Toby, one of the few Irregulars with a regular name rather than a nickname, stood panting out of breath as he handed me the sealed envelope from the Majordomo, which contained a small velvet bag of rings collected by string into three bundles, along with a sealed letter.

  The note was handwritten and from Isaac to me in response to the request Toby had delivered not ten minutes ago. The note read,

  Toby continued his story of the visit seemingly without taking a breath. “And then he let me inside. I wasn’t gonna go in, but he said I’d have stories to tell, and then I was inside and there were mirrors to other cities, and a stairway that drilled into the ceiling, and floaty orbs of all colors around the walls, and trolls! Two trolls! They talked to me and asked me what I wanted. I didn’t know, so I asked if they could sing, and they sang, and danced, and made a lot of noise because their voices were so loud and terrible, and then the Majordomo came back and gave me the letter and-”

  “Thank you, Toby. You were very brave. You should share your story with the other irregulars. A bunch of them are upstairs eating, I think, and-” Toby was gone in a flash, running across the floor until Bella appeared in front of him with one finger raised.

  He skidded to a halt, took a deep breath, and then walked toward the back pillar, looking over his shoulder the whole way. As soon as she turned away from him, he dashed again and disappeared around the back side of the pillar.

  Your irregulars are highly frustrating. Bella said.

  True. They can be at times. I agreed as I read the note a second time, trying to understand his cryptic ending sentence. They are children and full of energy. I replied offhandedly.

  I do not understand them. Their minds are too pliable. It is like walking on an erratic breeze.

  She stood beside me, looking back toward the pillar and sighing.

  “Well, having never walked on any kind of breeze, erratic or not, I’m sure I wouldn’t know. But I’d guess it is a challenge if it is anything like flying, which I have not done very often and spun around a lot before getting my balance.” I said, looking at her with a smile.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Indeed. Still,” She said as she tilted her head to the side, “they can also be mirthful and-” She turned suddenly to look at me. “You are teasing me.” She declared.

  “I’m only happy that you are happy. Frustrated, but happy. I see it in you.”

  Her expression softened, and she started to say something, and then grew serious and said, “The Gray Master and Red are here.”

  Red escorted our cloth merchant, Master Downwin, into the Map Room, which originally had been Showing Room I. They were both seated in the only two chairs available and talking when I walked in. The merchant master greeted me with a smile, and we shook hands. There was a casual familiarity between Red and the Gray Master that I couldn’t help but notice, but I did not comment on it.

  “Are you ready for our trip to the Capital?” I asked, noticing the large and unusually designed cloth travel bag the merchant carried.

  The Gray Master, whom I must get in the habit of calling Master Downwin, saw where I was looking and, with a wide grin, said, “You like my carpet bag?”

  “It is…colorful,” I answered, noting the flamboyant colors and designs.

  He laughed good-naturedly. “It is specially designed for me to carry bolts of cloth.”

  The bag was not large enough for half a bolt of cloth, so I presumed it was magical, much like our own backpacks. But then, given his true work, I was certain he had many such objects at the ready.

  I looked over at Biff, who was hovering near the map and talking with Simon.

  “Biff, could you, Red, and Simon take my empty backpack to the vault, empty your own, and distribute 60 bags of gold among the four of us?”

  Biff raised his eyebrows, “That’s 30,000 gold.”

  Master Downwin quipped, “That’s some fast math for a brawler! Quite remarkable.”

  Biff smiled, showing another missing tooth he earned from the insectoid tail of a Shadow Corpse we fought not long ago.

  The three departed, Red commenting that he also had a backpack, which he was bringing along, and they would split the bags evenly.

  As Biff was the last to leave the room, I said, “Oh, Biff, please handpick one Watchman and one Inquisitor to come along. They will insist more also come, but we can only take seven total so-”

  “Already handled, Patron. “ He said, nodding to me and the merchant before closing the door and leaving us alone in the room.

  Bella, please ensure we are alone here for a bit.

  Of course. She replied.

  The Gray Master had a smirk on his face. “I take it you wanted a private chat before we departed? A warning to be on my best behavior, represent the city, and your honor? Something like that?”

  I looked surprised. “Well, no. Actually, I wanted to tell you about the meeting with the Duke and your request.”

  It was the Gray Master’s turn to look surprised, and then cautious. “Did our little arrangement create trouble for you?” He asked.

  “Yes, but it all worked out for the best. You will have a sizeable force of marines with Holy Order journeyman or brothers accompanying them descend upon Undercity in search of the second necromancer and the thousands of undead that remain.”

  He nodded. “I expected something like that. I’d prefer it if your own people handled the cleanup, of course.”

  “We may include some Special Services as well, but this has moved from a special project to a military project, and the other Commanders will see it through. It is likely that some wizards and elementalists will join as well.”

  “I saw how useful they can be firsthand and would welcome them, of course.”

  “Are you able to depart the city during this time in Undercity?” I asked.

  He paused before answering. “I won’t be gone long, and the trip has multiple purposes behind it, one of which will bear directly upon its defenses.”

  I waited for him to explain further, but he did not elaborate. It was useless to ask, and so I slowly reached into my robes. “You will be wanting these,” I said as I pulled a bag from an inner pocket that jangled when I handed it to him. “Here are 21 Limited Teleportation rings to the capital.”

  He took the bag.

  “The Duke said that he would handle the one not covered and indicated on this list,” I added and handed him the letter with the Duke’s initials and seal.

  His hand did lower to his side when my hand went into my robes, but we both pretended nothing had occurred. He was naturally jumpy.

  He broke the seal and looked over the list. “I admit that I am a bit surprised he signed off on this, and officially no less.”

  “I am personally accountable for it,” I replied.

  He looked at me for a moment and then raised his eyebrows. “You took a position on my behalf even though you did not agree with this venture.”

  I did not say anything.

  “Thank you Gwydion. I believe we may have prevented some significant tragedies and vulnerabilities by doing this.”

  “I know you do. I don’t know enough to make such a judgment, but I trust you.”

  His eyebrows went up again.

  I chuckled. “I know who you are and what you are. That said, I trust you.”

  He did not say anything.

  “However, Bella and the team have insisted that a new policy be enforced immediately.”

  “Oh?” He said.

  “Yes, nobody with any form of magic that prevents detection or Bella’s ability to read minds will be allowed in the Shoppe any longer without first removing it. You will find similar requirements in some official buildings, although the procedure used will be different, of course.”

  “I see.” He replied. Then he looked up. “Wait. You could have insisted on that before this meeting.” He looked around. “In fact, you should have insisted on it. I bet Bella is not happy with you.”

  She stood beside and slightly behind the Gray Master.

  “True.” She said.

  The Gray Master moved so fast that he was just a blur. He twisted and leaped out of the chair, had his back to a wall, and a dagger in his hand, pointing at Bella before I could think to react.

  She smirked and disappeared.

  “I think she may be the death of me.” He said with a deep sigh.

  With a little chuckle, I said, “That may have been her point.”

  He looked at me sharply, saw me smiling, and let out a loud hoot of laughter. “You are not wrong, Patron, you are not wrong!” And he laughed again.

  He put the knife away and said, “Very good. I’ll have your money shipped to you later today.”

  “Instead of sending it to me, could you please see that it is sent to the bank and deposited into the Ears Academies account? It was created today.”

  He shrugged. “As you wish.”

  Biff is returning, and they are ready to leave. Bella informed me.

  “It’s time for us to go shopping,” I said as I stood up.

  “My favorite hobby.” Master Downwin said with another, quieter laugh.

  I bet it was, I thought to myself, and couldn’t help but smile wider.