{System Notice: A new Business - The Witch’s Brew (Eligible for Advancement) has earned its first gold coin worth of profit}

  As I read the words that flashed in the corner of my vision, I couldn’t help but smile, despite my current situation. It was good to see the two children doing well. A quick bit of math told me they must have sold around twenty-four bowls of the stew, which meant half the town or more had shown up for them. That wasn’t surprising. The mayor himself visiting, along with people’s love for a grand opening, almost guaranteed early profits.

  This level of growth wouldn’t last, I knew. No matter what Reeds had told them when he visited. The old man had come along with Mr. Whithers, who had taken great delight in sampling the children’s handiwork. While Reeds had congratulated and chatted with Theo, who, to my delight, had picked up a customer service persona quickly, the Innkeeper had assisted Maddison.

  At first I had worried that he would take offense at the competition and do something to the stew. A handful of spices, or something else subtle to unbalance the flavours and destabilize the product. Instead, he had asked them how the massive pot he had sold them was working out. Then he tested the stew and gave them actionable advice.

  That made little sense to me. They were, in no small way, poaching his evening customers. Then, as I thought of it, I supposed it made sense. With a singular product, and no license to sell alcohol, they couldn’t truly compete. Plus, he could always argue that it meant he had competition if he ever wanted to expand the Inn. Not that he appeared to have the money for such a venture.

  “Perhaps the children will? Another cart, or a more permanent stand, maybe?” I mused on their potential future growth as I let my gaze skim over the graveyard.

  It was small, much smaller than the more public one further down the road. The town had reserved this graveyard for the more important persons who lived here, be they mayors, priests or others of higher standing. There were three neat rows of headstones, though two in the furthest corner showed signs of damage. Not that I could see that in the gloom, but thanks to Rita’s insistence on showing me signs of the Worshghast, I knew it was there. We had stopped before the two graves, and glanced at the freshly packed earth. Scrapes and marks covered the small headstone, and I could see spots where something had torn out patches of grass.

  “This is how we know the creature is probably newly born,” she said, as she went down on one knee and touched the headstone. “It’s still leaving markings. Older ones wouldn’t bother.”

  “We’re hunting a baby?” I glanced at the destruction and felt a twinge of relief at the thought of only needing to fight something small.

  She chuckled, and I found I didn’t like the sound. “The only difference between a newly born Worshghast and an older one is how much damage they do to the headstones. That and they have issues with tunnel vision. The older ones don’t.”

  “Tunnel vision can be an extreme flaw.”

  I knew it to be true, both for myself and others. My gaze remained on the scratch marks as Rita hummed in agreement from her spot ahead of me. For a moment, there was nothing but the cool night air, and the slight rustle of the grasses.

  Then she spoke up again, and I flinched. “It’s exploitable though. Which is where you come in.”

  “I’m not getting involved in the fight.” My words were quick, and I turned towards her, whirled really, but I wouldn’t admit it. “Not happening.”

  Rita shook her head, and her tail flicked rapidly behind her. A sign of amusement. At least, it had been in other cat blooded beast kin I had worked with. She was laughing at me. It stung my pride, but in some ways, I would prefer her mockery than having to actually fight a monster. Then she patted my shoulder.

  “You won’t have to. I just need you to stand in the open and be ready to run. You can even stay next to the light.”

  “So you want me to be bait?” I didn’t bother trying to lessen the disgruntlement in my tone.

  “Yes.” She nodded, appearing pleased that I had picked it up so quickly. “Exactly.”

  With a slow breath out in an attempt to calm my nerves, I pushed the memory away. I knew what my duty was, and I didn’t want to dwell on it.

  “If you’re lucky, it won’t even show up,” I muttered to myself, as the chilly night air made me shiver.

  The gun in the pocket, loaded and ready, didn’t make my position any more comforting. Rita had mentioned the creature was armoured. Although its natural defenses were more stone spikes and thick skin than plate mail. When I had asked if she was sure she could kill it, all I had received was a curt response and a nod.

  “Blackrock doesn’t get used to forge swords to make them look pretty.”

  With no actual knowledge of the subject, all I could do was hope she was correct. A sound from nearby made me freeze, and I soon relaxed when I realised it was a small raccoon darting around the edges of the graveyard. It didn’t stop to focus on me, but I watched it dart through the moonlit night until it vanished from view.

  I didn’t relax even after I knew it wasn’t the monster, and instead, I tried to think back to what I could do to help the children with their business. Winter was approaching, so their major product would help them then. But they really needed a second. Something cold, or at least, cooler than a soup for the hotter months. Drinks perhaps? No, not unless they got supplied by one of the local farmers.

  “If they keep going the way they—” A familiar howl cut through the air, derailing my train of thought.

  Before I could move, it happened again, and I swore it was closer this time. My legs shook, and I edged towards the door, shifting my gun into my hand. I aimed down at the sights, not that it gave me any advantage in seeing through the gloom. Every part of me was telling me to run. This wasn’t my place. At no point was I supposed to be fighting monsters.

  That thought buoyed me, but I found I couldn’t move. Not because of bravery, but because of fear. Rita had told me about how the creature chases its prey. The fluid way it could slip through gaps it shouldn’t be able to, as though partially ephemeral. I still couldn’t see it, and I refused to potentially turn my back on it.

  “Rita?” I whispered, hoping she would poke her head up to reassure me.

  She did not. My mouth was dry, and I continued to try to spot the monster. Twice more it howled, the noise making my ears ring and teeth chatter. It was an unholy sound, made far worse by being in its proximity. Sweat was running down my back, and all I wanted to do was go back to the inn, drink a glass of something strong, and get ready to leave in the morning.

  To my eternal dismay, fate had other plans. A shadow moved, a large shape that was impossible to see clearly. It slunk towards the gravestones and stopped in front of one in particular. Then I heard the sounds of something digging. I reached backward for the door, and it creaked, a sound meant to alert the beast. To get it focused on me. Once it did, I could leave. Run and not look back.

  It stopped digging, and then, after a heartbeat, continued. I cursed my luck and looked around for something else. For Rita’s plan to work, I had to act as bait. Though I was more than tempted to simply run. By making the noise, I had fulfilled my part in the contract. Any more than that wasn’t part of my job description.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Before I could run, I heard a sound. A scraping sound, and one I was familiar with. That was a shovel scraping a stone. There had been a time when I had needed to grease the palms of a foreman to slow down his workers. They had been digging foundations for a new building, one that would interact unfavorably with my current clients. It turned out that people enjoyed being able to afford new clothes for their children around the holidays more than they cared about working hard.

  With my gun raised, I peered into the gloom. I still couldn’t make out the shape well enough, but something wasn’t right. My gut churned, and I took a step forward. Though my hand shook, I forced myself to take another step, then another. Whatever was out there wasn’t a monster, a fact I became more sure of. After all, what kind of grave robbing monstrosity would use a shovel?

  “Hello?” I called out, trying to sound confident. “It’s a bit late for prepping for a funeral, isn’t it?”

  When the shadow moved, I jumped back, half turned to sprint towards the door. But then I caught sight of it. The shadow figure, whatever it was, stood up and looked at me. It was no quadrupedal beast ready to run me down and chew on my bones. This was a person. A trick. Relief flooded me, and I stopped myself from dashing away.

  “What do you think you’re—”

  Once more, I found myself cut off, but this time it wasn’t by the, I assumed, simulated howl of a ferocious monster. Instead, another dark shape appeared behind the graverobber. Then, the person I was speaking to was no more. Though even in the gloom, I was sure I could tell where his head had rolled too after his body hit the floor.

  I turned and grabbed the lantern from the wall in my free hand before hurting over. What I found made my skin crawl. A man’s headless body lay half collapsed into the hole he had been digging. Rita stood there, her eyes cold, and her sword held loosely at his side. A quick glance around showed the head of the man not far away.

  My hands shook, and I placed the lantern down on top of a gravestone before I whispered. “Oh Rita. What did you do?”

  “My job,” she said, as she looked down at the body. “This, Chad, is our Worshghast.”

  “You didn’t have to kill him. I could have cut a deal, offered him to the local authorities. Do you even have a permit for murder? We could get in trouble.”

  She let out a rather unladylike snort at that, as though the thought of not having the proper permits for this amused her. It didn’t for me. I knew exactly what kind of things happened to people who didn’t have the necessary paperwork in place. Bankruptcy, jail, or worse.

  “Yes, I have a license. At home,” she said at last.

  “At home?” I stared at her, and my grip tightened around the grip of my gun. “Are you serious?”

  She gave me a look I could only describe as confused, but there was something else to it as well. Condescension maybe? “Of course. Why would I need to travel with it? Everyone knows what I do, and I didn’t plan on taking jobs while I escorted Reeds back home.”

  “That might be true in your backwater village, but here? Not so much.”

  When she didn’t respond, I sighed and bit my lip, trying to figure out what to do. From my previous interactions with the mayor, it was likely that he wouldn’t ask for any of our qualifications. He had asked us to keep things discrete, a fact I could probably use in our favour. With a shake of my head, I turned to the corpse. If we were lucky, we could find something on him that would be more interesting than us.

  Such a thing didn’t take long to spot. A large metallic necklace hung around the man’s severed neck, etched with blue lines that made it clearly enchanted. I reached out and unclasped it, careful not to disturb it. The chance of such a thing having any kind of anti-theft measure was low. Those were expensive. But I was still prepped to throw it far away at the first sign of heat or light.

  Neither occurred, though I still placed it in the grass, my attention already on the next interesting thing. Around his arm was a lace armguard. It was a different pattern than the man who had run into me. Less delicate, in a way. I wondered if that was some kind of ranking system. Either way, it meant he worked for The Lace Courier Company.

  “Why would a courier company specializing in Inns want to hire a man to fake being a monster?” I wondered, before the answer hit me. After grabbing the lanterns, I used the shovel to scrape away the last bit of dirt. There, a package sat, wrapped in paper with a small square of lace attached to it.

  Rita leaned in, and I shifted aside to let her examine the package. She reached out and picked it up, and I scooted further away. That was something that might be booby-trapped, and better she faced the repercussions than me. It didn’t explode or scream, and I watched her unwrap it. What sat inside surprised me. Headbands. Simple yellow cloth headbands.

  They didn’t appear to be enchanted, and there were dozens of them. I took the cloth from Rita and examined it. There was nothing special about it. Though they felt heavier than they should. Confused, I shook them, until a bag fell out of the bottom with a familiar clatter.

  “Coins,” I whispered, and then I upturned the bag.

  Twenty Gold spilled into the light. Not a fortune, but enough that it would boost anyone in this town to unparalleled heights. Even the farmers wouldn’t have this much money lying around, not with how much they would have to reinvest into their equipment and fields. With a gentle touch, as though stroking a cat, I ran my fingers through the currency.

  “Now this is interesting.” I glanced up at Rita, who was watching me, her sword still by her side. “You wouldn’t tell anyone we found this?”

  “Found what?” She asked.

  I smiled and nodded, before pushing the coins into the bag and sticking them in my pocket. They would be a good way to make sure Maddison and Theo stayed in business, and allow me to make sure we had nicer places to stay on our trip home. That done, I rose to my feet.

  “We should tell someone about this. I doubt the Mayor is awake at this time, but someone should be on duty.”

  Rita followed me, and we left the body behind. There was no one awake at the church, or in most of the town. We moved about until we found where the mayor lived. It was a smaller house than expected. None of the gilded trappings I expected someone who ran a community to have. With a glance around to check no one was watching, we pounded on his door.

  Grumbles and shouts for us to wait came from inside the house, and I found myself worried he was going to wake his neighbours. Thankfully, no one poked their heads out of a window or appeared to pay the commotion any mind. As the door swung open, I saw the mayor dressed in his night clothes. It took effort not to laugh. The flowing nightgown looked ridiculous on his muscular form, and the long floppy baby blue nightcap appeared out of place when contrasted with his irritated expression.,

  Not that his anger lasted long. He took us both in, and his mouth formed into a grim line. With a quick glance around, he invited us in, and soon we found ourselves in his sitting room. This had more of the finery that I expected. The couch and chairs were plush, and the finely crafted fireplace didn’t take long to have something burning inside it.

  “You did the job then?” His gaze flicked between us as he sat, and I tried not to notice the way his nightgown bundled around his knees. “The monster is gone? No more need to worry about bringing in outside help.”

  “It is,” I agreed, and then gave a defeated sigh before continuing on in a saddened tone. “Though a brave soul was lost in the combat. Killed by the monster. Head torn clean off. There was nothing we could do.”

  The mayor shot to his feet, alarmed, which his nightcap made hard to take seriously. “A citizen was killed?”

  “No no. A member of the Lace Courier Company, who bravely tried to assist my employer in her endeavors.”

  As I spoke, I could feel Rita’s stare boring into me. I ignored it, more interested in the Mayor’s expression. He appeared upset, but was that a touch of fear as well? Because someone died in his town, or something else? It was impossible to tell, but I didn’t like it. As he grimaced and muttered about the unfortunate loss of life, my gut was telling me to leave.

  “But you mentioned wanting discretion, so I’m sure you don’t want us spending too much time here.” I rose to my feet and gave a small bow. “Should we come to your office to collect our pay tomorrow morning?”

  “Pay? Oh right. Yes. Yes. That’s fine. Tomorrow.”

  He sounded distracted, and I gestured towards Rita and we both made our way out, leaving the mayor behind us. As the door closed, she glared at me.

  “You lied to him,” she whispered as we made our way to the inn.

  I shrugged. “Yes. I didn’t want him asking too many questions about us. This all feels wrong, and I don’t know why. How opposed would you be to picking up our pay, giving money to Maddison and Theo, and leaving town?”

  “It’ll depend on how much Reeds has had to drink,” she said. “Which might be a lot.”

  “My father taught me how to drive a coach if the old man’s too hung over. Come on, let’s go back to the Inn. I have a few questions for Mr. Whithers when we get back.”

  Rita nodded. “You want to understand why the package was there, too?”

  “Yes.” I met her gaze. “Are you up for an interrogation?”

  “I’m not a thug.” Her words were direct, and I nodded before holding up my hands.

  “Not like that, I promise. But it would be nice to have some backup if he runs. Can you do that?”

  She paused, and then her tail flicked, excitement at the thought of a chase. “I can.”

  “Excellent. Then, it seems our night isn’t over. Come on.”