by Logan Jacobs
Cat turned out to be an inconspicuous fellow. He was an inch or two shorter than me, and his light brown hair puffed out around his face like a dandelion. He had a deep tan which I hadn’t seen on too many elves, but the most remarkable feature had to be his eyes. They were such a dark blue that they almost looked black.
Imogen did a quick round of introductions as the ladonae and the elf took a seat. The waitress took their drink orders, and then we all stared at the elf. Cat looked at our ragtag group and smiled.
“You’re certainly keeping interesting company these days,” Cat said to Imogen. “I never pictured you as the guild type.”
“I’m just helping out,” Imogen replied as she scooped up some of the baba ganoush. “It’s not like they’ve invited me to join.”
“We have high standards,” Dehn sniffed dismissively.
“So, you want to go to the ends of Evreas,” Cat mused as he looked at the rest of us again. I hated to admit it, but he had a remarkably soothing voice. Maybe not as deep as Barry White, but I could imagine him crooning a love song or two.
“Imogen said you’ve been to the Great Chasm,” Yvaine replied.
“I have,” Cat agreed. “It’s a dreary place. Not one I would recommend.”
“We’re not going for the scenery,” Aerin harrumphed. She frowned at the elf as she grabbed a handful of the spicy pumpkin seeds from the bowl. I recognized the look she had on her face; it was the one she wore when she was studying someone’s aura.
“It’s none of my business why you’re going,” he said with a shrug. “It is my business to warn you that it’s a long and arduous trek, with a lot of dangerous creatures along the way.”
“We can handle it,” Dehn replied. “We can handle anything.”
Cat glanced at Imogen.
“I’ve seen them handle some tough situations,” Imogen admitted and then pointed a finger at me. “That’s the one who caught me.”
“Ah,” Cat said as he turned to study me. “The multi-talented mage. You must be good if you caught Imogen.”
“I have my moments,” I replied.
“If you’re sure you want to do this, I can get you to the Great Chasm,” Cat declared. “I’ve been over the list of supplies with Imogen. There are a few more items I think would be helpful, but we should be ready to go after that.”
“I talked to the chef today,” Maruk added. “I have a line on some excellent additions to our food stores.”
“You do understand how far we have to lug all this stuff, right?” Aerin asked.
“You’ll thank me for it later,” Maruk insisted as he sipped his tea.
“So when do we leave?” Dehn asked impatiently.
“I can visit the markets in the morning,” Cat said. “We might get a better deal if Gabriel and Maruk come with me.”
“I’d be happy to,” I replied.
“Of course,” Maruk added. “Though I’m not sure what you expect me to do. Based on the reaction of most of the locals we’ve encountered so far, I don’t think they’ll talk to me.”
“I don’t need you to talk,” Cat explained. “I just need you to look, well, like a mean orc.”
“Oh,” Maruk sighed.
“He’s not very good at mean,” Lena added.
“Hmmm. Well, his size should be enough to intimidate,” Cat decided. “Imogen, you mentioned that you had a line on some camels?”
“Yes, Yvaine’s taken care of that,” Imogen replied with a nod to the Marchioness.
“We have two additional camels for goods,” Yvaine said. “I must say, I think we managed to make a good deal.”
“You must not have bartered with a Persan,” Cat replied with a grin.
“Well, no,” Yvaine admitted. “It was a panthera, actually. He specializes in providing transport for foreigners and such.”
“Because the Persan won’t negotiate with them,” Cat added.
“Yes, sadly,” Yvained agreed. “My goodness, you should have seen how some of the Persan reacted today when we went to look at the camels.”
“Imagine if you had been on the other side of the bridge,” Cat pointed out.
“Terrible,” Yvaine declared.
“In any case,” Imogen interrupted, “the camels will be waiting for us at the Charter Gate by this evening.”
“Maybe some of us should head over there in the morning with the supplies we already have and get everything ready,” Lavinia suggested. “You could meet us there when you’re done.”
“Anywhere else in the world, I would say that was a brilliant idea,” Cat replied. “But you’ll be arrested if you’re seen loitering around the camels without a proper escort.”
“I really hate this place,” Lavinia grumbled. “What about the halfling? He’ll be with us.”
“But that’s just it,” Cat pointed out. “He’s a halfling. He’s not a proper escort.”
“The captain of the ship negotiated with him,” Lavinia protested.
“Until I showed up,” I said as I remembered the captain’s reaction to Dehn when he saw me.
“Maybe one of us could pose as a man,” Lena suggested.
“Uh-oh,” Aerin murmured.
“You do sometimes hear stories of women who try to pass themselves off as men,” Cat replied. “They don’t usually end well for the woman.”
“But it wouldn’t be just putting on men’s clothing,” Lena said. “I think I have something that would make a woman look like a man, at least for a short while.”
“Like a spell?” Cat asked.
“More like one of her potions,” Aerin said.
“Which always have strange side effects,” Lavinia added.
“But it will work,” Lena protested. “It will last long enough to convince the people at the gate. And then you won’t have to come all the way back here to get us.”
“It would simplify things,” I said. “If you think you could really do this.”
“I can,” Lena insisted. “I was working on it for costume parties. I thought it would be easier to turn yourself into a bird or bear or such instead of having a costume made.”
“But?” Aerin prodded.
“But I couldn’t quite get the animal part to work out,” Lena admitted. “I turned myself into a dog with feathers one night and I had to hide in my lab until it wore off.”
“Was that the night I kept hearing a dark barking, but you told me I was wrong?” Lavinia demanded.
“Turns out you can’t speak in dog shape,” Lena sighed. “But I found that I could make myself look like a different person.”
“I’d like to see this,” Cat admitted. “Whether she succeeds or not.”
“Oh, it’s always interesting,” Maruk assured him. “As long as you’re not on the receiving end. Ask me how many shirts I’ve lost to her experiments.”
“Again with the shirts,” Dehn grumbled.
“Just because you don’t appreciate fine clothing doesn’t mean the rest of us must suffer,” Maruk sniffed.
“We’ll test it in the morning,” I cut in. “If it works, you can head for the camels and start packing. If not, we’ll have to come back here and meet you.”
“I think I’ll give myself purple hair,” Lena mused. “It will match with the outfit I have in mind.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see this,” Cat said with a devilish grin.
Chapter 3
Merlin woke me early as he chased a small silver bead around the floor. I had no idea where he’d found it, but I’d let him keep it because it kept him occupied and out of trouble. Now all I wanted was to toss the thing down the nearest drain and flush it away.
“Most cats would be asleep, you know,” I chastised the puca.
Merlin’s golden eyes peered at me from beneath the desk, and his tail swished with annoyance in that certain way that all cats seem to be able to do.
I sighed and dragged myself from the bed. I managed to get myself cleaned up and presentable without tripping over Merlin, even t
hough the puca continued his chase of the bead. When I finally opened the door and stepped into the hallway, Merlin darted on ahead.
I caught up with him in the dining room. Lavinia, of course, was already there and the puca sat on a chair at her table, eyeing the plate in front of her. She scowled at the puca and ordered him to get off the chair and under the table. The puca meowed but stayed where he was.
“Good morning,” I said to Lavinia as I dumped Merlin to the floor and took his seat. “Any news from Lena yet?”
“Nothing,” Lavinia replied. “Though she and Yvaine spent a good deal of time last night trying to find a suitable outfit. You know, something that will look appropriately masculine.”
“I don’t think Lena has anything like that,” I said.
“Well, they may have had to borrow from Cat,” Lavinia explained. “Though she was still talking about purple hair.”
The waitress stopped at our table and placed a cup of tea in front of me and a plate of fried eggs, spicy sausage, and a dense brown bread drizzled with honey.
“No menu for breakfast,” Lavinia said as the waitress moved away.
I tried a bite of the eggs and sausage. Mint and lemon zest had been added to the eggs, making for a nice balance against the pepper flavor of the sausage. I nodded in approval and then slipped a small piece of sausage under the table. I felt Merlin grab it with his paw, and a moment later he tugged at my pants leg. I slipped him some of the egg as well, and Lavinia rolled her eyes.
“What do you think of our guide?” I asked.
“I don’t know what Aerin’s issue with the old elvish families is, but I think this guy is legitimate,” she replied. “I think he actually has been to the Great Chasm.”
“I think so, too,” I agreed. “I know Aerin would have been happy to declare him a liar if he hadn’t.”
“She was checking his aura pretty closely,” Lavinia noted. “I think she was disappointed by what she saw.”
“Meaning that he is a guide and traveller, and someone we can trust,” I said.
“Exactly,” Lavinia agreed.
I took a few more bites of my breakfast while Lavinia sipped on what was left of her tea. Merlin meowed from under the table and Lavinia caved in and passed down the last bite of egg and bread from her own plate. I smiled at her, and she shook her head.
“You’ll spoil him,” I teased.
“He’s already spoiled,” she replied.
“Then you’re enabling him,” I remarked.
“I’m not sure what that means,” Lavinia said, “but whatever’s wrong with the puca is on you.”
I laughed and polished off the rest of my breakfast. When I was done, I grabbed Lavinia’s hand and pulled her towards me. She nestled against me with a satisfied smile while her hand found the inside of my thigh.
“You look pleased with yourself,” I whispered in her ear.
“I was just thinking that I did manage to beat the Marchioness of Constello at one thing at least,” she replied.
“And what was that?” I asked as I nipped at her ear.
“I managed to get pregnant first,” she smirked.
“Always glad to help out,” I replied. “You know, I hear Yvaine even found tents for this trip. Big enough for two.”
“Mmmm. I could think of some fun things to do in a tent,” she mused.
“Dang, is it true there’s no menu?” Dehn demanded to know as he dragged a chair to our table and sat down. Merlin yowled, and I felt him brush against my leg as moved to a safe spot under my chair.
“No menu,” I agreed as Lavinia pulled away. “But it’s good. Eggs, sausage, and bread with honey.”
“Huh,” Dehn replied. “It’s not some sort of weird sausage is it? Or fancy eggs?”
“Fried eggs,” I assured him. “They do have a little mint, but not much. The sausage is hot.”
“I guess it’ll do,” Dehn griped.
The waitress was back with another cup of tea and a plate for Dehn. She looked at the empty tea cups on the table, and both Lavinia and I asked for a refill. She hurried away as Dehn sniffed at his plate.
“Just eat it,” Lavinia sighed. “In all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you turn your nose up at anything. I don’t know why you act so picky when someone puts something new in front of you.”
“I’m checking for poison,” the halfling asserted as he took a bite of the eggs.
“What are you talking about?” Lavinia demanded.
“Halflings can smell poison,” Dehn asserted. “That’s a well-known fact.”
“Oh, it is not,” Lavinia snapped. “Unless it’s the worst poisoner in the world, you can’t smell poison.”
“It is so,” Dehn replied as he gobbled down his sausage.
“Well, he is the tallest in his family,” I interjected. “Maybe he has above-average smell detection skills as well.”
“I didn’t think of that,” Dehn said as he looked at me. “That’s probably true.”
“Why do you encourage him?” Lavinia demanded. “Or is this another example of enabling?”
The waitress returned with two more cups of tea. I heard her sigh as Imogen joined us as well, drawing a fourth chair to our small table.
“Any sign of Lena?” I asked.
“Not yet,” Imogen replied as she examined the plate of eggs and sausage that appeared in front of her.
“There’s no poison,” Dehn assured her. “My nose confirmed it.”
“Well, that and the fact that none of us have keeled over yet,” Lavinia pointed out.
“Thanks,” Imogen said as she started eating.
Emeline and Aerin straggled in next, and they pulled one of the other small tables over to ours. The waitress frowned, but whatever protest she was about to make died on her lips when Maruk arrived. He carried a third table over and carefully set a place for himself and Yvaine. The waitress tried to discount Maruk’s special order, but he told her to ask Madame Boaz, on behalf of Maruk. The waitress threw her hands in the air and retreated to the kitchen.
“I hope everyone slept well last night,” Maruk declared. “I must say, the mattress in my room was quite comfortable, if a little short.”
“Anything had to be better than the ship's deck,” I replied.
“True,” Maruk sighed. “May I suggest on our return trip that we find passage on a ship that has more appropriate guest quarters?”
“Maybe we could get Sulla and Urim and Etienne to pick us up,” Emeline suggested. She might have said it in a joking manner, but I could tell by the wistful look in her eye that she secretly hoped to see her brother again soon.
“Alas, we would be expected to pull our weight if we did that,” Maruk replied. “And that would mean participating in whatever bit of piracy they undertook while we were onboard.”
The waitress was back, and she carefully placed plates in front of Emeline and Aerin, and then thunked Maruk’s special order in front of him. I looked over at Maruk’s plate and I had to give Madame Boaz credit. She had managed to produce a very tasty looking omelet and a bowl of mixed berries with some sort of yogurt sauce that looked like the perfect fruits you only see in ads.
“Ooh, that looks good,” Aerin said as she looked at her plate and then at Maruk’s.
“I may have discussed proper omelet techniques with Madame Boaz last night,” Maruk replied. “By the by, our extra food supplies will be here soon.”
“Perfect,” I replied. I glanced towards the door and saw Yvaine look around the room. She spotted our table and turned to say something to the person behind her. A moment later, Yvaine strolled to our table, followed by Lena.
At least, I assumed it was Lena. It was an elf of Lena’s height and wearing one of Lena’s less brightly colored shirts, but that was where the similarities ended. This elf was male, with the harder planes of a masculine face and a broad set of shoulders that barely fit into the shirt. Her/his hair was indeed purple, a nice shade of plum to be exact. It was pulled back in
to a single braid that ended at the flat hips.
“Well, this one actually worked,” Lavinia said.
“How long will it last?” I asked.
“Several hours,” Lena replied. Even her voice was deeper. “But you should probably warn us if it’s going to take you more than the morning to wrap up your shopping expedition.”
“Sure,” I agreed. “I’ll have my pen and paper with me.”
Yvaine and Lena took their seats and this time, two plates of omelets and fruit bowls were delivered from the kitchen. Lena clapped her hands until Aerin smacked her on the shoulder. Yvaine simply accepted the plate as if nothing else was to be expected.
Cat appeared as we were wrapping up the meal, and he whistled appreciatively at Lena.
“That’s some potion,” he said. “How long do we have?”
“The morning,” she replied.
“That should be more than enough,” he said.
“I’ll send word as soon as we’re done,” I said as I stood up.
“And keep an eye open for our supplies,” Maruk added as he stood up as well.
“We won’t leave them,” Yvaine promised.
“No matter how tempting it is,” Aerin agreed.
Maruk tsked at the elf, but he followed after Cat and I. Cat turned out to be well-named, or well-nicknamed as the case may be. He moved quickly and quietly, and I wondered just how he and Imogen had become acquainted. It wasn’t that hard to picture the elf leaping around the rooftops the way I’d seen Imogen do. I really wanted to ask, but the elf cut such a fast pace through the now very crowded streets of Maymak that I didn’t have a chance.
The first set of guards on the Maymak side of the bridge barely even glanced at our little group and waved us through without even bothering to check our bags. Maruk was far and away the tallest person in the wave of people heading for Maraz proper, and most of those people left a sizeable ring of empty space around the orc. I saw a few sideways glances and heard several whispered warnings, but Maruk took it in stride and barreled ahead.
The guards on the Maraz side were less friendly. They recognized Cat and grudgingly waved him through, and gave me a short nod of approval as well, although the guard scowled at my obviously foreign clothes. Proceedings at the bridge ground to a halt, however, when Maruk presented himself to the guards.