Page 138 of A Tribute of Fire

“No, it’s just customary to pay people for assisting you,” he said. “It’s all right. I’ll just add it to the list. It’s getting rather long, though, the things you owe me.”

“Let’s just go. And I’m not kissing you,” I told him, but it was more like a personal reminder.

“I’ve heard that before,” he countered with a bold wink before he set off for our next destination.

Trying not to sigh, I followed after him, and although I told myself he wasn’t right, I feared that he was.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

“What’s wrong?” Jason asked, misinterpreting my sigh.

“I’m just worried that I’m going to have to do battle with more wildlife,” I told him.

“You won’t. The administrative offices have human guards.”

That was an odd tidbit of information. “How do you know the different types of guards at various public buildings?”

He raised both of his eyebrows playfully and I realized what he was communicating.

“You’re a thief?” I asked, discouraged. Not that I had much room to talk, given that I was doing all this so that I could steal the eye of the goddess, but that was for a noble reason. Stealing at this level was just selfishness.

“Sailing doesn’t pay nearly enough to support my ... habits.”

I grimaced. “Don’t you mean your vices?”

“You say ‘vices,’ I say ‘a good time,’” he responded. Jason was so obviously wrong for me in every regard. In background and upbringing, in current lifestyle choices, in what we thought constituted an enjoyable evening.

It didn’t stop me from being drawn to him, even though it should have.

“You won’t have to worry about the guards. They’re rather elderly and easy to sneak around. People don’t usually want to break into the records offices.”

I was one of those people who didn’t want to break into the administrative building, but this was my only option at the moment. I was going to have to find a way past those geese in the library. I either needed to bring a stave long enough to keep them at bay or figure out how to eliminate them as a threat. I wondered if Io could create something for me that might put them to sleep. I would need a big batch, as I didn’t know how many of them lived inside the library.

Which meant I was going to have to sneak out again. Preferably in a manner that wouldn’t include Ahyana having to set another fire.

And if I did sneak out, would I see Jason again?

That in and of itself might be reason enough to attempt it.

“There are other ways to make money,” I told him. Not that things could change between us but it might be more palatable to me to be attracted to him if I at least knew he was earning an honest living.

“Such as?”

“I’ve seen you fight. You could hire yourself out as a mercenary.”

“Lia! That almost sounded like a compliment. I am quite overwhelmed.” His teasing was just like the rest of him—annoying in a way I couldn’t explain while also being endearing.

I did not want him to be playful with me. It made him harder to resist. “There are houses here.” Expensive ones. Nobles must have lived in this neighborhood.

Thankfully he didn’t mention what an inane comment it was, how much I had veered us away from the direction our conversation had been headed.

“There are houses all over Troas,” he countered.

“Yes, but these are costly. Is this where the life mages live?” It was a shot in the dark, but perhaps it might prove fruitful.

“All of the life mages live in the palace. There’s not many of them left and they are highly regulated and kept track of,” he said.

I frowned. That was going to put a definite wrinkle in my plans. How would I sneak into the palace to find a life mage?

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