A wild and orange head popped over the partition. ‘Boss? That you? Fucken hells, man, where have yous two been? Whisp and princey showed up ages back. You’re lucky we didn’t cross without you.’

Chel rested himself against the partition’s rough wood and squinted up at Lemon, her head haloed copper in the watery afternoon light. His legs were numb, which was for the best as the blisters on his feet had long since passed through all known realms of discomfort and arrived at a new place of agony. ‘Why didn’t you? We missed the first moon, didn’t we? We were counting days …’ He rubbed at one eye and regretted it as flakes of mud clung to his lashes. ‘I lost count a bit.’

Rennic clapped a hand up to where Lemon’s presumed shoulder lay, a look of near affection cracking the grime around his eyes. ‘They wouldn’t have gone without us, they hung on to the last. Reckless, Lem, but I can’t say I’m not a little touched.’

Lemon offered a tight, unconvincing smile, cleared her throat and dropped from view. A moment later, she wandered around the side of the partition, brushing straw from her boots. ‘Aye, well, truth be told we would have crossed last night were it not for a touch of, ah, indelicacy around our travel arrangements.’

‘What?’ Rennic and Chel said in unison, with markedly different inflections.

Lemon kept her eyes on anything but them. ‘Spot of trouble with negotiating our transit, the securing of certain approvals, and the, uh, wherewithal to acquire said.’

‘What?’ Chel repeated, this time in genuine confusion.

Rennic let out a long breath. ‘She means they didn’t have enough coin for all the bribes. Nine hells, Lemon, what happened to planning ahead?’

‘Ah, don’t blame me! I was in charge of nothing more than keeping arse-bastard the alchemist on a tight lead, income and expenditure was Loveless’s remit.’

Chel’s head was now resting against the partition. He could feel his eyes trying to close against his will. ‘You and our Nortish visitor not getting on, Lem?’

She tried to smile again but managed only a murderous leer. ‘That salty wee fuck-spoon? If it were up to me—’

Rennic cut her off. ‘Where are the others now? How did you get on with your tasks?’ He swallowed and a touch of his nervous edge returned, the lines deepening beneath his eyes. ‘Does the plan hold?’

Lemon waved a hand toward the grand bridge that rose beyond the walls of the stable-yard. ‘Back with the gate clerks. I believe we, uh, unlocked some new funding since the last attempt.’

‘And the plan?’

‘Ach, don’t ask me, man, I’m just the fucken babysitter.’