“Feeling better, Frain?” Shallin entered the common room more rested than she expected to be, given the amount of tossing and turning she did through the night. Dreams of her battle the day before plagued her rest. Frain already lounged a table, picking at overcooked eggs and slightly raw bacon with a side of underbaked bread. Seeing it made it look less appealing than it smelled.

“I won’t nominate Ilium’s offerings for any awards, that’s for sure,” he said. “Here, try the eggs.” He pushed the plate in her direction. She sniffed derisively.

“I’ll pass. Wouldn’t mind a bite of the bacon.” Shallin sat across from him, running her fingers through her hair. She’d fallen asleep with it still damp, and it looked disheveled and felt horrid. At least it’s clean. Mostly, she consoled herself.

“I heard that,” Ilium said as he bought another plate for her. She shoved Frain’s back and accepted the fresh plate. It looked no better than Frain’s. “I have it on good authority that my food's the best in town.”

“Being the only option kinda limits alternative recommendations, Ilium. Reviews are stacked in your favor no matter how disgusting your food is,” Frain said. She wasn’t sure he was joking.

“Seems like your tab just got a bit more expensive, Frain,” the innkeeper said, huffing with disdain. Definitely wasn’t joking, she decided, trying not to look too smug.

Shallin bit in and regretted it immediately. She forced a smile and said, “It’s the best food I’ve had in a week, Ilium. Thank you.” Feigning pleasantness came with years of practice. He beamed and walked away thinking he’d somehow gotten the upper hand.

“Don’t inflate his ego,” Frain said. “I can see you know I wasn’t lying.”

She swallowed quickly and chased it with water. “I figured if we can save some coins and not get overcharged because you were rude, I could swallow my pride.”

“I’ve never known you to hold back a scathing review, Shall. But you’re right, we’re running low.” He stretched back. “May need to take on some merc work. Unless you want to work for his brothel for a night or two.”

“You’re prettier than me,” she joked. “Customers would be lining out the door for you.” His crooked smile and the jagged nose he’d broken on several occasions would do quite the opposite, and they both knew it.

“Flatterer. So, do you want to stay another night, or head back? The more I think about the shaman you fought, the less I like the sound of it. Desi should know. Lord Elanreu too, if he’s back. The sooner we can report, the better.”

“With your mouth, Ilium will take all our coin,” she sighed. “I wouldn’t mind another day’s rest though.”

Frain gestured at her gloved hands. “I didn’t get to see the damage, and it’s your business. But two Culls had to put you through it, Shall. How are you holding up?”

“I’ll be honest, I haven’t taken the time to think about it,” she said. “I’m worn out. Exhausted.” Peeling back her collar, she exposed only some of the extent of her Price. Frain’s eyes widened. “That’s not even the full extent, but I won’t titillate you.”

“Light, Shall. This poor excuse of a town doesn’t even have a Red. I’m sorry I pushed you yesterday.” He grasped her wrist, checking her pulse for an erratic heartbeat. She allowed it; in the absence of a Red it had become common practice among the Sentinels to test for hidden injury after a Cull. They had both been out of sorts the previous day.

“Don’t be. We had good reason to move quickly. Dell did most of the work hauling my ass anyway. Neither of us were thinking straight yesterday.”

“That’s no excuse. We’re both being too lax. Desi would have our hides,” Frain’s hollow laugh telegraphed the concern she saw in his eyes. Shallin felt more fatigued than she expected. “One more day won’t hurt. Look up.” He came around the table to do a quick medical examination.

Frain checked her pupils and lymph nodes and inspected her throat. “I’m not sick, Frain. Just tired. You know what it’s like.”

“I do, but I’m not sure what to expect with multiple Culls like you’ve experienced. Practically solo, I must add. Maybe a Red would know what to expect, but it’s just us. Don’t mind me if I’m a tad overprotective.”

Shallin nodded. He had a point. She felt like she was in uncharted territory, as far as either of their experiences could guide them. If he wanted to take a conservative approach, she wouldn’t stop him.

“What about you? You recognized our danger, even after I defeated him,” she said. “I’m still not sure how it didn’t affect me further.” Shallin took a few more bites and choked them down. She needed to eat, and they’d already paid for it. Better to conserve their low rations for the road. Hopefully we can find something better once we leave here, she thought.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Much clearer today,” Frain said. “I’m more worried about you. What you went through sounds convincing.”

“It was.” Shallin sighed. “You’ve got me doubting what happened.”

“I’m sure some if it was real, and some of it was calculated. I could be wrong. Maybe Pellago does exist. Or did exist. I felt so turned around. Ilium had a map of the region; it does show where Pellago should be. Not labeled, of course.”

“A ghost town?” She scratched her head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“None of it does, I admit. You knew it was out here somewhere, somehow. What made you so sure you should go there for reconnaissance?”

Her hand paused halfway to her mouth, and she stared at the half-cooked egg yolk dripping off. “Shit.”

“What?”

“You’re my map. I don’t know how I knew anything about it. We came for the Cull, and I followed you. I don’t even know the town the girl was from,” she said ruefully. “It wasn’t until we were there that it came to me.”

“Do you think there’s a connection?” Frain leaned forward, intrigued. “I mean, maybe you have an association with the place.”

“I don’t know. All I know is the Vigil. I grew up on the Estate.”

“But you weren’t born there.”

Shallin nodded and grimaced as she swallowed. The food tasted nastier than it looked. She kept eating. “It shouldn’t matter.”

“This whole situation has been odd from the beginning, Shall. It’s not like you to just abandon me, no matter how much you hated why we came for this Cull. You found a town I’d never heard of with no guidance. You just knew it was there. I couldn’t follow you until after you left. I wonder if the shaman wasn’t following us long before. Did he look familiar?”

“No. I’ve never seen him before. He was heavily Skytouched and beyond reason. I gave him a moment, but he continued to attack. I did what needed to be done.”

“Well now you haven’t got a weapon,” Frain said.

“I’ve got my dagger.” Shallin waved it carelessly. “I’ll manage.”

“Well, that just leaves us nowhere, then.”

“It proves there’s a threat, Frain. A real, credible threat. We don’t get the truth from Desi.”

“That doesn’t mean Desdemona doesn’t know, Shall. You and I both know you’ve pissed her off one too many times. Do you think we’d be here in this predicament otherwise? Besides, you eliminated the only proof we have. We don’t know if there are others or if he acted alone.”

Frain’s sound reasoning annoyed her, but she didn’t fault it either. All they had was coincidence near the realm’s border that happened to support her shallow theories. Shallin slid the plate away half-eaten. She couldn’t stomach anymore, despite what she’d told Ilium. “Is there anywhere else to eat? I can’t do this.”

“We could knock on someone’s door. Not many will answer us.”

“True.” She rested her head on her hands, looking at the sunlight streaming through the door. The inn didn’t look any better than the night before. If anything, the cobwebs swinging lazily from the ceiling and the dust deposited in corners became more apparent. Ilium’s cleaning regimen lacked discipline. “I need to take my mind off this whole situation right now,” she said. “We haven’t got much to go on.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been saying. Your rumors are just slightly more substantiated. Have you got anything in mind?” Frain stood up, straightening his uniform and brushing off some crumbs. He’d gotten further than expected. “I could always ask Ilium where his brooms are.”

“Judging by the debris, he doesn’t know.” Shallin laughed. How did he know I was just thinking of that?

“I heard that, Frain,” Ilium said, arriving with two glasses of water. “Thought you might want to wash everything down.” His grumpy tone couldn’t hide the touch of amusement in his voice.

“Couldn’t choke it down if I wanted to, but I’ll take you up on the drinks for now. Thank you,” Frain said, smiling. “I’m sure Shallin will appreciate it too.”

She elbowed him. “Shut up.” Shallin smiled too. Ilium grinned at them, his scowl melting away.

“Wasn’t the best breakfast, I admit,” he apologized. “Don’t know how long you’ve known this rascal, girl. He’s good folk, though.” Ilium’s new joviality smoothed some of the crags in his worn face.

“So you have been playing me,” Shallin chuckled. She had suspected something in the familiar way they bantered. “Why?”

“Just to see if I could,” Frain said. “I met Ilium many cycles ago. I was a lot greener back then.”

“Fresh as a newly grown turnip, and just as bitter. I’d still thump you,” Ilium said. He handed Shallin one of the glasses. “My water’s better than breakfast. Come back this evening and I'll make you something worthwhile.” He embraced Frain. “I wouldn’t mind if you swept the place, though.”

“Haha, you wish,” Frain said. “But we might. What do you say, Shall?”

“Well, I wanted to save our money,” she said. “It might take my mind off things.”

“I’ve got other ways for you to earn your keep, girl,” Ilium said, a cheeky smile on his face. “What do you say?”

“Frain’s more attractive,” she laughed. “He told me about the brothel. Sorry, not my thing.”

“Ah well. Brooms are in the back. But if you change your mind…” Ilium left with a dismissive wave. Frain and Shallin chuckled.

“I thought he hated you,” she said, punching him.

“He can be a grump. Ilium spent time in Praxen. I met him there long ago. I’ll be honest, I was surprised to find him out here. He was a tinkerer back then. Didn’t expect him to be running an inn.”

Shallin followed him out back where Ilium kept several brooms and two worn mops that had dried in the sun and looked like they hadn’t been used in quite a long time. Two training swords and a beaten up short sword leaned against the wall next to them.

“This wasn’t about the cleaning, was it?”

“Well, he wasn’t just a tinkerer. Good swordsmith too. Care to spar?”

She broke into a wide grin. The loss of her weapon hadn’t quite settled in, and a workout sounded like a good way to take her mind off everything that had happened in the past few days.

“Of course,” she said. “As long as I can keep the sword.”

“Bought and paid for already. Just hope you’re ready to sweep after. It was part of the deal.”