“It won’t happen again.” Fendon’s pouting tone suggested he couldn’t care less if it happened again. Then he addressed me. “You’re one of us now?”

“A pea-brained maggot like you?” I said. “No, never. Erick and I are leaving today.”

Fendon’s lip curled. “I’ll be waiting here when you get back. We have a score to settle.”

“Get used to waiting. I’m not coming back.” With that, I marched out of the tent.

I kept to myself while we completed our preparations to leave, although Erick made several attempts to ask about my part in the raid. I told him as little as possible, and nothing about Nila. It surprised me to find that he was nearly as bothered about the event as I had been.

“The pirates have a code about women and children,” he said. “They don’t touch them, not if they’re innocents. It should be the thieves’ code too.”

“Maybe the code will protect me,” I said. “Do I still count as a child?”

Erick tilted his head. “You don’t count as an innocent.”

Fink brought me an extra serving of breakfast soon after. “Not because I’m a servant,” he pointed out when he handed me the bowl. “But just because we’re friends, right?”

“Did you spit in it?”

“No.”

“Then we’re friends.”

When it was time to leave soon after, Fink made a last-minute appeal to come with us. He didn’t bring out the tears, so I suspected he’d already played that card.

“You’ll be in the way,” Erick said.

“I can help,” Fink protested, but Erick shook his head.

“Erick doesn’t have time to look after you,” I said. “He’s going to have enough trouble just watching me the whole time, making sure I don’t run off.”

Erick sighed, then he noticed my grin. “All right, you can come,” he finally said to Fink. “But you’re too young to become a pirate, so you’ll only be there as my boy. And you will keep an eye on Sage any time I’m not around.” Then he walked up to me as he untied his horse. “Don’t think you’ve tricked me into taking him,” he muttered. “I chose to bring him. He’s useful to have around.”

I chuckled lightly and mounted Mystic. “Here you go,” Erick said, handing me a sword. “You earned this.”

It was cheaply made and not weighted properly. Even if I were only a thief, I still wouldn’t have accepted it. I gave it back to him. “This isn’t mine.”

“But it’s good enough for you.”

I snorted. “Hardly.”

He tried again. “Take this sword.”

“I want the one I came here with.”

“Why that one?”

“The stones in the handle match my eyes.”

“Take this one or none at all.” When it was clear I wouldn’t accept the sword, Erick frowned at me, then kicked his horse forward, the rejected sword in his white-knuckled grip.

I prodded Mystic ahead as well, only I turned him toward the tent where they still kept my sword. Charging forward, I used my knife to slice through the tent fabric, flashed the blade at the startled thief inside, then grabbed my sword off the table. When I rode out again, Erick was waiting for me.

“You’re incorrigible,” he said.

“More than you know.” I attached the sword and its scabbard around my waist, then said, “Shall we go?”

Erick continued to look at me. “I think I may grow to hate you before this is over.”

“But you don’t already and that’s got to be some sort of record.”

To my surprise, Erick laughed. Within minutes we had left the thieves’ camp behind and were on our way to the pirates. Erick could barely contain his excitement.

“Tell me about the pirates,” I said. “What I should expect.”

“Who knows what they’ll think of you. You’re young, but they’ll accept boys your age if they think you’re useful. Devlin got in four years ago after making a deal to kill the younger prince of Carthya. He later killed the priest who was suspected of hiding that boy. Not long after, he became the pirates’ king.” He looked my way before adding, “Fink already told you about the priest, and I can see it upsets you now.”

“I knew him once.” Of course that was only half the reason that my fists were clenched and my heart was pounding.

“Is that going to be a problem?” Erick asked. “Because if it is —”

“No. That will not be a problem.” I cocked my head. “How did Devlin become king?”

Erick brushed his hand through the air. “Any pirate can challenge the king to a sword fight. If he kills the king in the fight, then that pirate is immediately recognized as the new king.”

“Has Devlin been challenged before?”

“Sure, but he’s never lost. He’s a fierce warrior and requires strict obedience to the pirate code.”

I knew a little about the code, or at least, what the code had been many years ago when the book from the castle library was written. Most of the code related to the mandatory punishments for various wrongdoings. It struck me as odd that a group who made their living off criminal activity would have such strict discipline. But at the heart of the code was the order of loyalty: first to the pirate king, second to their comrades, and third to their home country of Avenia and its crown. If this was true, then it meant they would only follow King Vargan if it suited them. They could attack Carthya with or without Avenia’s blessing.

Erick had continued speaking while my mind wandered. I began listening again as he said, “Besides, if the pirates are like my thieves, as long as you’re fair, they’re just as happy no matter who’s in charge.”

“What’ll happen to the thieves, now that you’ve left?”

“Someone else will take over. I’m almost sorry you didn’t accept my offer to stay, Sage. You seem to have the makings of a leader in you.”

Laughter burst from my mouth. “I can provide a very long list of people who’d disagree with you.” I imagined what Gregor would think if he knew I was here and not cowering in my bed at the castle. That led me to wonder for the hundredth time whether Amarinda really would keep from him the secret of who truly was there. But I had to push those worries away and concentrate on what lay ahead. “So what’s the pirate camp like?”

“They call it Tarblade Bay, or just Tarblade, and it’s a rather clever place. There’re no marked roads to it, obviously, so the only way you’d know it’s there is to pass close by it. And if you do, you’re bound to be captured. Once a person discovers the camp, they never leave.”

“Obviously,” I said.

“Obviously,” Erick echoed.

“How many pirates live there?”

“Hard to say. It could easily sleep a hundred, but there are always plenty out on the water, so I’m not sure how many there would be if they were all together. We’ll likely see at least fifty there now, possibly more.”

I glanced at Erick. “They say that no one returns from the pirates. But you have.”