“My dear Merchant,” Cass spoke with a broad smile to the man who had sold her earrings to her before. “Your jewelry truly is peerless, and if it would be possible I would like to put in a special order.”

It was the second day since she had assaulted the brothel, and Cass was honestly quite frustrated. Yesterday… Had not gone well, she would have to work on the problem when she got home.

“Ah, please step over here milady Strioi,” the Merchant gestured towards the back of his stall and very courteously held back the draped cloth that served as a door to the back. Cass had asked Odal to stay outside, and so she was alone with the Merchant for the moment.

“Now, my dear and honorable customer,” the Merchant bowed smartly. “How may I help you today?”

He raised his head and froze, Cass had stopped hiding her true feelings for the disgusting waste of life before her. Odal was unsure why he was outside, but Cass had subtly hinted it was to surprise him, and it certainly would down the road…

“Illhue, you have quite excellent taste in jewelry,” Cass’s voice was smooth, cold, and promising a violent death even as she spoke such normal words. “However your personal tastes are execrable, I feel polluted just breathing the same air as you.”

“My- my lady?” Illhue stuttered, absolutely confused by the sudden change in the demeanor of the young lady before him, “if I have done anything to offend…”

“I am aware of you… Proclivities,” her face twisting in distaste, as she looked upon the shaken man. “How much did the Brass Voni I bought these for get you? A couple of nights at the brothel? Or did you splurge and spend it all at once?”

“How did you-” The Merchant’s eyes widened and he backed away from Cass so quickly he nearly fell over, and Cass took it a step further by giving him a ‘light’ push to put him on the floor.

“Really, I should kill you.” Cass smiled as she thought of doing just that and the trembling man flinched and shuddered, “but since you seem to have an understanding of what this visit is about and means… Well, we should get down to business.”

Half an hour later, Cass exited the tent and gestured for Odal to follow her.

“Were you able to place the order?” Odal asked as he followed, “I am guessing so based on your smile.”

“Indeed, it went quite well.” Cass laughed, “I cannot wait to see the results to be honest.”

Cass had spent the day quietly, but publically, visiting several figures from the guest list she acquired from the brothel. She also had managed to slip a message to the Matron through some Sand caste that she ‘bumped’ into, telling her that Odev’s sacrifice would get her the magesbane she needed by tomorrow. Unfortunately, neither Klein was on the list, but then if they had been the Matron would not need Cass.

It was yesterday that bothered her, and Cass sighed just thinking about it. She had returned to her quarters and the Warriors had brought Natalie over, and things had not gone well. Natalie asked many questions, and Cass answered honestly so that Natalie was aware of her family's fate and she alone had been spared.

The reaction was… A mixture of hatred, fear, and sorrow. She had gone to her knees to beg Cass to help her family, entreating her with tear filled eyes. And Cass would not, as she was denied again and again, Natalie’s anger grew until she lashed out at Cass, who merely grabbed her wrist and lifted the child into the air by it.

Cass had spoke brutal truth, telling Natalie that her family had been doomed from the moment her uncle accosted a Priest. Having to hide Gorv forced Natalie’s mother to be help the Matron as the result of blackmail, having that mother not working when there was another mouth to feed meant that Natalie had to work and had to pick a job where she could earn a decent amount of money. And that job would force her to walk through the Stone district at night, alone and through drunk and drugged crowds.

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Natalie would be grabbed one night, robbed, violated and raped, before likely being killed. Her family would grieve and their poverty would get worse, and as debt piled up they would be sent to the Sand one day. And Gorv would likely be discovered when that happened.

Cass gave her the best possible scenario, her entire family was alive, including Gorv, and she had not just been spared from the Sand, but elevated from the Stone. Still, Natalie had refused and tried to run away to the Sand. Odal had caught her and even now Cass had left a Warrior to watch her in case Natalie tried to run again…

“Odal,” Cass sighed again, it was becoming a habit unfortunately. “Tomorrow we were planning to start training me right? I am going to have Natalie join us.”

Odal frowned slightly, “are you sure about that? That girl truly hates you.”

“She will come around,” Cass waved her hand as they headed back to the Strioi district. “Although frankly it does not matter if she does or does not, I will get what I want.”

Cass saw potential in Natalie, even if Natalie hated her so long as the potential is drawn out, Cass will feel she had gotten what she wanted.

“I see,” Odal paused to think for a second and asked. “Then why do this?”

“Because someone must,” Cass answered, confusing Odal who did not really understand what she had been talking about. “Nevermind that now, I need to focus on this upcoming meeting.”

A chill breeze had Cass frowning as she walked, winter would be here soon… According to Odal, the mountain passes will be impassable once the snows start to fall. If Cass wanted to make it back to Tyine before spring she did not have more than another month… Cass shook her head to refocus herself as she entered the manor, she would need her focus for this next part…

“Isn’t that Warden Rowig?” Odal exclaimed in surprise, “and those Warriors…”

“I apologize Odal,” Cass spoke seriously and even bowed her head slightly to Odal to really sell the lie. “I happened to get a hold of a piece of the guest list and I found out that my neighbor, Berentrad is probably one of the ringleaders.”

Rowig happened to be one as well actually, but because I had intimated that I have the guest list, combined with the spreading knowledge that I had killed Odev, and that I also implied I had allies that would put the pieces together if I was gone… Rowig was a practical man, and he recognized that his life was mine now.

Odal had been with Natalie when this discussion had occurred, and when I had told Rowig to assemble certain parts of the squad from the brothel assault and prepare to arrest Berentrad.

“I… But… Impossible!” Odal was stunned by this, even as the Warriors began to apply the specially requisitioned magesbane.

“Stay here and look after Natalie,” Cass ordered as she followed the Warriors towards Berentrad’s quarters. And now… Cass quietly moved through the six Warriors to the front with Rowig in front of the door.

“Are you ready?” Cass spoke quietly as she brushed down her dress, with a nod from Rowig she kicked the door down and the Warriors flooded in.

Cass let them lead, silently laughing that none of them had noticed her pickpocketing their magesbane when she walked to the front and pocketing it. The first part of this little mission was complete, so she counted to six and walked in to find the Warriors holding a struggling old woman to the ground. Two Warriors were dead, but a poisoned knife was now lodged in her shoulder and she didn’t seem like she would be conscious long.

“Sorry to drop by uninvited,” Cass spoke cheerily while wondering how Berentrad had killed the Warriors so quietly. “But I had such a great time with you during our last conversation, I could not help but come back to talk to you about a few more things.”

She noticed a boy cowering in the corner and stopped… He was the same boy from the brothel, and now that she thought about it he was the same boy that had been here when she first visited! Whatever situation awaits him in the Sand district must be quite horrible, because it seems like he chose to do this of his volition instead of running or talking the Warriors.

Well, Cass could understand. If you still had the will to live, you did what you had to do to survive. Just as Cass acknowledged that freedom would neither fill her stomach, nor clothe her body, and had allowed herself to submit to her Master, this boy had likely come to a similar conclusion. After all, what use was purity if you were dead? Perhaps she should see… No, to take Natalie was already above her station, but she would find some way to help this boy before she left.

“Well then spit it out you foreign cunt!” Berentrad had apparantly grown tired of watching Cass think and swore at her loudly and with venom, “to think you would even get Rowig to betray me…”

“Ah, my apologies,” Cass acted slightly bemused, as if she had merely lost focus on a friend talking on the street. There was no reason to take this much more seriously than that. “I simply wanted to ask you about the Matron’s involvement with the brothel.”