“What if you take the cuffs off and I refuse to carry out my end of the bargain?” Han asked. “How do you know I’ll go to Oden’s Ford? How do you know I’ll side with you against the wizards, if it comes to that?”

“Hunts Alone,” Willo said in a rush, “of course you’ll keep your word.”

Lord Averill raised his hand. “No. The boy needs to know.” The patriarch faced Han. “If we remove the restraints and you fail to do what you promised, we will hunt you down and kill you.”

I bet Reid Demonai gets that assignment, Han thought, his neck prickling with unease. Even though he’d been hunted his whole life, he’d always been able to take refuge in the camps when things got hot. This time that sanctuary would be closed to him.

The Demonai matriarch stepped in close to Han, her deep-set eyes fixed on his face as if she thought he might be wavering. “Willo tells us you have lost your family at Lord Bayar’s hands,” she said. “This could be your chance to take your revenge.”

“Elena Cennestre,” Willo said. “Revenge never satisfies the way we think it will. You know that.”

Han stayed fixed on Elena. “What if I change my mind? Can you put the cuffs back on?”

Elena shook her head. “It was hard enough the first time. You’ll be much more powerful now than you were then. I won’t be able to bind the magic again.”

“Take a few days to decide,” Willo urged. “You can come to any of us for counsel.”

Like any of them but Willo would talk him out of it. Han had to admit, the clan reputation for being skilled traders was well earned.

He knew what Mam would say. Keep the cuffs, stay with Willo, learn a trade, make an honest living. Stay out of the Bayars’ way. Play it safe. That’s what he should do.

But what was he risking, really? Mam and Mari had already paid the price for his stupid mistakes. He’d made a mess of things. That couldn’t be undone.

But he wasn’t the only one to blame. The High Wizard and the queen and her Guard had played a role. The only way he might make them regret what they’d done, might make them think differently about the price of a life—the only way he might make a mark on the world big enough to catch their attention, was to take a chance himself.

At that particular moment he didn’t really care what happened to him. Which was a good thing, because when he looked ahead, he couldn’t really see how he could win this thing.