Fist motioned at her pack. “Is it worth anything?

Stubble handed the bag to him. “Its mostly just clothes. Theyre worthless.

Her desperation surged. If they took her pack, she would lose her letters of introduction to the guild and the hexacoins she had saved for this trip.

Fist dumped her tunic and leggings onto the ground and tossed out the letters as if they were trash. When he found her bag of coins, he shook it, making the silver rattle, then unfastened the strings and peered inside.

“Not bad. Looking down at Allegra, he held up the bag and grinned. “A little something for our efforts, eh? Then he tied her money pouch to his belt.

Allegra swore at him, but the gag turned her oaths into grunts. She strained to pull her wrists free, and the ropes bit her skin.

One of the men leaned down and grasped her necklace. When he yanked, its cord snapped. He tossed the pendant to Fist. “Thatll be worth a bit.

No! She struggled futilely. Without the pendant, she couldnt make spells. Although she could do little more than make light, she felt even more vulnerable with that ability stripped away.

Fist studied the garnet. “Nice workmanship. He untied her coin bag and stuffed the pendant inside. Then he picked up her clothes and letters and crammed them back into the pack. “Well leave this on the other side of the border, as proof we found her in Jazid, in case anyone looks for her.

“She was by herself, another of the men said, incredulous. “Any man stupid enough to let a woman who looks like this bathe alone in a river deserves to lose her.

“Of course he does, Fist said. “But the laws here dont care what we think. Its only legal if we catch her in Jazid. He looked down at Allegra. “Pity you were foolish enough to ride there by yourself. But that isnt our problem, is it?

Allegra wanted to spit at him. As she fought harder against her bonds, the scrape of metal on leather came from behind her. Then what felt like a dagger pricked her spine. She froze, breathing hard, too scared to move.