Pachi purred at my praise and approval of her choice, and I felt her body settle down, the decisions having been taken care of, and only the task of mutual rest at hand.
I closed my eyes and imagined how Pachi might continue to grow and change in the countless battles to come, trying to picture the skills she had acquired, and all the while feeling my mind slowly descending into sleep.
2: “Like water to a wick, adventure comes to those who have chosen to stand against evil.”
— Sir Alysand Rowl Deschaney III
HANA
Our vigorous assault against the platter of food we’d been served had begun to flag. Despite our combined prowess, there were only so many pieces of bacon, muffins, salted eggs, and cups of coffee any warrior could manage.
Madi had outdone herself, perhaps quite literally, and she slumped in her seat nursing a sick belly. “I’m an idiot. Every morena knows not to go all-out at breakfast. I’m gonna be sleepy all day.” She kicked her boots up on an empty chair nearby.
Alysand sat back, hands folded behind his head in satisfaction. “Merrianne’s cafe is not a place for those who lack self-control. It seems that you’ve met your match, young lady.”
“Watch it or I’ll barf on you, Alice.”
He smiled smugly, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. I looked over and noted that even Pachi and Tejón looked stuffed. They’d each been brought a butchered goat and had finished nearly every scrap.
The waiter came and cleared our plates, and I thought we might be given a few minutes of peace to enjoy our full bellies, but a man walked over to our table and cleared his throat.
It was the mayor.
“Well, if it isn’t our strident heroes. Finished vanquishing your plates, I see. And none too soon. I am afraid that I have some bad news for you all, and possibly a request.” He gestured grandly for an audience that wasn’t there.
Thankfully, Alysand took point on this engagement and responded. “Another deranged god looting and rampaging the foothills? I can’t say I would mind, as the profit seemed quite substantial. However, I am loathe to die, so this time, I would certainly prefer a smaller god.”
The mayor laughed mirthlessly and shook his head. “No, I am afraid not. As I am sure you have heard, a few weeks back, our iron mine was taken from us. It wasn’t the property of Benham proper, but one of our oldest and most prosperous families. And many of our men made an honest living working the mine as well.”
“What happened?” I asked. “We heard the ratkin took it over. Is that true?” My interest perked up at the relevance of the topic.
“They did. Came with some trow goblins and flushed out our miners. A few of the men were killed, sadly, but most did make it back to town. They’ve been helping out on the farms ever since. If you are destined to have empty pockets, better not to have an empty belly as well.” Sherman Hesperine, in all his faded glory, sat down at our table and tried to drop his act. The problem was that even this seemed a show, as if he were trying to let us know he was “getting real” with us. It was cringeworthy.
Though the man had once been handsome, his face was drawn and pale. He looked like he’d been leached of blood somehow, and even though the morning was verging on chilly, a thin sheen of sweat covered his brow.
“Have you sent scouts up to see if the place is still occupied?” Alysand said, maintaining his relaxed pose. “And do you know their numbers?”
“We did at first. Several dozen ratkin and a bunch of miners were seen entering the mines, but eventually, the scout was flushed out and nearly lost his life. We have since kept our distance.”
I nudged my way into the conversation, asking the obvious. “And you want us to get rid of the infestation?” When he nodded, I continued. “We were going to head that way anyhow. We accept.”
“Good, good. We are all quite hopeful to have this blight gone. Do you think you’ll head there straight away?” His tone was suddenly strained. I caught a brief flash of suspicion in Alysand’s eyes as well, but he covered it instantly.
The gunsinger sat up properly and stood. He stretched out a hand and patted the mayor on his shoulder. “Soon enough, Mr. Hesperine. Soon enough. We will of course need to make plans, but no worries, we will be sure to depart within a week or so. There are a great many things I need to do before departing again on another adventure. I am sure you understand.”
The mayor’s face was momentarily flummoxed, disappointed even. But then he recovered, glued on another megawatt smile, and bowed to our table. “Of course, of course. I can’t expect our trifles to bother you overmuch. Please just inform me when you decide to head out, and I will send a few of our heartiest lads with you. The least we could do is make sure you head in the right direction.”
He left in a flurry of coattails and lofty ambition.
“Ew,” Madi said as she pulled herself up off the chair and stood. “The little man is such a creep. I pity his wife. What’s the deal, though? He was hiding something, and so are you, Alysand.”
“Yeah, we only just met him, but is he always so…” I trailed off, searching for the right words.
“Like a seller of salt and sand in a port town? Yes. But he has changed. Something is wrong about him. I think we should leave town soon, tonight if it’s possible. My stomach tells me that we don’t want to tell him precisely when we decide to head out, though I’m not sure why.”
I glanced at the quest we’d just received, wanting to see what information was available.
