The next morning, Gordon called us over to see the ship.
It sat in the other courtyard, away from the one serving as an infirmary.
It had a dark hull, metal plates of different sizes welded around the engines, and a narrow ramp where two helpers were finishing loading crates of supplies.
The dwarf emerged from beneath the fuselage, wiping his greasy hands on an old rag.
"She'll make it to Elvernas now."
"And back?" I asked.
"If you don't wreck anything along the way."
Sahger was already in the cockpit, checking the gauges on the instrument panel.
Tsukumo carried a bag by its handle, while Havelyn waited beside the ramp with the medicine the doctor had insisted we take.
We had only been cleared to leave after another thorough examination and a series of instructions the doctor made a point of repeating while looking directly at me.
I still tired much faster than I would have liked.
The scar on my chest pulled whenever I took a deeper breath, and an uncomfortable stiffness settled into my thigh whenever I sat for too long.
Even so, I crossed the entire courtyard carrying my own things.
Kazekiba was with me again, secured at my side.
I stopped near the ramp and glanced back at the old cell doors still stacked against the wall.
Two men were cutting the last iron hinges off one of them with torches.
Farther along, someone threw a bucket of water out through the window of a former guardroom.
"Before you get on board."
Rubens called to us from his seat on the metal structure.
Candice stood beside him, holding a data terminal.
Sahger came down the ship's ramp to join us.
The giant waited until all four of us stood before him, then pointed at the illuminated screen.
"You need to see this."
Candice enlarged the first image on the display.
Sahger's face appeared above a bounty of nine hundred million.
His scars were slightly blurred, but his features were unmistakable.
The title RED CREST was printed in capital letters just beneath the portrait.
I looked at the amount, then at him.
Sahger merely shrugged and stepped a little closer.
Candice moved on to the next poster.
It was my face.
Beneath it was a bounty of six hundred and fifty million.
Then came Tsukumo's, for six hundred and twenty million.
And finally Havelyn's, her dark hair framing her face, the tip of one wing just visible behind her shoulder.
Her bounty was two hundred and fifty million.
The four posters appeared side by side on the screen.
Sahger's bounty was the highest by far, considerably more than mine.
Tsukumo came next, while Havelyn's name carried the lowest amount.
Sahger had shown us similar posters back in Vahr-Nei.
At the time, only Tsukumo and I had been in the hunters' sights.
"These flyers have been circulating since what happened here in Gron-Tarh," Rubens said gravely.
"Don't count on getting lucky and having people pretend they don't recognize you at the next port."
Tsukumo studied his own image in silence, his brow furrowed.
Havelyn leaned closer to read the fine print beneath her portrait.
"Have these reached Elvernas already?"
"You're better off assuming they have."
I looked back at the hunter's bounty.
"You're still at the top of the rankings."
Sahger didn't even bother looking at the numbers.
"I spent a long time working as a hunter. People knew my face long before you came into my life."
"And now they've got a much better reason to remember it," Candice remarked.
He nodded, apparently unconcerned.
"It was to be expected."
Rubens rested his heavy hands on his knees.
"Then you know exactly why I'm showing you this."
"Yes." Sahger looked over the four posters once more.
"But we can use it to our advantage. Some people will prefer to keep their distance once they know who we are."
"Others will want to cash in," Tsukumo reminded us.
"They will. No question. That's why we don't need to make it easy for them." The hunter lifted his steady gaze to us.
"If someone recognizes us, let them be afraid. You don't need to go around explaining yourselves to anyone."
Rubens's expression remained stern.
"Just be careful. You're still recovering from serious injuries."
The tip of one of Tsukumo's dreadlocks brushed the plaster bandages around his shoulder as he turned toward me.
Havelyn tucked her right wing a little closer to her body.
I looked away from the terminal.
"We'll be careful."
Candice cleared the images with a tap.
For a moment, she held the device against her chest, looking from one of us to the next.
Then she handed it back to Gordon.
Sahger offered his hand as she approached. Candice took it firmly, squeezing his calloused fingers.
"Take care of yourself too, Red Crest."
"You too, Candice."
She released his hand and stopped in front of Havelyn.
Candice brushed a stray lock away from the harpy's face and gently stroked the top of her head.
Havelyn lowered her eyes for a second.
When she looked up again, she briefly clasped Candice's metal wrist.
"Thank you for everything."
Candice nodded, swallowing hard, then turned to Tsukumo.
He seemed to hesitate, expecting a formal handshake.
Instead, she hugged him.
Tsukumo went completely still for a moment, surprised, before resting his good hand against her back, while Candice took great care not to hurt his bandaged shoulder.
As she pulled away, she gave his arm a light squeeze.
When my turn came, she pulled me close without ceremony.
The cold metal of her left arm pressed against my ribs through my clothes.
"Send word as soon as you can," she said beside my ear.
"I will."
"Even when you haven't found anything new."
It took me a moment to get the words out.
"All right."
Candice let me go but kept her right hand on my arm as she looked at the other three.
"May the ancient pillars bless your destinies."
Sahger bowed his head in respect.
Havelyn moved a little closer to Tsukumo, gripping the medicine bag.
I looked at Rubens last.
He was still there behind his sister, his wrists wrapped in thick bandages and his feet planted on the ground of Gron-Tarh.
Farther back, freed prisoners continued passing by with tools, blankets, and salvaged pieces of metal.
"See you when we get back," I said.
"See you then, Suki."
Gordon walked with us to the foot of the ramp.
He handed Sahger a small chip containing the latest navigation data and pointed into the dark interior.
"The cargo terminal on Elvernas is marked on the route display. The traffic records are saved there too, in case you need to cross-reference anything."
The hunter nodded and put the chip away.
"If anything goes wrong with the engines, call me on the communicator," the dwarf continued sternly.
"Before one of you gets the bright idea to start opening up an engine casing with a screwdriver."
"I'll let you know."
We went up the ramp.
Havelyn stowed the supply bag beneath a seat and settled in with enough room for her wings.
Tsukumo fastened his seat belt beside her.
I secured Kazekiba in the weapon rack beside my seat and sat facing the small side window.
The hydraulic ramp began to rise slowly.
Candice was still down in the courtyard. When she noticed me watching, she raised a hand in farewell.
I raised mine in return, before the metal hull could close completely between us.
The heavy engines made the ship's floor vibrate beneath my boots.
The craft lifted slowly off the ground.
Through the little window, I watched Gordon step back as dust blew across the courtyard.
Rubens remained visible longer than the others, until Sahger tilted the ship's nose and the fortress's steel wall filled my entire field of vision.
Soon we were well above it.
All of Gron-Tarh lay spread beneath the ship: structures shattered by the battle, broken stretches of elevated walkway, towers, and vast areas where artificially created ice still covered the wreckage.
From up there, it was difficult to make out the exact corridors we had fought through.
I tried to find the crane platform, but low clouds hid the area before I could be sure.
The acceleration pinned me against the backrest as we climbed toward space.
Havelyn squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers gripping the edge of her seat.
Tsukumo listened in complete silence as the metal hull rumbled and vibrated.
The bright light coming through the window gradually faded.
Then came the blackness of space and the stars.
I watched the vast expanse outside until the ship settled into autopilot and Sahger's voice came through the corridor speaker.
"You can unbuckle now."
Tsukumo was the first to get up, moving awkwardly.
Havelyn took a little longer, carefully adjusting her wing before leaving her seat.
I stayed in my chair as Gron-Tarh slipped out of sight.
I only stood once there was no trace of the planet left in the window.
The ship's interior corridor was narrow, with pipes enclosed in metal grilles and doorways barely wide enough for two people to pass through together.
The engines' low hum carried through the metal walls, accompanied by the persistent smell of overheated metal and industrial cleaner.
I found Tsukumo in a small side cabin, sitting on the edge of a narrow bunk with the medicine bag open at his feet.
Two small metal washers floated above his injured hand.
One wobbled, tipped sideways, and dropped hard into his palm.
The other came down a moment later.
"How are your hands?"
He slowly closed his fingers around the pieces.
"Better than before."
I stopped in the doorway.
Tsukumo slipped the washers into his pocket and raised his tired eyes to me.
"Get some rest, Suki."
"You should too."
"That's exactly what I'm trying to do."
I glanced at the empty bunk behind him and stepped out of the doorway to give him room.
In the next cabin, Havelyn was already sound asleep.
She lay on her side, a thick blanket covering her legs and a pillow carefully positioned to keep pressure off her injured right wing.
Her dark hair spread across the pillow, and one hand still rested near the first-aid bag.
I carefully pulled the cabin door closed to muffle the noise from the corridor.
Over the past few days, almost every time I opened my eyes in the infirmary, she had been there, helping someone or tending the wounded.
I kept walking until I reached the main cockpit.
Sahger occupied the pilot's seat on the left.
One calloused hand rested on the navigation controls while the other scrolled through the route information on the holographic panel.
He had secured his spear to the side of the chair, within easy reach.
I sat beside him and adjusted my seat belt.
"How did you learn to fly this piece of crap?"
"Had to get away."
I gave him a sidelong look.
"Doesn't sound like a good time to learn on the job."
"It wasn't."
A faint, wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before he turned back to the flight instruments.
Sahger checked the coordinates once more.
The autopilot kept the ship on course, and the engines' hum remained low and steady.
"Did Gordon walk you through everything?"
"Enough to keep us from blowing up."
"He spent a lot of time pointing at things."
"He liked reminding me which parts I absolutely wasn't allowed to break."
I let out a short snort of laughter.
Sahger adjusted one of the speed controls and leaned back in his seat.
His movements grew slower and more careful as his back met the backrest.
"Does your stomach still hurt a lot?"
"A little."
I waited for him to say more, but the hunter remained silent.
The stars seemed almost motionless beyond the reinforced glass.
Without the machinery in Gron-Tarh's courtyard, the voices calling for the doctor, or the hurried footsteps between the beds, the ship's interior seemed far too quiet.
My eyes kept returning to the name glowing on the panel.
Elvernas.
Sahger noticed my restlessness.
"We're on the right course. Don't worry about that."
"I know."
I followed the dotted line across the star map to our destination.
Some time later, Sahger reached over and dimmed the panel.
"Get some sleep, Suki. I'll wake you when we're close."
I unbuckled and got up only to fetch some water.
Through the half-open door of the first cabin, I saw that Tsukumo had already lain down.
He kept his arm against his body, with a folded piece of cloth beneath his bandaged shoulder.
His dreadlocks spread across the pillow, and his breathing was slow.
Havelyn was still asleep in the next cabin.
She had pulled the blanket up to her chin, leaving some of her black feathers exposed.
I passed without making a sound.
When I returned, Sahger had closed his eyes too.
His seat was slightly reclined, his hands resting loosely in his lap.
I sat beside him and buckled in again.
I drank the rest of my water, set the cup in its holder, and rested my head against the seat.
The projected route still glowed in front of us, but the numbers began to blur as my eyelids grew heavy.
I closed my eyes.
A few hours later, a repeated chime woke me.
I moved my neck, feeling the stiffness from sleeping in that position.
Sahger was already leaning over the controls. He silenced the alert with a tap.
"We're almost there."
I rubbed my face and lifted my head.
For a moment, I searched for Elvernas on the map.
Then I looked through the glass.
The planet filled much of the window, its illuminated curve outlined against space.
Bands of orange cloud stretched across its surface, mingling with regions of deep red.
Near the edge, the atmosphere formed a golden rim.
I heard footsteps behind me.
Tsukumo stopped in the cockpit doorway, still fixing his hair.
Havelyn appeared a moment later, resting a hand on the doorframe as she peered between the seats.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
Sahger adjusted our course, and the planet's curve began to rise across the glass.
"Back to your seats," he said.
"Buckle up."
Tsukumo stepped back to let Havelyn pass.
They headed down the corridor, and soon I heard their seat belts click into place.
I checked my own and sat up straight, fully awake now.
As we drew closer, the ship began to shake.
A long metallic scraping sound ran along the fuselage, and a red glare spread beyond the armored glass.
My hand instinctively reached for the armrest.
"Everything's under control," Sahger said without looking away from the panel.
"We're entering the atmosphere."
The hull shuddered harder, enduring the heat of atmospheric friction.
Then we broke through the thick cloud cover, and the brilliant red parted into bands of orange.
Intense golden light flooded the cockpit.
The planet's mountains appeared beneath us first.
Enormous purple crystals covered their rocky slopes, some tall enough to cast long shadows across the deep valleys.
Sunlight passed through their translucent tips, scattering violet patches across the rocks.
Farther down, dense forests of dark-canopied trees followed the winding course of a broad river.
Open fields broke up the woodland, crossed by stretches of low vegetation that shone brightly as the ship changed angle during its descent.
No military watchtowers cut across those mountaintops.
No towering steel walls divided the wooded valleys.
I leaned closer to the armored glass for a better look.
After so many claustrophobic days surrounded by gray walls and metal, it took me a while to tear my eyes away from that vibrant landscape.
"There," Sahger murmured.
He tipped his chin toward a specific point on the panel's map.
I looked ahead through the windshield.
Long, low structures began to appear at the edge of the open fields.
Industrial hangars, storage warehouses, and enormous cargo yards.
A commercial spacecraft, much larger than ours, roared upward beyond them, leaving a thick cloud of dust over the ground.
The hunter checked the data Gordon had sent and made a precise adjustment to our course.
As we descended, the details of the commercial port replaced the mountains: stationary cranes, endless rows of metal containers, utility vehicles towing platforms piled high with goods.
Broad stretches of green grass grew between the concrete yards, gleaming beneath the same golden light that bathed the rooftops.
We skimmed over a warehouse's curved roof.
Sahger abruptly throttled back the engines and guided the ship smoothly toward an open landing area between two enormous freighters.
This time, the landing was so perfect there was barely a jolt.
The turbines' roar faded until only a low, steady vibration remained beneath our seats.
I stayed quiet for another moment, looking through the window.
It had been a long journey.
But we had arrived.
I unbuckled, stood carefully, and went to get my sword.
Tsukumo was already standing in the boarding area when I returned from the cabin.
Sunlight streaming through the side porthole gave Havelyn's black feathers a lovely reddish tint.
Sahger caught up with us at the exit before opening the cargo ramp.
"Stay together until we get a feel for how things work around here."
We nodded.
As the heavy ramp lowered, the hot, thick air of Elvernas's port rushed into the ship.
The wind carried a strong smell of burned fuel and wet earth, mixed with a sickly sweetness.
I followed Tsukumo down the ramp.
My boots landed on a cracked metal plate in the landing pad.
Tufts of fine grass grew in the gaps and cracks in the concrete, their tips catching the light.
Havelyn crouched for a moment near the edge of the ramp and lightly brushed her fingers over one of the plants.
Just beside the yard, flowers crowded a bed along a strip of packed earth.
Their thick, curved petals curled tightly around one another.
Some were open and vibrant; others had darkened and rotted without ever falling from their stems.
The nauseating sweetness came from those flowers.
The closer I passed, the more clearly I could smell the rot beneath their fragrance.
"They're beautiful," Havelyn said.
I looked at the flowers that still held their vivid colors.
"Yeah. They are."
A little beyond the parked freighters, strange animals grazed peacefully beside a rough wooden fence.
They had pale, glossy hides and long, slender horns that fanned out above their ears.
One lifted its heavy head toward us.
Its eyes were so pale that I could barely make out the pupils.
A noisy machine rattled past behind us, pulling a line of wagons.
The animal watched me for a few more seconds before calmly returning to its grazing.
Sahger checked the lock on the ship's ramp and turned toward us.
All around, dozens of porters hurried across the yard, pushing handcarts and tools.
Two men argued loudly near the entrance to a supply warehouse.
A third slept soundly on a wooden crate, his face hidden in his folded arms.
I adjusted Kazekiba at my waist.
Rubens's stern warning returned to me just as a burly man leaning against a freighter's hull turned to stare at our group.
His eyes swept over my sword, Sahger's spear, and Havelyn's open wings.
Then, with silent disdain, he turned away and resumed talking to his companion.
I kept walking without making any threatening move.
We left the restricted landing area through a narrow gap between two sheet-metal warehouses.
We soon emerged onto a road paved with dark stones, wide enough for two heavy vehicles to pass side by side without scraping against each other.
Deep grooves marked with faded red inscriptions ran along the edges.
Near the warehouses, the stones were visibly worn by heavy wheels and coated in a thin layer of gray dust.
Havelyn slowed for a second to study the red markings on the ground.
Just ahead, the road climbed a gentle slope.
It was at the top of that rise that I first saw the city of Elvernas.
The buildings formed broad concentric circles, following the natural contours of the land.
Terraces of polished black stone supported the higher streets, all connected by imposing stone stairways and suspension bridges.
The afternoon sun caught the gilded edges of the roofs and the carved decorations around the windows.
At the very center, an imposing palace rose proudly above the surrounding buildings.
Its columns were slender, tall, and pointed, surrounded by towers built from the same dark stone.
Even from that distance, I could make out people walking along the balconies and strips of colored fabric strung between buildings.
A continuous line of cargo vehicles traveled from the commercial port toward the city's main entrance.
Human porters and members of other races trudged wearily along the roadside; merchants waited beside their carts, eager for the new goods to arrive.
We followed close behind Sahger down the slope.
As we approached the first residents on the outskirts, we could clearly see what the golden reflections concealed from a distance.
The luxurious gilded balconies perched above miserable, cramped rooms, piled haphazardly on top of one another.
Torn cloth covered windows without glass.
Several stairways ended at doors so low and narrow that residents had to stoop painfully to enter their own homes.
A ragged man slept soundly against the base of a stone column, his knees drawn tight against his chest behind an empty metal container.
Another resident sat awake on the cold ground a few steps away.
He followed our every movement with a vacant stare but never so much as raised a hand to ask for help.
At the next corner, a hungry child offered fruit with shriveled, wrinkled skins to workers returning from the port.
She lifted her little straw basket whenever someone hurried past.
But her arm always sank heavily before she could try to catch the next passerby's attention.
Havelyn stopped abruptly.
The girl looked at her, held out the little basket with a trembling hand, and gave her a weary smile.
The harpy reached into the medicine bag, took out a small sealed packet of travel rations, and handed it to the girl.
The child looked at the heavy packet, then up at Havelyn's face, startled.
Her little fingers tightened around the package, and she quickly hid it against her body.
I couldn't hear what Havelyn murmured to her before turning to rejoin us.
I kept watching the child.
A heavy vehicle came down the stone street with its horn blaring, forcing her to press her back against the damp wall to protect the food.
I stepped aside to avoid a hole.
The rim of an iron wheel passed through the exact spot where my boot had been a second earlier.
"Watch your step," Tsukumo warned quietly.
I nodded without taking my eyes off the street.
Above us, an ornate window flew open with a bang.
Someone shook a dusty rug out over the sidewalk and slammed the window shut.
The central palace was still visible, jutting between the crowded rooftops of the lower city.
I fixed my eyes on Sahger's back.
He carefully studied the entrances to businesses, the dark gaps between warehouses, and the armed men patrolling outside some of the buildings.
"The bar we're looking for should be close to the unloading area," I said, breaking the silence.
"It's the only lead we have," he replied without slowing.
The narrow street forked just ahead.
One branch zigzagged upward toward the city's wealthy terraces.
The other ran along the cargo warehouses, where large groups of workers constantly came and went through doors opening directly onto the stone sidewalk.
Sahger tipped his chin toward the second route.
"We start with the people who work and drink around here."
Tsukumo came up on my left, adjusting his posture.
None of us knew the exact name of that damn bar.
We had no idea whether the masked man was still hiding on Elvernas or had left weeks ago.
But those freighters had used the port's official terminal.
Someone here must have received those mysterious crates.
Someone must have shared drinks and laughter with the mercenaries who transported the victims.
I loosened the leather strap that had secured my sword's hilt since we left the ship.
"This'll be quick."
We left the main road behind and joined the crowd of porters entering the dusty warehouse street.