With Dwayne and Mei here, Dana had to move quickly. Slipping out of the foyer and into the back of the house, lu reentered a world of peeling paint and shrouded furniture to search for the servants’ way up, stairs they took to not disturb guests.

Doing luz best not to touch anything, Dana picked luz way through the disgusting mess until lu found it: a barely painted narrow door. Relieved, Dana grabbed the handle and pulled.

It didn’t budge.

Of course it was stuck. Bradford’s damnable wet weather had swollen the wood and rusted the hinges, making opening the door at all a monumental task and opening it quietly impossible. Lu would have to find another way.

Clomp.

Circle-trained instincts shoved Dana behind a shrouded dining table before the source of the sound entered the room, their boots announcing the arrival of the scarred woman from the foyer.

“Cups, what a mess.” She kicked over a chair. “If his money didn’t pay, Randy and I’d be gone.”

As Sorgi’s only real guard resumed her patrol, Dana considered luz options. There were three in order of severity: talking, running, and fighting. The second would lead to the third - the scarred woman could definitely run faster than Dana could - and the third made attempting the first impossible and likely forced Dana to leave behind a mountain of corpses that Mei would somehow be asked to investigate. Besides, why waste this face?

Talking it was.

“Hello.”

The scarred woman’s boots pivoted to face a pair of very familiar boots. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking.” Mei’s steps made no sound as she circled the guard. “For threats.”

“Well,” the guard’s boots shifted with clink and a rustle, “there’s only me. Go back to what you call master.”

“I will.” Mei’s boots stopped in front of Dana’s table. “When I’m done.”

“Look here.” The scarred woman’s boots stomped up to Mei. “This place is safe.”

“I will be done soon.”

The guard’s weight shifted to her toes. Mei’s shifted to her front foot. The guard’s left foot shifted back into a stance. Mei’s boots didn’t move.

“Bah.” The scarred woman’s moved away. “Suit yourself.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

When she was gone, Dana let out the breath. Now, lu just had to waited for Mei to leave.

Mei appeared over the table. “Hello.”

Circle-trained mages did not scream, but they did have to work not to succumb to cardiac arrest. “Hello. I’m, uh, just taking a break.”

“Okay.” Mei allowed Dana to emerge from luz hiding place, her eyes searching Inge’s face. “Have we met before?”

Interesting. Here was someone who wasn’t going to whistle Inge’s way. “We haven’t.” Dana put out a hand. “Inge.” When Mei didn’t take it, lu let it drop. “You’re Mei, aren’t you? You’re famous.”

“No.” Mei’s hand slid down to her dagger. “Not to most Sourans.”

Note to self, add “far too observant” to Mei’s file. Time to change tactics.

“Well, you caught me.” Dana raised her hands. “My employers were just worried about how all the murders and the assaults would affect them and sent me to investigate.”

Mei’s hand didn’t leave her dagger. “You’re Gray Tower?”

That was a test. “No, but I’m looking for the windsong you fought there. We think she’s here.”

“She’s not windsong.”

News to Dana. “Regardless, I’m finding her.”

“No, I am.”

Dana hid a wince. “Let’s just take the hostility down a notch. I assumed you’re using your mage friend as a distraction?”

Mei said nothing.

“If so, then you don’t have much time. Me, on the other hand, have all the time in the world.” Dana tried not to squirm under Mei’s unrelenting gaze. “I’ll go find the wind-whatever then come back and tell you what I find.”

Mei said nothing and continued to loom between Dana and the exit. Dana did not want to hurt her to escape. Dwayne needed the hunter too much.

“Okay.” Mei took her hand away from her dagger. “Send word to Sanford when you’re done.”

Dana nearly melted with relief. “What happens if I don’t?”

“I find you.” Mei turned to leave.

“Wait.” Dana pointed to the door. “Open that for me?”

Mei glanced at the door, and then walked over to it and yanked it open. “There.”

“O-okay.”

Some caution would have been nice, but lu had pointed out they didn’t have much time. Without a word or a glance, Dana darted through the door and raced up the staircase, before Mei slammed the door shut. Dealing with the fallout was Mei’s problem, right now Dana had to find Delma Lo Duca.

Unlike its downstairs, the second floor of Sorgi’s residence was very lived in, its current occupants having strewn themselves all over the place. Judging by their fitted shirts and leggings, these were the dancers of the Lo Duca Company, their lithe, flexible bodies making it possible to sleep on only floor and sofa.

“Oh,” one raised their head as Dana tip-toed by, “a downstairs people. Good day.”

“Good day.” They were about Inge’s size. Might as well make use of them. “Where are the Lo Ducas?”

“They sleep in beds.” The dancer gestured languidly at the far end of the hall.

“Excellent. Now,” Dana hauled the dancer to their feet, “I’ll need one more thing…”

A few moments later, the dancer was asleep in a closet, Dana wore their clothes, and lu was nearly at the end of the hall.

Two voices from behind a closed door.

“Where is she?” Gio’s baritone.

“No idea.” His brother Mattia’s bass. “You haven’t seen her?”

“Not since we got here.”

“She must have gone to Sen Jerome’s.”

“Really? She knows she’s barking up the wrong tree, right?”

“Like that’s ever stopped our sister.”

Damn, Delma wasn’t here. Dana hung back to consider luz next move then spotted an unoccupied bedroom filled with the clothing of a short, slim woman. Tonight didn’t have to be a total loss.

* * *