“I still don’t know how you got from Liram to Ithion in only two weeks,” Quillic said. He chewed a stick of beef jerky thoughtfully. “You don’t even have a crew.”

  “I have a fast ship, what can I say?” Mira said defensively, her arms crossed.

  The B.U.M.M.s had already offloaded several tons of wool onto the dock, and local stevedores were busily carrying it from the dock to a nearby warehouse under Quillic’s watchful eye. Mira could not have done this without the B.U.M.M.s (Benevolent Unpiloted Maintenance Mechanicals), which were Seeker golems standing ten feet tall made of solid steel. They had four sturdy legs and many arms, each with a different tool on the end used in doing their mundane tasks. They were already back in the hold of the Unseen Blade silently awaiting their next task. Though they were incredibly useful and good at what they did, Mira didn’t want to draw too much attention. She was here by herself, after all. Even though she had three T.U.R.D.s on her ship also, she couldn’t rely on them to protect her when she was away from her ship. T.U.R.D.s (Terrifying Unpiloted Reapers of Destruction) were the more militant version of Seeker golems that were good for only one thing, killing. They had four legs and four arms, the upper arms holding scimitars and the lower arms having circular saw blades at the ends, and she knew from experience that they would make short work of most pirate crews.

  “Still, I’m glad to have had your help,” Quillic said. “After losing much of our herds to renders this year, this wool is sorely needed.” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the profits to come.

  “Glad I could help,” Mira said. She waited for a moment but seeing that he was lost in a daydream of huge piles of gold, she cleared her throat loudly and gave a significant glance down to Quillic’s belt, where he had two pouches of money tied securely.

  Quillic snapped out of his daydream and caught the hint. “Right, right.” He reached down to the larger of the two pouches and untied it, then handed it to Mira. “There you go. The bonus is in there also, just like we discussed. Fair and square,” he said.

  “Fair and square,” Mira said, hefting the pouch. “My thanks.”

  Mira turned to her ship, the Unseen Blade, and strode over the gangway to board the vessel. She closed the large door to her hold to keep it secure from any scoundrels lurking nearby, then used the command word to open the smaller door to the officer’s cabin. She went down the short hallway to the captain’s quarters and poured out the pouch onto her little desk to count it out. As it turns out, it was all there, and because she didn’t have to split it with anybody, she now had enough money to last her for an entire year. Maybe two years. At this rate, she’d be rich before she knew it. The Unseen Blade was the real treasure, though. It was unique in many ways.

  Mira was feeling a little homesick and sat on the bed absent mindedly flipping a gold coin across her knuckles as she thought about the friends she left behind. She looked at the books of magical lore on the small bookshelf above the desk and shook her head. Normally her study of magic was enough to get her mind off of me, Bran, Elle and Bandit, but she just didn’t feel like reading. It had been a while since she had a good, home cooked meal, so she put her recent payment into the locker at the foot of her bed, put on her boots, and left to find a tavern with good food. As she was leaving the pier, she saw the harbormaster at his little office, lounging in a chair in the shade of his covered porch, and she went over.

  “Afternoon, captain,” the harbormaster said when Mira stepped on his porch.

  “Afternoon. Your duties, sir,” Mira said as she paid him the dock fees.

  “Ithion thanks you,” he said, casually mentioning the city he was employed by.

  Mira was startled, but she hid it well. She was a little too familiar with Ithion’s handiwork. “Where would you go to get some good food around here?” Mira asked.

  “The Storm’s Haven is two blocks down that way,” the harbormaster said, pointing. “They’ve got a place I wouldn’t mind taking my daughter to. Food’s good. Beer’s better, and you’re not likely to get into a bar fight there.”

  “My thanks. Good day,” Mira said.

  The harbormaster gave a lazy salute as Mira walked away. She found the tavern easily enough and walked in. It was a comfortable place, and the low murmur of patrons enjoying an ale after a hard day’s work was different from the frantic pace of some other taverns. It was still late afternoon, and there were probably two dozen people here enjoying a meal or a drink. Mira selected a booth where she could see the whole taproom and sat down. The barmaid saw her and came over right away.

  “Welcome!” the young and slightly over-exuberant barmaid said. “I’m Glinna. We have a mutton roast tonight if you’re interested. What can I get for you?”

  “I’ll have the mutton and whatever goes well with that,” Mira said.

  “Red wine it is! I’ll be right back!” Glinna wove happily through the crowd to fill her order.

  Mira scanned the crowd for anyone who stuck out. It was an old habit she’d picked up as a child to help her pass the time. She used to play a game where she picked a person out of the crowd, then followed that person around to see how they acted and spoke with the goal of imitating them later. In her late childhood, that game had helped her to identify criminals and follow them around to find out what they did and how. These days, that game would help her identify a potential assassin before they were able to strike. Hopefully.

  Visions of the horror she underwent while being hunted in the catacombs beneath the Temple of the Overgod filled her mind. She dismissed the thoughts as quickly as she could with a little shiver, then watched Glinna as she worked. Glinna was a happy girl around fifteen years old and seeing her ready smile and frequent laughter as she spoke with the regulars put Mira at ease. Glinna came back and set a glass of wine and a plate of mutton with vegetables in front of her. Mira nodded her thanks and dug in. It smelled fantastic, and soon found that it tasted just as good as it smelled.

  Mira scanned the room again, looking for the most interesting person. There wasn’t anyone to speak of until three younger people entered the tavern and sat at a nearby table, catching her attention. Secretive glances while she ate told her they were probably in their mid-twenties. The least interesting person was a man in a gray shirt and dark pants who wore a cutlass at his side. He had shoulder length brown hair that hadn’t been washed today. Or maybe yesterday, either. He was laughing at something said by a woman next to him at the expense of a third man.

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  The woman was wearing a red shirt that was far too tight with nothing underneath it, and with her figure, even Mira had a look. She had long, black hair that was slightly curly at the ends, and she wore black pants that fit tightly, instantly gathering the attention of every man in the place. Most women wore dresses in Ithion, so she stood out a bit. Some of the locals had noticed her, as well, and she seemed to encourage their attention by leaning over the table from time to time and by smiling a lot. Her blue eyes had something of a predatory aspect to Mira’s discernment, though.

  Mira surreptitiously focused her attention on the third man, who seemed to lead the conversation. She couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was. He had good hair, for one. It was a sandy blonde that was short, but not too short, and was freshly combed to the side. He had an expressive face with a good chin and jawline, and he had perfect teeth. His eyes were bright blue and inviting. Mira suddenly took greater interest in her food before he caught her eye. He wore a freshly washed white shirt with a blue vest that was a little tight, but not in a bad way. Mira was sure that he was lean and fit under those clothes, and he had a slightly roguish quality about him that she found to be very magnetic. The three had taken the table next to Mira’s and ordered.

  “I tell you truly, Tibek,” the handsome rogue said, “I was in a tavern just yesterday morning where the barmaid was carrying coffee to her customers with her thumb dunked in their coffee cup.”

  “Ugh. No way anyone does that,” Tibek said.

  “I assure you, my friend, I saw it,” the man was saying. “One of the other patrons saw it also and confronted her about it. ‘Oy! Whatcha doin’ there wi’ yer thumb dunked in me coffee?!’ he said. He looked very angry.” The way he mimicked the other patron’s voice and body movements was hilarious to Mira, and she listened intently, watching him from the corner of her eye.

  “Well? What did the barmaid say to that?” Tibek asked.

  “She calmly told him that she had hurt her thumb in an accident, and that a doctor told her to keep it someplace hot and moist so it could heal faster. Well, the customer wasn’t having any of that! He said ‘Well, why don’t ye stick yer thumb up yer arse!’ to which the barmaid replied ‘Well, I do when I’m not carrying coffee!’”

  All three of them erupted in laughter at that, and Mira was surprised enough by the punch line that she snorted in laughter also. She tried to hide it by turning away and wiping her nose like she had just sneezed or something, but when she turned back to her food, the handsome rogue was looking right at her with a very attractive smile directed Mira’s way. It was obvious to everyone at their table that she’d been eavesdropping.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear,” Mira said, blushing and smiling. “It was a good joke.”

  “Thanks!” the man said. “I’m Jamor. These are my friends Shawna and Tibek. Why don’t you join us? We’re always looking to make new friends.”

  Mira was cautious, but she was also lonely from her recent travels. Jamor seemed to be smiling only for her, so she brushed her caution aside. Why not? She thought. They seem like fun people.

  “That’d be kind of you. Thanks,” Mira said as she pushed her almost empty plate aside. She put a few coins on the table to pay for her meal and joined them at theirs. “I’m Mira.”

  “Well met! Glinna!” Jamor called out. “Make it two rounds, please!”

  -----

  Mira awoke to a terrible headache. She opened her eyes for a brief moment, but the light made her headache worse and she quickly shut them again. She sat up suddenly in bed, because what she saw made no sense. She was in someone else’s bed! Her head throbbed with the sudden movement, but she looked around anyway. The bedroom she was in had very little in it, just a bed, a nightstand with a chamber pot, and a chest of drawers in a rather drab house. The white paint was flaking off the walls in spots, especially near the partially open window. She looked down at herself and was relived beyond words to find that she still had all her clothes on except her boots. The linen shift she wore beneath her light gray shirt was even still in place, and her dark gray pants were still laced up securely. She still had her money purse secured to her belt, and all her weapons were in place, too. She breathed a sigh of relief that things weren’t worse, then put her hand to her forehead and groaned. She had never drunk this much before, and she certainly regretted it. Mira was usually a lot more cautious.

  Very slowly and deliberately, Mira put her boots on and stood. She slowly padded to the door and tried the handle. It opened to reveal a common room with a table and four chairs and a decrepit looking sofa with someone sleeping on it under a blanket. The room itself had wood floors that had lost their shine a decade ago. The white walls had a few holes in them. There were two doors here, the heavier of which Mira would bet led outside. There were two windows near a wood burning stove where sunlight streamed cheerily through. From the angle of the sun, Mira guessed it was getting close to noon. She padded slowly and carefully across the room, then stepped on a floorboard that let out a very noticeable squeak. Mira froze, but the damage was done.

  The form on the couch stirred and raised itself to one elbow, apparently a very light sleeper. It was Jamor, and he ran a hand through his hair as he regarded her with a half-smile. Amazingly, his hair looked good even when he’d just woken up. Mira froze, like a child caught stealing a cookie.

  “Good morning,” Jamor said slowly. “You weren’t trying to get out of buying breakfast, were you?”

  “Breakfast?” Mira asked. She squinted a bit but remembered nothing about breakfast.

  “Yeah. You said that you’d gladly buy breakfast in exchange for help getting to bed,” Jamor said. It seemed to Mira that he may be making that up but decided to take him at his word. His good looks had her at a big disadvantage, and her thoughts spun. She definitely wanted to get to know him a little more, so she decided to play along.

  The smaller door opened and out walked Shawna, clad in only a short linen shift. It didn’t leave much to the imagination, but Jamor seemed not to even notice. His eyes were fixed on Mira’s, and she found herself very flattered that he was interested in her and not Shawna.

  “Good morning,” Shawna said pleasantly. She padded barefoot over to the table, where a pitcher and a few goblets were. She then helped herself to a goblet of whatever was in the pitcher.

  “I don’t remember saying that,” Mira said slowly, smiling coyly. “In fact, I don’t remember much about last night at all.”

  “Well, we all had a very good time last night at the Haven, then Tibek and I had to almost carry you here. You were in no condition to locate your ship,” Jamor said. He casually sat up on the sofa and let the blanket rest in a heap next to him. He was wearing his pants but was bare chested. He was very athletic, and Mira couldn’t help but shift her gaze down his muscled form as she spoke.

  “I don’t usually drink so much,” Mira said. She paused. “Thanks for seeing to my safety, uh…”

  “Jamor.”

  “Jamor. It was a very gentlemanly thing you did to not take advantage of a damsel in distress.” Mira finished with clasping her hands in front of her with a fawning look that she imagined a noble born lady would adopt.

  “You don’t have to thank me for that,” Jamor said. “It was the right thing to do.”

  “Watered wine?” Shawna said. She held up the pitcher.

  “Sure. Thanks,” Mira said. She was pretty thirsty and had a rather sour taste in her mouth that she really didn’t want Jamor to notice.

  Jamor stood and stretched but waited until she finished drinking. “So how about breakfast?” he asked.

  “You know what? I don’t have any place I need to be today. Breakfast sounds good.”