It was late in the day now, and the sun had set. Albern had lit a fire in the hearth sometime during the tale, but Sun could not remember him doing so. She had gone through another mug of ale, and though the taste was no less sour, it was beginning to turn her head fuzzy. At first, she thought she had misheard him.
“What did she mean, she lost them?” said Sun.
“That answer is a complicated one,” said Albern. “But to put it simply—whenever Mag was badly injured, or when she died, some part of her memory vanished, never to be recovered. The worse the harm, the more she lost.”
Sun shook her head. “Why?”
He gave her a sad smile. “That, too, is an answer I am not willing to give. At least not yet.”
“Why am I not surprised?” said Sun. Then she had a sudden thought. “Is … is that why she forgot everything before the forest? Before Shuiniu?”
Albern looked mildly surprised. “Yes. That was remarkably quick of you.”
“She forgot everything?” Sun felt a sudden chill creeping down her back, just as Albern had described in the story. “What happened to her? It must have been bad to make her forget everything.”
“It was bad,” said Albern softly. “But you shall learn. One day.”
Sun took a deep breath. But she did not argue. She had learned her lesson by now, that Albern chose the order of his story carefully. And this one would not have been nearly as captivating if he had mixed it up in the telling.
“I am sorry for my anger earlier,” she said. “You did not deserve that, and I was wrong. I thought you were lying to me. But everything you have told me so far … it was merely a beginning. The introduction to a larger tale.”
Albern smiled, but it looked a little guarded. “You are not wrong.”
Sun snorted. “I notice you do not say whether I am right. Very well. Can you give me your best guess of when we will reach the end of the story?”
“End?” said Albern. “Who said the story has ended?”
“I mean the end of Mag’s story, you twit,” said Sun. Then her eyes went wide. “Albern … has she died? I mean in truth, not the way she ‘died’ when Kaita killed her. Is she still—”
A knock came at the front door. Sun jumped, but Albern’s mouth twisted.
“There is my friend,” he said.
“No, wait!” cried Sun. “Answer me. You must tell me before you open that door.”
“It is too hard to answer,” said Albern.
“Say yes or no!” cried Sun. “Why is that hard to answer?”
“I suppose we shall have to see.”
He went to the door and peered through a viewing hole before turning and winking at Sun. “I am happy to report it is not your family’s guards. This is the tavern’s owner—or former owner, I should say. And, of course, our third partner in this venture.”
Third partner? thought Sun.
Albern swung open the door. Two people entered. First was a large woman, with as much fat as muscle on her body. She had a thick jaw and a missing finger on her right hand. But the second woman caught all of Sun’s attention. She was much slimmer, and the hood of her green cloak was cast back to reveal Dorsean features, hair cut a few fingers above the shoulders in a practical style.
Her skin was flawless, without a blemish or scar to be seen. She looked to be around twenty years old.
Sun froze.
Albern fixed her with a careful look. “Sun,” he said, indicating the larger woman, “this is Zhaojia, the former owner of the tavern. And this here is Chao, a brewmaster who has graciously agreed to partner with me in purchasing and running this place.”
Chao. Sun’s wildly racing suspicions were confirmed in an instant. That was the false name Mag had used in the tales.
This was Mag. The Wanderer. The Uncut Lady … or at least, as far as anyone knew.
She could not speak. She could hardly breathe. This was not like meeting Albern in that tavern far away. This was like meeting an Elf, dangerous and extraordinary and entirely debilitating, for what could one do in the face of such incredible power?
Her mind began to work again, but slowly. If Mag was going by the name Chao, that meant she was pretending to be someone else. And she and Albern also seemed to be pretending not to know each other very well. Sun did not know why, but of course, she would not give away the scheme.
“I am very pleased to meet you, Chao,” she said. “And you as well, Zhaojia.”
“Pleased, I am sure,” said Zhaojia with a nod. Then she turned to Albern. “You got my gift, I see.”
Albern raised the mug of ale he had been in the middle of. “We did, and we thank you kindly for it. A fine concoction indeed.”
Zhaojia scoffed. “You need not try to save my pride. I did not brew it, after all. It was what I could find that was fast and cheap, and that means it is not good, as a rule. We both know our mutual acquaintance here makes far better stuff than that swill. You have the rest of the money?”
“Of course.” Albern reached to his belt and pulled out one of the thick purses he had received earlier. Then he paused and looked to Sun. “Sun, I mentioned before that you might find good use for your money by the end of the day. Would you like to join Chao and me in purchasing this tavern?”
An hour ago, this might have rendered Sun insensible, or mayhap caused her to faint straight away. But now, with Mag herself standing in the room, the absolute absurdity of the situation barely registered. “Why not?” she said. “I have no other plans.”
“Wonderful,” said Albern. “We shall sort out the details later, and I shall recover
