Standing there in front of the high table, Max clasped his hands together to stop them from trembling. Now that the Lady Crane’s attention was fully directed towards he and Entrails, the pressure of the moment had sneakily dug its talons into him. He wondered if all nobles and landowners were like Lady Crane and Skole were like this, so quick to extinguish life without a second thought. He didn’t have time to ponder the matter, though, as the lady began her interrogation.

  “So, tell me. What brings you through my lands?” she asked, looking at Entrails first.

  “Do you always detain and imprison travelers?” Entrails responded, skirting the question.

  “Normally, no, but these are… trying times.” The lady picked up a carving fork from the table and impaled a chunk of raw meat on the sharp end. “And I tire of your games, adventurer. So I’ll ask once more. What is your business here?”

  Entrails gave her the rehearsed tale. He and his party had traveled to Brix, where they’d been killed deep below the mines. After escaping himself, he paid Skole for a worker—seeing as he had no party members to share the load any longer, he required a mule, to which the proprietor agreed. As he explained, Lady Crane’s eyes shifted to Max every so often, reading his face. He tried to keep himself as expressionless as he could manage.

  “I had planned on farming mobs on your hexes on the way back to Tiann,” Entrails continued, “but first there were the bandits, and then this one—” Entrails jerked his thumb towards Max in mock annoyance, “succumbed to dissonance. So I carried him here.”

  “That’s surprising. Most adventurers would’ve left their mule to die rather than expend the effort… cheap labor and all. He must be worth it.” Lady Crane turned to Max. “Is that true? Are you a good mule?”

  For a moment, Max’s tongue caught, but his courage quickly found him. “The best,” he said. Cockier than he was used to, but Entrails had said to follow his lead, so… he had to sell it, right?

  Lady Crane chuckled. “Maybe I should take you off his hands, then. Still, something doesn’t quite add up.” For a moment, she said nothing, allowing the silence to grow heavier. “See, I know Skole. He’s not one to part with his slaves willingly.”

  Entrails shrugged. “Ask him yourself, then.”

  “I’d rather not. To be honest, I don’t like the man, nor do I trust him. Besides, I have a better idea.” At a nod, the guards around Max and Entrails sprung into action. One grabbed Max’s arms from behind and held still. The others were rougher with Entrails, first doubling over the warrior with blows to his gut, then dragging him forward and throwing him to the stones in front of the high table. “Zazazel has a talent for separating liars from honest men,” Lady Crane continued. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?”

  The raptor raised its bloody maw from its meal and shrieked.

  “Boy,” said Lady Crane, addressing Max directly, “now’s your chance to come clean. Is this adventurer a spy? Come now, be honest. I won’t hold you accountable for anything he’s done, you’re just a mule. In fact, speak plainly and you could even enter into my service… You’ll go far, get paid well. What do you say? Just tell me the truth.”

  Though he didn’t show it, Max’s heart was racing. He’d seen how easily the raptor had dispatched Lady Crane’s former captain—and he’d been armed. Entrails didn’t so much as have a knife to defend himself. Strong as the warrior was, he was overmatched. What Max said would likely determine whether Entrails lived or died, right there. His mind raced.

  Entrails, who must’ve sensed Max’s hesitation, spoke up. “My lady, executing a traitor is one thing, but a free adventurer? It’s murder! You know word travels fast. Who will come farm the Lady Crane’s hexes when it’s known that she puts free adventurers to the sword for no reason?” Entrails laughed. “The Northern Alliance must really have you shook.”

  “Hush! Last chance, boy. Speak the truth now, or you’ll be next.”

  Max briefly considered it—they weren’t spies, after all, so maybe Lady Crane would let them free if he simply told her the truth? He glanced to Entrails, who shook his head ever so slightly. The warrior’s earlier words rang in Max’s head. Lady Crane will test us, he’d said. Follow my lead.

  Max stood straighter. Entrails hadn’t caved, so neither would he. “There’s nothing else to say, lady. What Entrails told you is the truth.”

  As she considered Max’s words, Lady Crane said nothing for what seemed like an eternity, instead content on twirling that hunk of meat on the end of the carving fork. Her eyes were cold and calculating as she looked from Max to Entrails, determining what to do with them. Max gulped. Had he said the right thing? The longer the silence stretched, the more he began to doubt himself.

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  “Fine,” said Lady Crane. She tossed the carving fork back on the table, where it clattered against the meat-laden plates arrayed there, and ordered the guards to release Max and let Entrails return to his side. “That’s a good mule you’ve got there. Not many who’d risk their own life for their master’s.”

  “What can I say, I know how to pick ‘em,” said Entrails, playing along.

  “Then accept my apologies. As you just saw, even my own guard has been infiltrated. I had to be sure you weren't spies, surveying my hexes for weaknesses.”

  Sensing their battle was won, Entrails seemed happy to tone down his earlier combativeness. He bowed in deference. “Understandable,” he said. “Consider it water under the bridge.”

  “You’re free to leave as you please. Now that my mole problem has been solved, I’ll send you an escort till you’ve left my lands. I’m sure more bandits have camped along the road without my men out to remove them.” The lady sighed. “If there’s anything else I can do, let me know.”

  “Nothing, Lady, thank you.” said Entrails, clearly happy to leave as soon as possible. He bowed again and turned to exit the Great Hall.

  “Actually…” Max said, surprising even himself. Entrails shot him a look of warning, but Max wasn’t quite ready to leave. He felt somehow bolder, as if the sense of victory of the interaction had infected him. They’d been detained for what? Nothing? It wasn’t fair. “Forgive me, but we need to get to Tiann as soon as possible. This detour has cost us more than a day. If you could spare a couple mounts, we’d appreciate it greatly.”

  Lady Crane’s eyes flashed and the Great Hall fell silent again. The guards shifting nervously. Her advisor’s eyes widened at Max’s forwardness. Even the knight standing behind the noble, who up to this point hadn’t moved an inch, tiled her head to look at him.

  Then, without warning, Lady Crane burst into laughter. “There is real fire in you! Your loyalty to the adventurer is unfortunate. I sense I’d very much enjoy having you in my service. Perhaps some day.” She waved her arm, dismissing them. “Very well, I’ll have my guards bring you to the stables for mounts. We have more than a few whose riders won’t be coming back.”

  Max opened his mouth, but Entrails cut him off before he could say anything more. “Thank you, lady. For your hospitality,” he said.

  “Adventurer. Just be sure to spread to the word that adventures are always welcome to hunt in my lands. So long as I sit in this seat, they will have my protection.”

  Entrails nodded, and they both turned to leave.

“Just what the hell was that?” asked Entrails, his tone gruff but amused.

  “You told me to follow your lead. That’s what I did."

  The big warrior shook his head. “At this point, I can’t tell which you’ve got more of—luckiness or stupidity.”

  "You should be thanking me,” Max said, shrugging. But he wasn’t sure either. Ever since he’d left Brix, he’d felt… different, sometimes. But it was a hard feeling to pin down. He brushed the thought out of his mind, as another question took its place. “Hey,” he said to Entrails, “how’d you know to say that bit about adventuring? Actually, how’d you know so much about her in the first place?”

  “To your first question, all nobles receive a cut of any resources caught or harvested on their lands. If adventurers began avoiding these hunting zones for fear of being executed, it would’ve been a hit to her income. I know, and she knows it… probably better than most, considering her background.”

  And about knowing her tendencies, you must understand something. There are a limited number of nobles who control multiple hexes like Lady Crane. Their habits and mannerisms are often studied and well-known. If you want to survive, you’d do well to inform yourself. Remember that you’re not playing this game against the world—you’re playing it against other people. Never forget that.”

  The guards led them to the stable as Max chewed on Entrails' latest revelation. You’re playing against other people. He’d never considered it like that, but then again, he’d never left Brix. The reality of Aletheia was slowly starting to sink in. There was still so much he had to learn, so much he still didn’t know.

  “Wait here,” said the guard. A few minutes later, the stablemaster emerged with two ropes in his hands. They were slacked to a pair of… birds? But no birds like Max had ever seen. Long legs led to fluffy, round bodies, and long necks led to a beaked head with big, stupid eyes. And no wings, so far as Max could tell.

  Entrails groaned when he saw the creatures.

  “What… are they?” asked Max. perplexed.

  “Why, they’re ostriches, of course!” said the stablemaster.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. No horses?” asked Entrails.

  The stablemaster held out his palms in apology. “These are the only mounts we keep in the stables. Lady Crane’s preferences, you must understand.”

  Max was able to mount his ostrich without much trouble, but Entrails wasn’t so lucky. The big warrior clearly wasn’t suited to this breed of mount, his ostrich squawking unhappily under his weight and already trying to shake him off. The escort Lady Crane arranged soon caught up with them, and the group of four headed out the eastern gate of Crownbeak, with Entrails grasping his emu by the neck so it wouldn’t peck him.

  “No! Straight!” he yelled, as the bird tried to twist around.

  Max laughed. “Hey, at least they don’t shit!” he shouted after the warrior.

  Entrails, doing his best to stay atop the ostrich careening along the road, could only manage a raised middle finger in response.