Elizabeth nervously closed the door to Kenric’s office behind her as Kenric took a seat behind his desk, Gerard at his side. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but even Aida, who usually seemed so carefree, seemed a little more subdued now.

“So?” Aida asked, “What’s this all about?”

“Lord Aubet is currently in conflict with a bandit lord,” Kenric said, “The Hog.”

Aida frowned, her eyes narrowing, “The Hog…”

Elizabeth hesitantly raised her hand, “Excuse me, but what does this have to do with Aida’s past?”

Aida looked at her, her lips pursing. She took a moment to speak, “I’m… well, I used to be a bandit lord as well. They called me the Viper.”

Elizabeth stared at her. She remembered the Mare, the bandit lord that had attacked their class during her time as a student, she remembered how obviously evil he had been, eager to kidnap children and sell them back to their parents. It had been several years, so his face had grown fuzzy in her memory, but she still remembered his grin, with his lips stretched so wide, revealing his ruined yellow teeth.

For a long time after, she had equated the image of evil to that wide grin—perhaps she still did now. To hear that Aida had once been a bandit lord as well… it did not seem possible. If Gerard was the person she was most comfortable with in this place, then Aida probably came in right under him.

“I was defeated by Lord Wulf, and then taken into his service,” Aida said. She turned to Kenric, “But what’s this about then? Do you think he’ll trouble us next?”

“It might be better if he tried,” Kenric said, “But no. For now I think he’ll be stuck dealing with Lord Aubet for a long time. I called you here because I have a task for you: I need you to infiltrate Lord Aubet’s territory, track down the Hog, and convince him to enter my service.”

The wide grin of the Mare once more flashed through Elizabeth’s mind, and she jolted. She glanced at Aida; right, he had already taken in one bandit lord, what was another to him?

Aida seemed dismayed, “You want me to go now?”

“Is there a problem?” Kenric asked.

“It’s just… I’ll miss the ageing ceremony,” Aida said.

Kenric assured, “We will take your name.”

Aida was not assuaged. She said, her voice sounding a little weak, perhaps even a little pleading, “But… you’ll be turning twenty.”

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Elizabeth would have been immensely touched to hear something like that. But Kenric simply said, “This is more important.”

Aida looked like she very much disagreed. However, she held her tongue and nodded, “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

She made for the door, and when she opened it, Kenric added, “And, Aida, don’t let anyone know that I sent you; it seems Lord Aubet wants the Hog all to himself,” he paused for a moment, “And above all else, don’t forget: you must return alive. If convincing the Hog seems impossible, retreat. Returning safely is your number one priority.”

Aida smiled and nodded, she was almost out of the room when she stopped and said, “Aida.” Kenric waited silently, and she continued, “When you take my name, I want you to use Aida, as always.”

Kenric closed his eyes and nodded, something about him softening, “I understand.”

Aida left, and after a moment of hesitation, Elizabeth followed, giving Kenric a quick bow and closing his office door behind her. She caught up with Aida quickly, but suddenly, she did not know what to say. They hadn’t built a particularly deep bond, but Elizabeth had gotten the sense that they had been getting there for some time now. Only, now there was a sort of wall between them, a curtain that caused her to be wary.

Aida glanced at her, “Yes?”

Elizabeth gave in to her curiosity, “Why did you ask that last bit?”

“I had to be sure,” Aida said. She opened a room containing several beds where many of the manor staff slept at night, “This will be the first time I won’t be here for the ageing ceremony.”

“And it’s important for them to know to use your name?” Elizabeth asked, confused.

Aida stopped, turning to look at her directly, and Elizabeth had to resist the urge to step back. She wasn’t afraid… but neither was it easy to forget the revelation she’d received just now.

“I was known as the Viper,” Aida said, “It was the only name I’d ever known because I was raised to take that name by the previous Viper.” Her eyes gained a glassy sheen, as though she was looking at something nostalgic that Elizabeth could not, “That was until I met a boy. He had a sword in his hand, and he looked down at me in the snow. He asked me to serve him. I said yes.”

Elizabeth could picture it in her mind’s eye. A younger Kenric looking down at a defeated Aida as the snow fell around them. He could imagine him reaching an arm out to her.

“The boy later asked if I still wanted to be called the Viper, and for some reason, I said no,” Aida said, “So, he gave me a new name,” she stifled a chuckle, her expression brightening, “He said he needed an aide, and that’s what I would be, so my new name would be Ai. Gerard talked him out of it, suggesting Aida instead, and thankfully he saw the sense in that.”

Elizabeth stifled her own laugh, almost being able to see the curtain between them fall away, “He was about to name Gordon Go in Lord Aubet’s territory. Noodle had to talk him out of it there too. He’s not very good with names, is he?”

Aida grinned, “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

----------------------------------------

Kenric stared at the papers on his desk, unable to focus on his work at all. “Did I make the right choice?” He asked Gerard.

“In sending Aida in search of the Hog? Why do you ask?” Gerard said.

Kenric tapped his finger against the table in thought, “Wereion still hasn’t attacked. Sending her at this time of uncertainty…”

“Even so, we do not have any other choice, do we?” Gerard reminded, “We have to take all the chances we can get, or else we’ll be gradually ground down to nothing.”

“It might amount to nothing. We might be putting ourselves at risk for nothing.” Kenric said.

“And yet, it is a chance we cannot afford to give up.”

Kenric scowled. On that, he could not disagree.