“Well, now,” Stev continued, looking down at the enemy Mage. “That’s all I needed to know. The question now becomes, what are we to do with you?”

Jicks took that as a cue to come up beside Stev and rest the point of her sword against the Mage’s chest. The man froze. Even the tears on his cheeks seemed to stop moving as he stared into Jicks’s impassive face.

The blue light of the Truth Spell flickered and died as Stev stepped back. Jicks looked down on the man, expressionless. “That’s a good question, Stev. I was looking forward to collecting six Karsite bounties. This bastard and his little friends have deprived me of a whole lot of money, and I am not happy about it.”

She put a little pressure on the sword. Stev looked off to the horizon.

“You’re a Herald!” the Mage screeched. “You’re supposed to uphold the law! Do something!”

“Valdemar law,” Stev reminded him. “This isn’t Valdemar. And you’re a problem for me. I can’t let you go and alert Remp to the fact that we know his plans. And you did try to kill us. I can’t take the chance you won’t try again. I can’t take you with us—you are way too much trouble; we’d have to keep you tied and gagged all the time, and tending to you is far more work than I care to go to. And besides, every time Jicks saw you, you’d remind her of how much money you cost her. It would be a waste of time to keep arguing with her about not killing you.”

“There’s no law out here,” Jicks reminded the Mage. “Or if there is, we decide what it is.” A drop of blood welled up from where the swordpoint rested on his chest. “I really am mightily irritated with you.”

“You want to take responsibility for this piece of trash, Jicks?” Stev asked. “I mean, if I take him across the Border to account for himself, very bad things are going to happen to him because of what it’s like for a Mage trying to get into Valdemar. I’m not sure he’d stay sane more than a couple of days.”

Abi was . . . appalled. She glanced over at Korlak, who just seemed fascinated.

“Oh, gods, no, no, no,” the Mage whimpered. “That’s torture!”

So’s this, Abi could not help but think.

“So it is,” Stev agreed. “And torture is illegal in Valdemar. So taking you across the Border isn’t an option. Jicks? Got any ideas?”

“You cost me a big fat pile of money,” Jicks reminded the Mage again. “Captain Whitepants there seems to think I should decide what happens to you. I’m inclined to take my irritation out on you a piece at a time.” She gazed off into the same distance as Stev. “However . . .”