“The door is closed for a reason,” a voice thundered back.

Unperturbed, Tsia’s hand wrapped around the handle and swung it open.

“Just what do you think you’re doing…oh, Lady Tsia, how good to see you again.” Like magic, the anger in the voice vanished, replaced by a silky sweet tone as Jasper followed her into the room. A tall Djinn sat at the desk. For his age, his skin was surprisingly pale, suggesting he had gained very few levels, though his horns were somewhat unique, the usual black being streaked through with bits of gold and silver. Maybe his pale skin and strange horns are some sort of variant. Jasper decided not to assume he was a weakling.

Beside him stood another man. This Djinn had the shoulders of a linebacker and the pale, grey skin of a S̆addu’â.

“Lady Tsia,” the pale man said, standing up and bowing to her. “I-“ His eyes widened as he noticed Jasper’s burgundy skin and the colors of the Royal House. “My lord,” he hastily bowed to him too. The Djinn straightened up just in time to see Ihra join them, her nascent antlers peeking up above her long blonde hair, and his jaw dropped open. “And an elf?”

The man straightened his clothes fastidiously. “Truly it is an honor to have you all here. I, uh, was just speaking to my associate here and, well, I hate to ask you to wait outside, but it would just be a moment longer.”

The S̆addu’â standing beside him turned to look at them. His eyes were as black as the night itself, and his face had the weatherbeaten look and two-day stubble of a grizzled mobster. He sniffed the air, and his gaze focused on Tsia. “Is this the mage,” he asked the Djinn, his voice a low rumble. “She smells of the storm.”

“No, no-“ the man started to protest, but the S̆addu’â cut him off.

“Are you the wind mage who cleared out a camp of my people for this company,” he asked Tsia directly.

Jasper began to draw on his essence, fearing the man meant to attack him. But the S̆addu’â’s gaze swiveled to him. “There’s no need for that, fire mage. I mean her no harm, for now at least.” The words did little to soothe Jasper’s concern, and he finished prepping the spell.

Nekelmû chose that moment to find his voice. “Lady Tsia, this is Elder Bazā’u, one of the leaders of the local S̆addu’â tribe. He was just wanting to discuss some business.”

“Are you the mage who cleared out that camp? The one overlooking the Lake?” The man asked Tsia again.

She raised her chin defiantly. “I am.”

“Good,” he rumbled. “Then perhaps this trip wasn’t a waste of time. You killed my nephew.”

Tsia didn’t back down. “Well, I have no doubt he would have killed me.”

The S̆addu’â’s grim expression cracked with a hint of satisfaction. “Indeed, he would do. As it happens, I have another troublesome nephew. Seeing how this company owes me for what they stole-“

“Stole?!” Nekelmû’s voice cut in indignantly. “We simply reclaimed what your nephew had stolen from us.”

“Even if my nephew stole it from you originally, it was now ours. You owe us restitution,” the man replied placidly.

“That’s not how it works,” the Djinn objected with a groan of frustration.

The S̆addu’â shrugged. “I planned to demand retribution, but…” his eyes drifted to Tsia, “perhaps a different arrangement could be made. If she takes care of my troublesome nephew, I will consider our debt wiped clean.”

Nekelmû’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you want?”

“My nephew Laḫāssu has decided he wants to challenge me for command of the tribe. He’s been quietly gathering men loyal to him for a few months and the little fool thinks I haven’t noticed,” the S̆addu’â’s lip turned down in a snarl.

“You want us to kill him?” Tsia butted in.

“No. He’s family after all. I want you to punish him severely, perhaps take a limb or two, but he can live. The men he’s gathered, on the other hand - kill them all,” Bazā’u growled. “Traitors don’t deserve to live.”

“Why don’t you just take care of him yourself?” Jasper questioned.

“I could challenge him to a duel for the right to rule,” the S̆addu’â explained, “but when I won, I’d be forced to kill him. And despite the fact he’s a fool, he’s also my heir apparent. When I failed to produce any sons, I married my eldest daughter to him. I don’t wish to leave her a widow.”

Nekelmû glanced hopefully in Tsia’s direction. “Unfortunately, Bazā’u, Lady Tsia is not one of our employees. I cannot order her to take this task.”

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“You have a caravan set to arrive from Appāra next week, do you not?” The S̆addu’â replied calmly, and Nekelmû paled.

“I might be willing to help out,” Tsia interjected, “for the same price as before.”

The Djinn frowned. “You mean the great bag of holding?”

“Yes, safe carriage for four mounts and rides for me and my two friends,” she replied.

“Just a minute,” Jasper tugged on her sleeve. “I know we need rides, but we’re racing against the clock here. We don’t have time to go hunt down some bandit.”

Tsia nodded. “What Lord Jasper says is true. He has orders to join the king’s army in Nūr-S̆ams̆a. If we helped you, could you get us there on time?”

“My nephew is no more than a day’s journey anyway. It shall not take you much time to complete,” the S̆addu’a offered. “And if not,” he added with a self-satisfied smirk, “I hear the caravan from Appāra carries many gems. I’m sure my wives would be delighted.”

The Djinn ground his teeth. “This is extortion, Bazā’u. You know you have no right to restitution.”

“Then call the guards,” the man replied with a shrug. “But they will not hold me long for mere words and, even if they did, my men already have their orders.”

“Fine,” the man snapped his eyes back to Tsia. “If you will carry out this mission, then I shall waive the costs for your flight.”

“But they will get us there on time,” Jasper persisted.

Nekelmû smiled. “Ah, I’m guessing you’ve never ridden on one of our Tsussîm. There is no faster way to travel in the lands unless, of course,” the man chuckled, “you could talk a dragon into giving you a ride. Have no fear, my lord, we will get you there on time. And if the army has already left Nūr-S̆ams̆a, then we shall carry as far as needed - up to the gates of Dūr-S̆innu, that is. Past that, we shall not go.”

Jasper turned to Tsia and Ihra. “Well, I guess I’m game then. You?”

Ihra shrugged. “If it lets us fly, why not?” Tsia only nodded, but as she turned back to Nekelmû, her words sparked with a touch of her former enthusiasm. “Alright, we’ll handle the mission,” she agreed. “Now tell us where to find him,” she added to the S̆addu’â.

An hour later, they left the stable with the contract signed and the details of the S̆addu’â’s location identified. By then, it was already well past mid-day and the steward had suggested that rather than leave that night, they retrieve their mounts, and stay with him.

At first, Jasper had opposed that plan, but Nekelmû’s foresight proved correct. It was simple enough to fly back down the cliff face to the merchant’s vessel, but returning with four mounts was another task altogether. Jasper could only cast two instances of Spectral Wings at the same time, not to mention the fact that there was no guarantee that Tsia’s and Nēs̆u’s horses were intelligent enough not to panic or fly away uncontrollably when a pair of wings sprouted out their backs. Thus, the group was forced to go the long way - waiting once again in line for the rickety wooden platforms.

Night was already threatening when they reached the top so, reluctantly, the three took Nekelmû up on his offer.

“Come in!” The Djinn was waiting at his desk when they returned and a sheet of parchment was laid out before him as he ushered them in. “I take it the lifts were backed up again,” he asked cheerfully. “No problem. I was hoping,” he added, encouraging them to sit down, “that we could reach an agreement.”

Tsia narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?” She pulled the contract they had signed that afternoon out of her satchel. “We already have an agreement.”

“We do,” the man agreed, “And if you choose to fulfill it, I will honor it. It is a legally binding contract, after all, and I wouldn’t think of trying to defraud two such skilled mages. But, truthfully, the only reason I drew up that agreement was to deceive the S̆addu’â.” He tapped the sheet in front of him. “This is the contract I hope you’ll agree to.”

Jasper leaned back in his chair. “You want us to kill him,” he guessed.

“Perceptive, my lord,” Nekelmû agreed. “As you should know, Lady Tsia, when I last contracted your services, I hoped that this troublesome clan needed nothing more than a reminder that they should not mess with us. S̆addu’â don’t normally live this far away from the mountains, you see. This clan is a bit of an anomaly - exiles from their home most likely - and they’ve largely put on a show of being upstanding citizens.”

“If Bazā’u was to be believed, his nephew - the one running the camp in the cliffs - was operating without his knowledge or consent. But I think it’s clear now that the clan intends to continue extorting us. And, seeing how you are leaving with the army, the next time they come for us, I’ll be hard-pressed to deal with them.”

“Why not just call the guards,” Jasper asked.

“As I said, officially the S̆addu’â elders have kept their hands clean. I have no doubt they’re the ones giving the orders - Bazā’u’s demands made that clear - but the guard will not help me unless they were caught in the act. And frankly,” the Djinn grimaced, “I’m not sure I could count on them even then. I fear that some of the spoils they’ve stolen from us have made their way into the guards’ hands.”

“And the lord of this city,” Jasper pursued.

“I have no doubt he would help us, but at what cost?” The man sighed deeply. “Unfortunately, the lord of Kibrāti has always been envious of our flock of Tsussîm. We are one of the largest independent merchants in the city, and Lord Nūrdapīn has tried repeatedly tried to bring us under his direct command. If we are forced to rely on him, our company will become nothing more than his property.”

“That is why,” he said, turning back to Tsia with an entreating look, “I drew up this second contract. Kill Bazā’u and his son-in-law, and I will not only give you everything we already agreed to, but I will also let you choose any of our flock as your mount - even my own personal steed, if that is what you desire.”

“A tsussîm of my own?” The girl’s eyes sparkled with delight.

But Jasper was not yet satisfied. “You want us to kill both of them? Why?”

Nekelmû opened a drawer on his desk and drew a letter from it. “There were only three heirs to this small band of S̆addu’â,” he explained. “There was the first nephew, whom Lady Tsia already slew. There is the son-in-law, whom Bazā’u wishes to punish, and then there is the son-in-law’s firstborn. The lad has grown up amongst us, and unlike his elders, is genuinely willing to live in peace.” The Djinn slid the letter over to them. “Both he and his mother have already signed a contract promising that they will not touch our caravans if, perchance, something were to happen to the current chief and heir.”