Fishing out a copper penny, he held it between his thumb and forefinger, squinting as he tried to read the Aladri script. “Never seen currency like this before. But I reckon it spends as well as any other.”
He tossed the coin up with a chuckle and then caught it in his closed fist. “Thank you, madam. You’ve been most obliging.”
Desa triggered the Heat-Source she had Infused into the metal.
The old man gasped, dropping the coin and his pistol as well. Reluctantly, he lifted a trembling hand and whimpered at the sight of blisters on his palm.
Desa charged forward.
She kicked his knee, forcing him to bend over, and then slugged him square in the nose. The poor fool staggered, trying his darndest to stay on his feet.
Desa spun for a hook-kick, her heel striking the old man’s cheek. Throw
