Gavril shook his head and prodded them to pick up the pace. People continued to join the throng along the roadside. Few ventured onto the actual road, and those who did moved back at a growl from Tova or Daigo.

They were halfway along the road when a voice yelled, “Kitsune!”

Gavril didn’t turn, only letting his gaze flicker that way, as if to reassure himself it wasn’t someone he knew.

“Gavril Kitsune!” the voice called. “Did you meet your father in Edgewood? Does that son-of-a-whore haunt the Forest of the Dead?”

Someone shouted for the man to be silent. Gavril’s hand tightened on his sword hilt, but he kept walking, gaze forward.

“If it was my father, I’d do the honorable thing,” the man shouted. “Drive my blade between my ribs. If you’d like, I can do it for you.”

Moria stopped then, swinging around.

“Don’t,” Gavril said.

Moria didn’t stop, but only because silencing the man wasn’t necessary. Someone had done it for her—with a punch to the man’s jaw. Others had joined in, and a brawl erupted.

The group continued on, but this time they didn’t get more than twenty paces before someone else shouted, “Kitsune!”

Gavril kept walking. This man didn’t settle for shouting from a crowd. He elbowed his way to the front, coming out behind them and jostling the sheath on Gavril’s sword as he passed. In previous ages, to knock against a warrior’s sword, even by accident, was an insult punishable by a lethal swing of that blade. Today, such a response broke the empire laws, but the insult remained, and could be answered with a scarring blow.

Gavril turned a cool glare on the man and rested his hand on his blade hilt. For a moment, it seemed the man intended to stand his ground. Then, slowly, he eased back, just enough to let Gavril ignore the insult with a nod and continue on.

Ashyn saw her sister tense as they passed. She also let her hand fall to one of her blades. But the man made no move and said not a word. He simply spat, loudly, spittle landing on Gavril’s arm.

Moria threw her blade so fast neither Gavril nor Ashyn had time to stop her. It sailed under the man’s arm and pinned his cloak to the cart behind him. Then, with a snarl, Daigo ran at him. The man let out a high-pitched shriek, arms shielding his face, but the wildcat simply plucked out the dagger, giving him a disdainful look, and bounded back to Moria. As she took it from him, the crowd laughed and let out a cheer as the man slunk back into the crowd.

“Keeper! Keeper!”

“What’s your name, Keeper?” a young man near them shouted.

Moria sheathed her weapon. “I am Moria of Edgewood. My sister is Ashyn.”

“Welcome to the imperial city, Moria!”