Delta started awake in the middle of the night with a hand clamped over her mouth. She froze, instantly alert, heart racing. It was mostly dark, with just dim light from the burned down campfire the troops in the fort had set. She did not feel a knife at her throat, but there was a man crouched over her. He was too close to see more than a homespun covered shoulder. Past him she could see their goblin, still lying where they had put her litter down and made her comfortable. But she was awake, alert, and watching intently.

“Are you under bond to the troops of this fort?” the man whispered in her ear. She shook her head slightly to say ‘no’. “Then the Reformed Army of the Empire of Romitu would like to extend your contract by a day”, he said. Taking his hand from her mouth he leaned back. Delta looked at him, greatly surprised. He had the look of a soldier. Probably an officer, given his quiet confidence. It was the situation that was completely unreal.

“Let me consult my troops”, whispered Delta back. The man grinned, nodded, and edged back to the far side of the tent.

Delta glanced over at the goblin, and then went about waking up Zipper. It took a few goes, but she groggily came awake. Delta rubbed her eyes with some water left over in a cup and managed to keep her quiet. “There’s a man here with an offer”, she whispered.

Zipper looked up blearily at the man, barely illuminated by the low firelight. Then she sat bolt upright and grabbed at Delta. “Ya ya ya”, she sputtered. Delta tried to avoid being toppled over and Zipper squirmed all over her. “It it it…” she tried to say.

“Calm down”, hissed Delta. “And don’t make any noise. What’s the problem?”

Zipper stared wide eyed at the man, still clutching Delta in a death’s grip. “That’s the body that moved!” she hissed out.

The man broke into a broader grin. Delta’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you want us to do?” she demanded, in a slightly louder tone.

The man made placating gestures. “Your mission is to stay in this tent until dawn. Standard rates.”

Delta looked extremely skeptical. Zipper was still breathing fast.

“I’ll also cash out your promissory payment”, said the man.

Delta slumped. “OK. Fine. Just get out of here. You’re freaking out my troops.”

The man grinned again, nodded, and quietly ducked out of the camp flap.

“What the Grave Keeper was that?” asked Zipper.

“I have no idea”, said Delta. She looked over at the goblin, but she just stared back. “But the man wants to pay us to sit still.”

Zipper sat up and calmed her breathing. Then she started reaching for her kit. “If we’re on-duty, we should be in uniform”, she said quietly. “Even if we don’t leave the tent, something may come to us.” She snorted. “And I’m certainly getting no more sleep tonight.”

Delta nodded and followed suit.

They passed the water and what food they had to the goblin, who still winced when she moved. The wolf had snuggled up against her and appeared grateful for the water.

After some time, they heard quiet footsteps. Many of them. They heard a few solid thumps and bodies being lowered to the ground. Zipper looked at Delta questioningly, but she shrugged and just listened more intently.

A bit later they heard a crash from the far side of camp, and then a hue and cry. After that things got louder and more confusing. There were shouts, cries, and the sound of fighting. It rose and fell and moved from one side of the camp to the other.

But, over time, the sounds became less frequent. As the light of pre-dawn lit things up better, they could hear people speaking louder with more confidence. A full search of the camp seemed to be in progress.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Did our side win?” asked Zipper.

Delta shrugged. “I’m not sure which is our side.”

“The side paying us to stay in here”, said Zipper.

“Well, they haven’t searched here, so I guess so”, said Delta.

About another hour passed and they could hear orders being given, troops trudging around, and the grumble of prisoners. They recognized the Lieutenant’s raised voice in a heated discussion in the distance but couldn’t make out the details.

Then there came a scratching at their tent flap, and it was lifted. The man came in, bringing three plates of food and a jug. He put them down before them and sat there.

Zipper eyed him narrowly, in particular the scar on his forehead. “You. You’re the moving body.”

He grinned and waggled his finger at her. “You are very observant. Second Lieutenant Tancredi, at your service.” He did a mock bow.

“That was no preserve spell”, said Delta.

“I can’t answer that question”, laughed Tancredi. “But, business.” He pulled out a coin purse. Delta did likewise. She handed over the three brass promissory coins and he exchanged them for silver shillings. He then counted out two more. “And for your services this morning…”

“Three”, said Delta.

The man shook his head. “We don’t negotiate prices. One shilling per person per day.”

“Three people”, said Delta, looking over at the goblin. “This is our latest recruit.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Have you got paperwork on that?”

Delta shrugged. “Not yet. We haven’t been able to register it yet.”

“Fortunately”, the man said, “I did some time in the admin corps. I can process that for you if you like.” He looked at her coolly.

“Thank you”, said Delta, evenly. “I would be most grateful.”

“Have you actually asked her”, said Tancredi, sorting through a wallet for some clean paper.

“I believe we have an understanding”, said Delta.

He found what he was looking for, smiled thinly, and turned to the goblin. “Uekskfuedhoullfaerkaegh kfonllo dhor igzknifouvang ounghensuedh a. Ksuegnuedzrruerroerr a raegueuesrri?”

They all looked surprised, not least the goblin. She coughed and said something haltingly back. He continued to speak as he filled out the paperwork, and she seemed to follow with difficulty. When he was done, he had her make her mark on the form, as well as Delta. He passed to Delta the finished papers and the additional silver coin. She passed it over to the goblin who stared wide eyed at it.

“That was good work you did back at the mill”, he said, more seriously. Then he grinned when he saw Zipper’s look. “The spell doesn’t stop me seeing and hearing what’s going on. And, yes, I did get up when it looked like the mission might be threatened.” He nodded to them. “But you pulled it off.” He stared directly at Delta. “The language that I’ll use in the report is ‘above and beyond’. It will go on your record.”

Delta nodded. “Wight’s Brigade is always happy to provide the best service possible.”

The man shrugged. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any duty for you right now. But I’ll put in a good word with the local Lieutenant and suggest you would be an excellent choice to hire as escort.” He then made to go.

“Wait”, said Zipper. “Do you speak Goblin?”

Tancredi dusted himself down. “I picked up some Troglodyte where I’m stationed. It’s close, and many goblins speak it anyway.”

“What’s her name?” asked Zipper.

The man smiled. “It’s on the paperwork.” He looked at his copy. “Gnewth yi Ngargla yip Sarthlaw”, he read. “That means Gnewth daughter of Ngargla, of clan Sarthlaw.” Zipper nodded.

“Oh”, he said, turning back. He had a ceramic flask with official lettering on it that he placed, carefully, on a crate in the corner. “I’m just going to mark this off inventory as used in the ambush. It’s sort of like thirty days of bedrest in a bottle.” He looked back at the goblin. “The new Empire is very open minded about citizenship.” He looked directly back at Delta. “And we’re very keen on seeing other people be equally open minded.” He grinned one last time and left.

They stared at the bottle for a moment. “That’s… a magic potion?” said Zipper. “Like, a real magic potion?”

Delta picked it up cautiously. “Looks like army surplus stuff.”

“People said they were rotten with magic, but… surplus potions?” said Zipper.

“Makes sense”, said Delta. “The flasks, the hotplates, that sort of stuff. This isn’t the result of stuffy wizards sitting in towers. They’ve made it part of their war machine.”

“Maybe that’s why they have the audacity to try to reclaim the entire Empire”, said Zipper. “What are we going to do with it?”

Delta looked at the goblin. “Give it to…” she looked for her copy of the paperwork.

“Gwen”, said Zipper. She pointed at the goblin. “Gwen” she repeated. The goblin nodded. “Sure”, said Zipper. “She’s one of us now.”

“Yes”, said Delta. “What’s done is done. Time to move forward.”

She squatted down next to Gwen. She showed her the bottle, the official writing, and the seal. She then mimed drinking. Gwen looked back at her, definite intelligence in the eyes, but also a lot of tiredness. She nodded once.

Zipper crowded in next to her. “What?” she asked. “I’ve never seen a magic potion before.”

Delta laughed. She split the seal on the bottle and removed the stopper. Nothing special emerged. She held it to the goblin’s lips, and she swallowed. She passed the empty bottle to Zipper, who examined it closely.

“I’m gonna keep this”, said Zipper. “A genuine magic potion bottle!”

Delta eased Gwen back onto her palette. She had fallen straight asleep.