Sheryl, despite her claim of needing an escort, walked through Yuliosa in the same way a highborn lady would stride through her fiefdom. People waved to her, and she returned each greeting with a small nod of her head, or a kind word, though she never stopped moving. I struggled to keep up with her, though she was shorter than I was. Her strides seemed to eat up the ground in a way I couldn’t contend with.

  “Tell me,” she said as we walked. “You saved my husband from those bounty hunters, but where did you meet him to start with? Are you someone he found while in Crecia?”

  I took a deep breath in and tried to push down my desire to pant. “No Ma’am. He met me on the road. I had escaped a goblin, and he and Miss. Thrumlin offered me a ride. I stayed with them because of a job offer made by the latter.”

  “You escaped a goblin?” She said, her disbelieving expression making it into her tone.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “How?”

  “I bribed it with a better food source.” We stopped as we waited for a group to move aside, and I took the chance to sneak in a few extra breaths. “That’s my job, for the most part. I’m a Fixer, I deal with deals, contracts, and creating business efficiency.”

  Shery laughed, and reached out to rest a hand on my shoulder, an act I knew allowed me a few extra seconds to catch my breath. “Then I can understand why Rita might hire you. The poor girl is over her head.”

  “Is she?” I looked at her.

  “Oh yes. Lovely girl, but doesn’t have a head for business.” Sheryl shook her head, and to my discomfort, we started moving again. “She loves the job, and Sasha does what she can to keep things moving in an upward direction, but, well, you can imagine people this far away from the capital aren’t exactly swimming in coins.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She smiled at me, though it faltered. “So polite. No wonder my husband offered to keep transporting you. Would you be a dear and tell me if you know about what happened in the city?”

  “With his medication, ma’am?” I asked, and when she nodded, I continued. “It was too expensive. The apothecaries never miss a chance to chase profits. Even I could struggle to afford anything rare.”

  “Bah, I told him that would happen. He should have stayed with me. I could have taken care of him. Even if Anna doesn’t have what he needs.”

  The sheer conviction in her words had me nodding along. “I wouldn’t dare doubt you, ma’am.”

  “You’re a good boy.” She patted my arm as we arrived at Anna’s. “Do you know where you’re staying after this? I would love to invite you to a meal, for everything you’ve done for my husband.”

  “That would depend on Miss. Thrumlin, Ma’am. The guards have detained her at the gate, and I’m not sure she would appreciate me abandoning her for longer than I have.” I said, not outright declining the offer. It never hurt to have people willing to feed you if things go sideways.

  Sheryl scowled, her tail bristling as it flicked back and forth. “They detained her again? I thought she had that issue sorted already. It’s ridiculous. I swear that man only focuses on issues that directly affect him.”

  “That man, ma’am?”

  “Mayor Gage.” She spat the name. “He’s not the worst mayor, but I swear, he’s far too passive. Someone needs to talk some sense into him.”

  I didn’t miss the way her eyes went to me, and I smiled. “Well, if I end up taking Miss. Thrumlin’s job offer, I’m sure a conversation with the Mayor will be on my to-do list.”

  “Good.” She smiled, and the sight of her pointed teeth made the older woman appear downright sinister. “It will be nice for him to have to deal with someone who knows what they’re doing. Now, are you coming in?”

  My eye caught Byron, who stood next to the door, as though he was supposed to be posted there. A bright white bandage covered his nose, and I could see signs of an orange goo leaking from it. He didn’t appear to be in pain, though the relief upon spotting me was obvious. Sheryl followed my gaze, and when she saw who I was looking at, her gaze turned hard and disapproving.

  “Did you trip and fall on the stairs again, boy?”

  Her words were soft, consoling, and it was immediately obvious to me this wasn’t the first time they had this conversation. From the way Byron looked at me, he could tell I knew there was something deeper to that question. He shifted uncomfortably before he answered.

  “No,” Byron said, and then coughed. “James asked me to detain Rita.”

  “I would tell people it was the stairs. Though James should know better. I take it you’re waiting on this one?” She asked, as she patted my shoulder again.

  “Yes, Miss. Reeds.”

  “Well, you take care of him, alright?” She strode to the door and stopped, her tail flicking against Byron’s arm in a way that wasn’t technically a reproachful slap. “I’ve taken a liking to him and I would be disappointed if anything happened to him. Keep him safe.”

  “I’ll do my best, Miss. Reeds.”

  “Good boy.”

  With one last smile to me, she entered the store. Within seconds, I heard her and Anna’s voices start up. Old greetings and reproachful remarks about Reeds. Bryon’s shoulders sagged as he left his post and came to stand beside me.

  “Are you ready to head back, then?” He asked. “My guess is everyone you’ll need to talk to will be by the north gate.”

  I gave him a curt nod and fell into step with him. “Of course.”

  To my relief, he seemed content to set a leisurely pace. Together we walked the streets, listening to the sounds of everyday life, and the soft thump of his spear butt on the earthen streets.

  “So you have an issue with stairs, then?” I asked, though we both knew I didn’t mean that in the literal sense.

  “Only yellow ones,” he muttered. “They start, and then try to end most of the conflicts in this town. It’s not the first time Anna has had to patch me up.”

  “They’re that big of a problem?”

  He gave a slow nod, and then a sigh. “Yes, and no. They aren’t doing anything particularly hostile for the most part. A few brawls, some petty theft. Mostly, they seem to be waiting for something. They sometimes go out into the woods for a day or two and not all of them return, or different ones come back in their place. It’s a small town, which makes the fresh faces noticeable. My orders are not to go after them unless they start something directly.”

  “That seems odd. Are they smugglers? Asking for protection money?” I frowned as I tried to think of what other gang activities I could think of on the top of my head. “Destabilizing businesses?”

  Byron shook his head. “Not really. Though if I had to guess, it’s something to do with the Mayor. I don’t like it.”

  “I bet not.”

  My mind raced as I tried to understand why they were doing such a thing. A few options sprang to mind, though none made sense. Recruitment was a big one. If people were coming and going from a gang, it meant someone was taking them somewhere. The question was where, and also why.

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  From our position, we were a week’s travel from the edge of the southern kingdoms, with two to three weeks more travel in either direction to get to Erolis or Wresti. This, in a lot of ways, was the middle of nowhere.

  Still, it made little sense. Not really. It would take too much gold to bother with a place like this, unless you wanted to hide the movements of the books. A shiver ran up my back, and I shook my head.

  “Whatever this is, it isn’t my problem,” I thought to myself as we walked. “My job is to assist Miss. Thrumlin, and then be on my way with some backup.”

  I paused at that and blinked. When had I decided I was taking the job? Not that I supposed I had much choice. There was little other choice for me now that I was here. While there might be a trading cart, or some other traveller who would give me a ride, I didn’t know when they would be coming. That meant with Reeds out of commission, I was stuck.

  “Well, it has to be better than fishing reports and trying to bribe pirates.” I shook my head.

  Before I could continue with that train of thought, Bryon touched my arm. When I turned to look at him, I found him staring deliberately ahead. When he spoke, it was in a quiet voice.

  “I don’t mean to alarm you, but we’re being followed.”

  As I moved to glance behind us, he gripped my arm to stop me. “Don’t. Just walk, and we’ll get to the gate.”

  Though I followed his advice, I found it difficult. A major part of me screamed to look around and see. To gather information on the threat. Thoughts of the same group of Howlers I had run into came to mind. Ideas of us getting rushed down and attacked for what had happened.

  My fingers twitched, and I wanted to go for the gun in my pocket, but Byron’s casual walk kept me from it. The fact he was gripping his spear helped. If he was still walking, it probably meant we weren’t about to be surrounded.

  “You mentioned when we stopped the coach that you didn’t know Rita was banned from town, right?” he asked, his tone too casual as he stopped to give a small wave to a woman walking by. “Was that true?”

  “Yes, she never mentioned it. Though I suppose one wouldn’t when they’ve been banned due to punching the mayor.” My throat was dry as I answered, and I wanted to speed up, though the grip on my arm stopped me.

  “That I do.” Bryon wrinkled his nose, and then winced. “He’s a stick in the mud, but he cares in his own way. The story goes she didn’t like a job he tried to press on her. They fought about it and she punched him.”

  There was something in his tone that made me curious. “But you don’t believe it.”

  “That she punched him? Oh, no, she absolutely would do that. I don’t believe that it was over something so simple. No, he’s hiding something in that story. My guess is he asked her to do something, kill someone maybe, and she objected to it. Weird sense of honour, that one.” I chuckled, but there wasn’t much feeling in it.

  “How did you get mixed up with her anyway?” he asked. “I’m guessing by the suit, you were looking for muscle?”

  “In a way. She helped me out in a jam, and I agreed to come and check on her business. I’m a Fixer by trade, and she thought I might have some insights on how to expand. In return, she agreed to act as my bodyguard while we travelled together.”

  He made a noise that sounded like understanding and then stopped to talk to a man carrying a stack of planks. As we did, I finally glimpsed our tail. It was a single broad shouldered man, wearing one of the yellow headbands. His scowl was drawing attention from passersby, but everyone gave him a wide berth.

  When our eyes met for the briefest moment, he raised a fist. I nudged Byron, who cleanly ended the conversation, and we moved on. He kept us at a steady pace, and I had to fight down my worry. My days were meant to be spent in my coach, or behind a desk. Not running from people who wanted to bash my head in.

  Soon, the gate was in sight, and I could see a small crowd of guards standing around it. One of them stood out amongst the rest. He was a tall, dark-skinned man, with a metal breast and back plate, and a pitched helmet. A mace hung at his side and he had a buckler strapped to his arm. I wondered why he was dressed for a battle, but then I heard Miss. Thrumlin. She didn’t sound happy.

  “—and I’m meant to be guarding him. What if something happens!” Rita demanded, gesturing to the man I assumed was the captain of the guard.

  “Ma’am. If Byron is with him, he’ll be fine.” The Captain didn’t shout, but his deep voice still carried easily enough for me to hear.

  As they continued to argue, I found I couldn’t help but feel calmer at the sight of her with her sword on her hip. Though I suppose it was hard to feel unsafe when you had seen the person declaring to keep you safe cut the head off a man. A smile tugged at my lips as we walked towards them.

  Byron paused at his captain’s side, but I kept walking through the gate. At the sight of me, Rita didn’t visibly relax, but she looked somewhat pleased. Then she glanced over my shoulder. Before I could ask her what was wrong, an arm locked around my throat, as a fist slammed into my side. My legs buckled, but whoever was holding me stopped me from falling.

  “You hurt my brother, you bastard,” my attacker spoke, as the surrounding air turned wavy. “I’m going to make you pay for that.”

  Sparks flew away from the shield as Rita’s sword hit the barrier. The man laughed, and my nose wrinkled as I smelled the stale beer on his breath. He slammed another fist into my side, and I choked out a cry of pain. It both hurt and sped up the loss of my already dwindling air supply. Twice more Rita attacked the barrier, but her sword didn’t penetrate.

  “She’s going to watch you die. Maybe she’s not the mercenary she thinks she is, eh?” He asked, as he tugged me backwards.

  I gurgled out a reply and then scrabbled at his arm. He didn’t appear to notice, and I cursed. With desperation, I reached into my jacket to pull out the gun. The moment it appeared into view, he grabbed my arm and wrenched it. Something in my shoulder popped. Another scream and the gun was laying in the dirt at my feet.

  “Clever.”

  A simple kick sent the gun out of reach, and then he shoved me onto my back. I knew what was coming and tried to move away, but I wasn’t fast enough. His foot slammed into my back and I cried out. Twice more he slammed into me, and I coughed. My eyes met Rita’s, and I knew I had to explain how the shield worked.

  With careful, slow movements, I formed a fist, and then punched myself in the side of the head. My attacker laughed.

  “Really? Hoping to knock yourself out? Pathetic,” he grabbed me, and I took a gasping breath before he cut off my air supply again.

  Pain radiated from my body, and I could see Rita staring at me. With the last bit of energy, I repeated the move. A fist, and then punching myself. Blackness crept into my vision. There was nothing but the pain and stink of pale beer. It hurt so much. Then it changed.

  I fell to the ground and turned. The man had dropped me and was rubbing his check. His shield was still up, but I could see the lines across his face. Marks made by the claws Rita was now sporting. She was grinning, and he was backing up. Behind them, I could see the guards. All stood by, blocking the gate but not making a move to help.

  “You cut me, you bitch.”

  “I’m going to do worse than that,” Rita growled, and then jumped him.

  He blocked the first blow, using his thick forearm, though he winced when she slashed it up again. His follow up punch was heavy, but she simply moved her head aside, before bringing it forward so that her forehead hit his nose. He cried out, and then she ended it. As he reared back, she ducked down and then stuck all ten of her claws into his stomach and ripped.

  Bile rose in my throat at the sight as he cried out and fell. Blood pooled on the ground, and he stared up at Rita. He tried to get up, but the movement made things worse.

  “Wasn’t… trained enough for this…” he muttered, and with those as his last words, he died.

  Blood dripped from Rita’s fingers, and she reached down to wipe them on whatever clean part of his shirt she could find. I struggled to my feet, though each step towards her, and the corpse hurt. There was no way I could bend to check him over, so I gestured for Rita to do it. She frowned at me, but complied, coming up with another headband for my collection, and a small coin purse.

  I checked the coin purse first, and found it held a handful of bronze coins, and a single gold. After conferring with her, I tucked it into my pocket. It would be company funds for now. That done, I turned to glare at the guards. They had let him through. Let the man grab me. With slow, uneven steps, I moved to the gate, my jaw set and my gaze hard. The Captain’s neutral expression didn’t wave, and I momentarily wondered if he had a Poker Face skill or some equivalent. Not that it mattered.

  “Are you in charge, sir?” My words were slow, measured.

  “I run the guard.” He gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. “Captain Roderick, at your service.”

  It took effort, but I managed to straighten my back. “Not from where I’m standing. You let a thug attack me.”

  “Orders from up high. We aren’t allowed to interfere with The Howlers unless they cause trouble in town. You, sir, were outside of it.”

  His tone was proper, but I could pick up the hint he was dropping. He was telling me this was out of his hands. If I had a complaint, I needed to take it up the chain. A smile crossed my face, and I thought about what Sheryl had told me earlier. It appeared she was going to get her wish sooner rather than later. Still, I needed to go through the motions.

  “And who is up high?” I asked, fighting to keep my tone stern instead of pained.

  Captain Roderick’s answer was immediate. “That would be Mayor Gage.”

  “Good.” I gestured for Rita. “Because of your dismal failure to do your job, my bodyguard will accompany me.”

  “No. I can’t allow that. Her ban is still in effect, despite the current complications.” A flicker of emotion crossed his face. This clearly wasn’t where he expected me to go. Tough.

  “I don’t care.” My words were harsh. “You have a choice, Captain. My bodyguard stays with me, to protect me. Or I make sure everyone knows about your failure. Unless you plan on banning me, too? Though I’m sure Sheryl, Anna and Reeds will know what happened. How would you like to be dragged through the mud for a mayor who clearly doesn’t care much about your opinion?”

  That last bit was grasping at straws, though with what Byron had let slip, I felt it was a solid guess. He looked between Rita and I, and from the corner of my eye, I could see her grin. She was baiting him, and everyone knew it. But it would be a power play to walk into the Mayor’s office with her at my side, and we both knew it. If he did care about getting me to cause enough of a fuss about this problem, it would be extra leverage.

  “I’ll provide you with an escort.”

  Poker Face killed my smile. “Then I want Byron. Injured or not, he has proven his competence.”

  “Done.”

  He added two guards to my retinue, a man and a woman. With a quick goodbye, I left the captain and limped my way to the town hall and, what I hoped would be a rather productive meeting.