Chess bobbed and swayed on her way to where Caldur and Sholer were conversing. She skirted puddles, making a game of sliding in the mud while doing her best to keep Sprig overhead. Yup a game, she thought, as she came to a sliding stop beside Caldur’s solid figure. She grabbed his shoulder with her free hand to stop her momentum and steady herself, almost bonking him on the head with Sprig.

As she straightened up, her left foot slid to the side and she felt a disturbing pulling sensation in her groin. Her stomach dropped but thankfully she tightened her legs and held onto Caldur, and it didn’t quite go over that oh-shit threshold or torn muscles. Instead, it settled into a throbbing ache in her inner thighs.

“Hi,” she said intelligently, taking a deep steadying breath and plastering a smile on her face.

I meant to do that! Believe it, she mentally waggled her fingers at the pair as she raised Sprig so it covered both her and the knight. He looks so sad all wet and mud-splattered.

“Lady Stewart, did you need something?” The Count asked in a tight voice, his gaze locked onto her hand where it gripped his shoulder.

“Yeah, that is, I have something that might be useful,” Chess said, leaving her hand in place and using the anchor to shake out her now throbbing legs and groin.

Caldur raised an eyebrow at her, then shot Sholer a glance before she could turn to leave.

“Right,” Chess said removing her hand and holding up a finger before running through her vault summoning and pulling out the box with the documents.

“I found this on one of the men that killed Ashley’s parents, I...uh...forgot about them until recently,” she said, her throat tightening with an echo of the cloying anger she’d felt that night. A brief flash of pink hair and gurgling breath in a dirty alley filled her with bitter frustration. She closed her eyes and a slow ten-count later passed the box to Caldur.

Caldur studied her face with a frown before taking the box from her and opened it to peer inside. Taking the top one out, he started reading and gave her a confused look.

“Love letters?” He asked incredulously.

“Not those, dig deeper. There is a bunch of inventory and sales lists,” Chess explained, giving her legs another shake each.

“You implied the men you killed were inept. Why would they have such a thing?" Caldur asked. "Hells, they let an untrained girl get a jump on them.” He dug in further, finding the lists at the bottom, and soon grew quiet as he read.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, asshat.

“They were distracted, arguing amongst themselves,” Chess said through her clenched teeth.

Sholer shook her head at them and took a step closer, her steel dome overlapping Sprig, and held out a hand. “Let me see those love letters,” she insisted.

Caldur turned a frown her way but laid them in the sister’s hand.

Sholer pulled a pair of wire-framed glasses from a pocket in her cloak and perched them on the end of her nose. Chess stared at them for a moment. Shit, I guess people have bad eyes here too. I never gave it much thought with everything, but Freya must have fixed my slight astigmatism with everything else. Cool. The abrupt change in thought helped subdue her anger somewhat and her jaw loosened.

“Fool girl,” Sholer cursed softly, after reading the second letter. “Do you remember what the man with these looked like?” She regarded Chess over the rim of her glasses.

Chess let out a long hissing breath then nodded, and after a moment to think about it, she relayed the scant details that she could recall about the man.

Sholer snorted and cursed again with a sad shake of the head.

Caldur leveled a questioning look on the Abbess.

“Lord Canfree's youngest, Nathan, I believe. Fool boy never could stay out of trouble." Sholer slapped the letters against her palm before turning her steely gaze on Chess. “Did he have anything else of interest on his person?”

“Just some coins and Pyth, wait, no that’s not true; he had a fancy dagger too,” Chess said, calling up her vault to remove the dagger and handing it to her hilt-first.

Sholer studied the dagger’s pommel for a few seconds before handing it to Caldur. He did the same and let out a soft string of curses. Chess noted some of the more creative ones.

“Canfree family signet,” Sholer confirmed after he’d settled.

“Nothing can ever be easy, can it?” Caldur said, resigned.

“Never was the brightest star. Even his father didn’t give the brat any real power,” Sholer said as a way of explanation.

“Doesn’t mean he won't use the death against everyone near this,” Caldur almost spat.

“What does that mean?” Chess asked, looking back and forth between the pair. A spark of dread started to blossom beside her anger.

“The documents will condemn him for poaching in another lord’s lands, but the family will demand satisfaction. You don’t go killing nobles like this. There are rules,” Caldur explained looking up from his reading.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Poaching,” Chess muttered. Not being a murdering rapist slaver.

“Satisfaction, like a duel? For that rapist murdering bastard? But how was I supposed to know he was a noble? He dressed like the others,” Chess asked in consternation, spitting on the ground in distaste.

Though he had nice boots. Too bad they are a little big for me, she thought, looking at her feet.

"Lord Canfree won't lower himself to fight you himself. He'll use someone younger. He wouldn't dare lower himself to come at you personally. It would erode his position at court,” Caldur explained.

Great, that means I will have to face some other expert who happens to be younger, Chess thought.

“This is bullshit. I’m not fighting anyone. Don’t tell me him taking travelers as slaves or killing them isn’t against the rules because he was a noble and they weren’t,” Chess said, her words fraught with anger. I’m an elf. I’ll just leave and wait for him to die of old age or until I am too strong for him to fuck with.

“I won't; you know it’s the way the world works,” Caldur said flatly.

“Right, of course,” she muttered bitterly. Fucking medieval societies. Thank Freya, they think I'm some noble's daughter. This could be so much worse. I’m sure they would just hang a peasant out of hand.

“Not to state the obvious, but couldn’t we pretend we never found any of this?” Chess asked after a long silence in which the other two read, her chest tight with apprehension.

“A sniffer will work it out when he’s eventually missed. And now that we know, a truth finder like Lynn would easily work out that we tried to hide it. As bad as it will be, it’s better to be out in front of this than be on the defensive,” Caldur responded with a frustrated sigh.

“All truth,” Lynn who had been quiet and attentive until this point spoke up. Chess nearly jumped out of her boots, startled at her presence. Shit, how did she do that! It's like she wasn’t there the whole time, just part of the background. Her heart raced, and she gave Lynn a scowl. The skunk-girl grinned at her in response showing her sharp canines.

Caldur rubbed his forehead. “That some noble's bastard daughter killed his son will make this complicated,” he said under his breath.

Chess could barely hear him. Fuck you Caldur, and the bow-legged horse you rode in on.

“Hey dick-breath, I’m not a bastard,” Chess spat at him unable to stop the outburst, her cheeks flushing with anger then embarrassment in turn.

Caldur looked up at her, startled, then flushed, turning his head in shame.

Sholer snorted prettily and gave Chess a satisfied smile. “Dear boy, I know her rather large, endowments, make it hard to focus, but she is an elf-blood, and they have good hearing. You should know this with that wife of yours,” she admonished Caldur in a sickly-sweet voice.

She turned to Chess. “We will have to work on that tongue of yours child, but it's good that you are not a bastard. As tactless as Aaron is, he had a point. You being legitimate will give you an equal social standing and will lend validity to your word. Although, your family’s disposal of you will encourage him to take less than savory avenues to make his point.”

“No, that is something no one needs to know. I’m on a mission from God, err, a Goddess, after all,” Chess pointed out, fighting an impulsive smirk.

“She has a point,” Caldur agreed looking at Sholer for confirmation.

“Alright,” Sholer said with an affirmative nod before turning to look at Lynn who matched her. “Does anyone else know?” She asked.

“Sergeant Kan and the girl. I’ll see to it,” he offered and Sholer nodded.

“What did you do with the body?” Sholer asked.

Chess swallowed hard. “I kinda gave him and his friends to a Dryad.”

“Shit,” Caldur said eloquently.

“Indeed, that is a hiccup,” Sholer observed, looking at Sprig overhead like she’d put it together. “May I ask how tall her tree was?”

“Freya, I don’t know, at least 400 feet,” Chess said. About half again as tall as any of these trees, she looked up at the looming giants, more than a little awed now that she gave it more than a passing thought. This forest goes on forever.

“Goddess, an ironwood that tall would have to be what, 2 Millenia old?” Lynn cursed, drawing attention to herself again. This time Chess only jumped a little. It’s uncanny! I almost prefer it when she says 'truth' every second.

“Safe to say, Lord Canfree won’t pursue the return,” Sholer agreed, falling into a pleased silence, reading the remaining love letters. “It also explains the lack of magical beasts in the area, I’d always wondered,” She added thoughtfully when she started a new letter.

“No good deed,” Chess muttered into the silence.

“Hmm?” Sholer looked up.

“No good deed goes unpunished,” Chess quoted.

Sholer quirked an eyebrow and nodded in appreciation.

"Lately I prefer, ‘life is what happens when you make other plans,’” Chess said with a bitter smile after taking a deep shuddering breath.

“Truth,” Lynn chirped, and Chess let out a bark of laughter that devolved into giggles until her breath came out in gasps.

It took a while before she settled down, the laughter didn't do much for the knot of tension in her belly, but she felt calmer.

“Did you give my offer any thought? It occurs to me that it may be an elegant way to divert this subject, at least momentarily. He wouldn't dare move directly against the sisterhood,” Sholer asked after she’d finished reading and tucked the documents along with the rest from the box into her own vault.

Sholer handed the empty box back, and Chess used the excuse of summoning her vault to think. Freya, what the fuck have I got myself into? What do I do? I still have to try and say no, she thought, looking at the surrounding forest and fighting the urge to run. She silently counted to ten before responding.

“I don’t know what to say... I appreciate the offer but, I know next to nothing about your kingdom. Let alone its enemies. I can’t agree to something like military service without knowing more. If you were to leave the option open, I’d give it some serious thought after I’ve had time to get myself apprised of the situation,” she said, trying to sound confident.

“Truth,” Lynn chimed in, to Chess’ consternation.

“I can offer an alternative. You could always do your service in the Guard. They don't actively strike against our enemies. This would also guarantee the Canfrees couldn’t strike at you in the open—much like Sholer’s apprenticeship,” Caldur said.

“I don’t know. Let me sleep on it at least,” Chess begged, more unsure by the moment.

I need to get away from this conversation. I'm a fool for bringing those stupid documents to them. Though, how good are a sniffers’ skills? I’m so out of my depth here.

Kicking listlessly at a tuft of grass, she watched the rain create puddles for a time. When she looked up the sisters were turning to leave.

Sholer whispered into Caldur’s ear as she passed. “Have someone watch her. We can’t have her running; it would only make things worse for everyone, her included.”

Shit, she meant for me to hear that.

Caldur nodded then watched the sisters leave. Chess took that as an opportunity to leave herself.

“Please forgive me for earlier, it’s been a trying day. It’s no excuse for my words but...” Caldur implored with a delaying hand on her shoulder as she turned to go.

“It’s alright, my blood was up,” Chess reassured not turning back to face him, hiding the slight sway from her drunkenness. It took an effort of will not to shudder at his unwarranted touch. Then she flushed remembering her forwardness when she’d approached. Fuck!

“Thanks,” he said softly before lifting his hand.