Gavina walked downstairs to the dinning area to see that unsurprisingly Bal Das was already awake, washed and dressed. He had also taken the liberty of getting the morning meal ordered and set out for his companions. Three bowls of porridge were placed at the far back corner table, accompanied by a platter filled with what looked like blood sausages and boiled eggs, with a pot of steaming tea for the three of them to share.

“Good morning my lady. I hope you had a restful evening, and approve of breakfast this morning. The kitchen is much more limited than I would have liked to offer after such a troubled experience as yesterday.”

His smooth baritone voice was like music compared to the racket she had been forced to sleep through all evening. As for the breakfast, she couldn’t believe that anyone wouldn’t consider this a proper feast compared to the spartan rations that she was used to eating on the road with her father. His concern for something so simple felt nice in contrast to Williams total disregard for even the most serious of matters.

“Aye it’s plenty fine. Thank ye. The lordling is upstairs rollin about with his lady friend, so if he don’t hurry his arse down here and eat, then he can just starve until we get back te London. Ah’ve teh find this Moisha fella me da mentioned and figure out what all those damned notes he left mean. If his note is true and there’s a chance uh catchin the bastards who have now taken both me parents, and stopping some God knows whatever other evil shite they have goin on, then we have no time ta waste.”

Bal sipped his cup of tea with a grim and thoughtful look on his face before answering.

“I agree. If a man such as your father was this concerned for whatever he was investigating, then we cannot afford to lose time. Deciphering his notes is the key to our next move. I shudder to think what challenges we may face ahead if a man with his experience has fallen victim in such a manner. If the caravan we saw yesterday is a preview of what is to come, then we will need all the knowledge and aid that we can employ.”

The weight of what Bal Das said sank in her gut like a stone in a pond. He was right of course, anything that could take her father out of the game like that and kill so many innocent people was obviously a major threat. But someone who seemed so sure of himself, so stoic and capable, warning caution like that, it rocked one's confidence a bit.

As they shared the rest of their meal in silence William came sliding down the banister and hopped the last three steps to the dining room floor. To Gavina’s delight, he appeared to be alone, though the idea of a strange woman being alone in their room with all her fathers belongings was not a comforting one.

“Good morning Bal-ey boy, you look put together as always, and you got sausages! Wonderful, I am famished.”

How in the hell are ye so damned chipper? Ya drank like a fish last night and by the sounds coming out uh the room you couldn’t have gotten more than a half hour of sleep all night. It’s bloody inhuman.”

“Not the first time someone has said that to me, but honestly I just don’t really need much sleep.” He brushed off her concern as he snatched a sausage off the table and took a huge, greasy bite.

“And when you go as hard as I do your body just adjusts I suppose. So what is the plan? March off into the moors and slay us a monster? Dive into the belly of the northern criminal underworld?” He asked gleefully as he took his seat and piled a plate full of more sausages and fried eggs.

“The only monster any of us is dealin with today is you ya animal. We have teh get the train back teh London. Da said in his letter that Smelyanski is the only one we can trust with his notes, and we can’t plan our next move until we get all this gibberish deciphered.” Gavina spelled out before Williams' attention drifted off.

“So it’s off to the big city to acquire a Jewish bookworm. How terribly exciting” He replied with a roll of the eyes that shouted his sarcasm to the table.

Gavina straightened as though to reprimand him for the comment but slumped back down in her seat and gave up, knowing that William was well beyond learning tact by this point.

They finished their meal and got up to go back up to the room and pack, but when they reached the room they heard the sound of shuffling papers and scribbling inside. A pit opened up in Gavina’s stomach and she looked at William accusingly.

“If I open this door, and find that woman doing anythin that could be interpreted as working for the people we are after, I am goin teh crush your trouble makin twig and berries, so that maybe you think twice before leavin random whores alone with secret documents!” She venomously whispered into his ear.

She grabbed the door handle and braced herself for whatever resistance she thought she might encounter, and silently counted back from three.

“Three. Two. One!” She threw open the door and charged straight across the small bedroom, driving a muscular shoulder into the soft yielding flesh of the spy as she was turning around to see what the noise was.

A gasp of air escaped her as she was tackled into the desk, her pencil flying from her hand. Though she was taken by surprise and considerably winded from the attack, she quickly got her wits about her and reached under her skirts, pulling out a stiletto knife strapped to her inner thigh. She swung wildly at first, Gavina barely having time to duck and take a look at the face of her attacker. As she had predicted, it was none other than Melanie attempting to tear a gash in her throat.

Gavina took a microsecond to remind herself to make good on her threat against William before following through on her dodge to get away from the blade. Melanie came darting towards her, the slender blade thrusting out to catch her in the chest. Gavina quickly stepped aside and grabbed her attacker's arm with both hands before twisting into a spin that sent Melanie flying into the footboard of the bed.

Rather than crumpling to the floor though, the surprisingly resilient Melanie turned herself around and lowered her center of gravity before lunging for Gavina’s legs, sending both women sprawling to the floor. Melanie began stabbing wildly down again and again in hopes of hitting something important, but Gavina’s superior strength allowed her to hold off most of the attacks just short of the knife making contact with flesh. She couldn’t keep it up forever though, and unless Melanie stopped stabbing at her for a moment, she had no chance to think of a strategy.

Through the wild flailing of limbs and skirts, Gavina caught sight of Bal Das entering the room and thankfully grabbing the raving mad woman by her wrist and yanking her off. As Gavina was finally able to stand however, she saw Melanie get in one more good swing and jam her little knife into the meat of Bal Das’s leg, causing his grip to loosen just enough for her to frantically pull away.

The sight of blood seeping out of her companion’s leg turned Gavina’s entire vision red, and she reared back and slugged the woman’s makeup smeared face. Her head snapped sharply back and blood started pouring out of her nose, but Gavina didn’t relent. She jabbed her in the face three more times and caught her with a strong uppercut to the stomach. She thought she must be winning now but to her shock the woman she thought to be nothing more than some dainty little barfly must have been a professional fighter in a past life. She recovered, her eyes crazed like a rabid dog, and she let out a scream as she charged one last time with her full weight and speed at Gavina, the knife aimed right at her heart.

Gavina pivoted off of one foot and turned her body away from the attack, following it up by grabbing her opponents skirts and collar and hurling her towards the window. Her legs hit the desk beneath the window, but that only tipped her head forward towards the glass and sent her spinning as she cleared the windowsill, her head aimed straight at the ground as she landed with a disturbing crunch.

Gavina made her way to the windowsill and leaned out over the desk, peeking down to the street at the gathering crowd that was staring at the lifeless body with a neck whose current angle was anything but natural, and quickly pulled herself back in as one of the horrified spectators looked up at the window.

“Might I be fortunate enough that whoever caused all of that commotion simply krept through the window and killed my darling Macey in order to search through your belongings?” William meekly inquired, snaking his head around the door frame, where he had been hiding out of sight the entire scuffle.

Gavina beggan scooping up all of her belongings as fast as she could manage, and stuffing them into her bag. Bal Das, ignoring for the moment his still bleeding leg, followed suit and gathered up his and Williams luggage and limped out the door. As she passed by William, Gavina paused and looked him in the eyes, right before launching a crushing blow with her knee between his legs, collapsing the selfish fool to the ground.

A healthy spray of vomit, a foul smelling combination of the cellar’s worth of booze he had consumed the night before, and his undigested breakfast, spewed forth from his smartass mouth, leaving him completely empty and able to focus much more sharply on the throbbing pain.

“Al….always a lady of your word.” He managed to squeak out as he clutched his throbbing coin purse and made a weak attempt to stand.

Gavina helped him to his feet by dragging him by the collar, and growled at him through clenched teeth.

“Don’t ye bloody well ferget it ye thrice damned cock headed gutter-shite! Now let go of yer beans, help Bal, and let’s make a feckin run fer it before the whole damned town is after us with pitchforks and rope!” She spat out, flinging William backwards into the bed, knocking him against the desk.

He collected himself for a moment, ignoring the pulsing pain in his package, and gathering his wit’s about him for a moment.

“My dear we don’t have to worry about them chasing us, they are all going to be far too worried about the fire to care where we ran off too.” He said, struggling to straighten himself out while examining the contents of the room.

“What are ye talkin about you bloody moon calf, there’s no fire?.”

William didn’t bother answering her as he spotted what he was looking for. He grabbed the small oil lantern on the desk, thankfully still lit from the erotic shadow puppet show last night, and unceremoniously smashed it against the wall, the shattered glass erupting into a tentacled beast of flame.

“YOU STUPID FUC-” But William was streaking past his companions and out the door, sprinting for the stairs before Gavina could complete the thought.

“FIRE, FIRE I SAY FIRE DAMNIT FIRE!” William screeched at the top of his lungs, banging on each passing door and on the walls as he ran, Gavina and Bal Das literally hot on his heels.

Gav and Bal made it downstairs just in time to see William blitzing out the front door at a high speed limp (his injured nether-regions still giving him trouble) and saw the monstrous bartender and the other customers follow suit. Gavina instinctively looked around for stragglers and saw a bum legged old man struggling to get out of his seat while maneuvering a crude set of crutches. She started towards him, flipping over a table and kicking several chairs out of her way, but before she reached him, Bal came barrelling past her, left arm loaded with bags, an improvised rag bandage around his wound she had no idea he had even had time to fashion, and a look of grim determination on his face. Without so much as a word, he scooped the scrawny geezer up in his free arm and quick stepped to the exit.

“Oi, put me down there punji, the busty bess there was just about ta scoop me up and I say her arm’s look a right bit more invitin than you” Came the cries of the surprised patron, but they went unheeded.

Gavina, who was getting a bit tired of people stepping in and taking action on her behalf by this point, sprinted after them. The pair emerged into the dim gray light of day and looked up at the top floor of the building, which was now belching smoke, bright flames leaping out of every window. Gavina was unsure if it was a good or bad sign that no cries could be heard coming from inside, but she decided it was best to be optimistic right now. Her head darted from side to side looking for William and spotted him near the still slowly bleeding body of Melanie. She was just about to snatch him by the collar and drag him off for a speedy beating and possible execution, when she heard him blurt out in surprisingly convincing horror,

“Dear God! The poor girl must have been caught up in the fire and flung herself out the window in a fit of panic. Good heavens, someone DO cover the darling up!” The crowd around him switched their gaze from the burning building to the dead girl at their feet.

“Aye” agreed one mournful pedestrian in a thick northern accent

“Get a damned sheet ye nosy cunts, give the poor thing some bloody dignity”

Others began to look about for a suitable shroud and lament the “innocent” young woman’s fate. Gavina was in utter shock that anyone could have turned around their situation so brilliantly, and idiotically, but she did not have long to marvel.

She pushed through the crowd, grabbed William, who had chosen to stay in character and began weeping into a handkerchief someone had offered.

“Good lord have mercy, is there no greater tragedy than the loss of a life not yet lived?!” He wailed in torturous mourning

She pulled him through the crowd back to Bal, who had gently deposited the old man and was thanked graciously for his aid (this time without even using any racial slurs)

“We’ve got teh get out of here, now” Gavina implored, taking a pack out of Bal’s overburdened hands and thrusting it to William.

“The train will be leavin in a bit. Let’s get there, not speak to anyone, and see if we can avoid any more homicide or arson before lunch, got it?” She ordered, making particularly harsh eye contact with William.

“Sounds like a bit of a dull plan considering how the day started off but fine.” He agreed.

Before either of them could register what was happening however, in a lightning fast motion, William was swept off his feet and into the iron grip of Bal Das.

In sharp, practiced motions, a look that was more determined than angry, Bal unleashed a flurry of open handed blows to William’s face, whipping his head back and forth so violently that it was a wonder his neck didn’t break. His normally pale skin was fast turning a shade of deep red on each cheek. But Bal, ever the consummate professional, never once broke skin, or loosened any teeth.

William was dropped to the ground, clutching his burning cheeks in both hands and rolling about in pain after what felt like minutes, but what was really only seconds.

“In the name of all that is..FUCK!!!” William screamed between clenched hands.

“What the thorny cocked devil has gotten into you, you mad man?!!!” His cries more of shock and pain than anger.

“Your actions today have been reprehensible, and therefore, with full authority from your father, I have reprimanded you dear master.” Bal’s deep rumbling tone not seeming quite as servile as usual.

“I am not one to judge or control your behavior my lord, but I will not sit by as you endanger innocent lives. I hope I have communicated this clearly, and we may avoid such disagreeable action in the future. My apologies for the abruptness of your correction.”

“Christ” Gavina thought.

“The bastard slaps the sense out of a man for almost gettin a dozen people killed, and still manages ta come across as the picture of politeness.” This was a quality her father had taught her to recognize as a dangerous red flag. It spoke of hidden depths of violence, and of a lethal level of discipline.

“Have ta keep a closer eye on that one” She thought, not that there weren’t plenty of reasons for the eyes to linger already, though she would never openly admit that, not even to herself.

William was still gingerly prodding his inflamed and swollen cheeks, the distinct impression of large fingers rising off the surface of his stinging face.

“Yes, I can see how my actions might be...interpreted as reckless. But honestly man, I was simply trying to save our fair maiden from the gallows. I couldn’t see any future where we made it to the station without being mobbed with peasants crying for blood.”

The fact that William actually thought something out that well came as a shock to Gavina, who was beginning to think that he flitted about doing things by instinct like some kind of animal, more than a rational thinking man.

“Your concerns were admirable young lord, but your actions were regrettable. Let us avoid such behavior in the future. There is never an excuse to harm or endanger the innocent.” Bal replied solemnly and regretfully. Ever the servant, even when in the right.

“If you ladies are done smoothin out yer skirts, we have a damned train teh catch. Ah’ll not be stuck waitin around here for a constable with half a brain teh catch on to the fact that that stupid sow was tossed out the window well before the buildin caught fire, and that it was our room she was in when it happened.” She reprimanded them.

“Indeed” replied William.

“It is best we don’t rely too heavily on anything I did while my sword and wet stones were throbbing so vigorously. Which reminds me. If this merry band of jesters is going to remain united and dignified, I feel it appropriate to implement a “No random assault” rule among comrades. It really is growing quite old quite fast.” He pleaded, his body aching top and bottom from his recent injuries.

“Agreed” Gavina stated matter of factly.

“Truly?” William questioned, more than a bit skeptical, but childishly hopeful.

“Aye” Came her answer.

“Ah’ll only knock ye one when ye deserve it. No random attacks from me.” Her tone and face not betraying a hint of humor.

“I strike only to correct young master” Was all Bal Das had to add.

William stood dumbfounded for a moment, seeing that he was not going to get anything better, and ultimately was not surprised by the response.

“Very well, so long as we have that settled. I shall do my due diligence to gently correct your various flaws and failures as they make themselves known as well.”

“As is your right master” Answered Bal Das, bowing slightly, knowing well that William was not the type to dish out physical punishment to any servant, much less him.

“Feckin try” Was all he got from Gavina, her eyes threatening him much more effectively than words ever could.

“Don’t poke a bear you plan to share a train with” He thought to himself.

“If only I were better at taking advice”

The walk to the train station was quick and tense. All three of them kept their heads on a constant swivel, while simultaneously trying not to seem suspicious. By no fault of his own however, that was made slightly more difficult by virtue of traveling with Bal Das, the only man for a hundred leagues with skin darker than parchment paper. The three received a few stray looks and sideways glances, but they managed to reach their destination with no conflict.

William saw to the purchase of the return tickets while Gavina and Bal took care of the bagage, and the three of them made their way onto the last passenger car and selected a far corner compartment so as to secure as much privacy as possible. They settled in, and William ordered a cup of tea from the trolley girl, and a wink and a smile got her to add a generous amount of brandy to it. After drinking it down in two large gulps, he informed his fellow travelers that he intended to sleep for the remainder of the journey.

“I seem to have come down with a horrendous ailment, whereby all of my most valuable assets have been stricken with sudden and agonizing pain. A good rest should set me right, and help me escape the cause, if only in my dreams.” With that he snuggled down into his seat, rested his head against the window, and drifted off into a deep slumber to the lullaby of the clacking rails.

Gavina sat and stared at the sleeping young man for a moment. Floored by the fact that someone who had grown up so privileged and comfortable for his entire life could dive headlong into occult plots, slaughtered gypsies and murderous tavern wenches, and just fall straight to sleep like nothing had ever happened.

“Have I made a mistake bringin on this nutter, or is there some off chance that he doesn’t get me killed, arrested or otherwise ruin mah life?” She inquired of Bal, who seemed deep in thought looking at his leg, which Gavina was only just now realizing was still slowly bleeding from the injury he sustained back at the inn.

“Christs alive man are ye alright? Ye ought teh say somethin if yer wounded that damned bad. What use are ye if ye lose yer damned leg ye daft bastard.”

A small look of amusement flitted across the big man’s face and he turned his attention to his wounded appendage.

“I thank you for your concern my lady, but there was no need for me to hinder the group over such a minor injury. I have enough experience on the battlefield to know what my body can and can not undertake. Despite the young masters' admittedly effective distraction, it was still not a good idea to spend too long in the streets.” His voice gentle and deep.

His answer was sincere, with no trace of machismo covering hidden pain or excusing bad decisions. It was the answer of a man who always put the needs of others above those of his own.

Gavina couldn’t help but be impressed. She was no weakling herself but she didn’t think she would have been able to brush off such a large wound so casually, even if she managed to continue on without properly treating it.

She watched as Bal began to retrieve his medical kit once again, and prepare to clean and sew up the wound. Out came little vials of alcohol and salves, a spool of black thread and a large curved bit of polished steel for the needle.

“Might I request that the lady step out for a short walk along the train? I’m afraid that I must discard my trousers and I do not wish to offend.” The genial tone of his voice, and the nature of his request seemed so at odds that it took a moment for Gavina to register what he was asking.

Then it hit her that his blood-caked pants would have to be cut away to get to the wound, and the two of them being relative strangers, as well as his apparent religiosity, would make that an awkward prospect if she were to stay put in their compartment.

“Aye, ah’ll scout out the rest of the train, make sure there’s not another feckin henchman or thug hidin around some corner to cause even more problems.” She stood and quickly turned away, not wanting to make things any more tense than they already were between the two of them. There seemed to be some odd force out there in the world that insisted her and the towering Indian continue to get bloody and half naked around each other.

As she turned to close the sliding door to the private compartment, she caught one last glimpse of Bal as he produced a pair of scissors, turned and bowed his head to her. Their eyes made contact for the briefest of moments and it was far more intimate than what Gavina was typically used to, causing her to kill the moment in the cradle as quickly as it had been born by way of shutting the door and quick stepping down the halls. There was just something uneasy about those dark amber eyes.

She walked up the length of the train, from their last passenger car all the way to the engine room, where she received a polite hello and mild ogling from the soot-covered stokers. Feeling satisfied there were no imminent threats on this half of the train, she back tracked to their cart and headed towards the cargo cars.

She swiftly maneuvered her way through the maze of trunks in the baggage car, and stepped outside, crossing the gap to the mail coach, the final carriage on this train, all while trying not to think too hard about slipping through the gap and under the wheels. As she was halfway through the car she heard a voice call out behind her. She quickly turned around to see a porter shouting at her and waving his hand from inside the baggage cart, the doors on these last cars being fixed open currently.

“Excuse me miss, I’m afraid I must ask what you are doing with the mail. Not up to any thievery I hope?” He said with a somewhat friendly tone of voice, more corrective than scolding.

“Nuthin like that, just headed out the back fer a bit uh air.”

“Ah, I see. Understandable, it can certainly get a bit stale breathing the same air as so many people packed in such a small space. Enjoy your walk miss” The porter said with a smile and a wave, still keeping an eye on her as she turned around.

…………………………………

It felt like he had hardly closed his eyes when William began to feel nature calling, though with how much he had drunk the night before and the excitement of this morning, it was more like nature’s scream. He stood from his seat and noticed Bal sitting pantsless across from him, needle and thread working on closing a deep but thankfully narrow cut on his outer thigh.

“I will never understand how someone can sit still while having a needle poked into them over and over again, disgusting.” He said, remembering his shameful squirming and whimpering when getting his secret tattoo.

“Then I can only imagine how you must have behaved when you received your tattoo.” Bal replied, with an all too casual, and all knowing tone to his voice.

He raised an eyebrow and attempted to inquire

“Though why on earth you would choose to mark your body with a-”

“There will be no further mention or discussion on this subject!” William almost shouted, cutting off his guardian.

“The last thing I need is that beast of a woman knowing about it and having yet another piece of information to berate me with. Lord knows she has plenty. I’m off to the lavatories, do try and stay out of trouble while I’m gone.” The only answer he received was another expertly arched eyebrow.

He turned to go to the water closet, when something odd caught his eye. Coming down the hallway was the most shabbily dressed porter William had ever seen. He was marching towards William with a look of oddly grim determination for someone who should be carrying bags and fetching drinks.

William found himself experiencing a rare moment of clarity, his mind attempting to place the face, when lightning struck. This porter had been at the tavern the night before. In fact, he was the one that Melanie had left to be with William.

“What are the fucking chances?” His soaked and addled brain wondered.

“Not fucking high” The small clump of fully functioning brain cells left to him thought.

He quickly looked down at his feet and began to stumble forward, making sure to bump into the “might be” servant, eliciting an oddly angry response for an employee.

“Watch were your fuckin going” He growled, shoving William back into the wall as he continued on his march.

“Well that is either the worst customer service I have ever experienced, or that man isn’t really a porter.” He thought.

He waited until the ruffian had gotten some distance away before he began stalking as quietly as he was able. He found himself creeping along the entire length of the train, wondering if perhaps it was just some astronomical coincidence, and maybe the bad attitude was due to the fact that William had seduced away his companion for the night, when he saw the porter stop and shout to someone. William ducked behind the edge of a doorway and listened to the exchange. The voice he heard answer back was Gavina’s.

“The odds of this being chance have just dropped drastically” He idiotically whispered to himself, thankfully without being noticed.

He watched the short interaction and nothing of importance seemed to be going on, when suddenly William witnessed the man draw a blade very similar to that which the psychotic seductress had used to skewer Bal. The assassin crept forward and moved to cross between cars, making his way towards Gavina, who with the sound of rushing wind and clacking tracks, was deaf to her impending doom. William took no time to think, leaping into action.

Bolting from his hiding spot, he threw himself forward. With no weapon of his own to fight with, he knew his first move would be critical. As he reached his target, he outstretched his lanky arms and grabbed the sleeves of the disheveled jacket, and flung the man downward with all his might.

…………………………….

Gavina turned and made it the rest of the way through the mail coach, but as she reached the threshold of the rear exit of the train, she heard a brief scream of surprise that quickly faded away to nothing. She whipped around to see William of all people standing in the entrance to the mail car looking somewhat shocked and confused.

“Where the hell did ye come from? What the hell are ye doin standin there like ya just saw a ghost? Where the feck did the fella go that was standin back there 2twobloody seconds ago?”

William straightened himself out, suppressing the shock that had been painted on his face a moment before and addressing his de facto commander.

“One. I had to piss like a racehorse and left the compartment to find the facilities.”

“Two. I recognized this porter as someone from the bar last night and had a suspicion he might have been working with your would be assassin and followed us to the train amid the confusion of the fire.”

“Three. I saw him pull a knife when you turned around, so I grabbed his jacket and threw him beneath the train as he was passing between cars. You may thank me at any moment.” William kept his back ram rod straight and even saluted as though giving a battlefield report.

“Christ almighty ye tossed the fucker off the train? What they hell do ya mean ya recognized him? Are ye sure? If ah find out ye killed some random employee because ye are too bloody stupid to double check-”

“I never forget anyone’s face that I party with. Names, often, but faces, never. He was at the bar all night, and then coincidentally happened to work on the train we take? And what in God's name do you think he was going to do with that knife I mentioned? Carve you a nice piece of cake? I swear on my life he was a spy who likely was working with what’s her name. And instead of finishing us off in the city like I am sure was their plan, he lost us in the confusion of the fire and must have assumed we would be on the first train out of town. I didn’t have any weapons so you should be grateful I was swift enough of mind and action to chuck the bastard under the train, lest he make it back to his employer with an account of what we look like.”

“The bastard makes an irritating amount of sense” She admitted to herself.

“Fine, let’s assume yer right, that means that someone is goin teh a hell of a lotta trouble ta stop us from figurin out who is behind all this….whatever it is we are workin on. When we get ta London we have teh get this feckin mess solved as soon as possible and get to me da. There’s no way cunts willin teh go this far are gonna hold on to a prisoner fer long. This Smelyanski fella better know what the hell he is doin.” Rage and fear gripping her voice after having once again been confronted with how high the stakes were in this game and how twisted the enemy she was facing was.

“Thank ye fer savin me arse, suppose money isn’t the only thing yer good for.”

“The highest of praise coming from you madame. Think nothing of it, it was a simple grab of the jacket and twist of the hips. Thank goodness wheels pulverized him before he could make much more noise, I am starting to get a devil of a headache. Let’s get back to the cabin before we are assailed for a fourth time. I can’t believe of all the enemies in the world, we have caught the attention of the most thorough mastermind in history.”

………………….

They walked back to the cabin in silence and were greeted by Bal, sporting a new pair of trousers, and packing his medical kit.

“Greetings. I am pleased to inform you that my wound was not as wide as I had feared, and should heal nicely in short order. No symptoms but a bit of soreness are to be expected over the next few weeks. Did you have a pleasant walk?”

Glad ta hear it, and aye, right up until the moment some bastard we missed followin us earlier tried ta skewer me, and dandy man here chucked’im under the train.” She gestured at William.

Bal took that in with an expression of grim contemplation.

“That is most distressing news. I apologize for my failure to pick up on the threat. I shall strive to do better in the future. There were far more people about than I am used to observing at once. I am glad the two of you are uninjured. Master William, I am proud to hear you acted so swiftly, you have rescued ms. McKinnon twice now, your father would be proud.” He gave one of his small, polite bows and a faint smile.

“Ah saved you first missy, so don’t go gettin any ideas about life debts and the like. Far as ah’m concerned, if anyone owns anyone here, it’s me with the leash on you.” She shot William a burning look before he could even get out any smart ass remarks.

“Mmmm if only. Sadly that is not part of this partnership my dear. We have both made that abundantly clear. I do however hope that we might make it to the city without another blade wielding, pistol packing basket case attempting to shuffle us off this mortal coil yet again.” He plopped himself down in his seat, followed by Gavina.

They quietly pondered the fact that they had only just begun this mission, had only gathered their first little pieces of information, and their lives had been threatened 3 times in the span of two days. It was an ill omen of what the future held and they all seemed to understand. This was much less a hunt, than a full blown campaign of arms and espionage. Whoever commanded the resources, and the determination to take this many steps to cover up their activities must be a highly formidable enemy, with a particularly nefarious goal.

“Whatever devilish ends our enemy might have in mind, if they are willing to go this far to ensure their success, I suppose we must do all in our power to prevent it from coming to fruition. That means buckling down and cutting out the foolishness you two. No more fraternizing, no matter how strong the attraction might be.” William sleepily mused to his compatriots.

Too tired and fed up with everything else that had been piled upon her today, Gavina for once chose to take the high road, and forsake a biting rebuttal. Instead, she simply plunged her fist into William’s stomach, taking comfort in his gasping and wheezing as she made eye contact with Bal Das, who gave her a concerned look, before eventually offered a regretful nod of the head, acknowledging the lad’s deserving of correction.

As each adventurer made themselves comfortable in turn, William catching his breath before slouching huffily into his seat, Gavina crossing her arms and resting her chin against her collar bone, and Bal turning his back to the window, his eyes drooping but never closing as he kept watch on the door to the compartment, the rhythmic clanking of the train tracks was all the sound that permeated the air of their cabin. The stress and excitement of the day had left everyone mentally exhausted, and in need of quiet self reflection until they reached the metropolis that was London.