Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard, #2)

by Scott Lynch

Locke felt his anger growing like a chancre in his guts. They had no idea who he was or what he was really capable of. No idea what the Thorn of Camorr could do to them, unleashed on Salon Corbeau, with Jean to aid him! Given months to plan and observe, the Gentlemen Bastards could take the place apart, find ways to cheat the Amusement War, surely—rob the participants, rob the Lady Saljesca, embarrass and humiliate the bastards, blacken the demi-city’s reputation so thoroughly that nobody would ever want to visit again. But … “Crooked Warden,” Locke whispered, “why now? Why show me this now?” Jean was waiting for him back in Tal Verrar, and they were already neckdeep in a game that had taken a year to put together. Jean didn’t know anything about what really went on at Salon Corbeau. He would be expecting Locke to return in short order with a set of chairs, so the two of them could carry on with the plan they’d agreed to, a plan that was already desperately delicate. “Gods damn it,” said Locke. “Gods damn it all to hell.”