk walking up the street not far from The Crooked Blade.

One figure stepped out in front, closing the distance to Gladys and George faster than the others, and it took a moment for Gladys to recognize the barkeep of that storied place.

“Speak your piece to these folks and let them be,” the barkeep said. “They’re a suspicious lot, and I can’t say I blame them. What’s been done to the fisherfolk in this city is vile.”

Gladys nodded. “I appreciate you telling us. Have you seen any more of the Children of the Dark Fire in Fel?”

The barkeep shook his head. “Not a sign, and I tell you, almost every one of us has been looking for those tattoos. Not to say they don’t have spies without them, but we do what we can.”

The rest of the group caught up to him and spread out in front of the stage, as if waiting for Gladys to step onto it. That was something she avoided in Midstream when possible, and she intended to avoid it in Fel as well.

“How many of you broke blades here?” She projected her voice, catching several fisherfolk off guard with either her volume, or her question.

A few raised fists or shouted affirmations, but most focused on their hands, or feet, or anything other than Gladys.

“It’s good to support your people.” She waited a beat before continuing, seeking the moment where rising curiosity and rising anger brought more focus.

onto her. “But we are not all warriors.”

“There is no we!” someone yelled from the back of the gathering group.

Gladys smiled and glanced at George. “There are times we are all we have. You may not know me. You may not know Midstream. But we have more in common than you might think. Fel has lived with threats inside its walls, while Midstream struggled with warlords for decades.”

The barkeep from The Crooked Blade crossed his arms. “Heard stories you sold your city to Bollwerk. Bollwerk is no friend of the fisherfolk.”

“Archibald is more friend to the fisherfolk than Mordair ever was.” Gladys let the irritation bleed into her words. “Certainly more than the Children of the Dark Fire. Has he not brought supplies and guards to help reinforce your city? Are those not his airships that remain as a warning to any seeking to take advantage of your city’s plight?”

“Plight?” a woman said with a laugh. “This is a bit more than a plight, child.”

Gladys nodded and looked for the speaker but couldn’t find her. That was okay. Being on level ground with the group gave them the confidence to speak up, which Gladys suspected was something they rarely did. Sometimes the most vocal was the most passive, but after a city was broken, Gladys found it was often the opposite.

“No one wants this war, but it’s here, and it’s ours, and the price is the blood of our friends and family. Midstream has seen it before. Many of you know the stories of the warlords, I’m sure. I almost died at Rana’s hands before my Ancoran friend saved my life. I was there in Gareth Cave when he was cut down and his grasp on his people shattered.

“It didn’t stop the war, though. Warlords still pester Midstream, though we have better defenses now. Better than the Speaker of Bollwerk provided. Friends from Ancora and Belldorn, Canopy and even Ballern. Allies from the ruined city of Dauschen, Pirates Cove, and the mighty Cave Guardians stand at our side. They will stand with you as well.

“Come to Midstream. Ask us for help if you have need. The only price I ask is a small one. I ask for your friendship, and a pledge that Mordair will never rule this city again.”

“You can’t understand what he did to us!” an old man in the front of the group shouted. “He broke us, Princess. He broke our friends and family. You can’t understand.” His gaze fell to the stage floor.

Gladys glanced at the blades cutting into the wood before she took a deep breath and walked to the steps, mounting the platform. She reached into her cloak and raised a broken wooden mask.

“This was my father’s. A man of stern kindness and a warm heart. Murdered by warlords.” Gladys’s voice hardened as a cold anger boiled in her gut. “And do you know who gave the order to break my family? To murder those we called friends? Gregory Mordair. He is no more friend to you than he is to me.”

The old man stared at the princess, eyes wide.

She held his gaze, her heart pounding at the mix of nerves and anger. “Should Mordair come to reclaim the throne, you run, or you fight. His return would be the death of us all. This was kept in his throne room like a grim trophy.” Gladys ran her fingers along the stained crack in her father’s mask. “You are welcome in Midstream, and you will be welcomed as friends. I hope one day, when Fel is returned to the hands of its people, you will welcome us inside your walls.”

She offered a smile before taking her leave of the stage. Gladys grabbed George’s hand, worried she might strangle the life from his fingers, before he escorted her away.

“Your parents would be proud, Princess,” he whispered under his breath.

“I’d rather they were alive.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Jakon spun the ring on his middle finger, the band separating slightly to reveal the short blade hidden inside. It had saved his life more than once, but it wouldn’t do a damn thing to help him if the Abernathys decided they wanted him dead.

The door banged open, throwing enough light into the warehouse to show the silhouette of a fit man who’d spent countless years as a loader on the docks. But Jakon had expected his brother, not Colt Abernathy himself.

“Where’s Thomas?” The question left his lips before he could stop it.

Colt removed the tall hat from his head and ran his fingers through the damp hair underneath. “He didn’t survive the collapse of the Bones.”

A thousand things raced through Jakon’s mind. Colt and Thomas had the full support of Viscount Allerton. They might have been his puppets, but the benefits of that were hard to resist. A good home in the wealthiest part of the docks, protection from the other guilds, a deterrent for the gangs roaming the lower levels … and a warehouse near the Bones.

Jakon cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry.”

Colt tipped his head to the side, revealing a cauliflower ear and a close-cropped beard. “That didn’t sound like a lie, Jakon. And I’m quite good at reading you. How long have we been on these docks together?”

“I have no idea.” Jakon let out a sigh, ignoring the redness in Colt’s eyes, a show of vulnerability he would have gleefully exploited not two weeks past. “At least twenty years now?”

Colt laughed quietly. “And what has it gotten us? More fights. More gangs calling themselves guilds.”

“There’s a pretty distinct difference there, Colt.”

He waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s all changed, Jakon. Allerton, Willett, hell, even I thought Mordair was a path to gold.”

Jakon sat up straighter. “And now?”

“I owe him, Jakon.” His words were a cold menace. “I owe him a great deal of pain. And I think you know folks who can deliver on that debt.”

“We have pledges from almost every Skyborn guild and gang who support the Stormborn. They’re fighting for people you don’t like, Colt. The damned Speaker of Bollwerk is in this now. The Lady of Belldorn. The leaders of Cave and Canopy. Everyone.”

Colt rubbed his hands, thick callouses grinding together with a sound like sandpaper. “All but one.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a length of satin. A red X stained the banner of Viscount Allerton, obscuring the brilliant emerald green of a Forest Giant’s leaf. Colt turned it over and revealed the back side. The outline of a Shadowwing stained the cloth in curves and breaks as if the greatest of the dock’s painters had

applied it with care.

And maybe they had.

Colt dropped the banner into Jakon’s hands. “A pledge I wouldn’t have considered three weeks ago. But now there are a great many things I have reconsidered. Do not use this to cross me, smuggler. We may be allies against Mordair, but we are not friends.”

Jakon folded the satin into a neat triangle and slid it into his pocket. ...