Pleasant’s head moved slightly, casting a deeper shadow over his jaw. “What could you possibly offer us?”

Sanguine gave him a smile. “Gifts. Gifts that you would find very useful indeed.”

“Oh,” said Pleasant. “You mean the God-Killers.”

Sanguine’s smile faded. “What?”

And now Sanguine noticed the blanket on the couch beside Stephanie. She pulled it back, revealing the sword, the dagger, the spear and the bow.

“You found them.”

“Yes we did,” said Pleasant. “Very good hiding places, by the way. Took me all of six minutes to find all four. These are your gifts, I presume? You’re gifting these to us?”

“Uh, yeah. Kinda. They weren’t easy to keep a hold of, let me tell you. See, the weapons I told Tanith I was melting down were—”

“Forgeries,” Pleasant said. “Yes, we figured that out, thank you.”

“No problem,” said Sanguine. “However, I’m just gifting you with three of these weapons. I’m actually keepin’ the dagger for my—”

Sanguine made to take a step towards the sofa and all at once Pleasant was on his feet and across the room with the barrel of the gun pressing very firmly against Sanguine’s forehead.

“Woah.”

“I told you not to move,” Pleasant said, his voice dangerously quiet.

Sanguine licked his lips. “I thought we were over that. I thought we’d moved on to being buddies. Compadres. We got a common enemy, after all.”

Stephanie hadn’t budged from where she was sitting. “Do you always treat your enemies like they’re your boss?”

“I don’t have a boss. I’m a free agent, dammit.”

“You’re a lackey. Just like Tanith.”

Sanguine went to shake his head, then thought better of it. “We ain’t lackeys. She’s following Darquesse because she’s had this notion for a while now that Darquesse is her messiah, and I’m following Tanith because we’re in love and we’re gonna get married. But be that as it may, I am a practical man, and I see only advantages in my fiancée’s messiah getting killed, so … common enemy.”

“How romantic.”

“I take it,” said Pleasant, “that Tanith doesn’t know that the God-Killers haven’t been destroyed.”

“No, sir, she doesn’t. She’d likely kill me if she found out. And while you may think I’m saying this just because you have a gun to my head, these weapons really are for you. Let’s be straight about this – I wish I didn’t have to give them to you. I was counting on you to figure out a way of taking down Darquesse on your own, but I guess I overestimated your competence, now didn’t I? So here I am, riding in to the rescue, a cavalry of one.”

Pleasant lowered the gun, and Sanguine took a step backwards.

“If you want Darquesse dead, why don’t you do it yourself?”