“Scepter,” Rigo squeaked, pointing weakly. “It’s… by the rain barrel.”
He looked at the child. Opened his mouth. Closed it. knave ballbust
For the first time in his miserable, thieving life, the knave had absolutely nothing clever to say. “Scepter,” Rigo squeaked, pointing weakly
She took one step closer. Rigo’s bravado held—for about half a second. Then her steel-toed boot swung in a low, precise arc. Closed it
Vex didn’t smile. She simply looked down at the bulge in his tight leather breeches—a deliberate, arrogant outline he’d never bothered to conceal—and said, “You know the penalty for theft, little knave.”
“Oh,” he wheezed. “Oh, you bitch .”
“Can’t what? Retrieve the scepter? Or sire children?” She crouched, her armored skirt scraping the stones. “Because one of those is my job to prevent. The other is a bonus.”