Dance of Thieves

Kazi seethes at Jase for passing the keys to others before unlocking their ankle chain. She can’t swim but Jase pulls her out of the water and holds her against his chest. They float downriver for a mile until Jase maneuvers them to shore. Kazi knows they now depend on each other for survival and asks for a truce. Jase asks her name. Vendans don’t have last names but are known based on where they’re from, so she tells him that she is Kazi of Brightmist; Brightmist is a quarter of Sanctum City, the Vendan capital. Jase thinks there’s a Vendan settlement about 100 miles to their right that is not in the path of labor hunters, as Hell’s Mouth is. They agree to go their separate ways when they reach the settlement. Kazi picks up a small flint she can use with her firesteel buckle to make a fire. Kazi tenses when Jase reaches for her face, but he only looks at her bruise. Jase wonders if there’s anything Kazi won’t do to get what she wants.

Jase splits a branch in half and gives one side to Kazi for protection against animals they might meet. Jase lied about going to a Vendan settlement; he is actually leading Kazi to a Ballenger outpost. He needs Kazi to follow him willingly so he can get back to protect his family and be at his father’s burial. Jase remembers his father’s last words: Karsen asked Jase to make the Vendan Queen come and validate the Ballenger position on the continent. Jase wonders why the Queen chose Kazi to come to Hell’s Mouth.

Kazi takes offense when Jase accuses her of stealing oranges in Hell's Mouth. She mentions his family's treaty violations including skimming merchants, raiding caravans, stealing livestock, and intimidation. Jase yells that she doesn’t know what it’s like to survive while surrounded by kingdoms who want to take his family’s land. One of the reasons Jase was named Patrei is because he’s the least impulsive, but Kazi pushes him to be reckless.

The Vendans received intelligence from the King of Eislandia that the previous Ballenger patriarch harbored a ruthless outlaw, and though Kazi's allegiances are to Venda, she realizes Jase loved his father. Kazi watched Wren and Synové mourn their parents’ sudden deaths and offers Jase condolences. Jase slows down when he notices Kazi limping to keep up. He tells here that he wasn’t sure if she was alive in the wagon, so he watched her chest to see if she was breathing; Kazi smiles inwardly. They rest at a brook in the forest but will soon reach an open plateau. Kazi fears sleeping in the open without a tent and splashes her face to distract herself. She spots minnows so Jase takes off his shirt to make a net. Kazi stares at his muscled abdomen and the winged tattoo on his chest and arm. Jase catches her staring and says the design is part of the Ballenger crest.

Jase and Kazi make camp and while the minnows cook, Kazi asks about his eagle tattoo. Jase tells her the Ballenger history. Aaron Ballenger gathered a surviving Remnant of mostly children after the devastation (as described by Synové in Chapter 4); he started leading them to safety, but died when scavengers attacked them. Aaron charged his grandson, 14-year-old Greyson, to lead the rest of the way. When Greyson reached Tor’s Watch, he found the eagle symbol and adopted it as the Ballenger crest. The crest changed over time but the eagle and banner are constants, and the words mean to protect and defend at all costs. Jase tells Kazi legends of the forest. He grew up with them because he spent most of his childhood outdoors. She evades his question about her childhood. When Jase opens his eyes, Kazi is awake and scared. Jase asks for a riddle, and she tells him riddles until she falls asleep.

Kazi wakes to Jase pinning her to the ground, forcing her to stay still as a Candok bear licks them. When its footsteps fade, Jase rolls off and apologizes for crushing her. The next few days, they fall into a rhythm and Jase explains the boundaries of Ballenger territory. The shorthorn taken from the Vendan settlers was payment for trespassing on Ballenger land. Kazi accuses him of burning the Vendan settlement, which Jase denies, surprised by the information. The Ballengers only raid merchant caravans when they cross into their territory. Since they have no defined borders, Kazi argues the Ballengers are breaking the laws, but Jase claims the other kingdoms set their borders after the Ballengers had claimed the land.

Jase’s world is based on transactions, so Kazi decides his family is gaining something by harboring Captain Illarion and seeks to understand Jase's family. Jase has many siblings; Priya is the oldest, Gunner and Titus are his older brothers, Nash and Lydia are the youngest, and Mason was adopted after his family died. They have family meetings to decide and vote on business matters. As Patrei, Jase makes the final decisions and can overrule the family vote. Kazi lies to Jase that her parents are alive.

Kazi is overjoyed to find wish stalks growing at a creek which provide juice for nourishment and a salve for their injuries. Jase thanks her for tending to his ankle and Kazi thanks him for saving her from the bear. Jase calls her Kazimyrah of Brightmist, still uncertain it's her real name.