"I didn't steal a damn thing!" the second warrior snapped back defensively, his hands still planted against the cold cobblestones as my aura held him in check. He cast a sharp glare toward his rival before looking back up at me with pleading eyes. "My Queen, I paid for those pelts fair and square. I put my coin right there on the shopkeeper's table!"
The taller warrior growled under his breath, his shoulders tensing as if he wanted nothing more than to lunge across the aisle. "And I told you three times before you even pulled out your pouch that our squad prepaid for that entire haul last week! The deposit was recorded in the ledger! So we bought them first!"
"How was I supposed to know?" the second man argued, his voice rising in frustration. "The merchant wasn't at his bench, the pelts
