Over the week, we stopped in more small towns, but none offered the excitement that Ophilim had generated. Instead, we stopped in cheaper inns to rest and refuel and eat. None of them mentioned knowing of the Lace Courier Company, and not even a subtle bribe, got the information I sought. Though the way they often shut down conversations or cut me off from buying drinks was admittance enough.

  I learned more about my two traveling companions as well. Throughout the day, Rita would graciously tell me bits and pieces about her business. We discussed her college, Penny and Sasha, both cat-blooded beast kin like her. I found myself intrigued by Sasha, who was the group’s alchemist and worried by Penny, who was apparently a handful.

  The chats never lasted long, and I found I couldn’t get much more than superficial details from her. A fact that worried me. She was perfectly happy to discuss the business in a more abstract way. It didn’t take much for her to tell me about previous jobs, especially when they involved her fights against various monsters. Her excitement was palpable when she described hunts, battles, and strategies.

  One particular story had her ears and tail flicking as she gesticulated. I had pounced on the opportunity to redirect her energy. However, the moment I had asked about contract details, pay, workload, she had claimed up. Once more returning to staring out the window, her disinterest written plain on her face.

  It irked me. If she wanted me to do the job, I needed to know about how things operated. When I had questioned her about the way things had gone in Ophilim, she had simply shrugged.

  “That’s basically it,” she had said, as the scenery rolled by outside the coach’s window. “Though we rarely make that much money.”

  “Then what do you normally make?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t shut me down again.

  Her tail flicked, curling around her waist as her ears folded themselves down. Beastkin for being closed off. Poker Face stopped the irritation flashing across my face, but I didn’t press her. She wasn’t, technically, my employer at the moment. Though I had the feeling that would change. A gut instinct that told me by the time I got to Leyloon, I wouldn’t have much choice.

  Thankfully, my future employer wasn’t my only travelling companion and Reeds was far easier to get talking to. Whenever we stopped for the night, I often followed him into the bar or dining room. Both to make sure he didn’t end up so hung over he was miserable to travel with, and to get him to answer the same questions I had asked Rita, though he claimed not to know. So, instead, I tried to find out what I could about him.

  “How did you and Miss. Thrumlin meet, if you don’t mind me asking?” I took a sip from a truly mediocre southern wine, the taste more tart than I preferred, but the Inn had little better in stock.

  Reeds leaned back in his chair, his hands wrapped around a sizable mug of beer. He had drunk enough of it that there was no longer any hint of foam around the top. He clicked his tongue and drained another mouthful before he answered.

  “Rita and I? We met when her father moved into that small hut down in Leyloon. I’ve known her since she was a little girl. Most of us oldies have. She’s been running protection on my coach any time I have to go into Crecia for a few years now. Good kid. Deserved better.”

  “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow as I raised a finger to order him another beer. “In what way?”

  He shrugged, and then coughed, a wet and rather nasty sound. “Not my place to say. But she’s been a godsend in keeping the people of that little hamlet safe.”

  “She travels?” I asked and nodded to the rather robust but smiling woman who dropped off our drinks.

  The owner smiled at us and left, and I was grateful for her aperture. Though dropping a whole gold coin as a tab guaranteed quick service, not that there were many people in the inn with us to take up her attention. It was another farming village, and thus it was mostly quiet men here. Those who wanted somewhere rowdier went to the more dedicated bar in the old converted barn.

  My lips slipped into a smile at the memory of how quickly Rita had dealt with the idiot farmer’s son who had tried to convince her to come along with him. It had taken more of my stash of travel funds, and quick words than I would have liked to smooth it over, but the way his thumb had snapped had been a satisfying sight. Life went better for those who kept their hands to themselves.

  “Travels?” Reeds sounded confused. “I suppose. Her little group mostly stays in Leyloon, though she used to come and help around Yuliosa every so often. A few of the closer towns too, if I’m free to take them.”

  “I suppose a town like Leyloon would have plenty of work.”

  He looked at me, and then a smile broke out across his face. I watched as he leaned back, his hand pounding on the table as he laughed uproariously. People turned in our direction. Their unimpressed gazes that did little to quell his obvious mirth. Though they turned concerned when he started coughing, one hand on his chest, and his other on the table.

  In moments, I was out of my seat, an arm around his shoulders to keep him upright. He leaned into me, and under the watchful eyes of the room, he eventually calmed down enough to take another sip of his beer. It appeared to calm him, and only when he was back to a baseline did I retake my seat.

  “Oh, oh gods above, don’t make me laugh like that boy. You’ll kill me, and I can promise you my wife will hunt you to the end of the earth.”

  “I didn’t realise I had said something that funny.” My seat creaked as I shifted in it. “Care to explain the joke?”

  His words cut at my confidence. “The idea that Leyloon is a village.”

  “Is it not?”

  “Not in the slightest. It’s a collection of farms, owned now by those whose grandparents refused to run when they had the chance. The kingdom offered them gold and safety to move, but they turned it all down. It means that Yuilosa is never out of fresh produce, so we should be thankful for that.” He snorted and shook his head.

  “A collection of farms…” I let the words trail off, and then I glanced towards the door and the stairs to the bedrooms where Rita had retreated. “Tell me. Does she have a business at all?”

  “She does. But if she’s sold it to you as some kind of grand mercenary empire, it’s not. Legal though. Even if the mayor was reluctant to grant her the required seals.”

  I almost slumped in my seat in relief at that, though my years of meetings kept me sitting upright and to attention. The last thing I wanted was to be opening the business myself and dealing with that level of paperwork. Still a farming hamlet? Any dreams I had of earning my million gold from this venture were slipping away.

  We continued to chat, but I learned nothing more aside from the fact that a man called Farmer Ted unofficially ran Leyloon as his own little fiefdom. A perk of owning the most land in the area. I made a note to get on his good side early. Then, after convincing Reeds to stop with his second beer, I moved to my room.

  There, I kicked off my shoes and moved to the bed. My mind whirled, and I found myself unable to fall asleep easily. A shudder ran through me as I attempted to imagine what I would do trapped in a hamlet for the goddess knew how long. I had spent my entire childhood inside the city, safe in the walls of the capital. To not have those protections concerned me more than I wanted to admit.

  As my eyes closed, I clung to a single hope. Rita was obviously not interested in the business side of things. That meant sneaking through beneficial changes might be possible. Favourable pay scales, changes to contracts, and even advertising. With the idea of the gold there might be to make, I let myself drift off to sleep.

  ***

  As the sun moved to its zenith the next day, the sounds of hooves on the dirt road slowed. I glanced out of the coach’s window with a frown. It wasn’t anywhere close to evening, with the sky remaining a clear blue with the occasional fluffy white clouds. With a snap, I closed the journal I had been studying. There wasn’t much use in it, but it was more interesting than trying to pry conversation from a near silent Rita. Since my talk with Reeds, I couldn’t help a sense of mistrust from her.

  She wasn’t the first employer to oversell their position to me, not even close. However, they had the decency to come with a large sack of gold upfront. While it was true, perhaps, that she had saved me from the goblin, I had done most of that work myself.

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  For her part, she seemed to sense my new feelings and had been willing to leave me alone. Though, any time I had gone out, she had slipped behind me, a silent bodyguard against whatever threats farmers and bakers may present. If nothing else, it was nice to know she took her job seriously.

  When the horses stopped, I made my way out and turned to help Rita down. She appeared hesitant, but took my hand as she carefully made her way to the ground. We both knew she didn’t need my help, but it was the done thing. That task completed, I examined the roadside inn that Reeds had pulled us up to.

  It sat along a quieter patch of the main road, and my first thought was that it was a far cry from the places we had been staying before. Not a single crack or faded bit of paint showed on the white exterior of the three story building. Even the sign that bore the name Roadside Rangers was well maintained. When thinking back to somewhere like The Toads Wart, it was impossible to compare the two.

  Someone had taken great care to plant hedges around the front, and in them I could see red and white flowers that gave the area a well-kept appearance. An odd sight considering its location along a clearly well used dusty road.

  From the stable next door, a small figure raced towards us. He was a young boy, with dark blonde hair, and wearing a blue tunic and shorts. His hands were outstretched, and I watched as he tackled into Reeds, who let out an overblown oof. My Poker Face skill kept my expression impassive, though Rita gave a tiny smile at the sight.

  “You’ve gotten bigger, boy,” Reeds said as he ruffled the child’s head. “Might have to learn your name soon.”

  The boy beamed “Yup! Ma, I mean Mother says that I’m going to be big enough to help wait tables soon instead of just brushing down the horses.”

  “Is that so? Perhaps you should get some practice now, then?” Reeds smiled, and I could see the affection he had for the boy.

  As though seeing us for the first time, the boy pulled himself away from Reeds and gave us his best version of a courtly boy. It wasn’t bad, nearly as good as the one my father had made me learn. Though his fingers wavered and he didn’t keep his neck as straight as he should have.

  “Sorry, Sir. Ma’am. Wel-welcome to the Roadside Rangers Inn! Can I take your horses?”

  He sounded so serious; it was hard not to appreciate it. Beside me, Rits had broken into a full out grin and I strode towards him. He looked up at me, his bright blue eyes shining with earnest intent. Whoever had trained him was doing a good job. That was the type of thing I would expect to hear in one of the bigger cities, not a rest stop like this. My gaze flicked over the well-manicured garden again.

  “In a moment. What’s your name?” I asked.

  “My name is Tobias, s-sir. I—”

  “Tobias Kent, you get back into the house right now and stop bothering Reeds!” A call came from the door.

  I looked over and found a fresh face standing in the door. The woman was taller than me by a head, with long blonde curls that ran to her middle back, held out of her face by a red and white polka dot handkerchief. The cut of her homespun green dress was such that it allowed her ample figure to draw the eye. A tactic to increase tips, no doubt.

  Reeds looked over at her and laughed, as Tobias ran over to the woman who was clearly his mother, a hand clutching to her skirt. With a finger, she gestured for the old man to approach, which he did with little need for encouragement. I followed, but Rita sniffed the air beside me, and her tail drooped.

  “Problem?” I asked her, stopping after my first step.

  She glanced at me. “You can’t smell that?”

  “We humans don’t have your nose.”

  “True enough.” After a quick nod, she subtly moved her tail to gesture towards the garden. “The flowers.”

  “What about them?” I whispered, as I watched Reeds accept a hug from the woman, who was clearly fussing over him as Tobias watched on.

  She leaned in, her own voice lowering. “Those are Sapphos and Lenos flowers. Sasha told me about them. They’re to make tea, or poison.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, and when she hissed an agreement, I continued. “How would she know?”

  “Alchemy training.”

  That perked up my interest, but before I could question her further, the woman’s gaze locked onto us. There was something predatory about it, her eyes running me up and down. It wasn’t flirtatious, no. She was scanning me, and even in my rumpled suit she had made assumptions about my wallet, and potentially my character.

  Her smile turned coquettish, and she brushed past Reeds to walk towards us. I moved up the path myself, even though I wanted to know more about the flowers. When we met, she stopped, a hand on a hip to draw attention from it. A part of me wanted to laugh. It was so overblown, made more ridiculous by the clear wedding band on her finger. Still, I could imagine a young merchant’s son, or an immature lordling falling for such a display.

  The right flirtations. No actual promises, and her purse would be full. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a game that interested me. With my best courtly bow, I took the hand bearing the ring and kissed the back of it.

  “Thank you for coming out to greet us personally. I’m sure your husband is glad he has a wife willing to work so hard.”

  To my relief, the flirtatious aura died, and she gave me a genuine smile. A woman who knew when to let things drop. I liked her already. Beside me, Rita tensed, but the lady before me didn’t appear to notice, or if she did, she didn’t care. With a clearly practiced motion, she dropped into a curtsy.

  “He does, and I’m thankful for him as well. It’s a pleasure to have your patronage, though I’m disappointed in your travelling with Reeds. We keep telling the old codger that he needs to retire.” She spoke with a southern accent, and her voice was light and sweet.

  “If he’s anything like my father, I doubt much will make him leave it.” I said, and I held out an arm, which she took. “The love of the open road is strong.”

  “The things we do for love, don’t I know it well? Please forgive my rudeness. My name is Myrtle Kent. How long will you be staying? At least for dinner, I hope? It would please me greatly if you and your wife could join my husband and I.”

  I could almost feel Rita bristle, and I quickly shook my head to forestall any such talk. “No, she’s my employer, nothing more.”

  “Truly?” She eye’d me up. “You must be something special if she’s travelled to employ you. Mr?”

  “Chad Burling. A simple Fixer ma’am, nothing more. As for dinner, I would be delighted,” I said, unable to come up with a logical reason to get me out of it. The thought of those poison flowers had me worried, but I somehow doubted those were for me. Not with what Mr. Withers had mentioned, he often shipped.

  “Hmm.”

  Her soft hum seemed to signal both her interest and her disbelief, and then we reached the door. Tobias and Reeds were chatting, and I glanced back to where the horses were still waiting with the coach. A few words, and the old man and the young boy went to sort them out while she ushered Rita and me inside.

  After a brief, but pointed, conversation, she gave us directions to the baths and a change of clothes. An offer we both happily took. The clothes she left me turned out to be her husbands, a man who was shorter in the leg, but much broader in the shoulder.

  Once I had gotten the distant mess of travelling off me, I quickly grabbed my money and gun from my suit pocket. I tucked both of them away before folding my suit over my arm and making my way outside to the laundry room.

  The small building was out back, and when I knocked on the door, I heard a startled yelp. It opened moments later, to show another fresh face in a day full of them. She was young, with grey wolf’s ears poking from her short and scruffy silver hair. Her tail was thick, and it flicked, a clear sign of agitation, as her pale grey eyes watched me warily.

  Neither of us spoke, and I took a chance to examine her outfit. It was a simple brown homespun dress, one designed for work rather than fashion. Though it didn’t hide how painfully thin the girl looked.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here, sir.” She spoke in a curious way, the ending of her sentences cut off, almost as though she was finishing them too early. “How may I serve you today?”

  Her gaze flicked from my face to the clothes I held in my hands. I took a breath and studied her again, thinking about all the other jobs I had performed over the years. My guess was she was foreign, hired recently, and already had at least one unpleasant experience. From the way she watched me, hands ready to slam the door in my face, my assumption was with a guest.

  If I ran the place and needed to cut costs, I might let her go. No need for a service worker who was skittish around customers. Thankfully, that wasn’t why I was here. I smiled and presented her with the clothes, though I kept my movements slow and tone gentle.

  “No need to apologize. I have quite the quiet step. Good shoes. I’m simply here to access the laundry services, miss…?”

  “Mulvinia,” she said, and reached out to grab the clothes.

  Before she could shut the door, I asked another question. “What does that mean in the western tongue?”

  “What?” She blinked and gave me another once over before she answered. “Wild Fire.”

  “Thank you Mulvinia, though I have one last question if I may?”

  “Sir?” she asked, tone wary.

  I pulled out a gold piece and flipped it in the air. Her eyes didn’t leave it as it landed in my palm, showing a small pictograph of a crown sitting on a pedestal. With another movement, I sent it soaring once again, and this time it landed on the blank side.

  This time, I closed my hand around it. “What gossip can you impart to someone going further south?”

  Her eyes locked onto my closed hand. It was an old trick to bribe the servants, especially foreign ones. More often than not, they received less pay and found themselves ignored. That meant they were eager for extras and often heard things they shouldn’t.

  “You’re looking for gossip?” she said, her words coming out in a rush, and this time I could hear the western lilt she tried to hide. “Goblins’ raids are on the rise. There are rumours that a lord’s hunting party is scouting the region for a weekend event during the upcoming solstice. Myrtle and Able are fleecing their non-regulars by watering down the drinks.”

  Mulvinia took a breath. “And the beds in rooms three and six have bedbugs.”

  “Thank you,” I said, and flipped her the coin before I asked. “Have you heard the name The Lace Courier company?”

  “Bad people. They come here often, always to take away packages. That’s all I know.”

  She sounded terrified, and I did my best to give her a reassuring smile. “My lips are sealed. When can I expect my clothes done by?”

  “Tonight.”

  “Much appreciated. Thank you Mulvinia,” I said as I turned away, ready to see exactly how this new information would factor into our stay.