Free Crown of Ash (Blood Skies, Book 4) by Steven Montano Page B

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    “We were supposed to be gone already,” she said.  “If you would’ve helped us out quickly like you promised, my friends and I wouldn’t be hip-deep in shit right now.” 
    “You should count yourself lucky,” Vago said slowly.  “Your Revenger friends want you.  Badly .  And I’m the only thing standing in their way.” 
    He was right, but she’d never admit it.  From what little information she’d been able to get out of him, T he Revengers had come to the area near Blacksand for some other purpose, but something or some one had tipped them off about Danica’s presence.  Now that they knew she was there they stuck to the area like glue.  Danica had never heard of the wardens operating this far south before, but she supposed they’d been bound to run out of easy places to find inmates sooner or later, and the borderlands were a perfect place for harvesting new workers for the mines.
    “ After my team gets back, we’re leaving ,” Black said .  She took another drink, knowing what came next.
    “Yes,” he smiled.  “ Of course .”   He didn’t even bother trying to sound sincere.
    Danica didn’t think he actually wanted to sleep with her , or for her to sleep with anyone else.  He didn’t really want anything except for her to understand that he could do whatever he wanted, and that she and her friends had no room to negotiate. 
    I’ve met plenty of men like you.  It ’ s all about the power play. 
    Using Vago’s equipment, Danica had confirmed the large number of Killraven and Black Dog units patrolling Blacksand’s perimeter.  Vago’s witches had cast incredibly powerful nullifying enchantments that kept Danica from being detected, but the magic had been specifically crafted only to function while she was in Vago’s proximity .  Until Black and the others finished their period of indentured service , they were stuck .  T here was no way the y could take on so many Revengers . 
    “I should be with my team,” she said as she pushed her food away.  She’d never been a fan of fish, especially fish that smelled like it had been overcooked and soaked in an extra lair of grease. 
    “ Danica ,” Vago smiled.  “ D id it ever occur to you why they might be looking for you?”
    “I know exactly why they’re looking for me,” she said . 
    The Revenger’s perpetual quest for money and power pushed them to do horrible things.  It was alarming how quickly even new recruits lost their grip on humanity, and how easy it became for them to disregard the lives they took .  She only had to close her eyes for a moment to clearly see Black Scar in her memory : halls of reeking steel and b urning cages, deep pits filled with slick red mud, a choking haze of diamond dust, and the screams of the dying in the steam-blasted halls.  The wardens had dug through black rock to a world below, a place filled with raw minerals and gems that kept them comfortable and isolated, rich beyond measure but segregated from the rest of humankind. 
    She wanted s o badly to leave that place behind , but she knew a part of her would always be trapped there.
    Contrary to what she said , Danica wasn’t entirely sure why T he Revengers were trying to find her.  She had trouble believing Rake would go through so much trouble over a deserter . 
    She looked behind Vago and saw his bodyguards, a pair of thick-necked and well-muscled men with long knives and auto-pistols.  Danica was surprised he didn’t object to her carrying weapons in his presence , but then she remembered she wasn’t technically his prisoner. 
    It just seems like it. 
    “There ’ s an event today,” Vago said as he cracked open a shellfish and slurped out its pasty white innards with his considerable tongue.  Danica tried not to look, but the sound he made while he ate was thoroughly nauseating.  “I would like you to accompany me.”
    “Gosh, could I?” she said flatly.  She finished her black bomber, and their