Chapter 60: The Dumpling, the Mistress and the Warning

  “Oh, hi!”

  Wen arrived through the main entrance of the Barge. Theo, Grace, and Durian were there, waiting for Julie and Willam to pass by on their way back to the campfire, or more likely, entering to go to bed—alone or together. Theo greeted the hostess back, raising his hand to wave from the other side of the lobby when two newcomers revealed themselves, entering in a huff behind the blonde.

  One was a short man with a gut on display, and a moustache Theo was sure someone would die for. The man waved, a polite smile poking out from under the rat that had attached itself to his face.

  “Alvin,” he said, stepping closer with a wide smile and his hand outstretched. “Trader extraordinaire!”

  Theo doubted it, given the man’s ‘Fresh Start’ option being ticked, meaning the man shouldn’t be expecting anything above basic accommodations and goods, but he seemed nice enough.

  “Great to have you,” Theo said, clasping hands with the chubby man, his round cheeks hidden by the ‘stache until he got closer. “I’m Theo, co-founder of Sigil Lake. This is Grace—” he said, introducing the priestess while letting her speak for herself.

  “First Storm of the Scorned Witch, council-member of Sigil Lake,” she said, shaking his hand.

  “—and this is Durian, a newcomer like yourself, just arrived this morning.”

  “Delver,” said Durian, offering his hand to the trader. The trader shot back at the gesture as if it had been sudden, though accepted it after a moment’s hesitation. The big man must’ve scared him.

  Theo had seen this before: people introducing themselves by their profession rather than name. Names were mentioned, but seemed secondary to the profession, which could be repeated several times in a situation like this, while the name was only mentioned once. Maybe Theo’s world was the odd one out?

  “Tell me, what goods did you bring? You should know we recruited two traders with different cargo, which is why I’m asking.”

  Alvin turned to Theo, his brow raised in confusion. Whatever had struck him as odd didn’t come up, as he said, “Sleeping comforts and animal feed.”

  Theo’s face lit up, as did Grace’s. From behind the trader, standing chatting with a tall, slender woman with silky silver hair, Theo could also see Wen’s face beam with joy. At last, bedsheets and covers. Mattresses! The last time Theo slept without his clothes was back in Brook Town. It felt like ages ago now. Even if the rooms hadn’t been divvied up yet, no one knowing who would arrive at which time and how many, no matter what, Theo would at least sleep shirtless. Feeling the fresh air on his skin as he went to sleep was a delight.

  “And with me I got the perfect people to match the wagon load,” Alvin said, further amping the bright-faced Theo and Grace with a devious grin on his face. “Meet the lovely Lady, whom I gather is your Keeper.” He turned, waving his arm at the tall woman.

  Lady faced them, pausing the chat with Wen to do so. As she didn’t wander closer, Theo did, mirroring the trader’s actions from just moments before, striding along the floor with an outstretched arm.

  “A pleasure to have you here.”

  “Likewise, to be here,” she said, graciously accepting his hand. Her skin was soft as silk and warm as hot chocolate. She had an air of nobility about her, though with her rough clothing she didn’t seem like one at all. Her silver hair was long and flat, vibrant like the light of the moon. Seeing her closer, she was without a doubt the skinniest woman around, slenderer than even the petite Phoebe, though thin wasn’t the right word. Svelte? Lithe?

  “I just want to make sure that you both know what we recruited you for. As Wen might’ve told you, the Barge has twelve rooms, not enough for everyone yet, but the plan is for additional housing to be raised over the next little while. Bunking up with someone is mandatory—at least now that the barracks we’ve used until now have been shattered to pieces—” Theo mumbled the last part to himself. “—but no one is going to force anyone to sleep in a room they won’t feel perfectly safe in.”

  Lady nodded her patience and understanding.

  “For trade goods, we don’t have much right now, but we’re interested in your thoughts on a few trade goods ideas we’ve got brewing, Alvin, if you have the time tomorrow.”

  Alvin rolled his eyes in a roguish fashion, trying to conceal it while nodding his attention. “I’m certain this place, uh…Sigil Lake will one day soon be an impressive trading hub.” The dumpling-shaped trader’s candour seemed misplaced, perhaps somewhere far from Sigil Lake. Theo felt the dishonest twang of Alvin’s tone running down his spine.

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  “We’ll have to see,” he smiled. “As for you, Lady, I’m guessing you won’t have too much to do in the next little while. I’m hoping you won’t mind cleaning up a bit after us? We’re a civilised group and won’t cause too much of a mess, but—”

  “That’s a keeper’s duty,” she nodded in confirmation. “Tomorrow, I will acquaint myself with our fellow residents and try to learn everyone’s schedules, when they expect to be out of bed to clean their designated lodgings and at what time they go to bed, so I can make sure everything is done in an orderly fashion and without causing too much of a fuss.”

  Theo nodded along, both surprised and amazed at her professional attitude. Lady wasn’t done, however.

  “I will also scour every surface of this place—proper maintenance is the antithesis of unnecessary workload, after all—and put in place a system for rooms and areas requiring cleaning, which rooms can be put off and so on. I hope you will all allow me some time to adapt.”

  “Uh…of course! I mean, that sounds perfect. I don’t think you’ll find any complaints from anyone.” Theo looked at Wen, whose head nodded so fast she seemed frightened. He then looked back towards Grace, whose wide eyes seemed uncharacteristically attentive.

  “Mistress Lady, uh, I…I’m prone to leaving all my things on the floor. Please don’t be mad if I forget to—” Grace said, apologising even before Lady had the chance to see for herself how messy she could be, but the silver-haired woman stopped her cold.

  “Never you mind. I’m sure I can clean up after you better than you can. If you are not confident you can do it right, leave it to me.”

  Grace’s lungs collapsed, her height diminishing…until she understood Lady had just given her a free ticket to be as messy as she likes. After that, her lips stretched wide as her eyes had just been, white teeth reflecting the dim light. “Yes, mistress!”

  “Good. Is there anything else that will be required of me?”

  “If ever you’re feeling there’s not much to do, I’m sure everyone would be glad for your help in any way you can provide it,” Wen said. “But make sure you get plenty of rest as well, yeah?”

  “Of course. Oh, and before we separate for the night, I should tell you about the regiment of armed Ercheat soldiers heading this way.

  “What?” Grace asked, her body rushing forward, halting before she crashed into Wen and the tall woman. “Why?”

  “Do you think the Queen is out to get us?” Wen asked, eyes firmly locked on Theo rather than Lady.

  “Have you not heard?” Lady asked, her voice tinged with surprise as well.

  Alvin chuckled before it devolved into full-on boisterous laughter, scratching his belly over his stretched shirt. “Of course they haven’t! What’s shocking is that they can’t seem to piece it together themselves!”

  Grace’s mouth formed an ‘O’. Theo thought he figured it out right after her, but Wen spoke up first.

  “What? Why is she sending them here? What have we ever done to her?” Somehow, her accent was normal despite her stirring emotions. Maybe it was just anger and excitement that triggered the shift after all, not just any elevated emotion.

  “Uh…” Theo breathed. “The Deed!”

  “What? Arcana gave us that!”

  “She did what?” asked Alvin through a near-choking grunt.

  “Did she?” asked Lady.

  Theo had already decided to tell any newcomer the truth about him and his magic. Keeping it hidden served no purpose and would only complicate matters in the long run. The matter of Sigil Lake’s founding and the effigy of Arcana, however—while directly related to him—wasn’t just his secrets to share. Now he’d gone and shared them, though he supposed it was only a matter of time, anyway.

  “Yes,” Grace said, backing Theo up with no hesitation. “Theo’s sent here by Arcana herself, and she seems to have some kind of relationship with the queen. But the reason they’re here is the effigy, isn’t it?”

  “Rumours are spreading about the effigy raised by Arcana’s divine touch, formed from the earth she pulled from the ground, shaped by the winds under her control, fired by her violent flames and revealed by divine rain from her piercing the very heavens. If this town isn’t even built with a deed from the Queen…I fear it might not survive the regiment she has sent.” Lady’s firm gaze revealed nothing but the truth behind her words.

  Wen gulped.

  “Who is leading them?” asked Durian.

  “I passed their camp one evening and only heard low mutterings of their general, the Ice Princess.”

  “What?” Wen yelled again. “The crown princess is coming here?”

  While Theo also had several questions to ask, his friends had more knowledge regarding who, what, or where. He listened rather than asking.

  “Or so it seemed,” Lady confirmed.

  “Not a simple regiment passing through, then, but a royal one. If I thought for a second that they were just here to visit, I might’ve shinied up the goddess so they could show proper reverence. Now, like the Witch herself, I suppose I’ll have to show them my finger—and the rest of my fist for good measure.”

  Durian took Grace’s words for what they were: a battlecry. He raised his axe aloft, shouting his endorsement. The walls shook along with his hoarse voice, and it seemed there was no stopping him, lest those who dared would bet their life against Fellswing, the Beastslayer. Who would be brave enough for such a feat?

  “Hey! Lower that axe from my ceiling or I’ll ‘ave Bella twist your balls into dust with’er hammer!”

  Durian lowered his axe, face red. He clutched his axe in a careful embrace. “Y-yes, ma’am.”

  Durian wouldn’t even know who Bella was, but like Theo, it had been Wen’s sudden shift that acted as the true repellent.

  “Save that for the army, Wen!” Grace said, grinning wide with pride. “Also, Durian, you and I should talk. We can’t just start a fight with them, but if they so much as touch Sigil Lake, we’re giving them hell, princess or no princess. Let’s start putting some plans together tomorrow morning.”

  Durian grunted his acceptance, though he couldn’t hide the slight grimace after Grace had said they had to wait before attacking them.

  “Wait, are we at war?” Theo asked, looking around. One would think the answer was a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but he received mixed signals as both Wen and Lady shook their heads in the negative whilst Grace, Durian and even Alvin nodded a resounding ‘yes’. “Crap. When will they be here?”

  “Three days after tonight,” Lady said.

  “And here we were just starting to get things up and running…”