The morning suns rose over the city, unfairly illuminating the side of some buildings with radiating heat, while the streets we walked on remained shadowy and cold.

Wrinkled and rough cloth scrapped at me with every movement. The headache I felt reminded me that no, the couple of sleeping hours I had just enjoyed would not suffice. As if that was not enough, even my nose complained about the situation. I needed a bath. My mood fell as I recalled how long it had taken to get here in the first place, and what this meant for my hopes of comfort and rest in the near future.

To my surprise, Lord Derrien guided us through a different path.

After a handful of minutes, I saw where we were going. My path had never crossed it so far, but the city appeared to be split by a thirty meters (100 foot) wide canal. If not for its size, the sharp cut it drew on the stone pavement would have made it look artificial. To my tired mind, the red light of dawn partially reflected by the dark water turned this view into that of a poorly knitted wound, complete with sutures formed of a myriad of small elevated bridges. The gnarly comparison warned me that I might actually have been more traumatized by the corpses I had seen than I hitherto thought.

Instead of heading for one of the many bridges, Lord Derrien walked toward a wooden signpost I had dismissed as being addressed to boatmen. Over the edge, a muscular man was idly smoking a pipe on an elongated rowboat. The bright blue color of his attire, which even featured a cap on which the same symbol as the signpost had been sewn, made it obvious this was an official of some kind.

Upon seeing our arrival, the man quickly tossed the content of his pipe overboard, put the instrument in a little coffer, and went to sit at the back of his boat.

“Good morning!” he called to Lord Derrien, bowing slightly.

Without hesitation, Lord Derrien hopped aboard. The shield bearer, whom I still did not know the name of, followed promptly. The rest of us each waited in turn for the boat to stabilize every time someone jumped in. I sat at the back, next to the rower.

I noticed my companions all smiled. However, I could not understand the source of their cheerfulness. We had successfully rescued Loann, yes, but Lord Brior had escaped with little punishment.

“Down to west market street, if you please,” Lord Derrien requested. His jovial tone and expression made him appreciatively less frightening.

In an impressive display of practiced movement, the boatman used a single rope pull to free us from the land. He then unceremoniously tossed the cable under his seat before starting to row.

We were advancing fast, passing under bridges vacant due to the early hours.

I let myself be lulled by the rhythmic rocking and sound caused by the oars, but my reveries were quickly interrupted by the start of a conversation.

“If Brior is resorting to kidnappings, they’re truly getting desperate,” Lord Derrien remarked. “He should’ve known I wasn’t going to bend the knee. That was stupid.”

I told myself I should be paying attention. This might answer some of my questions. I shook my head, trying to chase away the lethargy I had let myself fall into.

“It’s not even the worst of it,” Aostin commented, sounding resigned.

He sighed, but didn’t elaborate.

Only once all heads had turned to look at him expectantly did he finally continue.

“The Netacari delegation was killed,” he said, the dramatic statement amplified by the silence that had preceded it.

His face flushed with anger. He was not the only one. I heard Yaelle and the shield bearer swear loudly.

“They’re crazy!” the waterman exclaimed, seeming not at all ashamed to be so obviously listening in on our conversation.

My own reaction was not as pronounced, but the announcement did jerk me awake, for this was something I knew about. Aostin had already mentioned the Netacari to me. These were the bodies outside the city. He was now clearly implying the massacre and Loann’s abduction were tied somehow. Had both been performed by the same party?

If Lord Brior was known to be associated with murderers, or if he was one himself, getting Loann back alive had not been so much of a certainty. Yes, that could explain why my companions were so satisfied with the outcome. They probably never expected Lord Brior to be punished to begin with.

I was mostly numb to the news. To me, Netacari was just the name of the group the bodies had belonged to. Nothing more. Though, to be honest, my earlier vision warned me that this apathy might only be some defense mechanism. It was not clear to me how common murders were. They could not be so rare if I chanced to already have seen the result of one. Nobody I told had appeared that shocked, either.

“Things are about to escalate. Fast,” Aostin continued, still slightly red. “Of course, Sherpen denies any involvement.”

Focused on my own the announcement itself, I had not reflected on it, but I had to admit surprise at Aostin’s anger. After all, this was not the first time he shared the news, and he had stayed calm before.

“Well, duh...” Yaelle sighed, but Aostin held out a hand to stop further accusations.

“I’m not even sure they ordered it,” he admitted. “Doesn’t really help the Levannians, though, so it’s probably not them.”

He was not sharing everything he knew, I realized. Yesterday, Aostin had specifically named Lord Vallo as a prime suspect. Also, Lord Derrien’s visible outrage was in stark contradiction with Aostin’s reasoning that he would be reluctant to make the accusation, given a chance.

“Playing with fire...” Loann grumbled.

That got a few nods.

A moment passed before anyone else spoke. By the time Lord Derrien addressed Aostin, tempers had calmed down, but the cold in his voice made it clear the anger remained.

“How did you find out?” Lord Derrien asked. “I thought the delegation only delayed.”

This pretty much confirmed my suspicions about Aostin serving as Lord Derrien’s spy.

“It’s staying under wraps until they get more information,” Aostin explained.

Was he sharing secret knowledge out here in the open? We were not even by ourselves on this boat!

“Don’t want people to act on unfounded accusations, I guess,” Aostin said, before turning to look at our ferryman. “And yes, Lord Konogan is already aware of the situation.”

The man nodded his understanding and kept on rowing.

What?! Were we actually using Lord Konogan’s services? Right after getting out of jail for making a mess in another transport of his? Why did they even let us?!

I recalled Lord Derrien had not exactly asked permission before boarding, but surely the guards would intercede if Lord Konogan’s man called for help.

Maybe he was not aware of Lord Derrien’s previous actions. Still, that seemed foolish.

“I only learned of this because of our new recruit,” Aostin continued. “Turns out, that’s who the bodies he mentioned belonged to. Landed me straight in front of Lady Azeline,” he held his hand to forestall any panic, “but we’re not in trouble. That’s why she visited us, by the way.”

Lord Derrien nodded understanding. “Let’s not discuss that here.”

What did Lord Derrien want to hide about me from Lord Konogan?

That reminded me I had yet to be sent a new probe. It was good none had appeared this morning while I was in jail, but that also had me worried I might simply have missed it. Again.

“What about the letter delivery?” the lord asked his spy. “Any reason to cancel it?”

Considering Aostin’s joke about my next mission, this was most likely what the question was about. Unfortunately, the illegal nature of our group’s activities all but guaranteed no details would be shared where an outsider could learn of them.

“We’d better hurry it up,” Aostin commented. “Everybody is going to be on edge once the Netacari news spread.”

“That’s unfortunate, but we’ll make it work,” Lord Derrien assured. “Yaelle, any issues to report?”

“Slow as a lezireg,” Yaelle sighed. “And we’ll need some brightstone.” She paused. “Didn’t get to check everything, but nothing obvious comes to mind.”

“Well, we’re short on time, so it will have to do,” Lord Derrien said. “Aostin, can you get us the brightstone today?”

Aostin nodded, and Lord Derrien turned to look at Loann.

“Loann, tell me truly, how severe are your wounds?” Lord Derrien asked him. “Will you be needing supplies?”

“Cuts are superficial. You rushing got ‘em by surprise,” Loann said. “Arm’s fractured, that’s the real issue. Won’t be able to work for a bit.” He thought for a bit. “Maybe two months. There’s enough reserve. It’s nothing urgent.”

I appreciated that, despite looking like a violent criminal boss, Lord Derrien appeared ready to take care of his own, even when they were in no state to serve him.

Oh. Wait. He was not just looking like one. He was definitely a violent criminal boss, just not a cruel one.

“Understood. We have plenty of funds right now, so don’t hesitate if you need anything,” Lord Derrien told him, as if to confirm my thoughts.

The conversation then moved on to less interesting subjects, such as Lord Derrien attending a certain Lord Gothian’s party in the evening. I was not blind to the fact many of these discussions were calculated. Indeed, he discussed mostly with Aostin, no doubt as a way to feed Lord Konogan’s agent information. Both parties were probably aware of the fact, but this did not render it meaningless.

I, on the other hand, could hardly follow all the implications. New names kept being mentioned, but my focus was dimming, and without context, I failed to take note of them.

Knowing we had arrived by the toss of a rope the ferryman made to anchor us to the bank, I paid attention to the fare Lord Derrien was paying. I hoped to get a better understanding of the value held by the coins I currently owned.

Two Enori for about an hour of transport by boat.

I judged this made the ten I had received a fair compensation for half a morning spent stuck in jail.

However, if the cost was so cheap and the transport so fast, I had to ask. “Aostin,” I called out to him. “I don’t understand. Why did we not use a boat to get to the Locomotive?”

“No ferrymen at night, dummy,” Yaelle interjected.

Aostin nodded, before adding, “Also, this was us going downriver.”

Oh.

We disembarked at the opening of a small street, where a handful of merchants were setting up their stalls. My first impression of the area was that it did not deserve to be called a market. Closer inspection explained the discrepancy. This was not the trunk of market street, but only one of many small branches at its side.

Reaching the main alley filled me with a feeling of familiarity. Indeed, there stood the victims of my food and cloth pilfering.

I was sure none of them could ever hope to recognize when I wore my cloak. In fact, I doubted even the cloth merchant had managed to catch more than a glimpse of me, so it was unlikely they would accuse me, regardless.

“We can talk more freely now,” Lord Derrien declared, not needing to raise his voice, for we were all fairly close to him. “Aostin, what else did you find out?”

There were a few people about, but this also meant that other conversations blanketed our own. I assumed that unless they were moving with us, discerning the meaning of our talk would be difficult.

Aostin put a hand on my shoulder and stopped. I halted in turn, more because of the brusqueness of the act than anything else.

Everyone else in our group looked at us in confusion.

“Let me present to you Eriol Corneau Derrien,” Aostin announced, smiling. “Never mind the Corneau part, it’s just some weird lineage thing,” he added, as his audience started frowning.

I was not sure how I had expected Aostin to inform Lord Derrien of what I had admitted to him. However, spouting it out to everybody in the middle of a very public street had definitely not been it, that was for certain.

Aostin released me, and our group began walking forward again.

“So, is our Eriol not some dark mysterious stranger after all?” Yaelle asked.

Well, they seemed to take the unusual naming convention in stride, but that had been the very least problematic thing I had told him. Maybe he would just pretend to have gotten all this information from his own inquiries. While dishonest, it would make him shine, and spies were not particularly known for their sense of honor.

“On the contrary!” Aostin said, sounding happy at the confusion he was fostering. “I found... nothing. Which is telling, really.”

So much for my hopes of miscredit.

“So where’d the name come from, if you got nothing?” Loann asked.

They caught on fast. Dammit.

I looked at Aostin, trying to catch his gaze so he would notice my plea not to blurt out everything right there.

I failed. Or maybe he willfully ignored me.

“From the man itself, of course!” Aostin said, confirming my fears. “Turns out, someone contacted him. And that’s where things get a bit more complicated.”

He paused, no doubt waiting for one of us to bite on his bait and request more information. No one did. Perhaps they were too used to his shenanigans. I, however, was dreading the reaction my companions would have after learning of my ties to Central.

“From what I can tell, Eriol’s previous lord is not fully aware of his current situation,” Aostin revealed. “They’re resorting to threats for compliance, so the Binding was nearing a rupture point already.”

I was fairly certain Bindings were not applicable to me, but I felt no urge to point it out. The stress I felt as I awaited judgment made it hard to think.

“He was meant to be a spy or scout of some sort, but I think it’s still safe for us to try taking him in,” he continued. “The memory loss is genuine, in any case. There are two issues here, though.”

He stopped talking, no doubt making another attempt at his previous trick. I was in no state to care. Me, a spy? What kind of spy was I supposed to be? Nonsense! How would I ever infiltrate anything? I lacked even seemingly basic knowledge. People had to explain everything to me. Who would be dumb enough to expect me to get secret information?

I knew I was panicking, but could not do anything to stop it.

“How are they contacting him?” the shield bearing man asked. It was the first time I ever heard him talk. “The only one to visit him was Lady Azeline.”

“Nothing you could’ve done, Elouen,” Aostin reassured him. “That’s indeed one of the issues. Somehow, they’re tracking him. They teleported some kind of enchantment to him.”

I looked at him in surprise, not having realized the implication. Yes, I knew the probes could be sent directly to me wherever I was, but Aostin was right: this meant they knew where I was. That, by itself, was be enough to use me as a source of information.

“Bullshit!” Yaelle exclaimed. “He doesn’t trigger enchantments, that’s the whole point.”

Oh, I definitely had activated that one.

Even through my panic, I was still interested to see how Aostin was going to explain that one, for I sure could not.

“I don’t think he has to, if the enchantment’s already charged,” Aostin remarked. “Must be a pain to make, though. It also means they’re aware of his lack of soul, if not of his amnesia. The enchantment probably just reacts to touch.” he looked at each of us in turn, then smiled. “Anyone’s touch.”

“You want us to intercept the next one,” Yaelle guessed.

That sounded like a terrible idea.

“Yes. Though we’d best be careful about it,” Aostin confirmed. “A shame Nouel’s not here. He might be able to get more out of it.”

Indeed. Where was Nouel exactly? He has hinted his disappearance was linked to the discovery of a distinction between mind and soul, but how did that translate to someone leaving?

“Teleportation is no small feat,” Lord Derrien commented. “Are you sure we aren’t about to annoy someone dangerous?”

Oh, no! Was Lord Derrien having doubts about keeping me?

“They’re already about to cut ties,” Aostin remarked. “I doubt they’ll care much.”

Thank you, Aostin.

“True. And it’s too good an opportunity to pass on,” Lord Derrien agreed. “We’ll take the risk.”

Yes!

A few streets later, we reached the hideout.

Once inside, Aostin, Yaelle, and Loann left for different rooms. The beast that followed Yaelle around went to drink at a bowl a bit further away in the corridor. It was so silent when it moved that I usually forgot it was even here.

I was strongly tempted to just go lay in bed, but noticed that Lord Derrien and Elouen had not yet gone anywhere.

As my gaze crossed his, Lord Derrien addressed me.

“Eriol, consider this your temporary home,” he said. “I believe we all need to rest, but tomorrow, feel free to explore around.”

He pointed toward the end of the corridor. “Your bedroom is the last door on the left.”

“Thank you,” I said, meaning it with all my heart. “For this, and for accepting me.”

He nodded and went back to the room Yaelle had fetched him from yesterday.

I knew his decision had not been born of pure kindness. He had said so himself, had he not? This was him taking a chance, hoping to gain a way to bypass magical alarms. Still, I was very grateful to be adopted by these people. It was comfortable living, and they were rather amicable, despite the utilitarian motivation. With time, we might even grow to become actual friends.

Entering my new bedroom encouraged this feeling. Indeed, it proved to be much more furnished than my cell had been. For starters, there was a wardrobe with some garments made of softer materials than those of my current attire. New shoes were tucked under it, too.

There was a mirror, letting me see that I currently looked like some suspicious vagabond, something I was no longer. Yes, with the cloak on, I could even look menacing. The new clothes would at least give me a more civilized appearance. Well, since the cloak was to remain in use, I supposed I was still going to resemble some anonymous traveler, though a more wealthy one.

To my surprise, I found pajamas had been put on the bed. This promised a greatly improved sleep comfort, and I wasted no moment before putting it to the test.

Well, I still could not turn the room’s lights off. It didn’t matter. I was feeling happy for the first time in forever, or at least as I far as I could recall.

I was woken up by the sound of Yaelle opening the door to my room. This had not been an abrupt awakening, and I felt well rested. She was no longer wearing the same clothes as she had been at dawn, which reminded me I needed to ask where I could wash myself.

I expected her to be bringing me food, given Loann’s injuries, but she had yet to enter the room, and while one of her hands was on the door’s handle, the other laid empty. She appeared to be in a good mood, though, so I did not assume myself to be in trouble.

No doubt having noticed my opened eyes, Yaelle spoke.

“Wakey-wakey! We’re having a meal in the main room,” she announced. “Come join us!”

Yaelle then closed the door, giving me privacy as I rose out of bed.

This was definitely a considerable improvement over my previous morning awakenings. No emergencies, no immediate danger, and no flood of confusion.

Not wanting to risk the mood going down, I took the cloak and wore it above my pajamas before joining Yaelle outside.

“Good morning, Yaelle,” I said jovially. “Thank you for waking me up.”

She nodded in acknowledgment, but her smile had faded slightly.

“It’s uh... out of charge, you know?” she said. “Your disguise.”

Ah.

Well, this wasn’t too surprising, I supposed. I had it on for quite a while.

“Just give it to me after we eat,” she instructed me. “I’ll take care of it.”

Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to ask, I went ahead. “What does the enchantment do?”

“Nothing,” she replied, to my surprise. “There’s something holding a charge in the threads, but it doesn’t do a single thing. That helps it last longer.”

It made sense, I supposed. Disappointing, though. Sure, I had not been expecting some sort of invisibility cape or invulnerable material, but that enchantment being basically the minimum it needed to be in order to be called magic did not ingratiate it to my eyes.

We entered the main room, which I knew to be so because of its size. A large carpet endured the weight of a long carved table and of ten swirly chairs. Upon one sat a happy-looking Loann. I was surprised by the absence of any fireplace in the room, as it would have improved its coziness. Some paintings adorned the walls, but my eyes were too busy looking at what the table offered. A wonderfully tall pastry accompanied plates of meat and vegetables.

“Good morning, Eriol!” Loann greeted me. “Slept well?”

His arm was still being held in some sort of cast, but his mood appeared unaffected.

“Hello, Loann,” I replied, glad for the warm welcome I was receiving. “Yes. I really needed that, I think.”

I sat in front of Loann and Yaelle went next to him. Before sitting, she spoke.

“We didn’t get a chance to celebrate your Shift yesterday, with the slightly unplanned city trip,” she started, “so... Welcome to Lord Derrien’s service!”

I could tell Yaelle was trying to sound happy, but unlike when she had woken me up earlier, this time didn’t really work.

She grimaced slightly, no doubt realizing the issue.

“It’s not really working, is it?” she asked Loann.

“We’ll get used to it,” he replied, trying to reassure her, before admitting at a much lower volume, “...Probably.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked them, though I had an inkling.

“I don’t know how to say it politely,” Yaelle apologized.

She sighed.

“You not having a soul is making me feel I’m not talking to a person,” she explained, though I had guessed that already. “It’s like talking to a mirror. Guess that’s why Aostin might not mind so much. The enchanted cloak usually helps, but it’s still more like talking to some complex and intelligent magical construct.”

Her gaze wandered to the side for a moment, before suddenly fixing itself straight on me.

“And I guess that reflected on how I’ve treated you so far,” she remarked, looking pained at the admission. “Sorry about that.”

Loann nodded.

“We know you deserve better. We’re trying to adapt,” he said. “Aostin makes it look easy, but it’s basically his specialty.”

“Is it really so bad?” I asked them. “I don’t understand...”

“Yes! It is!” Yaelle exclaimed, her frustration apparent.

“Take right now, for example,” Loann began. “A Shift’s almost always a joyous moment. Getting a new member in our house. A loyalty shared. Plus, emotions are stronger with those serving the same lord.”

Ah. Was I breaking some sort of ceremony?

“Doesn’t help that we’re not even sure this counts as a Shift. We’re going blind here,” Yaelle explained. “Yes, a Shift should have happened here, but we can’t sense it. That’s disturbing.”

“And you’re stoic as a rock,” Loann added. “All the time.”

“Exactly! We should all be sharing a feeling of happiness, rejoicing, or whatever,” Yaelle continued. “But with you, it doesn’t take.”

Despite not having a soul, I still could tell their emotions through other factors, so why would they not be able to?

“Can’t you tell I’m happy from the expression on my face or the sound of my voice?” I asked them, trying not to display the growing frustration we were, ironically, sharing. “I understand it will not generate the sensation you are expecting, but it should still make it possible for you to empathize, right?”

Yaelle’s eyes widened, and I feared having offended her, but then it became clear she only reacted to a sudden recollection.

“Wait! We had a talk about how to explain the situation,” she said. “Maybe this will help...”

She frowned deeply, and made an obviously fake smile, all while keeping the grave-looking expression.

“How would you take it,” she asked, “if I made this face after you told me your best joke? Assuming it was good, of course.”

Like she was mocking me. Looking at her grimace was already becoming awkward, and she was not stopping.

Damn.

“I see your point,” I told her. “Does it really feel like I’m mocking you all the time, then?”

Her face returned to a more neutral expression instantly.

“No...” Yaelle admitted, slightly deflating. “That would be worse, I guess. It’s just extremely disconcerting.”

“We’re working on it,” Loann reassured me. “Let’s move on. There’s a feast to be had!”

We ate in silence, and I had no doubts we were each contemplating the failure of this attempted celebration.

As we partook in the delicious cake, the conversation began again.

“Oh, guess it’s time to tell you,” Yaelle started. “You’ll be going on your first mission tonight.” She hesitated for a second, then amended her statement. “Your first real mission, I mean.”

“Delivering a letter?” I asked. “That cannot possibly just be it, surely.”

This had only been some sort of euphemism to avoid mentioning anything illegal, as far as I understood it.

“Too good to be a postman, are you?” Yaelle teased, getting a chuckle out of Loann.

He grimaced instantly, no doubt feeling the pain his arm had caused at the reaction, and Yaelle looked at him guiltily.

“It’s fine,” he told her, before addressing me. “You’ll be simply putting it on a desk.” He paused for effect. “In Lord Konogan’s mansion.”

“What?!” I exclaimed.

These people were insane. I was now sure of it. Or maybe they were trying to push Lord Konogan as far as he would go. Damn it.

“Yes, I know it sounds mad,” he admitted.

Then why were they asking it of me?

“Going to be fun pulling off the impossible, though,” Yaelle remarked, attempting to lighten up the mood.

Though, from what I understood, Loann could not sense my distress, he probably guessed I had to be feeling some of it.

“There’s a plan, don’t worry,” he said, in a vain attempt at reassuring me.

“Is that not ridiculously risky?” I asked him. “What would happen if they caught me?”

“Well, the plan is for you not to get caught, duh…” Yaelle said.

“Lord Konogan’s not known for cruelty or brash actions,” Loann answered, more seriously. “You’d be traded back for favors.”

Not likely.

“Could Lord Derrien really be persuaded to do anything in exchange for my safe return?” I inquired. “I have only joined your group this morning. It would not be a great loss for him to discard me instead, would it?”

“That’s not how it works,” Loann assured me.

“No. And do not go about saying that about Lord Derrien,” Yaelle warned me. “You might not have an actual Binding, but I think such reckless disregard by a lord would still put all their remaining Bindings at risk.”

“You’ve got something like a Binding. I’m sure of it,” Loann told me. “Without that, you’d have left by now.”

Yes. Yes, I did. Some feeling of belonging with these people. Not the same as their Binding, I was sure, because it did not tie me to Lord Derrien so much as it bound me to the group as a whole, but it was still enough.

I nodded confirmation to Loann, and he smiled.

“Good,” he said. “I’ll be going with you to Lord Derrien’s manor. We’ll figure out how to get you in. But first, let’s have you change into something more comfortable. There’s a hot bath ready. It’s in the first room down the stairs. We are in no hurry, so stay in there as long as you need. Once you’re done, come find me on this floor. It’ll be the third door to your right.”

“Yes,” I acknowledged, before getting up. “Thank you.”

“Give me the cloak,” Yaelle reminded me. “I’ll leave it with Loann, once it’s fully charged.”

I did so and headed to my room to fetch new clothes before the promised bath.

I had expected the room Loann had indicated to be his bedroom. What I found instead was an office full of racks holding labeled vials. My nose was immediately assaulted by a mixture of foreign smells. It did not stink, but there was simply too much of it for comfort.

This was an apothecary shop. Yes, I could even see the telltale signs. Glass utensils to mix, distill, and otherwise brew complex concoctions.

My admittedly limited interactions with Loann had given me the impression the man was a jack-of-all trades. From what I knew of my employer, I now had to assume the worst. Loann was an assassin, with a clear specialization in poisons.

“Ah,” Loann said upon noticing my arrival, though not my apprehension. “Could you help me with those?” he asked, pointing with his left hand at some dubious containers.

I was reluctant to touch anything here, but there was no choice to be had.

Very careful not to drop any ingredient, I spent the next twenty minutes in a stressful hunt, collecting the content of whatever vial he requested, and following his instructions on how what to do with them.

Were the fumes dangerous? He wouldn’t let me manipulate anything too lethal with so little experience, would he?

Why were we even preparing poison right now?

Oh, no! The letter for Lord Konogan!

This was the plan, was it not? The letter did not matter. The reason they could not just send it normally made sense now. It was going to be covered in poison. Was I about to take part in a murder? Was this also why Lord Derrien did not care about his punishment? He likely had no issues having to cede votes to a dead man. This explained the brazenness with which we used Lord Konogan’s transports. It had been a statement. I do not fear you, it said.

“Are... these poisons?” I finally dared to ask, pointing at the racks.

“What?” Loann scoffed.

He chuckled. “Oh, well... Yes, I suppose, but not the kind you’re thinking of.”

I had not been thinking of the particular deaths these poisons could lead to, if that was what he meant. My mind already had its fill of gory images. I had no desire to use my imagination to add to these.

“Most of ‘em neutralize without killing,” he explained. “Of course, it would be easy to make ‘em lethal, but that’s not my job.”

Oh.

Maybe I had been too quick to judge. Yes, it made more sense, I supposed. It fitted better with the retrieval theme they all seemed so fond of.

What had poisons to do with my mission, then? Were we to capture Lord Konogan? I was not exactly sure I had the physical capacity to carry around an adult’s paralyzed body.

“I’m also the one to see if you’re injured. Though… I can’t do much right now,” he added. “What you’re making today are tonics. Don’t wanna be drowsy during the mission.”

I had to admit, the thought of these products having beneficial effects had not crossed my mind. Maybe what I had seen of the world tainted my intuitions a little too much. This way laid depression. I was going to need to address the psychological issues I kept stumbling unto at some point. Now was not the time, however.

The concoction took some time to make, and we were interrupted by Yaelle visiting to drop the letter and a small opaque corked tube.

I looked at the letter with trepidation. Lord Konogan was indeed the recipient indicated on its cover.

“Perfect,” Loann said. “This is the letter you’ll deliver.”

Nodding, I put it in my satchel, hoping that keeping it out of sight would help ease my anxiety.

“And this,” he added, holding the tube to me, “is a custom-made brightstone light.”

That did not look like anything I would expect to emit light. Was the stone inside? Why use a tube then? Was it not safe to hold?

Loann popped the cork with his single able hand, making it fall to the ground.

The end of the tube was indeed emitting a glow, confirming that the brightstone was stored inside, its color a mix of pale yellow and green. It was not very luminescent, but would no doubt suffice when I found myself in darkness.

I fetched the fallen cork, and he gave me the strange light emitting device.

Curious, I glanced at the inside. Halfway to the light emitting mass was some glass barrier, constellated with tiny holes. That was odd.

Not knowing what to do with it, I simply put it in the satchel as well.

“Don’t let the name fool you. This thing’s alive,” Loann warned me. “I’ll show you how to take care of it later. Now it’s time to go. Take the vials.”

With the addition of these three little glass bottles, the small satchel looked ready to burst.

I noted we had not bothered cleaning up the place before heading out.