Multiple eyes, both beastkin and human, fixed on us as Rita and I followed our escort through the street. I did my best to ignore them, focused instead on trying to make my suit somewhat presentable. I was a bit of a mess, covered in dirt, and I was sure also some boot prints. Still, I was better dressed than most of those we passed.

  A majority of those who watched us wore simple homespun, or woven garments. Some had things of slightly higher quality, dresses or shirts clearly crafted, especially by someone with a clothier class, but they were rare. None of it compared to the type of thing one would see in the capital.

  These thoughts helped keep my mind off the pain, and more than once, Rita reached out to stop me from stumbling. My back ached, and twice I had to stop to take a short break. This drew more attention, and I saw a mixture of sympathetic and worried glances. After what felt like an eternity, we made our way to the town square.

  It was a large area that had the Town Hall, a large two story building, on one side and a church on the other. The latter wasn’t the typical tall towered structure. Instead, it was squat, and covered in flowers. I could smell it from where I stood, and even simply breathing the air made me want to cough as I tasted greenery and fertilizer.

  The square itself continued the flower theme, with sizable planter boxes and seats strewn around. At first it appeared chaotic, a fact I pointed out to Rita, who shook her head.

  “No, it’s actually a big sunflower,” she said, as she led me to one of the benches and let me sit down. “A sign for the goddess Floranian. Turns out when you’re surrounded by this much woodland, she’s a popular pick for worship.”

  I found I couldn’t help the slight gasp as I sat. “That makes sense to me. What can you tell me about Mayor Gage? More specifically, why he banned you?”

  “Why?” Rita asked, not taking a seat behind me, but she glared at the guards, who all took a few steps away. It wasn’t enough to be out of earshot, but the pretense was nice.

  “Information.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That’s my job in a lot of ways. If I know who he is, I can come up with a plan of attack. Not that I don’t have ideas already.”

  She fidgeted and looked around. Her expression turned sour, and I didn’t miss the way it turned on the guards. Who, for their part, fidgeted and glanced away. If that told me nothing else, it at least let me know multiple people knew the story, or at least the outline.

  “One of our previous jobs was protecting the woodcutters from the roaming monsters. They had a lumber camp near here. A group of The Howlers decided they were going to cause problems, so my team was called in to assist the woodcutters.”

  “And you won?” It wasn’t really a question.

  “Yes, though not as easily as I feel we should have done.” She paused and raised a hand to fiddle with her ponytail. “Though they didn’t have the headbands then. Between the three of us, we drove them out, and the Mayor asked for a meeting. We argued. He wanted me to leave The Howlers alone, even if they went outside the walls. I refused. His threats were less effective than me punching him.”

  I frowned. “How soon after your altercations did they get the headbands?”

  “About a month.”

  “Interesting.” I pushed myself up and looked towards the church. “Is your priest a miracle healer, or simply a devotee?”

  She laughed and shook her head, her ponytail shaking along with it. “Devotee. They don’t send miracle workers to places like this.”

  “A pity. I’ll have to make another stop to Anna’s after this, then.” I couldn’t help another wince, and I wondered if she would treat me more politely when I was a customer.

  We walked together to the Town Hall, and a guard pushed open the door. I stepped in first, though Rita was right behind me. Inside, groups of desks were spread throughout the floor, though few of them were actually in use. Those that sat at them unfurled scrolls, or jotted things in ledgers. The smell of ink and paperwork filled the room, and I felt myself relax.

  It was nice to be back in a place where things made sense. As I gazed around the room, one man out of all the workers stood out. His desk was the biggest and placed the closest to the stairs. He had his black hair slicked back, and he wore a rough approximation of my own suit, though made of far cheaper materials.

  I pegged him for what he was quickly: middle management. The man’s actual position might be the mayor’s secretary, or perhaps he oversaw some committee or other. It didn’t actually matter in the end. At the moment, he looked the most like someone who could get me to my goal. With a deep breath, I strode over and stood before his desk.

  My hand reached out before he could say a word, though I noticed his eyes widen as he glanced at Rita. “Chad Burling. Mr?”

  “Mr. Dolby Yates,” he said, and took my hand in a rather limp wristed shake. As he did, I noticed when he spoke, the secretary used a rather more formal tone than I had heard over the last two weeks of travel. “And I would like to ask why you think walking in here with a felon is a good idea? Guards, arrest her.”

  Neither of them moved, and Rita simply folded her arms instead of going for her sword. She was giving me a look, one of confidence. My back straightened despite the pain, and I gave Mr. Yates my best smile.

  “Miss. Thrumlin is here for my protection, sir, as are the guards. I would trust that one of your station to have received word of the kerfuffle at the gates?”

  “Of course,” he sniffed and moved some papers around. “A man demanded his way into town to get Mr. Reeds healed. I take it that was you?”

  My grin widened. “Yes sir. Though I was referring to a more recent incident. Did you know that I’ve now been accosted, twice, on your town’s doorstep?”

  “You have no proof.” The words were sharp, and I saw the way his gaze moved upwards, towards the Mayor’s office, no doubt.

  “Do I not?” With careful motions, I placed the bloody headband I had taken off the most recent Hower and put it on the desk, watching as Mr. Yates recoiled in disgust. “This is one of two headbands in my current possession. I would like to note I was also accosted by a member of a gang calling themselves The Howlers, but that was dealt with.”

  “Freddy?” He asked, and it was clear the words had slipped out.

  “Was that the boy’s name? A shame, but one shouldn’t play around with horses. Especially ones trained so well. Though I have to say sir, your town has made a poor showing. A poor showing indeed.”

  His lip curled at the mention of his town, but he got control of himself quickly. “We have nothing to prove to you.”

  “I don’t think that’s true. Rumours are flying of a local lord looking for someplace to hold a hunting expedition. It would be a shame if he took his gold elsewhere, would it not?”

  The air in the room shifted, and Poker Face helped me keep my smile intact. He was looking between Rita and then at his desk. There was a bit of paperwork he wanted to check. Proof of what I was saying, or implying, being bullshit. I simply needed to make sure he didn’t get the chance.

  “Of course, you haven’t actually said you are the man I need to see if I want to speak with The Mayor. My fault, of course, for not stating my intentions earlier. Perhaps one of the others?” I made a show of turning as I spoke, and I met eyes with a rather portly man with bear ears sitting at a nearby desk. “You sir. Perhaps you can tell me if the mayor wouldn’t be interested to know about the happenings around his fair town?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Well, unlike Mr. Yates, I’m not his secretary,” the bear man said, his voice rumbling and easily filling the room and making its way upstairs, no doubt. “Though I’m sure Mayor Gage would be happy to talk to a well-dressed man in the employ of a nobleman.”

  He winked at me, and I gave him a slow, solemn nod. Both he and I turned back to Mr. Yates. It was obvious he didn’t want to let me up. To give me a chance to speak to the Mayor. His gaze flicked to Rita, and he pointed.

  “Even if that is the case, she’s a menace. I couldn’t allow her to be in the same room as our mayor again, on the chance she tried to kill him.”

  “Miss. Thrumlin, you wouldn’t attack the mayor again, would you?” I asked smoothly.

  With the way she was glaring at Mr. Yates, as though he was a literal thorn in her side, almost rendered whatever she was going to say moot. “No.”

  “I don’t believe her.” Mr. Yates slammed a hand on his desk. “The Mayor is a busy man, and you can’t—”

  “Actually, sir, his last meeting ended an hour ago?” The bear man said, and all heads turned in his direction, and he almost slumped in his seat, though not in fear.

  Mr. Yates let out a soft growl. “What was that, Mr. Simmons?”

  “The Mayor’s last appointment was an hour ago,” Simmons repeated. “He should be free, and this sounds important.”

  Once more his voice carried, and we all heard the opening and closing of a door above us, followed by footsteps on the stairs. Mr. Yates froze, and I could see the gears of his mind whirl as he tried to make a decision about how to handle this. It was clear he thought he was important, irreplaceable even, but had blocking me been a step too far?

  Before he could reach an answer, a new face appeared at the bottom of the stairs. The man I imagined to be Mayor Gage was portly and middle-aged. His black hair was thinning, and he wore two days’ worth of stubble that matched the dark bags under his eyes. If he hadn’t been wearing a rather well tailored get up, along with the way everyone turned respectfully to him, I wouldn’t have thought much of the man.

  He stopped on the last step and appeared to lean against the handrail. Even from here, I could smell the faintest hint of bourbon. Good stuff too. His brown eyes scanned the crowd and fell on Simmons, who met his gaze with a placid expression.

  “Haven’t I told you to keep it down, Simmons?” The Mayor asked, and to my surprise he had a rich voice, that even during an obvious reprimand remained pleasant. It was a politician’s voice, through and through.

  “Yes, Mayor,” Simmons said with a fast nod. “However, it seemed Mr. Yates was having trouble hearing my answer, so I had to speak up.”

  The room fell silent, and then Mayor Gage sighed. “Mr. Yates, have I not told you to get your hearing checked? While your position is important, the others who work here have valuable input. Such as Mr…”

  His words trailed off as he looked at me, and then he spotted Rita standing beside me. He flinched backwards, the hand not holding the railing going to his face. He looked shell-shocked, and then pointed at her, finally standing straight since the first time he had entered the room.

  “Y-you’re not allowed to be here.” The words came out so fast they almost tripped over themselves.

  “She’s here for my protection,” I said, cutting her off before she could speak, which earned me a disgruntled look. “As I told your secretary here, I have been accosted three times since coming to your town. Thus, I demand to speak with you about it. Today. No exceptions.”

  “He knows a visiting lordling apparently,” Simmons said, his voice a whisper.

  Mayor gage looked a touch stunned at that, his eyes flicking to the bear man and then back to me. “Accosted? Three times?”

  “Yes. I am not best pleased, and thus I have deemed it a requirement to hire protection. While her gold price isn’t cheap, I have proof of her effectiveness when she’s allowed to operate. Another thing I would like to note is that one of your citizens, a Mr. Reeds, was shot and injured. While not as bad, I was beaten outside your gates as your guards watched.”

  “Reeds was shot?” That got him looking around the room. “Why was I not informed? When was this?”

  “It happened earlier this morning, Mayor. You were in a meeting, and it was handled by the guard,” Mr. Yates said smoothly.

  “Untrue, as I handled it.” I glanced at Mr. Yates. “It was me who dropped him off at Healer Anna’s, a fact she can collaborate.”

  Mr. Yates sniffed and adjusted the collar of his cheap suit. “With a guard escorting you after you tried to smuggle a criminal into our fair town!”

  “I smuggled in no one, sir. How—”

  “Enough.” Mayor Gage shook his head as he looked around the room, and I got a glimpse of why people may have put him in place. There was a steel in his gaze, and he pointed at Rita. “Miss. Thrumlin will remain here. You, unknown man, will come with me. Simmons, if she tries anything, transform and eat her.”

  “Mayor, I can’t turn into a bear. We’ve discussed this,” Simmons said, but it fell on deaf ears as Mayor Gage started his climb back to his office.

  Without waiting for anyone else to speak, I gave Rita a small nod as she settled herself in a nearby chair, and then followed Mayor Gage up the stairs. I closed the door behind me with a soft thump, and turned to find myself in a small, but tastefully decorated, office. A small desk sat in the center of the room, with a window to its left and a large map of the town to its right.

  As I walked over to the now sitting mayor, my gaze drifted to the map. Plans for something called the Flower Festival covered it, with a list of events tacked on around various sections. They ranged from a monster hunt in the surrounding woodlands to several foot races, a shooting competition and a skill demonstration for crafters.

  All I could think about was how provincial it was. Where was the spectacle? Back in the capital, any sort of religious holiday would have been huge. Feasts, games, performances and more. I remembered my father and several other coach drivers being pulled off their regular routes. He had taken me along, and we had pulled massive versions of the royal symbols through the streets before cheering crowds.

  “Sit.”

  I did, and tried to ignore how uncomfortable the chair was. It was wooden, and though cushioned, it wasn’t stuffed well enough to stop me from feeling the hardened seat under me. A chair designed to make sure those who came to visit the office kept their meetings short. That was fine with me. I didn’t want to spend too much time on this.

  “Let’s cut to the chase, Mayor. You know why I’m here. The Howlers. How much are you willing to pay for me to get rid of your problem?” I asked, trying to lounge in the still uncomfortable chair.

  He blinked and then frowned at me. “The Howlers provide a vital service for our community, Mr?”

  “Chad Burling. Fixer. Currently employed by Rita Thrumlin of the Blackrock Mercenaries.” I didn’t reach across to shake his hand. “Would you be able to tell me what service they provide?”

  “That is hardly something I discuss with strangers.”

  My laugh wasn’t kind. “Tell me, Mayor Gage. What is your plan if the lord scouring this area for a place to go hunting chooses here? Will you tell his guards the same thing when they ambush him in the street?”

  “They would know better.” He looked at me, and it was clear what the subtext of that statement was. “Someone of his import would be travelling under the required banners.”

  His words were a clear dismissal of my concerns, and not a subtle one. I smiled and leaned back in my chair as he watched me. My mind raced as I decided on the best option to pick. It was possible to continue this line, but if he thought of me as a nobody, there was little I could do. Without access to my accounts, or any of my letters of recommendation, there wasn’t much I could do to prove otherwise.

  A moment of grief passed over me as I thought about the case that lay abandoned by the side of the road. It was a shame none of that was salvageable. With a sigh, I put the matter of The Howlers aside. Not every avenue of a negotiation could be followed in a single conversation. Besides, there was something else I needed to focus on, especially if I wanted to make money.

  “Your opinion is loud and clear. However, there is something else I would like to discuss, aside from the fact that your guards failed to help a traveler less than a foot from your gates.”

  Mayor Gage waved my words away. “The guards are for the protection of townsfolk, not wanderers.”

  “Perhaps, but I don’t think Captain Roderick agrees with you.” I paused to let that sink in before I continued. “But I would like to discuss Miss. Thrumlin. How would I get her banning reversed? There are jobs in town I’m sure she is qualified to handle. She told me about a lumber camp contract she held?”

  “Her services are no longer required in that department. Moe and his group are handling such matters.” Mayor Gage yawned.

  My smile widened. “The head of The Howlers is running security, then? Does Captain Roderick know this?”

  It was a wild guess, but from the way he twitched, I knew I had hit right on the money. More than likely, The Captain knew. But it was interesting to hear. Especially after Rita mentioned she had gotten banned from protecting the Lumber Camp from The Howlers. I made a mental note to find whoever was in charge there and get their side of the story.

  “Mr. Burling, if you’re simply here to plead, Miss. Thrumlin’s case, then you are sadly wasting both of our time. I’m not revoking the banning of a woman unhinged enough to punch me for asking her to leave another group alone.”

  “A group well known for attacking people?” I asked.

  He sighed. “Your experiences are not the majority.”

  “Would Healer Anna say the same?” I looked over. “Tell me, Mayor, what do they have on you?”

  Those tired eyes turned angry. “Get out. Before I ban you too.”

  “Of course.”

  With a casual movement, I got to my feet and looked at him. “I do hope to negotiate with you again, Mr. Gage.”

  “Mayor Gage.” He huffed.

  “For now.”

  Before he could protest, I turned to the door to fetch Rita. After that I had a lumberjack to find and information to gather.