Chapter 14: Eyes and Trust

Jace “Quickshot” Leál

In the morning, I confronted the clerk at the front desk. His eyes flickered with a hint of irritation, but he maintained his polite facade. Of course he denied any knowledge of who could have slipped us the note. I complained about the lack of security in such a reputedly fine establishment—which was just my way of venting steam since it was unlikely I’d get anything useful out of him—and the clerk tried to assuage my fears with food:

“You are perfectly safe with us here in Zephyr. Please visit the meal hall, where you can eat a delicious complimentary breakfast.”

Having nothing better to do, and having been denied permission to leave until Mayor Prospero’s representative was ready to see us, I capitulated and headed to the meal hall.

Ayla’s eyes darted around, studying everything like if there was a snake around every corner ready to strike. She kept unconsciously reaching for her shoulder, where her rifle was usually slung; I wondered when I started thinking of it as her rifle rather than my rifle which I had loaned her.

I tried reassuring her that whoever left the note was unlikely to attack us out in the open. And that they too had probably had their weapons checked when they entered this establishment. I hoped it was true, and that our hidden adversary wasn’t someone from the staff.

The meal hall, like everything else in the serai, was opulent and, in my opinion, overdone. I had to explain to Ayla that, no, this wasn’t how all humans lived, and no, I wasn’t a prince in a foreign land—though I suspected that last comment was her attempt at a joke, further proof that she was loosening up around me.

“This place is a way to make people the governor has business with feel important.” I explained. “A lot of folks have a tendency to put their guards down and be more compliant when they feel that they’re being treated with respect.”

“I see.” She said, though I didn’t think she did. I needed to take Ayla around town and show her how humans lived, and maybe give her lessons. Staring at people and things like you’re going to hit them or burn them to the ground were not effective ways to blend in.

Ayla asked for a fruit salad and lentil soup, which to my surprise was brought without issue. I asked for eggs, bacon, and sausage.

Among the others in the meal hall, there was a group with clothes as travel-worn as ours, and I suspected them to be adventurers—talking to an orange-haired wiry girl who I recognized as the merchant’s daughter we’d met outside the gates. Her orang-mustached father was eating from a spread of food fit for three or four people.

There was also the large black man wearing a black duster, with braided locks tied tight behind his head. He stared at us intensely without looking away since the moment we arrived. It made me uncomfortable, and I intended to go confront him if it continued.

Before I could, however, the orange-haired girl reached our table. “Hey! I remember you guys!” She was bubbly and friendly, waving at us despite being a couple meters away from us. “You’re those adventurers aren’t you?”

Ayla glared at her with mistrust, which the girl noticed, but didn’t seem discouraged by.

“Aye, that’s us,” I nodded slightly and leaned back in my chair, waiting patiently for her to explain why she’d approached us.

“So…since you’re adventurers, I was hoping you might be interested in taking a job with us.”

Straight to the point. Though she acted a bit like a little girl, on closer inspection, I guessed she must be in her early twenties. Her reddish brown eyes were distinctive and keen. She knew how to talk in a way that lowered your guard, but those eyes were not those of a silly little girl. I could feel her taking us in and weighing us.

I considered brushing her off and refusing on her spot, but given I had no idea how things would go with the governor, it couldn’t hurt to hear her out. “What’s the job?”

“It’s an escort mission,” she said, her hands making a sweeping gesture. “I’m looking for an extra pair of hands. After we stock up, we’ll be making deliveries to some of the fringe towns of the basin. If you can swing it, we can make it worth your while!” She punctuated her offer with a confident smile.

I rubbed my stubbly chin thoughtfully. It could be a boon to travel with someone who was familiar with the region. No one knew the countryside and its safest routes like a merchant.

“Doesn’t your father have anything to say about this?” I asked, suddenly curious about their dynamics.

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“Nah. He handles politics and trade, I take care of the rest.”

I wasn’t eager to make a hasty decision, so a non-committal answer was the best I could do. “I don’t know that we’ll be staying in the region for very long. Going back and forth might not be convenient for us, but I’ll keep your offer in mind. When do you plan on heading out?”

“Anywhere between five to seven days. Maybe a bit longer. We gotta restock, plus we’re waiting for a couple of our wagons to get back to the city. Gives me enough time to find me a few extra hired guns.” She made the index fingers on each hand into pantomimed pistols and made a “pew-pew-pew” noise to mimic gunshots.

It was ridiculous and oddly endearing.

“We have business with the governor—” A fact, I realized, was silly to point out, given that everyone who was put up in the governor’s private caravanserai had business with the governor. “We’ll give you a proper answer when we’re finished.”

“Great! Just look us up at the Gilded Pony if you decide to audition for the job.”

Audition for the job? That was an interesting way of putting it. “You’re not staying here at Zephyr?”

The girl squinted at me. “Neither are you, silly. As soon as Prospero’s done with us, he kicks us to the curb or whatever. I’ll see you at the Golden Pony, ‘kay? Oh, by the way. I’m Renn. My pops over there’s Cornelius. I call him Corny, but you can call him Neil.”

And with that, she was gone. I chuckled as I watched her go, then get into an argument with her father because he ate all of her favorite pastry.

“I don’t trust her.” Ayla whispered. “She’s too easy, but her eyes tell a different story.”

“Yeah, I think so too. It didn’t hurt to hear her out. If nothing else, we can pick their brain for information about the region.” From the way Renn talked, I guessed it wasn’t the first time they’d traveled to the reaches. Maybe they’d traveled further. They could provide helpful information that could get us closer to the enclave Ayla was looking for. Or, maybe Ayla would choose to remain with them. The thought gave me a pang of sadness. But if that was her choice where to end our travels together, it was for the best.

My attention came back to the large black man in the corner alone. He still had his eyes trained on us. I sighed and got out of my seat. “Stay here, ‘La. I’ll be right back.”

Ayla’s reaction to the nickname I’d come up with on the spot was amusing. She opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out. I guessed the shock was too great.

Then I strode to the big man, who watched me with an increasingly intense glare. I stood in front of him. He was imposing, even sitting and looking up at me.

“What’s your deal?” I asked.

The man sipped his ice water, eyes still trained on me. Then he set it down and smiled. It did not touch his eyes. “What did you do to Marcus?”

Huh. I hadn’t expected it to be that easy to identify the culprit behind the note.

“So you left me that pert note under my door?”

“What if I did?” The man said. His canines were sharp, his expression just shy of a snarl.

I sighed. I told him the story I’d told the guards at the gate checkpoint. That we’d been attacked by Reavers and Ayla and I were the sole survivors.

“Marcus and his team wouldn’t go down that easy. Killed by Reavers? Nah.”

“Who said he went down easy? There were about seventy of them and seven of us.”

The man’s snarl faltered. “You’re kidding.”

I shook my head. “You were friends, I take it?”

The man didn’t answer. His surprise was replaced with skepticism. “A group that large wouldn’t travel without a chief.”

“We took him down too. Actually, to be more specific, she did.” I pointed back toward the table where Ayla glared just as viciously as the man had at us. Somehow, that unsettled the man more than my own glare had.

“Why don’t we quit the juvenile staring contest.” I sat down in the chair across from him. “Let’s have a normal conversation like adults. I’m Jace. And you are?”

The man tapped on the table with a sausage thick finger as he considered. Then he answered: “Name’s Bear.”

“Well that suits you.”

Bear leaned forward in his chair. “Why would Marcus let you travel together in the first place? He isn’t—wasn’t exactly the charitable kind.”

I let my eyes flash gold for a moment. “We were in the same unit.”

Bear’s surprise was quick, but then his body untensed and he bowed his head in defeat. My story had suddenly become plausible, my status as Branded clinching the deal. Revealing my eyes was becoming something of a habit these days. It made me feel dirty.

“Fuck.” Bear said. “Alright then. Let’s go. The governor will see you now.”

That was unexpected. “So you’re the governor’s rep?”

Bear shrugged. “Had to…check your credentials. The note last night was to see how you’d react. Whether you’d try to run or keep your head. I can’t say I trust you. But I’ll share a beer with you.” Then he grinned. This time, there wasn’t any of the malice he had before. “You’ll have to tell your story to Mayor Prospero in person. Whether or not you’re telling the truth, he’ll have a use for a Branded.” Bear pointed a thumb in Ayla’s direction. “You can leave your woman. Unless she’s like you?”

I shook my head.

“Didn’t think so.” Bear shoveled the rest of his food—it looked like oatmeal—down his wide gullet, then did the same to the glass of water.

Then he turned and beckoned me. I didn’t follow right away. I went back to tell Ayla to wait for me in the room and not open for anyone but me. She didn’t refuse, but didn’t seem happy I was leaving her on her own.

Bear was waiting for me just outside the serai. And just like that, I was on my way to meet the governor of Tempest.