Dance of Thieves

Jase tries to figure out why Kazi is afraid of open plains. He is fascinated by her but distracts himself by thinking about his family. Kazi claims she saw the Vendan settlement near Hell's Mouth destroyed, but his family didn’t do it, so he wonders if Kazi is lying. Jase is good at detecting lies but it’s hard to figure out the truth with Kazi.

They reach the Bone Channel, a stretch of blinding sand in broad sunlight with ruins and hills on the other side. Kazi insists they tie their shirts around their feet so they can cross and sleep at the ruins. When they are halfway across, a cloud in the distance signals a flash flood storm. They run but Kazi’s wrappings fall off and her feet blister so Jase carries her to the other side. They claw up a steep bank to get away from the rising floodwaters and collapse in disbelieving laughter at the top. Jase tends to Kazi’s blistered feet with saved wish stalks.

The storm passes quickly. Jase carries Kazi up to a cave in the ruins. He uses his shirt to make a bandage for her feet. Jase catches dinner in the bird’s nests around the ruins, and they talk about their favorite foods. Sage cakes, a Vendan delicacy, are Kazi’s favorite. Jase noticed she loves oranges too. Kazi almost reveals she was once a thief when talking about first eating an orange.

They walk out of the cave for more firewood where the open sky of stars makes Kazi dizzy. Jase wonders what made her afraid of the open world and sky. Kazi doesn’t answer and clings to Jase as he tells stories of the constellations. They awkwardly split apart and trip against the wall. They kiss. Kazi is conflicted because she likes Jae, but knows she will have to betray him because of her duty as a Rahtan.

Kazi has always seen the specter of death but managed to evade him. The ghosts in the Bone Channel told her not to pass through there, and now she can’t turn back from her new relationship with Jase. They keep kissing and growing closer emotionally as they get closer to the real world where they are enemies. Kazi feels the foreboding in the air and asks Jase for a break and a story. Jase proudly talks of Miandre, the first mother of the Ballengers who helped guide the Remnant survivors with Greyson and establish the first country on the continent. Kazi was taught that Morrighan was the first kingdom established. Jase says the Ballenger history is written down so they can remember and pass it down. Kazi asks about his tattoo again. Jase got his tattoo before his brothers to prove himself. His father was proud of him for enduring the pain and chose him as the next Patrei. Jase tells a made-up riddle that doesn’t make sense and promises his next one will be better. They are almost back to civilization and can sense that things will soon change between them.

Jase admits his father is being entombed that day. He asks Kazi to be honest about her parents and their deaths. Kazi, who can barely be honest with herself, lies. She claims her dad is governor of a northern province and her mother is an army general. Kazi thinks of her mother. Although they were poor, they loved each other and had silent signals to survive. When a Previzi driver, a human trafficker and trader in stolen goods, came in the middle of the night, Kazi’s mother pushed her under the bed giving the signal to be quiet. Kazi could see the driver's face because of his lantern. Her mother insisted Kazi was only a marketplace orphan before the Previzi driver forced her to drink a sedative and carried her away. Kazi stayed under the bed for two days before searching the streets. Kazi adapted to the streets, but her mom and the driver vanished. Jase asks about food and Kazi can tell he’s nervous.

Jase’s mind shifts to his home and responsibilities. He tries to distract Kazi from realizing their actual destination by pointing out landmarks until they find a small farm where three armed riders greet Jase as the Patrei. Kazi realizes Jase lied about where they were going and tries to hit him, but he stops her, saying he knew she would have arrested him at the Vendan settlement. Jase sends his men for tools, food, a messenger, and a horse. Tiago says they tracked down the labor hunters who kidnapped Jase and Kazi and found two of the other prisoners barely alive. They killed the labor hunters after learning they’d been paid upfront by a nameless fellow. There were also six suspicious fires set in Hell’s Mouth and a thwarted raid on a caravan. Jase is angry to hear someone is trying to create unrest in Hell’s Mouth. Tiago hesitates before confirming the other Rahtan are in custody. The other men return and break the ankle chain connecting Kazi and Jase. Jase orders the messenger to ride ahead to Greyson Tunnel, get them clothes, and stall the burial at Tor's Watch until they arrive.

Kazi is furious Jase lied to her but is glad he’s taking her to Tor’s Watch. Jase tries to explain why he lied as they ride through Greyson Tunnel and Kazi tries to map it in her head. Jase stops and servants descend with clothes. Two dogs charge Kazi but Jase’s command stops them. Jase gently pushes Kazi through the crowds to the burial site where his family waits. Lydia and Nash run and hug Jase and Kazi is moved by their emotion. The rest of the family acts normal, as though Jase was never missing, but Kazi notices their relief. Jase greets his family as the Priest blesses his father's tomb.

In front of everyone, Paxton challenges Jase, demanding that Jase explain his absence since being named Patrei. Jase pulls Kazi to his side and implies a romantic interlude kept him away. Paxton wonders if Kazi is the Rahtan who took Jase down in the street in Hell's Mouth. Gunner claims Kazi brought word that the Queen of Venda is coming to recognize the legitimacy of the Ballenger Empire. Jase glares at Gunner but the crowd is pleased with the news. Kazi refuses to confirm or deny. Paxton notices Jase’s missing signet ring and Jase hesitates to explain. Kazi needs to complete her mission and not get in the middle of a power struggle, so she claims she held onto the ring for Jase while he bathed because it’s too big and might have slipped off. She gives the ring back to a shocked Jase. He kisses her cheek and puts it back on his finger.