Ovelia's POV
Ray ran his fingers through his tousled hair, the motion disturbingly casual given his words. "Pity they blew themselves up," he mused, his smile widening to show too many teeth. "If I'd gotten my hands on them, I would have enjoyed making them scream for mercy." His fingers twitched as if already imagining the torture.
Ace's silver eyes turned to ice. "Ray," he warned, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "Enough."
Kai began walking toward the inn, his boots kicking up small clouds of dust. "So Shin and I were right," he called over his shoulder. "Those bastards were working with the bandits after all."
Ray kept pace beside me, his wound glistening in the sunlight. "From what the hunters said before they died," he added, "they specifically wanted those prototype black magic chains from the witch."
Philip's merchant instincts surfaced immediately. His blue eyes sharpened as he calculated. "Meaning they funded the witch's work," he concluded.
