I sat up, rubbing my forehead, as the town crier spun a web of lies. A squad of guardsmen had been attacked by a sorceress, who’d turned them all into frogs before they’d somehow overpowered her and managed to both throw her into jail and drive her out of town. I had always believed that town criers and heralds didn’t bother to listen to their own words and ... I shook my head. The story was about as true as the saga of the princess and the ugly toad, or the excuses my brothers and I had concocted to get out of trouble at school. It was irritating to realise our lies hadn’t been nearly so effective.
“Apparently, someone broke into a sorceress’s house last night,” Juliana told me, as she passed me a bacon sandwich for breakfast. “They’re still trying to undo the curses she cast on them.”
“Serves them right,” I said. I knew very well the spells I’d cast had already worn off. “Did they catch the person who did it?”
“The story keeps changing,” Juliana said. There was no suspicion in her voice. I’d keyed the spells to ensure she’d trust me, and she’d taken me for one of her people, but she could still have seen through the deception if she started poking holes in my cover story. “They can’t seem to make up their minds what lies to tell.”
I nodded as I ate. Town criers proclaimed whatever they were told, if they knew what was good for them. The local magnates wouldn’t hesitate to throw a town crier or a herald into prison - or worse - if the poor men decided to tell the truth. I’d seen former heralds with their tongues pulled out, simply for caterwauling from the wrong song sheet. There were already so many different stories going around that someone was bound to get in trouble for proclaiming the wrong one.
“Half the convoy doesn’t want to stay here any longer,” Juliana said. “They’ll be leaving this afternoon. They should make it across the border before nightfall.”
“I see,” I said. It was awkward. Juliana had accepted obligations to me, but - as far as she knew - I had also accepted an obligation not to make her obligations too burdensome. It would be bad manners to throw a fit and insist Juliana and Gabby remain behind. “What do you intend to do?”
Juliana frowned. “I was going to stay with the remainder, for another day,” she said. “We haven’t sold enough yet.”
“I can stay, too,” I said. I had no intention of leaving. It wouldn’t be hard to get a room at the local inn if the convoy moved on without me. I didn’t really need Juliana any longer. “If you want to go on without me, then go. No hard feelings.”
“We’ll leave tomorrow,” Juliana said. “Have fun today.”
I grinned, then sobered as I helped Gabby wash up and then headed into town. It was still buzzing with activity, small groups of people discussing last night’s events under the watchful eyes of the guardsmen. They seemed energised, although no one seemed to really know what had happened. Apparently, the guardsmen had been turned into women. I had to smile. I’d missed that trick. Sorceresses often wove gender-flip spells into their protections, fearing male intrusion. I could have done it myself. But the spells wouldn’t have lasted more than a few minutes.
Long enough to cause confusion, I thought. And it would teach them a lesson for daring to intrude on a sorceress’s privacy.
I walked on, and kept my ears open. The endless rumours were growing darker. A handful even argued that the travellers were involved, that they were carrying away the kidnapped people and selling them into slavery or ... or something. No two rumours seemed to agree on just what the travellers were doing, but it didn’t matter. I made a mental note to urge Juliana to take Gabby out of town tomorrow with the rest of them. The travellers might not be able to defend themselves against an angry mob, not one that included magicians. I was sure the magical community was already planning some rough justice.
Eyes followed me as I reached an enchanter’s shop situated at the very edge of the magical community. It looked bigger than I’d expected, easily large enough for two or three enchanters. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. A young woman wearing simple robes stood behind the counter, smiling. She looked too young to be the enchanter himself. I guessed she was his daughter.
“Good morning, good sir,” she said. “What can I get you?”
“I need to speak to Master Clawthorne,” I said. I’d taken the name from the ledgers. It meant nothing to me. I pushed a little magic into my voice. “Please show me to him at once.”
The girl dropped a curtsey, then walked around the corner and led me to a far door. Magic sparkled around her fingers as she pushed it open, brushing the wards aside. I saw a workshop inside, a pale-skinned man studying a set of scrolls and carving out notes on a stone tablet. He frowned when he saw his daughter, eyes narrowing as he saw me. His magic was strong. He’d sensed the very mild spell I’d used on his daughter.
“Tami, go back to the counter,” he ordered. He stood up, hands flexing into a casting pose as he looked at me. “Who are you?”
“An investigator,” I said. I unmasked a little of my power, just enough to establish dominance. I didn’t want to pick a fight with him, but I needed answers. “I was hired to look into Mistress Layla’s disappearance.”
Master Clawthorne stared at me for a long moment. I didn’t have to read his mind to know what he was thinking. I’d walked into his shop without permission and enchanted his
