The Broken Bough Tavern was more wholesome that Kaitlyn had expected. The settlements in the March’s southeast were constantly being ravaged by the Wrath Liches’ cults, so many establishments kept their property at a barely maintained minimum. If the bastardized blend of red and blue magic wielded by the liches was turned on their home, the losses would be minimal.

This tavern, though, was content in taking risks. The four story building was alone amongst acres of woodland and was lively with travelers who would rather not be under the trees at night. The dusty windows at the top floor were the only ones lit by the setting sun filtering through the trees, so the restaurant portion of the business on the ground floor was already busy with nightlife. Clanking flatware and boisterous conversation rolled from the half-open windows and the propped door.

“So your friends are here?” Kaitlyn asked, relieved by the warmth of the building. Walking miles to meet strangers had not rested well with her conscience at first.

“Right, let’s go say hello,” Matt said, seeming quite excited as he bounced toward the tavern’s door. Kaitlyn managed a smile at his cheerful demeanor. It had become more and more dominant over the man’s personality since Matt’s outburst about his father. A strange turn on the surface, but Kaitlyn knew the Carpenter family had not always been the happiest.

Matt stood taller now as if a literal weight was lifted by the death of his father and the destruction of the furniture they had hauled all over Kraagheim. Even the criminals that had been demanding payment and threatening a return did not seem to bring Matt down.

After all, he had friends, and they had a plan. The money would come and the Tarley Family would get their payment, and Kaitlyn and Matthew Carpenter would finally be able to settle down. That made Matt happy, which, in turn, raised Kait’s spirits as well.

She followed Matt into the Tavern that was warmly lit and rambunctious in a way that reminded her of the festivals and parties her family would have as they traveled. A doe-eyed girl in a flour dusted apron greeted them.

“Welcome, you two,” she said cheerfully. “You came right in time, we only got a couple rooms left if you’re looking to stay tonight.”

“Yes, thank you,” Matt said with a nod. “Kaitlyn, I’m going to go find them, why don’t you handle the rooms?”

“Well, you’ll want to head right into the main room and talk to my mom, under that sign there,” the girl said, gesturing to a delightfully plump woman standing beneath a wooden plank, the words “check in” burned into it.

“Sure, Matty. I’ll find you afterward.” Kaitlyn hitched her hiking bag onto her shoulder and pushed into the throng of guests toward the check in desk as Matt described his friends to the hostess.

It only took a moment to get the room reserved, but the woman was a master of small talk. Just a handful of strategic questions and Kaitlyn was committed to leading an early morning stretching session for the mother and her friends the next day. The woman had heard the nomads all do it to communicate with the elements and would love to try. And Kaitlyn was the first red magic user she had seen all year. After a short round of marriage advice and a confirmation on the morning appointment, the woman finally let Kaitlyn go find her husband.

She found Matthew in a shadowy corner of the tavern’s dining room. A booth-style table was so distant from any of the lamps in the room that it needed a candle in the center of the table to illuminate Matt and his friends.

Sitting immediately beside him was a small, attractive man with sharp features and a goatee. Across from him was a colossal wall of a man who had to weigh more than Matt and the small man combined. And finally, sitting across from Matt, was a woman who looked to be from northern Gavundar, with her pearly-white skin and jet black hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail so tight it looked painful.

“There you are,” Kaitlyn said as she approached, and was taken aback when Matt started.

“Oh! I uh,” he said, looking at the other three. “I thought you would take our things up to the room?” He asked the way he always did when he did not approve of Kait’s actions.

“But now she’s here!” said the smaller man. “Take a seat, lovely. We have a feast coming.”

“Right,” the woman chimed in. “And we can’t finish it all on our own.”

“Speak for yourselves,” the larger man said theatrically. Kaitlyn grinned when she realized this had to be a bit for the troupe. “I’m starving.”

“And I’m Jack,” the smaller man said without missing a beat. He smiled to Kait, revealing his mouthful of sharp teeth. The first fanged folk Kait had ever seen, and if Jack was any indication, they were as handsome as everyone claimed they were. “And his name, truly, is Benji.”

“My name is Sarah, beautiful,” the woman said, extending her hand for a shake. “Now, take a seat!” She shooed a frustrated Matthew down the bench, closer to Jack to make room for Kaitlyn.

There was a moment of tension before Matthew decided to make it all the worse. “So, about our… Our plan?”

“Hush!” Sarah nearly shouted. “Don’t you know it’s bad luck to talk business over a meal?”

“But we’re not eating yet,” Kaitlyn offered, curious to see if this conversation would be scripted as well.

“No,” Jack said. “But this plan can not be discussed fully before our meal will arrive. Don’t worry, Matty, my boy, we will have plenty of time to talk!”

Kaitlyn was astounded that these three were friends of Matt’s. He was so dour all the time, she could only imagine him being a whipping boy for their antics.

“I’m sorry,” Matt said, looking down. Kait noticed his nervous tic, a rhythmic and continuous bounce of the left leg. “I’m just excited to have the group together again.”

“Oh, bullshit,” Sarah burst out. She looked at Kait with wide eyes. “Excuse the language, dear.” She then turned her gaze back to Matt, starring daggers at the man. “You haven’t written us, looked for us, even dropped in for a damned cookie in four years. Excited my ass!” She looked to Kaitlyn again. “Sorry.”

Kaitlyn laughed out loud. “It’s fine, it’s fine! I mean, he deserves it!” She could feel Matthew bristling beside her.

“I like you,” Sarah said to Kait. “You’re smart.”

“I’m Kaitlyn, by the way.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kaitlyn.” Jack responded. “I’d say ‘to finally meet’ if we had known Matt had even been married.”

“Okay, okay,” Matt said, obviously fed up with the jokes at his expense. “That’s enough. Seriously.”

“Should we get drinks?” Benji asked the table.

“Great idea,” Sarah said, nodding enthusiastically. “Play for who pays?” She gestured to a small velvet pouch at the end of the table against the wall, and Kaitlyn lit up.

“Oh, I haven’t played this game in so long!” she said, excited. “That is a Divine Intervention set, isn’t it?”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“That it is, Kait,” Jack said, snagging the pouch. “Would you like first draw?”

Kaitlyn eagerly took the pouch, feeling like a child in her grandmother’s tent. She opened the drawstrings just enough to reach her hand inside and could hardly control a quiet “wow.” The set was extremely high quality, each chip was actually a metal coin, and from what Kaitlyn could feel, there was plenty of detail. Finally, she chose one of the chips and pulled it from the bag, showing it to the table.

One side was decorated with a fancy “BBT” monogram for the tavern, but the other side was only a tree.

“The Tree Mother, Talnorel,” Kaitlyn said confidently, looking around to see if anyone would challenge her. Everyone nodded their agreement, and so Kait continued. “Talnorel woke on a bright summer day and reached out to commune with the living things from all over the world. But something was wrong on this day,” Kaitlyn said, grimly. The theatrics of the groups’ introductions gave her the confidence to ham up her storytelling. “Because today, she could not talk to any of the mice!”

“Oh, this will be fun,” Sarah said. “I can tell you’re very good at this game.”

“I’m a little out of practice,” Kaitlyn said humbly. “But my grandmother used to hand carve sets from stone, so I played it for as long as I can remember.” Kaitlyn passed the pouch off to Matthew, who shook his head.

“Oh, I don’t think I will play, thanks.”

“You have to,” Benji said. “If you don’t, then you have to buy the round.”

“Fine,” Matt looked to leave the table, but Kaitlyn did not move.

“Don’t be difficult, Matt, just play the game,” she said, rattling the bag toward him.

Matt grunted and reached into the bag, immediately pulling a chip out, showing it off. A flaming wreath of flowers.

Matt stared at the coin, the confusion coming in waves. “Dorvan the Wroth,” he finally said when he decided he didn’t care.

“I challenge!” Kaitlyn said suddenly, unable to contain herself.

“I’ll second,” Sarah said, crossing her arms.

“What, why?”

“Burning wreath? That’s Chael. Burning skull is Dorvan. That’s one strike!” Kaitlyn replied.

Matt looked at her, betrayed and angry, as he shoved the pouch to Jack.

Jack plucked a coin marked with a crashing wave. “Ah! Tidus, the Laughing Buccaneer! Well, as it had turned out, Tidus had reached out to the mice of Kraagheim and offered them all positions on a magnificent fleet!”

“I want to challenge that,” Sarah said. “A fleet of mice?”

“Well, Tidus is a trickster,” Jack explained.

“He is,” Kaitlyn said nodding.

“Alrighty, the strike’s mine,” Sarah said, pouting. “After all, Mrs. Carpenter is our expert!”

“On to Benji, then! And Mad Jack is unscathed again!” Jack said triumphantly.

“No one will call you that,” Benji said flatly as he fished for a coin. Finally, his chubby fingers emerged with a coin depicting a large toadstool. “Trufflim!” he said happily. “Talnorel reached out to her ally, Trufflim, the Mushroom Keeper to ask if he knew why the mice had suddenly gone missing. Trufflim explained that Tidus had come to him asking for huge amounts of cheese. Sarah?” Benji passed the satchel on.

Sarah reached in and plucked out a coin with a snowflake. Two hatchets crossed behind it. “Petra, Winter’s Daughter,” Sarah said with a grin. “Their discussion was interrupted when Petra arrived, confused as to why a boat of rodents had landed on the frozen wastes. She feared for the critters’ welfare and hoped for some answers.”

The satchel returned to Kaitlyn. The coin she drew was decorated with a mortar and pestle. “Szynya, the Healer.”

“You are very good at this. I’ve never seen that emblem before,” Jack admitted, shaking his head.

“Thank you!” Kait said, beaming. “Uh, Syzynya approached the gods with bad news. Tidus had forgotten to pick up cold weather supplements for his miniature crew. If the gods did not get the medication to the mice in a few hours, they would all die! Your turn, Matty.”

Kaitlyn passed the bag on, and Matt snatched it aggressively. He reached into the bag and removed a coin with a tortoise. Matt stared at it, and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Seriously Matt?” Kait asked, chuckling.

“Yes. Seriously. I don’t know. I get the strike, I’m out, and now I have to buy you all drinks like I was going to before we wasted our time with this stupid game.” He stared harshly at Kait until she slid from the booth and let him leave.

She looked around the table to see Jack staring off into the dining room, Benji looking at his hands, and Sarah looking at her with concern.

“You alright?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Matt has a bit of a temper. I’m sure you know But, I never liked when he got like that.”

Kaitlyn was shocked. “But, aren’t you his friends?”

“Well of course, we grew up with him,” Jack responded, still not quite looking at Kaitlyn. “Doesn’t mean we like when he gets toasty. Looks like our food is coming!”

The discussion about her husband was put on hold as a waitress and server began heaping plates of steaming, Lower March homestyle food onto the table. Dense biscuits. Deep casseroles. Caramel colored poultry. Matt came quickly behind, his dark demeanor not recovered, but with a tray of tall glasses with amber beer in hand.

The group sat and ate, making small talk about Kaitlyn’s youth traveling the March and how she and Matt met. All stories Kaitlyn had told a million times to a million people, and gotten quite bored with telling again and again. But in this company, though it may have been the drink, she felt it an enjoyable tale to tell.

When the meal was complete for everyone except Benji, Jack leaned back. “So, to business then?”

“Yes, please,” Matthew said with a nod. He turned to Kaitlyn. “Would you mind taking the bags up to the room?”

“What, why?” Sarah’s response came even faster than Kaitlyn’s own confusion. “Is she not going to help?”

“I was not planning on it,” Matthew said frankly.

“Maybe I can give a hand, Matty?” Kaitlyn offered, smiling.

“Yeah, open a fissure under some paladins. Drop a cave on a priest!” Sarah suggested.

Kaitlyn’s smile suddenly fell. “What?”

“The Church doesn’t take kindly to theft, dear,” Jack responded. “And you’re a shaman. You can be our heavy! Sorry Benji.”

“I can’t make an earthquake unless I fall,” Benji admitted, smiling at Kaitlyn.

“What are you talking about?”

“See? This is why I wanted you upstairs, Kaitlyn,” Matt said. “This is why.”

“Who are these three, Matthew? Are these the ‘Crew,’ Matthew?”

“Go, Kaitlyn.”

“Already gone, Matt.”

The Crew watched in shock as Kaitlyn got up from the table and walked out of the tavern’s door. They sat in silence for a long moment before Matthew cleared his throat and tried to speak.

“Go get your wife.” Benji’s voice was calm, slow, and cold.

“Now, Matthew,” Jack said, nudging him slightly.

“You know, you three didn’t find me for four years either. What makes you think you can tell when there is trouble in my marriage?”

“No one said something was wrong with your marriage Matthew, but there will be tomorrow if you don’t get your ass out there to her,” Sarah remarked.

“Look, if you want a heavy so bad, go and talk to her yourself.” Matthew looked at his friends and Sarah was on her feet.

“Okay, will do, Matty. You dirt bag.”

Sarah found Kaitlyn in a patch of loam on the side of the building, her travel dress dirtied at the knees while knelt, head to the earth, and hands out in front of her.

“Kaitlyn?”

The shaman took a deep breath and the loam seemed to breathe with her before she looked up. “Sorry I stormed off like that.”

“Oh, like you said, Kait, he deserved it.”

“I’m also sorry if I offended you three.”

“We’re thieves. Robbers. Grimey little bugs. It takes more than some heated words to offend us.”

“I want to help him. I really do. You know what happened to us, right?”

“He wrote us a bit about it, yes. The thing is, Kaitlyn, the Tarleys? They will sabotage you until they have no choice but to kill you. They burned your livelihood once. They’ll do it again. And again, until they finally burn your bodies, too.”

Kaitlyn looked away.

“I’m not saying you have to put blood on your hands, or even wear a mask. Chael, we’ll tell everyone I kidnapped you. If we get caught. All I’m saying is Matt needs you, and there’s a good chance he needs us.”

“He promised me he was done with you guys. He promised me that our child would be free of this.”

“You being so good at Divine Intervention, you have to know how little promises mean sometimes.”

Kaitlyn took a long sad look at Sarah, then laughed. “You got a strike, too, Sarah. Some rules mean you have to buy a round, too.”

“Sure! I just hope you don’t mind if it’s bought with dirty money,” Sarah said, jingling her pocket mockingly. The two laughed their way back inside, and over a second round of drinks, the group began planning how they would rob the Church of the Will.