"I guess so," she said.

"Maybe virtue and a better life is a goal worthy of such means," Sebastian said.

"From what I've seen in life, a man who preaches a better way at the cost of the truth is a man who wants nothing more than for himself to be the master and you the slave."

"I see what you mean," Sebastian conceded. "I guess I'm fortunate not to have had dealings with such people."

"Count your blessings," Tom said.

At his table, Jennsen took the hand of both Joe and Clayton. "Thank you for helping. I can't believe you got my purse back."

Their grins had much in common with Tom's.

"Most fun we've had in a while," Joe said.

"Not only that," Clayton added, "but we can't thank you enough for keeping Tom busy so we could spend a couple days visiting the palace. About time Tom gave us a break."

Tom put a hand against Jennsen's back, urging her around the table, to his wagon beyond. Sebastian followed the two of them between the wine barrels and the stand beside them selling leather goods, where, before, Irma had sold her sausages.

Behind Tom's wagon, Jennsen saw his big horses. Then, beyond them, she saw the others.

"Our horses!" Jennsen's jaw dropped. "You got us our horses?"

"Sure did," Tom said, beaming with pride. "Found Irma this morning when she came to the market with another load of sausages. She had the horses with her. I told her you'd promised to come see me today before you left, so she was glad to have a chance to get them back to you. All your supplies are there with them."

"That's good luck," Sebastian said. "We can't thank you enough. We're in a hurry to get going."

Tom gestured to Jennsen's waist, where she kept the knife under her cloak. "I figured."

Jennsen looked around, feeling a rising flood of dismay. "Where's Betty?"

Tom frowned. "Betty?"

Jennsen swallowed. "My goat, Betty." It was a mighty effort to keep her voice steady. "Where's Betty?"

"I'm sorry, Jennsen. I don't know anything about a goat. Irma only had the horses." Tom's face sagged. "I never thought to ask about anything else."

"Do you know where Irma lives?"

Tom's head hung. "Sorry, no. She showed up this morning and she had your horses and things. She sold her sausages and waited around for a while before she said she had to get on home."

Jennsen seized his sleeve. "How long ago?"

Tom shrugged. "I don't know. Couple hours ago?" He glanced over his shoulder at his brothers. They both nodded.

Jennsen's jaw trembled. She feared to test her voice again. She knew that she and Sebastian couldn't hang around waiting. With the wizard so close, trying to stop her, she knew they would be lucky to get away with their lives. Returning would be out of the question.

A glance to Sebastian's face confirmed it.

Tears stung her eyes. "But… didn't you find out where she lived?"

Tom's gaze sank as he shook his head.

"Didn't you ask if she had anything else belonging to us?"

He shook his head again.

Jennsen wanted to scream and pound her fists against his chest. "Did you even think to ask when she would be back?"

Tom shook his head.

"But we promised her money for watching our horses," Jennsen said. "She would say when she would be back so she could be paid."

Still looking at his feet, Tom said, "She told me she was owed money for watching the horses. I paid her."

Sebastian pulled out money, counted out silver coins, and held them out to Tom. Tom refused it, but Sebastian insisted, finally tossing the money on the table to settle the debt.

Jennsen choked back her desperation. Betty was gone.

Tom looked heartbroken. "I'm sorry."

Jennsen could only nod. She wiped her nose as she watched Joe and Clayton saddling their horses for them. The sounds of the market seemed distant. In a numb state, she hardly felt the cold. When she saw the horses she had thought…

Now, she could think only of Betty bleating in distress. If Betty was even still alive.

"We can't stay," Sebastian answered softly to the pleading look she gave him. "You know that as well as I. We have to be on our way."

She looked back to Tom. "But I told you before, about Betty." Desperation drove into her voice. "I told you that Irma had our horses and my goat, Betty. I told you-I know I did."

Tom couldn't meet her eyes. "You did, ma'am. I'm sorry, but I just forgot to ask her. I can't lie to you and tell you anything else or make an excuse. You told me. I forgot."

Jennsen nodded and put a hand on his arm. "Thank you for getting our horses, and all the other help. I couldn't have done it without you."

"We have to get going," Sebastian said, checking his saddlebags and securing the flaps. "It's going to take time to work our way through the crowds and out of here."

"We'll give you an escort," Joe said.

"People get out of the way of our big draft horses," Clayton explained. "Come on. We know the quickest way out. Follow us and we'll get you through the crowds."

Both men pulled a horse over so they could step up on a barrel and mount up bareback. They deftly guided the huge horses out of the narrow way between the stands and barrels without so much as jostling anything. Sebastian stood waiting for her, holding the reins to their horses, Rusty and Pete.

On her way past, Jennsen paused and gazed up into Tom's eyes, sharing with him a private, wordless moment among all the people around. She stretched up and kissed his cheek, then held her own cheek against his for a moment. His fingertips just touched her shoulder. As she drew away, his wistful gaze stayed on her face.

"Thank you for helping me," she whispered. "I'd have been lost without YOU."

Tom smiled then. "My pleasure, ma'am."

"Jennsen," she said.

He nodded. "Jennsen." He cleared his throat. "Jennsen, I'm sorry-"

Jennsen, holding back her tears, touched her fingers to his lips to silence him. "You helped me save Sebastian's life. You were a hero for me when I needed one. Thank you from the depths of my heart."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets as his gaze sank to the ground once more. "Safe journey to you, Jennsen, wherever you may go in your life. Thank you for letting me join you for a small part of it."

"Steel against steel," she said, not even understanding why, but it somehow sounded right. "You helped me in that."

Tom smiled then, with a look of intense pride and gratitude.

"That he may be the magic against magic. Thank you, Jennsen."

She patted Rusty's muscular neck before putting a boot into a stirrup and boosting herself up onto the saddle. She cast the big man a last look over her shoulder. Staying with his things, Tom watched as Jennsen and Sebastian followed Joe and Clayton out into the sea of people. Their two big escorts, yelling and whistling, moved people out of the way, creating a clear path ahead. People stopped and looked when they heard the commotion coming, then stepped aside at the sight of the huge horses.

Sebastian, flashing a heated scowl, leaned toward her. "What was the big ox babbling about magic?" he whispered over at her.

" I don't know," she said in a low voice. She let out a sigh. "But he helped me get you out."

She wanted to tell him that Tom might be big, but he was no ox. She didn't though. For some reason, she didn't want to talk about Tom to Sebastian. Even though Tom had been helping her to rescue Sebastian, what they had done together for some reason felt very private to her.

When they finally reached the edge of the marketplace, Joe and Clayton waved them a farewell as Jennsen and Sebastian urged their horses ahead at a gallop, out onto the cold, empty Azrith Plains.