“Good Morning, Julia Crane.”

When I heard D’s voice I woke up bitterly disappointed that it hadn’t all been a nasty dream. I considered trying to use hot water from the sink to make a cup of coffee from the little pouch of instant, but I didn’t have a cup and the water wasn’t really hot enough. I decided not to waste it and headed to the bathroom then took a shower instead. It felt amazing to actually wash wash my hair, even if it wasn’t the product I usually used at home. I felt the lack of a towel keenly, but I used the wool blanket to dry my hair this time. It ought to have plenty of time to dry before I needed to use it again.

I took my time and started to dress. Getting the silk wrapped around my chest tight enough to keep my breasts flattened was a chore, but with patience and a little elbow grease I was finally able to tuck the last end back through an earlier wrap and tie it off. The scarf had been long enough to circle me a half dozen times and I imagined this had been its original purpose. The blue shirt hadn’t been dyed well, and turning it inside out most of the cotton looked gray rather than blue so I left it that way. The neckline hung down low enough a hint of the green poked through, and it came down past my hips to mid-thigh, but I decided it was close enough after I’d rolled the sleeves up a few turns. The trousers had a drawstring and laces at the crotch so I felt certain they would fit me. Once I tried them on and rolled the cuffs up I decided they did, but the original owner apparently suffered from flat ass syndrome. They were loose in the thigh but I had a feeling these things would spend all day creeping up on me. I burned through quite a bit of time getting my things together, and I absolutely hated shoving my bare feet into the boots. By the time I had my belt on and had slid my baton up one sleeve and was practicing sliding it out and returning it, D spoke before I had done much with my hair.

“Your next task is to obtain three silver coins. Good luck, Julia.”

“Hold on a second, D. I need to . . .” I was still talking when the light materialized on the far wall and I immediately started towards it. I was gathering my hair into a ponytail, I’d already cut a strip from some of the oversized lingerie to use as a hair tie, as I entered the portal. I stepped through into a busy crowded street and flinched when I saw how close the nearest person was.

He didn’t come at me aggressively, in fact he ignored my presence entirely. The next guy to approach seemed irritated that I was in his way and swerved around me, then I saw a woman carrying a basket of potatoes overtake me from behind. She seemed calm enough, if a little grumpy, and I shifted over close to the edge of a building while I tried to work things out. I was in some kind of city, albeit a dirty kind of low tech one. There were people walking around, minding their own business, no fighting or battle of any kind seemed imminent. It looked like some kind of farmers market or something was just up the way. The building behind me was some kind of tenament, and the one across the street was a bar or something unless I’d missed my guess. I was supposed to earn 3 silver coins before this was over. I didn’t know what the exchange rate was, or how the economy here functioned at all really but it seemed like a lot of money. I decided I should go lurk in the open air market, maybe get a feel for prices in this world.

There were barkers out in front of some of the stands, and I tried not to look too interested in any of their pitches because I didn’t want to get involved in a conversation but I couldn’t help but listen. I was relieved that they were all speaking in english, but the wares they were pitching surprised me. One guy had amulets, charms, and potions for sale while another claimed to offer divinations. There were also fresh fruits and vegetables, a couple booths selling clothing, and some guy offering to patch broken pots or sharpen knives. There didn’t seem to be a pattern to which booths were situated where and I wondered the market for a while, checking out the different tables. I got a sharp eyed look from an overweight woman with brown skin when I touched a necklace of beads and shiny bangles. I didn’t know what kind of stones were in it, but from the way she looked at me and the mountain of a man scowling behind her with a sword on his hip I was guessing they were at least semi-precious. It had been a beautiful piece though and I gave her a wistful smile before I moved on.

There was a rack that kind of looked like a chainlink wall hanging in one booth with an assortment of bladed weapons passed through the gaps. I moved closer to give them a look. The bottom part of the rack was full of daggers kind of like mine, although most of these had an almost orangish cast to the metal and I was guessing they were some kind of coppery alloy. There were iron blades too, and what felt like good quality steel for some of the swords. The most common design seemed to be a straight blade about two and a half feet long. It was sharp on one side and the last third of the blade on the other, with a sturdy brass crossguard on the hilt. On a small wooden stand to one side I noticed longer curved blades that reminded me of the dai-katana bokken were based on, and I reached for a hilt when a gruff voice stopped me.

“Can I help you with something there, stranger?”

It was a solidly built man with graying hair and a scar along his jawline. He had good shoulders and a relaxed confident air about him that kind of reminded me of Michael Caine in that old movie Zulu. I gave him a slow smile.

“Sure thing. What can you tell me about that sword?”

“It’s an officer’s dueling blade, based on the eastern style. Looking to purchase a present for someone, brother or husband perhaps?”

“I’m not married.” He returned my smile until I finished with, “and I don’t have a brother. I’m looking for a blade for myself.”

His look grew cool and he gestured back up at the metal rack. “There are some pretty good standard blades there, even a couple of the bastard swords mercenaries tend to favor. If you prefer, my associate has a few nice rapiers at his shop down the way.”

So I was good enough to flirt with until I was a woman who could defend herself. That was good to know. His assumption that I wouldn’t be up to handling a real blade pissed me off. So what if I only had a couple of forms so far with the bokken, for all he knew I could have been studying since I was 6. I dropped my own smile and returned a business like nod.

“What’s your price on that one?”

“Three gold, or a similar weight in silver at today’s rates.”

He smirked at me like he knew I didn’t have the money so I just gave him a calm nod. “What is today’s rate?”

He shrugged, but the smirk fell off of his face. “13 to 1 I believe, but I haven’t checked.”

I nodded back at him, trying not to feel smug but to project a slightly bored tone. “I think that comes out to more than the first one I looked at. I’ll have to go back to his shop.”

I turned around and stalked back out into the flow of traffic, pretending I couldn’t hear his cry for me to wait. I was feeling pretty proud of my acting ability and putting him in his place when I saw something different that caught my eye. I’d worked plenty of crowds in my day, first as a uniformed presence at the barricades and later as a plain clothes officer out pressing the flesh. I’d learned a thing or two in that time, but today I watched the cleanest theft I’d seen in my entire life. A woman in a modestly cut brown dress carrying a basket of eggs with a live chicken on top jerked to the side as the bird started to squawk and flap its wings. Her flinch bumped her into a couple of finely dressed gentleman in half capes wearing short swords and pointy mustaches. The first guy caught her and steadied her on her feet, with only the slightest hint of groping while the second watched and laughed. The two walked on about their own business, not realizing that her free hand had come around with a straight razor and taken her rescuers coin purse straight off in a single pass. The bag disappeared into the basket of eggs as she continued down the street, and I set out to follow the thief.

I was tasked with earning 3 silver coins and I had a feeling that a person like this ought to be familiar with all the shortcuts to gaining wealth. I did my best to stay unobtrusive as I followed her down the street. Twice more she seemed to be forced into others by the force of traffic and the vagaries of transporting livestock. One of the times I was pretty sure she picked a pocket, but the other might have been an actual stumble although I doubted it. This woman was smooth. The crowd started to thin out and I dropped further and further back hoping she wouldn’t make me. To do real surveillance took an entire team with radios, or even better a helicopter at a distance, but I’d followed people on foot before so I did the best I could. I was lucky I hadn’t opened up an even bigger gap, because I barely caught it when she turned inside a business, and I hustled forward a couple of steps to make sure I’d identified the right door.

She’d gone inside some kind of tavern or a bar. As I got closer and started studying the two story building I realized it was some kind of inn instead, with rooms to let up top and a small stable around the back. I didn’t really care, I was just trying to count the number of entrances and it didn’t take long to decide there were way more than I’d be able to watch from outside. I decided to go in and see what I could find out.

The room was kind of dim compared to the light of day outside, and I took a second just inside the entrance until my eyes had adjusted. A quick headcount showed the blonde sneak theif had already cleared out. There was one guy at the bar, another singleton at the tables. I pegged a group of five eating at one of the tables as local laborers on their lunch break, and a couple sharing a bottle of wine by the fireplace as there for the accomodations up stairs. A couple more women were spaced out through the bar, and the common theme seemed to be a dress pinned up to various heights and at least a single shoulder bare. I was guessing that was the local working girl dress code. After I’d taken a quick gander at the clientele I checked the room itself. There were wooden benches and tables spread out in front of a big stone fireplace, but the focal point of the room seemed to be a big wooden bar that ran the length of the place minus a staircase going up. The bar was some kind of dark wood, maybe mahogany, polished to a high sheen by generations of forearms and spilled beer. While there weren’t stools, a low rail was attached to the front of the bar. I walked over and put one foot up and leaned on the bar. I didn’t really grok how money and prices should work here yet, but I had the coin pouch I’d taken off the first task. I fished one of the copper coins it contained out and slid it out onto the bar and left my finger on it as the barman wandered over.

He was short and fat, with enough stains on his apron I had doubts on the hygiene of the food in this place. He ambled over and looked down at the coin.

“What can I get for you?”

“I’m guessing a menu is out of the question, but I’m from out of town. How about a price list.”

He put one hand to his chest and flapped the other in the air weakly while he spoke in an affected lisp. “Well, la de da. Unfortunately, milady, our menus are out at the lithographers retouching the image for coq a vin. Might I recommend a bottle from our extensive cellars for only 2 coppers, or the house stew for a measly half.”

I smiled and nodded at him, while I slowly drew my belt knife and sat it on the bar as well. “Interesting, how much would a little respect cost? I’m thinking your right ear?”

The only patron close enough to overhear was an old rum soaked scarecrow I’d already pegged as a hardcore alcoholic. He just scooted a little further down the bar, not letting up his grip on the earthenware cup in his hand. The bartender put both hands up and took a half step back. From the corner of my eye I saw one of the patrons who’d been at a table by himself near the door shift in his seat and rest his hand next to a crossbow on the tabletop. This place apparently really did have a bouncer, and I felt the muscles in my back tighten. The bartender didn’t look scared, but he seemed cautious.

“Just a harmless little joke. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

I slowly pulled the knife back and slid it into the sheath before I took my hand off the coin. I saw the guy with the crossbow seem to relax and let a hint of smile play across my lips. “Sure, I was just joking too. How about a single coin for the stew and a mug of something a little harder than wine.” When he nodded and swiped the coin off into his other hand I continued. “How much is one of the rooms?”

“By the hour or for the whole night? Accompanied or on your own?” He held up a cautioning hand. “No offense meant, but it's best to be clear when you’re talking business.”

“Rate for the day and rate for a week, no company needed.”

“6 coppers a night, board is extra or I can let you a room for a week at a single silver. If you’re thinking of working out of here, that’s a different arrangement.”

“Charming, but I’ll pass.”

He nodded and went off to fill my order. A couple of minutes later he slopped down a bowl full of stew and another earthenware cup full of something honey colored. Without saying a word I picked up the cup and took a measured sip. There was a burn to it, and an almost sweet aftertaste like some kind of brandy and I nodded at him. He looked kind of disappointed like he’d expected me to choke, but I would be surprised if the stuff was much more than 80 proof. It’d been a while since I’d eaten and the food smelled decent, and alcohol on an empty stomach isn’t a good idea, so I took a bite of the stew in spite of my hygiene concerns. Maybe I was hungrier than I thought, or maybe he was really a decent cook because the stew was pretty good. I nodded at the barman, glad I’d made the purchase even though it was at least a fifth of my total funds down the tube. He gave me a self satisfied smile and nodded back.

“I’ve been serving this same pot of stew here for nigh onto 7 years. Never let the fire go out from under it. Folks in the neighborhood claim it's as good as one of those fancy restaurants up on the hill.”

I nodded and smiled at him, trying not to think about my chances of getting botulism. “I’m a believer. Best I’ve had in a real long time.” Now that we’d broken the ice with a little friendly chat I tried some fishing. “I’ve actually heard of it before. Friend of mine from a while back, said she comes here all the time, recommended it.”

“Really, who would that be?”

I looked over each shoulder, in an almost parody of a conspiracy and leaned in closer. “I wouldn’t want to say her name, but I’m sure you know her.” I held a hand up over the bar, just a tad under my shoulder level. “About yay tall, blonde shoulder length hair. Sometimes she leaves a little braid to hang down the front with a bead in it. Dresses pretty modest like a shopkeeper’s wife but the gods were a little more generous to her than the average.”

I made an hourglass figure gesture with my hands at that last and he nodded like he understood, but then stopped in mid gesture and shook his head. “Nope, never heard of her. You about finished yet?”

I looked down at my mostly full stew and then turned my head when I heard the bench scoot back as the bouncer got up. Damn it. I’d not only overplayed my hand, I’d somehow missed it when the bar man flashed the bouncer the high sign. A quick scan of the room showed the group of workmen filing out the door. The couple had already traveled upstairs, and that just left the employees, me and the rummy. I looked up at the barkeep and met his eyes.

“I’d like a chance to finish my meal.”

He shook his head slowly at me, and managed a look that seemed to be genuine sadness. “You’re a little curious for a casual visitor. Think we might need to ask you a couple of questions ourselves.”

I half turned to watch the bouncer approach. If the bartender had been short and fat, this guy made up for it. He was at least a foot taller than me and built like a side of beef with some deliteful facial scarification that looked like tally marks under his right eye. I’m not sure what he was commemorating but there were seven of them. I took a step back so I could see both the bartender and the bouncer at the same time.

“Okay, boys. I overstepped and I get the message. We don’t have to do this. I’ll walk away and you never see me again.”

The big guy gave an ominous chuckle. “Walking away no questions asked left when the witnesses did, girlie. You tell the man what he wants to know and if it’s convincing you don’t have to get hurt.”

I took a slow step out from the bar, and he mirrored it to cut off a run for the door. It was the right move to keep me from escaping, but it left both of them roughly lined up so no one could grab me from behind. I finished working the side handle past the cuff of my sleeve and felt it drop down into my hand. I gave him a nasty grin that was all teeth. “It’s not me I’m worried about, honey.”

The big guy lunged forward and grabbed my wrist and jerked it toward him. I let him have it. I shoved forward into the pull and leaned down and picked his ankle with the side baton at the same time. He overturned and crashed into the bar, even though he still had a hold on me. I stepped on his thigh to take the pressure off my wrist and smashed the baton down on the hands the serving man had put on the bar preparing to jump over it. He howled and jumped back as I stood on the first guy, using my legs to pull my arm back and straighten his out. He was latched onto my wrist with both hands and I whipped the baton back down onto the end of his bicep, just barely missing his elbow. It was enough to break his grip on one side. The bartender was swinging a bottle at me now though and I just barely had time to meet it with the baton back against my forearm. Glass shattered and sprayed me with wine as the big guy tried to pull himself back up from my arm. The weight discrepancy was too much and it pulled my upper body down low instead. I went with it, leaning in and using the momentum to whip my strong side foot around over the bar in a roundhouse kick up side the bartender’s head.

He crashed back against the wall behind the bar, but the bouncer had used the distraction to get to his knees. Much worse, he managed to latch onto the ankle I’d planted before the kick and now I was screwed. Before he could pull me down I smashed the baton down into his grip on my arm. It was too far away to try and hit the one on my ankle. He sacrificed the hold on my wrist to grab the baton when I tried to knock him loose and he moved faster than I’d expected. It cracked down into his hand and he latched on even though it had to be painful. I tugged back because I really didn’t want him to take my baton, but he yanked on it and my ankle. He was too strong to reverse it so I went in again, pushing off with my other leg. I ended up flopped across his body in something almost like a bridal carry. It wasn’t quite all bad, because I’d drawn the knife as I went. When we both hit the floor my free hand had the blade to his face. The flat was resting on his cheek with the point close enough it was hitting eyelashes and forcing him to blink.

He froze and looked past the blade into my eyes. It was an oddly intimate moment as he spoke in a gentle voice, “I yield.”

“Let me go, then. Slowly.” He complied gingerly, releasing both hands and shifting them flat to the floor at a glacial pace. I shifted my weight and started moving as well. I kept the flat of the blade pressed to his face, the pressure constant so he knew I was paying attention. I swung around until I was straddling him, knees up by his armpits so he wouldn’t have the leverage to buck me off. I kept the blade by his eye while I leaned over and took my baton back. He jumped a little when I slammed it into the floor by his head to collapse it back down, and a single spot of blood welled up underneath the point of the dagger. “Little jumpy there, big guy.” I raised my voice without turning my eyes from the big man under me. “Hey bar keep, how we doing?” Silence was my only reply and I made a clucking noise like a disappointed grandma. The big guy closed his eyes briefly, then opened them back up and called out.

“Zeno, answer the woman.”

“I’m still alive, Patrick. What’s the play?”

“What the hell is going on here?”

I know I hadn’t expected the interruption, and I think the other two were surprised as well when the woman’s voice came from the stairs. I chanced a quick look up and saw the blonde from out in the street on the staircase, then flashed back down and saw Patrick watching me.

“Don’t, okay. I don’t want to scramble your brains with this knife, but I will if you try me. You’re too good to take chances with.”

“Thanks, I think.”

While we had our little chat the bartender had been gathering his nerve, because he called out to the girl. “Trouble, Cate. The broad is part of the Watch or one of those mercenary bands the Reeve hired. Came in here asking questions and got the drop on Patrick.”

I doubted it would work but things had already gotten too complicated. I tried a little white lie. “It’s just a little misunderstanding. Move on, lady.”

I heard wood scraping and I really wanted to turn and look but I held steady. Instead I leaned further right and straightened my left leg so I could shift that way at the hip without turning my upper body or straightening my elbow. I’d gotten far enough over to take a look in time to see the blonde staring at me holding a crossbow that seemed like it should be too heavy for her. The tip wavered just a bit in the air, but it stayed steady enough to scare the shit out of me at this range.

“Why the fuck are you straddling my brother-in-law?”

“Husband’s brother or your sister’s husband?” I asked.

“Sister’s husband if it matters.”

I gave her a cocky smile. “Well this is awkward.” She narrowed her eyes at me but the big guy had the nerve to actually chuckle. I lifted the blade off his face and tapped his cheek with it just to let him know what was up. He winked at me like he wasn’t on the bad end of a Mexican stand-off and then called out to the others.

“She’s not with the watch or the Reeve. She moves different and has too much confidence here on her own. This one is a noble’s thieftaker or something similar.”

“Wrong answer. I know, maybe you should just ask her.” I nodded to myself, then took care of the entire conversation for them. “That’s a great idea. Who are you? Oh, just a curious traveller who was looking to do a little business before other people started getting all violent. Oh, really? How shocking. What should we do next? Well, we could all put down our weapons and talk things over calmly, or I could stick a knife in this one’s skull and see if I can make it to the crossbow girl before she puts a bolt in me. Oooh, that’s a tough one. Let’s ask the others.” I took a break from my little performance to check both the one I had under me and the girl with the crossbow. The big guy seemed to think it was all a game, and the woman was surprisingly calm. I couldn’t see the bartender from where I was crouched, but I was sincerely hoping he didn’t have another crossbow back there. When a few seconds had passed in silence I shrugged with one arm at her. “Well, what’ll it be?”

She turned and casually laid the crossbow on a table and walked back over towards the fireplace. “Hey, Zeno. Bring over a bottle of wine.”

I pulled my knife away from Patrick’s face and slowly stood, backing away from him until I’d opened up enough space I could turn without stepping across him and followed her to the table. If she wanted to play it casual I could too. “Bring my stew too, I already paid for it.”

We sat down across from one another, like old friends out for a drink at starbucks. As soon as the thought struck me I blurted it out. “Hey, this might sound weird but do you guys have a drink called coffee?”

She cocked her head and gave me a strange look like I’d just grown a third eye on my forehead. “Yeah, but usually just for breakfast. Zeno, make some coffee instead.”

“Bring us wine, Zeno, make some coffee, Zeno, let the crazy lady kick you in the head, Zeno. You know, I don’t work for you, Cate. I’m trying to run a business here.”

The big guy had gotten up from the floor and was making his way over to join us when Cate half turned in her seat to meet his eyes and cut a look back towards the kitchen. “Go put on a pot of coffee and convince him to stop whining if you would, Patrick. I got this.”

“You sure?”

She gave a dismissive flick of her wrist and smiled back at me with a slight incline of her chin. “We’ll just have a little girl talk. Maybe share a couple cups of coffee and sort all this out.”

I tried smiling back, concentrating on a let’s be friends vibe, but inside my nerves were stretched tight. I wondered for a second how I’d let this all spiral out of control, but then took a breath and focused on my center. I was here now, I would see where this took me and try to make the most out of it.

“So your name is Cate.”

“Yep, and the big guy is Patrick. I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name?”

“Julia.”

“Hello, Julia. Do you mind if I ask what brings you here this afternoon?”

I tried to give a nonchalant shrug, like it wasn’t really a big deal. “Well, in a way I guess you did.”

“Oh?”

She packed a freight train’s worth of baggage onto that single syllable, but I was spared from responding when a pair of strangers walked through the open door to the street. The working girls had magically reappeared from wherever they had scurried off to when the fight started, and one of the new guys entered into negotiations while the other took a seat over by the far wall. Cate and I both watched, each suspicious at first that it was additional backup for the other, but when the first guy followed his new acquaintance upstairs for romance she turned back to face me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged in response.

“First off, I’m not a thief catcher or whatever it was Patrick called me. I’m a fellow professional from out of town. I had to leave suddenly and found myself at loose ends in a new city. I thought maybe you could help a girl out, show me the ropes in this area.”

“Mmm-hmmm, and as a complete stranger to our fair city, you just happened to stumble into this inn and ask for a short blonde female thief? Try again, I’m not a sucker for a pretty face.”

“You think I’m pretty?” I raised a tentative hand and flicked at my ponytail. “I had like zero time to do my hair and honestly, I thought I’ve gotten a little ratchet the past couple of days.”

“Hah,” a bark of surprised laughter burst from her lips and she gave me a dubious look. “Are you actually flirting with me? I live in a cathouse, darling. You’ll have to do way better than that to distract me. Why come here?”

I shrugged at her. It had been an instinctive reaction, I hadn’t had anybody but that stupid AI to talk to in quite a while and she was attractive in that soft feminine way. I’d been called striking, but with my shoulders and slender frame I could never have that classic Earth goddess look that Cate could pull off. I didn’t need another complication in my life right now though, so I ignored it and answered the question.

“Remember the dandy with the fur lined cape whose purse you cut in the market? I saw that, and the lady with the roses embroidered on her hems. You’re good and I felt like it might be in both our best interests if we met. I didn’t mean for all of this to happen.” I made a vague gesture encompassing the entire barroom, but she nodded as if she knew what I meant.

“So you saw something that made you think I was a fellow professional I think you called it? Are you saying you’re in the same line of work as me then?”

I held my tongue as Patrick came back with a clay crock in one hand and three mugs in another. Cate reached out and took two of the cops from his oversized hands, purposely leaving the last before she took the crock as well. “I’m sure Zeno would appreciate it if you took up your post back by the door again. More customers have arrived.”

The big man looked down at me, then leaned over and whispered something into his sister in law’s ear. I did my damndest to overhear without actually getting up out of my chair, but whatever he said was inaudible. Whatever it was, the woman shook her head in negation and cut him off. “Not right now, Patrick. Maybe later if it comes down to it.” She looked over at me as he walked away after giving me a warning look, and gestured. “Same line of work?”

“Not exactly.” My mind raced. I needed a criminal background, but something that played to my skills. I couldn’t actually pick pockets or crack safes. Most of my undercover work had been in vice, and there was no way I was going down that road in this world. The only useful skill I could think of was violence, but trying to land a job as some kind of mob hitman didn’t sound appealing. The thought of organized crime spurred another and I hit on a solution. Modern forensics and the way the FBI had cracked down back in the 20’s meant that kidnap for ransom was almost unheard of in the United States. Central and South America though, it was still a thriving business, and oil executives ran into that kind of thing on an almost daily basis. I was betting in a feudal society with huge income disparities and antiquated law enforcement, it was a valid trade here as well.

“I was with a crew that did kidnappings. I was always the innocent bystander at the ransom drop. I’m good at reading people so I could spot a setup, and if things turn ugly no one expects a woman to be good in a fight. Most of my job was to not look like a threat.” I sighed and shook my head regretfully. “Unfortunately, we were a little too successful. When an accurate description of me started making the rounds I thought it was time to travel.”

“And you made your way to Kantia and found me. That sounds plausible enough.” She paused for a moment and took a slow sip of her coffee. I’d already drunk a half cup of mine. It was a medium roast, and without sugar or creamer it was a tad more bitter than I preferred, but it was still coffee. This was the longest I’d been without since I was a teenager and I’d already decided I wasn’t leaving this table with any left in the pot. Cate gave a thoughtful head nod and kind of tilted her head to the side again. I realized that must be a common tic for her.

“Let’s say I believe you, Julia. What is it you want from me? Sure, we’re two women on the other side of the Reeve, but it’s not like that makes us special. Go down to the poor quarter and throw a stone, chances are you’ll hit a person who does a little work on the wrong side of the law from time to time.”

“Mmm-hmmm, but how many of them will be as good at it as you are? I saw you work remember?” I’d been thinking of this since I first saw her rob the guy in the market, and I grinned now that I finally had the chance to make my pitch. “I need funds. It would be particularly pleasant if I could gain them quickly. I’m hoping an enterprising young woman like yourself could point me in the right direction for some lucrative employment.”

“And this good deed would give me the joy of helping someone less fortunate. You said that you are in need of funds so I know a bribe isn’t in the offing. What’s in it for me? Why would I take a risk putting forward a stranger to any of my acquaintances?”

I knew the few coppers I had wouldn’t get me far, and selling off my gear didn’t seem like a good idea. I’d seen prices in the market however, and it had given me an inkling of a plan. I smiled at Cate across the table. “I mentioned substantial funds. I’m not completely without resources of my own.” I plucked the low neck of the oversized shirt away from my chest, and leaned forward over the table with my chin up to give her a good view at the silk bandeau underneath. Cate leaned forward a bit as well, and when I settled back into my seat gave me an arch smile.

“Very nice, but not something I’d care to make money off of. Or are you referring to the silk?”

I felt just the hint of a blush coming on, and found myself talking a little faster than normal when I responded. “The silk has that beautiful green dye consistent along the length. I didn’t see anything like it in the market. It’s maybe a forearms length wide and at least as long as Patrick is tall. I saw what a bolt of white silk was going for in the market. What do you think the going rate for something like this is?”

“Who is going to be looking for it?”

“Absolutely no one. This is from so far away I doubt you could even consider it warm let alone hot. There is zero chance of repercussions.”

“You understand that I am not a cloth merchant, right? My contacts for resale ship the goods clear across the kingdom to avoid any embarrassment, and trying to peddle it in pieces of trim to the girls around town would take forever. You won’t get the kind of silver this cost originally.”

“That’s the beauty of meeting you, though, Cate. I don’t necessarily want silver for it at all. I need to get some income lined up and a place to stay until it starts coming in. That’s it. You get an absolutely stunning length of silk and a new friend. What do you say?”

“I say give me a minute to talk some stuff over with my friends. Stick around, enjoy your coffee. The rest of your stew is still up at the bar. I’ll be back in a few, okay?”

I nodded and gave her a casual wave as she got up and walked off. She had a bit more sway to her step than I’d seen earlier, and she looked back over her shoulder at me right before she made it to the bar to see if I’d been looking at her ass. I grinned and nodded in appreciation of the tactic, and she gave me a wink before she disappeared into the backroom.

I got up and retrieved my bowl of stew before carrying it back to the table. If I was stuck waiting here for a while, I might as well get what I’d paid for. At least an hour had passed and the bowl was empty long before then. I was slowly working on the last cup of coffee by the time anything interesting happened. I’d watched a few people come and go from the inn. It seemed to be a mix of locals who came in for the wine, as well as the occasional upscale client who was here for one of the girls. Then a patron arrived who just seemed to put my teeth on edge.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it all at once, but something about the man was off. Before he’d walked in, Patrick had looked up and called across to the bartender that he was going out to the jakes. Just minutes after he’d walked out, the stranger came strolling in and took a seat at one of the tables. He was a little overdressed to be one of the locals, but didn’t quite look like one of the bored gentry down here for a roll in the hay. He had a simple looking knife on his belt, but I caught the hint of another one in his boot top. When he flared out his cloak to keep from sitting on the hem, the outline of a longer blade was visible strapped upside down on his back. He didn’t make a move to order a drink, just watched the working girls with a fixed stare and made no move to approach them. The concealed weapons, the body language, something about this guy just rubbed me the wrong way, and I kept checking the doorway, hoping to see Patrick come strolling back in. He’d apparently decided to find an outhouse on another block though, or maybe he’d fallen in. Either way he was a no show and finally I couldn’t take it anymore. My spidey senses were telling me something bad was about to happen and I just couldn’t force myself to ignore them.

I worked my wrist around to make sure my baton was loose in my sleeve again before I circled around and dropped onto the bench across the table from him. He swung his head towards me in a stiffnecked, almost lizardlike kind of motion and fixed me with that steady stare. He had hollow cheeks and a rather sunken frame like he was in dire need of a sandwich. It didn’t make him look thin and fragile, but as if he were hollow inside and filled with some kind of unholy hunger. My imagination was building up fast, and I tried to derail it by giving him a casual shrug.

“Hey, there stranger. Come here often?”

He didn’t seem too talkative. He just stared at me a little too long for comfort before he swallowed visibly and cut right to the chase. “What do you want?”

I simpered at him, pretending to flirt but probably doing it badly. This guy was so not my type it was hard to get into character. “Let’s start with a drink. Buy a girl a glass of brandy?”

“No.” It was short and direct, and I wasn’t sure if I should be offended or not. One hand came up on to the table and jingled a little pouch so I could hear coins clink before he smacked it down onto the table and drew his hand back down out of sight. I looked down at the coin purse and back up at him, the fake smile fading from my face and casual body language slowly transforming as I felt the tension fill me. I breathed in through my nose out through my mouth looking for my center as I tried to read his position. He didn’t look strong enough to throw the heavy table over on top of me, and was too close to pull a long weapon. Combine that with the concealed blades and I was pegging him as a knife man, and from the way he held himself for some reason I was betting he was good with it too. I really hated knife fights if I didn’t have a gun during them, and I slid the baton all the way out of my sleeve into my hand under the table before he spoke again. “Got some silver here if you answer a question for me.”

I smiled for real this time, and tried to intentionally misunderstand. “Oh, it’s okay, honey. A lot of people have those feelings about boys and girls. You really don’t have to pick just one as long as everybody is consenting adults.”

There was a flash of something in his previously cold eyes and I realized I’d managed to touch something there. Apparently some guys could be as touchy about that kind of thing in this world as the last. He spoke calmly though, in that same monotone voice.

“Need to find Cate. She’s a thief. Short and busty, with bottle blonde hair.”

I was a little pissed on her behalf. I’d seen the eyebrows, and without checking to see if the carpet matched the drapes I was sure as I reasonably could be that Cate was a natural blonde. I tried not to let any of that show on my face as I jerked a thumb at a willowy blonde working girl who was at least a hand taller than me, then pointed across the room at a busty redhead with freckles.

“She might be Cate, or the other girl over there, maybe she dyed her hair again. Can I get the silvers?”

His arm came up and I thought he was going to pick the bag of coins back up until with a flick of his wrist a short wide blade managed to appear in his hand. He rested just the point of the knife on the purse and narrowed his eyes at me.

“I don’t like funny answers. You can answer for coins or answer in blood.”

I felt the muscles in my core tense as I relaxed my legs. The plan was to try and drive the tabletop back into him by lashing out with both, and then see where the winds would take me. Even if he was good, I was betting that I was better. I gave him what was supposed to be a frightened smile, but probably just came across as a little confused.

“I want you to know that when you’re dead, I’m going to keep that cloak. It looks pretty badass.”

“Hold on a second.” When he spoke his voice sounded completely different, and then he sat up and took his hand off the knife. His change in posture seemed to give him a completely different vibe. He went from creepy stalker to affable neighbor in the blink of an eye. His frame was still cadaverous but his face was softer somehow, like the kind of guy you’d want to drop a couple of ones in his bucket so he’d get himself and his orphan puppy some food around the Holidays. The new kinder, gentler stranger half turned his head while still keeping a close watch on me. “Hey, Cate. You can come back out now. She’s legit.”