Lia nodded as she crossed the room and slipped out of her nightgown, searching through her wardrobe for a more appropriate outfit. “And while I do that, you’ll go into town to meet with Elise?”
“Right,” I answered with a grimace. “She needs to know what happened to her employees.”
“I can come with you, if you want,” she offered.
“No, it’s fine. I’m sure your parents want to see you, and I need to requisition some more building supplies from Elise anyways.” I sighed as I buttoned up one of the few casual shirts I owned. “I just don’t know how to break the news to her.”
“Aunt Ellie is tougher than she looks,” Lia reassured me. “It won’t be a pleasant meeting, obviously, but she can handle it.”
I crossed the room and slipped my arms around her waist. “Alright. I won't be long, hopefully.” She gave my hands a light squeeze of acknowledgement before I turned and made my way to the door. I lingered for a moment as my eyes fell on my strewn armor pieces, and I momentarily considered donning the full set before I left; I owned little in the way of clothing beside a few ill-fitting donations from Marten’s closet, and I often found myself feeling overly exposed when wearing anything other than the protective leathers. With a shake of my head, I pushed the feeling away and made my way to the front door, where I retrieved my cloak before beginning my trip into town.
Had I been on the way to meet anybody else, I would have been worried it was too late in the day to find them at work, but my past experiences with Elise told me she would be in her office well into the night. My brisk jog into Mayaan proper brought me to Three Barrels just after the sun had dipped below the horizon. I paused momentarily at the front door, took a deep breath, and pushed into the lobby.
The front desk attendant warned me that the late hour meant Elise was most likely too busy for an impromptu meeting, but I was quickly led to her office when my presence was announced. “You’re back early,” she greeted me as soon as we were alone in the office. The serious formality of her tone was off-putting in contrast to her usual playful, overly flirtatious demeanor, and she watched me with tight eyes as I sat down opposite her. “You have news for me, I assume?”
“Yes,” I answered gravely. “I’m afraid it’s not good news.”
She sighed. “I’ve held out hope these past two weeks that all of my people were miraculously alive and unharmed, but...I think I’ve known.” She steepled her fingers and leaned forward onto her desk. “Tell me what you found.”
“I don’t exactly know how to say this, Elise,” I started. “It’s a difficult—”
“Tell me what you found, Lux,” she repeated, her voice now low and intense.
I swallowed hard and gave her a small nod. “I believe all of your missing crew is dead. I found their scattered bones alongside the remains of your caravans. There was a...beast of some sort that had made its den a few miles off the road in the Midlands. It was hunting travelers for food.” I paused, letting out the breath I had unconsciously held in my chest. “The beast is dead now, too.”
“I’ve heard rumors of monsters roaming northern Kaldan lately,” she said quietly. “I assumed they weren’t true.”
“Unfortunately, it seems they are,” I answered. “It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Armored like a monstrous crab, with bladed forearms and powerful hind legs.” The image of the beast’s skeleton made me shudder, and I pushed the thought away, keeping the information to myself. “I have no reason to believe there are any more of them around, but it is a possibility.”
“I see.” We sat in silence as she processed the information, her brow furrowed in deep concentration. “What did you do with the bones? Are they still there?”
“I burned them. It was the best I could do, given the circumstances.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Lux. While it was the outcome I dreaded most, just knowing puts my mind at ease, in some small way.” She cleared her throat and brushed her hand over a stack of papers at the edge of her desk. “I’d already written letters for the families, were my fears to be realized. I suppose I’ll have to send them out.”
“I wish there was more we could have done for you, Elise,” I lamented.
“Nonsense. You and Lia have saved a lot of lives with what you’ve done, I have no doubt,” she said, waving off my concern. “Now, we need to discuss your payment. Is there anything you need? Money? Supplies? Information?”
“There is something, actually. I’m building a forge, and I need materials: mortar, stone, and a supply of raw iron.”
“Done,” she answered immediately. “I’ll have it delivered to Marten’s by tomorrow evening. I trust you can take it from there.”
“Yes, thank you.” As the silence returned to the room, I stood and glanced out the window behind her at the dark sky. “I should be getting back now.”
“Of course,” she nodded. “Thank you again, Lux. Give the Corells my love.”
“Of course,” I echoed. I turned to go, but a thought held me in place. “Actually, there’s one more thing.” She nodded for me to continue. “Lia and I met some friends on the road. They were attacked by the beast as well and lost some loved ones in the encounter. I promised them that, should they need to contact us, they could just get a letter to you and you would pass the message on to us.”
“I’ll inform my staff,” she assured me.
“Thank you.” I made my way to the exit, turning back to her one more time. “Goodnight,
