Page 118 of To Kill a King
She frowned as her heart doubled its pace. Surely, they couldn’t want money from her, too.
“It costs two silvers to walk down this road.”
Well, there was her answer.
She didn’t have any more silvers. Aliya studied the other five boys in the group. This must be one of those street gangs Hart had mentioned back when they were younger. Before they’d grown up and life forced them onto different paths.
Her gut twisted at the reminder of his fate.
“I don’t have any coins,” she said. “But if you give me directions to the market, I can owe you a favor.”
The leader pulled a knife from his belt and pointed it at her. Its blade, longer than her hand, flashed in the morning light. “Think yer too good to pay yer way like everyone else?” He gestured to her with the weapon. “Get her, boys! Let’s show her what happens to people who trespass and refuse the toll.”
Two of the larger goons lunged forward, arms outstretched.
She scrambled backward, holding up her hand and igniting her magic. Fire burst from her palm. “Get away from me!”
The two attackers froze, their gaze flashing between her and their boss.
The leader’s eyes widened. Her conjured flames reflected in his pupils. He stepped back, waving for the rest of them to flank her.
Her second hand exploded in fire before forming a crackling shield as Cressida taught her. “Touch me, and you’ll regret it.”
One of the boys charged her from behind, swinging a club at her head. She ducked, throwing the conflagration into him. He collapsed screaming, hands hiding his face. The others took a step back, eyes round, looking to their leader.
He waved them forward with his knife. “Come on, you cowards! She’s just a girl. Get her!”
One with black hair and a gray tunic shook his head and staggered backward. “She’s got magic, Kale!”
“So, we catch her and turn her over to the king. The gold he’ll pay us will make us the top gang in the neighborhood.”
Aliya licked her lips and swallowed. Malkov posted bounties for any mage now? That didn’t bode well at all.
She adjusted her stance and lit another, larger fire in her empty hand. “I think you’ll find me a little more challenging than your standard girl on the streets.” She hurled her power at the boy the others called Kale.
A few blocks away, a chorus of bells clanged.
Kale swore, ducking the fireball. The flames sputtered out in a small crater further down the block.
One of the other boys glanced over his shoulder. “Quick! We need to clear out before the guards come.”
Kale snarled. “The sentries don’t come down here. This is our territory.”
“But the alarm!”
“Ignore them. Bring me the mage.”
Aliya threw four fireballs at the remaining gang members behind her. Two dropped to the ground, tunics on fire. The other pair ran off down the street. She turned and took a step toward Kale. The teen didn’t flinch.
Her magic wasn’t having the desired effect. Time to change her strategy. What would Elessan do?
She held her hand over her head and pointed at the sky. “I can summon the guards, if you don’t back off. They’ll tear this neighborhood apart looking for me. I’m sure there are plenty of things here you would rather they didn’t find.” Hopefully, the boy wouldn’t call her bluff…the last thing she needed was Malkov realizing she was in the city.
Kale paled.
Raising a wall of flames around them, she cut off his escape. She gave him a thin-lipped smile, being careful to keep her fire shield between him and her. “Now, directions to the marketplace, please.”
The sun had climbed a finger’s width higher in the sky when Aliya ducked into the shadow of one of the market booths, gaping at the changes. In the middle of the space stood a wooden platform, with a red-stained chopping block.