Most of our group had dozed off by the time the railway guards stormed into our car, boot steps pounding like hammers.

“Attention, everyone. Attention please.” A tall, broad-shouldered woman wearing a peaked cap and dark uniform stood at the front, bracing her hands on her hips. She scanned the room, assuring all eyes were open and focused on her before she continued. “The rails are too badly damaged to continue from this point. A train will have to be sent from Steinerland to collect you. We’ve dispatched riders to request assistance, but until then, we’ll require everyone to stay with the train.”

An older gentleman sitting close to the front shifted in his seat. “How long will that take?”

The guardswoman squinted at him, irritation curling her lip. “The riders will likely reach the next depot in an hour or so. They’ll send a message to Steinerland. If there are no complications or delays, the train will most likely arrive sometime late this evening.”

“We’ll be sitting ducks until then,” said another passenger, a young woman cuddling a sleepy little boy in her arms. “What if the bandits return before then?”

“They shouldn’t concern you.” The guardswoman’s lips thinned as she glanced at her companion, a young man standing as stiff as a fencepost, arms folded behind his back. His uniform likely made him feel bold, but I suspected Niffin or Brahm could take him down without breaking a sweat. “We’ll handle them.”

More questions and complaints tumbled over the guards, but I tuned out the other travelers and glanced at Brahm before focusing on Niffin and Malita. “Are we going to sit here and wait for that train?”

“What are our other options?” Niffin asked.

“Take the horses and go on our own. That woman was right to worry about the bandits returning. And if they do....” I lowered my voice, noting how Brahm’s companions had taken interest in our conversation. “I’ve got nothing left to fight them with.” My powers were drained, and my bones felt like limp strands of worn leather.

“We could be targets if we go on our own,” Niffin said. “We’re a small group with no guards and no rifles. No train walls to protect us.”

Braham glanced at the roof. “Protect us or keep us prisoner? I’m with Lady—ah... Liesl. If we start now, we can be in Steinerland before dark.”

“If we don’t encounter any more problems along the way,” Niffin said. “It is a risk.”

“So is staying here.” I glanced at the guards, who must have lost patience for answering questions and were making their way outside. Rising, I caught Niffin and Malita’s gazes and tilted my head toward the exit, gesturing for them to join me. They trailed without question, and Brahm brought up the rear.

His companions started to follow, but he waved them back. “Stay here. I’ll let you know when I need you.” None of the young men protested, and again I wondered whether the qualities that defined a leader were innate, or could they be learned?

Huddled together on the platform outside, we kept our voices low. The edges of the sky were turning pale yellow, and I could make out the details of everyone’s faces. “The point of going to Steinerland was to make contact with you, Brahm. Now that we’ve done that, what’s our next step?”

“We still have to get to Steinerland. There’s someone else I have to introduce you to.”

“Who?”

Brahm glanced at Niffin and Malita before looking back at me. “My sister.”

“Sister?” I blinked at him, eyebrows arched high. “What does she have to do with this?”

“That fat coin purse in your coat pocket? You can thank her for that. In person. As soon as we get to Steinerland.”

I grabbed his arm before he turned away. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why your sister would hand over so much money to someone she doesn’t know. Assuming you’re telling the truth in the first place.”

He scowled, and an angry red flush crept up his neck. “Before Daeg married Gideon’s aunt, he was married to our mother.” He gritted his teeth, muscle flexing in his jaw. “And he was a complete bastard to her.”

I must have looked like an owl, wide-eyed and blinking with surprise. “Daeg is your father?”

“Stepfather,” he growled. “My father died just after my sister was born. Mother married Daeg a year later.”

I didn’t ask how long his mother lived after that. Daeg’s son, Aodan, had once told me his father was notoriously hard on women. At the time, I hadn’t appreciated how much of an understatement that was.

“Okay,” I said. “So you and your sister are helping me as a way to what? Betray Lord Daeg?”

“We’re investing in your return to the throne, Lady Thunder. You can use allies, and so can we.”

“My favor isn’t for sale.” I crossed my arms over my chest and grumped. Yes, I needed allies, but at this rate, I would be so indebted for the number of favors I owed, I would likely never repay them all. And what kind of queen would that make me? A vulnerable one, was what.

“I bet the Fantazikes would disagree.” Brahm glanced at Niffin and raised an eyebrow, inviting him to argue. Niffin pressed his lips together and scowled but said nothing.

“The difference is,” I said, “I trust the Fantazikes.”

Brahm sighed, his shoulders relaxing. His dark hair, previously slicked back, had succumbed to a night of wind and rain. Now it coiled against his brow in glossy black curls. “Look, I’ll be glad to debate my trustworthiness with you as much as you like, but could we at least do it on the road? Steinerland is a long walk from here, and I don’t know about you, but I could use a hot meal and a soft bed.”

“Why can’t you just tell me whatever it is Gideon wanted me to know?”

“Because I don’t know what it is. My sister’s solicitor was the one who spoke with Gideon, and he only gave his information to her. My sister only shared enough with me to make it possible to contact you.”

“Why is she so secretive with her own brother?”

“She wants to meet you in person.” He snorted. “She thought if she gave me the message, I might blab, and then you’d have no reason to talk to her.”

Squinting at Brahm, I gave him a critical look. I should’ve known getting Gideon’s information wouldn’t be a simple matter, but I was too tired to argue. The appeal of stopping for a long rest and big dinner won out over my desire to be stubborn. I’d judge Brahm’s sister for myself when I met her. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Chapter 7

Although the trains’ guards protested when we collected our horses from the stock car, a terse word from Brahm and a dark look from Niffin and me were enough to discourage their interference. Besides, they had no authority to hold us, and our leaving meant they had fewer passengers to protect. Brahm’s companions, however, raised much louder and ruder objections when he told them he was heading out on foot without them.

He stood fast, refusing to relent. “Are any of you really prepared to make such a long hike to Steinerland?” When they continued to grouse, he bribed them, promising to pay for all the drinks at their next outing. Still they grumbled, but they stopped insisting on following us, settling into their seats like petulant children.

“Maybe it would’ve been good to bring them with us,” I said as we traipsed over the tracks, gravel crunching under our feet. Malita, Niffin, and their horse walked ahead while Adaleiz clip-clopped beside Brahm and me, nibbling at the occasional crop of weeds sprouting between railroad ties. “The bigger our group, the better?”

Brahm shook his head. “They’re soft and spoiled. They’ll slow us down, and they’ll ask too many questions.”

“Why did you bring them?” Malita asked.

“I was only supposed to find Evie on the train and watch over her until she got to Steinerland. They were part of my disguise.” He waggled a dark eyebrow. “A group of spoiled young fops are easy to overlook, no?”

I pointed to his scarred knuckles. “I wasn’t ever going to overlook you. How’d you get those, anyway?”

Brahm doffed an imaginary cap and performed a quick bow. “You’re lucky to be in the presence of Steinerland’s best bare-knuckle boxer.”

Niffin snorted. “Best?”

“Heavyweight champ for the last two years.”

“Your sister must love that.” I rolled my eyes, my tone thick with sarcasm.

“She’s my trainer, and she adores me, especially when I win.”

His sister was becoming more intriguing by the second. Funding a deposed queen’s attempt to return to her throne and supporting her brother’s brutish tendencies—I couldn’t wait to meet her. “What’s her name?”