An hour later, Abad was back at the Green Lady Inn. It was late, so he walked lightly up the stairs and went straight to Keila''s room. He didn''t know if the woman was still awake, but a light under the door indicated that she was. He knocked on the door, and her soft voice sounded from within.


    "Come in."


    He turned the knob, and the door creaked open. He found Keila at the small desk in the room, her face smudged with ink and a sea of papers on the desk in front of her. Her blonde hair was loose, falling down past her shoulders.


    "Look at the charmer bringing a bottle with him. Think that''ll get you out of trouble for being so late?" She turned the desk chair around and gestured for him to sit on the bed. "I thought you''d run off, and I''d have to have you tracked down."


    "No chance." He placed his pack next to the door and sat down, unstrapping the belt around his waist and setting it to the side. As he sat, he groaned. Despite absorbing most of the thug''s life force, he was still sore.


    "Want to talk about it?"


    "Not particularly. You?" He pointed at the papers.


    "Nope." She set down her quill and tidied up the paperwork before stuffing it in her desk''s drawer. "Tell me anyway."


    He smiled despite himself. "I went for a walk today and ran into an old acquaintance of mine. We had a couple of drinks and caught up. It was just a long day is all."


    She eyed his face. "What happened?"


    He looked in the mirror and noticed his eye was a little swollen even through his disguise. He''d have to improve his [Mask of Many Faces] spell in the future. "I got caught on a narrow street. A wagon''s rigging tore loose and hit me in the face when I tried to get out of the way," he lied.


    "Shame. You shouldn''t let anything hurt that face of yours. It''s one of your best assets." She grinned as she stretched her neck. "We had a couple of guys get jumped by some elf vigilante today. It caused quite the commotion. Bolton''s going to be livid, but we''ve already put a bounty out on him. People are saying it''s an elf from Vellath working with the adventurer''s guild, or maybe some wannabe hero trying to cause problems for us. Apparently, there''s a few adventurers in town that match the description." Her hands left her neck and started twirling around strands of hair as she spoke. "Do you know anything about it?"


    "Not at all," he lied. "Why would the guild have it out for you?" A tinge of guilt struck him. He knew he had been reckless before, but he hadn''t factored in anyone else when he attacked the thugs. Since he had modeled his persona after A-Nis and Shani, if they were still in town, they might be in danger.


    "Let''s just say that not everything we do is perfectly legal, and we take our business seriously." Her jaw hardened. "It''s not really our fault though. The laws are archaic and don''t account for the times. It''s not our fault we have to get around them. Otherwise, there''s no money to be had and people starve." Her tone had risen, and her words grew quicker, the heat behind them clear. "Half of every town in the nearest three regions is in shambles while nobles throw away food every day. We have to survive somehow. Lucky for us, we have a patron, but not everyone does. They either die in the streets or..." he waited for her to finish, but she didn''t. "Sorry, mind if we pour that? I could use a drink." She pulled two glasses out of her desk.


    He popped the cork out and poured their glasses full. "Cheers." They quietly drank together.


    "As Rhys would say, Goddess''s shining ass, this is good!" She took another swallow. "This must have cost a fortune!"


    He shrugged. "My acquaintance gave it to me."


    "Well he gave you quite the gift. I''m pretty sure you should be calling him a friend, and a damn good one at that."


    "I''ll let him know next time I see him." He let the subject drop.


    She eyed the pack he had placed near the door. "So I take it you''re not planning to come with us?"


    "I''m not sure." He sighed and took another sip of wine. "Even if I do, I need gear. And if I don''t come, I''ll be ready for what comes next."


    She sat eyeing him a few minutes. "You know, Abad. I like you, but you''re kind of depressing sometimes. You''ve got a great deal that fell into your lap and a pretty woman throwing herself at you, but you''re so damn mopey. You don''t want to commit to anything and seem determined to drift." She looked him directly in the eye. "Why?"


    He stared back for a minute, then took another gulp of wine, draining the glass. Pouring another, he took a breath and spoke. "I''m afraid I wouldn''t be any use to your organization."


    "Everyone needs mages. Even if you''re not that strong, and I think you might be being modest about that, we could always use you."


    "No, it''s not that." He tried to frame his thoughts but struggled.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "What''s holding you back?" She refilled her glass and sipped it.


    "Lots of things," he said simply, finishing off his second glass.


    "Like what?"


    He took a deep breath and arranged his thoughts. He didn''t know why he was about to share this much information with her, but his run-in with Kasimir had him wanting to talk to someone. He trusted her to at least listen to him, but he still wasn''t willing to reveal all his secrets. "For starters, I''ve made mistakes I''m not proud of. The religious would call them sins. My past is littered with bodies."


    "So? Who cares? You''re here, alive and well. Why put that burden on yourself?"


    Abad blinked. Feeling bad about himself was a new feeling he''d been indulging. He supposed he hadn''t learned to process it. "I guess I''m coming to terms with things is all," he replied darkly. "I feel like I''ve paid for my mistakes in some ways, but also not at all."


    Her head tilted. "Life isn''t fair. What happened, happened. You can''t undo the past. Bad shit happens every day. Good people are cut down, and terrible people flourish. There''s no sense to it, and there''s no reason. All you can do is move forward, ya know? Besides, most people have things in their histories that weigh them down. I know I do. But you know what? No one cares. And I get to keep living my life. That''s all that matters."


    He took another breath. Her callousness reminded him of himself. Who he used to be. "I used to feel the same way. I used to not think one bit about others. Still don''t in many ways. But I lost everything to get here, and there''s nothing to show for it. Even my..." He finally could admit what the imp meant to him. He wondered why it took so long. Why couldn''t he ever admit it? "The one who''s been by my side through everything without hesitation is gone, and it''s my fault. I don''t even know if she''s alive. I hope she is. I want to find her. There are things I need to say. But I''m too weak, and I''m alone, and I don''t want to be anymore." He looked up, finding her eyes. "It doesn''t lead to a pleasant end, thinking the way you do."


    He rolled the glass around in his hands. Her eyes shined with empathy. She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. "You have me."


    He laughed. "I don''t understand why. I appreciate you caring for me, but it makes no sense to me."


    "I told you a few times now. You do good work." Her eyes sparkled. "Just consider joining up, okay? Really. It would make things so much simpler." Before he could respond, she leaned forward and pressed herself to him. A few minutes later, the rest of the world didn''t matter.


    ***


    Before breakfast ended, Abad asked the group for advice on his next steps. Keila said he should just keep his head down. Serus agreed, but Rhys offered up a different solution.


    "You''re a mage, right? Why don''t you go down to the Mage''s Guild and see if they need any work done? The guild here in Farnfoss isn''t much, but I bet they''d need some help."


    Keila and Serus both glared at him. The woman chided her brother. "I''m still trying to convince him to come with us, Rhys. If he gets attached to this dump, that''s less likely." She turned her attention to Abad. "Why don''t you just stay put and rest? You''re still not fully healed from everything you went through anyway." She gave him her most convincing doe eyes, but he shook his head. She pouted.


    "I appreciate the concern and charity, but I really need to do something. I can''t just keep leeching off of you all. It''s not who I am."


    "I told you, you''re being paid for your services, mister. They''re highly valuable." She winked at him.


    "Gross," both brothers said in unison.


    Abad steered the conversation back on track. "Where''s the mage''s guild located?"


    "Southwest side of town. Pretty rough down there, but you should be alright," Rhys offered.


    "Perfect, thank you."


    They all stood, Keila paid the bill, and they left on their errands. Abad accompanied Keila to the main road, and the pair walked from the east market district to the west. While the eastern market was decently put together, the western side was clearly far more affluent. The buildings were taller and better kept, and there were far more vendors with products he could actually see himself buying. Once they reached the western market''s center, the woman stopped outside a large building.


    "Bolton arrives today. Be back at the inn by mid-afternoon, okay?"


    "Got it."


    She nodded at him and disappeared into the building. She was all business, which wa one thing he liked about her.


    From the western market, Abad followed the directions Rhys had given him, but he took his time. It was still early, and he hadn''t explored any parts of the town outside of the two trade districts and the slums. He was curious how it compared to the other areas. As he made his way, he found the buildings quickly went from reasonably well-kept to barely held together. The bricks and stone of the market districts turned into old wooden planks. Even those looked less sturdy and much older as he went on, with mismatched wooden boards decorating the walls of what mostly were shacks. The cobblestones became sand and clay, which became dirt and mud. This section of the town was noticeably worse than the others.


    Winding his way through the dirty streets, he saw children playing in the mud and people selling various nearly rotten foods and cheap goods. The crowd largely consisted of dirty, poor humans, many skinny beastkin, and a handful of members of the other races. Some people were better dressed and more clean, but they looked out of place and uncomfortable, almost certainly weaving through the streets on unknowable errands. He noticed most people in the area had brands on their necks, though many of the brands looked faded or worn.


    Few of them looked up as they went about their business, but eventually, he met the eyes of a common elf that was walking toward him. They emitted a tired acceptance that he had never seen in the fair people in the past. He had noticed that this new age had weathered the race, stripping them of the vitality that had always been associated with his people. It was disconcerting to see such a noble creature reduced to a shell of his former self. Abad held little love for his people, but he still felt pity for the man. As the elf brushed by, something hit his side. He looked to find two stout dwarves who had run into him. The one he ran into cursed in their language. Abad had never learned the dwarven language due to the dwarves'' secretive nature around their native tongue, but a curse was a curse in every language. Abad apologized for getting in his way, but the dwarf glared and continued on.


    He continued on, but after several more streets, the hairs on his neck stood up. Something was off. Turning, he scanned the street, looking for anything, or anyone, obvious. He didn''t see anything. Still, the feeling of being watched stuck with him. Scanning again, he reached out with his senses. He didn''t detect anything, but he still had a strong sense that someone was following him. He continued on, staying wary.


    After several more streets, he finally found the Mage''s Guild symbol: three stars floating around a central eye. Crossing the dirty street, he brushed himself off, stamped his boots, and entered the weathered, modest building.