Blackrock Mercenaries

It took far longer to get everything ready for the trip then I would have liked. Reeds had allowed us, with the direct order he would get it back, to borrow his coach and horses once again. That meant despite my slight hangover, I had to be up early to get that ready. A fact which allowed me to see the display from the rest of the household.

Rita was the easiest to wrangle. She walked downstairs, dressed in her work clothes, and already bathed and ready. Sheryl quickly roped her into the kitchen, where they walked until Sasha came back. Not from upstairs, I noticed, but through the front door. The look on her face made it clear she wouldn't be answering questions about her whereabouts the night before. Not that anyone had much of a doubt.

Penny was last, half dressed and yawning. She looked about ready to fall asleep at the table through breakfast. Sasha pestered her with questions, but she simply told her she hadn't slept well. That didn't surprise me. I knew she hadn't come home until far after the rest of us. Her rather energetic display at the party meant she had probably burned through even her nearly infinite energy reserves.

"Do you have everything organized?" Rita asked, as she pushed away her now empty bowl.

"I need to tend to the horses." My own bowl joined hers, and then I began to pack up the rest despite Sheryls protests of my status as a guest. "Other than that, it's picking up the Mayor and leaving town."

Penny's yawn made me wince at how wide her mouth opened, and the sharp teeth within. "What about the money?"

"The mayor has it, it'll be there."

"And the Howlers?" She asked.

That made me pause. They could be a problem, but I doubted it. Not unless they wanted to try something really stupid, like a last stand at the gates. It was possible of course, but I hoped they wouldn't. When I met Penny's eye, it was clear she was expecting an answer.

"Then we deal with them. I'm not interested in delaying this."

She smiled and leaned onto my shoulder. "You're the best, do I get to shoot one?"

"In the face."

"Really?" Penny's tired laugh made me shake my head. "You used to be so anti-violence."

"I blame you."

"Mm, you should."

With a flick of her tail that tapped against my back, she sat up and stretched. "I'm going to go get ready."

"Please do," Sasha snarked. "You need a bath."

"So do you if you don't want people asking questions."

"Hey!"

I left them to their bickering, and moved with Sheryl into the kitchen. With Jenkins lessons in my head, I helped her clean up amid the sound of clinking dishes and soft water splashes. She looked over at me when we were halfway done and smiled.

"You are coming back, correct?"

"I would have thought you were sick of me by now ma'am," I said, trying to sound diplomatic though I couldn't quite hide the smile.

"Cheek." She swatted at me with a dish towel. "You know Reeds is a fan of how you look after the horses."

Poker Face couldn't hide my contented smile. "They're good animals."

"That they are, and you didn't answer my question." She held up a recently washed spoon for emphasis and I held up my hands.

"The truth is, that I'm not sure. I would like to, but I'm not sure I'm cut out for this life."

"Why does that matter?"

Her words caught me off guard, and I looked at her, finding her, eyebrow raised watching me like one would a child about to make a mistake. I paused, and thought about how I wanted to answer. When it didn't immediately come to me, I returned to finishing off the dishes. As that distraction vanished, her impatience for an answer hung heavier on my shoulders.

"Because I think one should be suited for the job they do. I've fired people for that exact thing. Besides, I'm hardly a moral paragon."

Sheryl snorted, and her fox tail swished behind her. "You didn't give in to Penny, you got them work. As for being a moral paragon? Who is? Do better. Keep them in work, and you'll be doing good."

"You really care about them don't you."

It wasn't a question, not really, but she took it as one anyway. "Of course."

"Then I won't disappoint you."

"As you shouldn't."

Not long after she left, I found everyone ready to go. Rita and the others were in the coach, and I sat on the drivers bench as we made our way through town. Though I wanted to find the Mayor, and get on the road, there was one more person I needed to speak to first. Thankfully, Lord Henry didn't make himself difficult to find.

He stood with his knights as the Merchants and his servants packed up around him. Upon seeing him, I stopped our ride, and got down, moving over to shake his hand.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" I asked, after a quick bow.

"Alas, I am." He smiled, and glanced towards the coach where the three women waited. "This has been quite the experience, but I need to get home. You have granted me quite the boon, however. If you ever need me, please, let me know."

"Of course, it was our pleasure."

An awkward grunt from behind us made me turn, and I saw a large crystal being loaded onto a wagon and securely strapped down. The sight of a legendary monster core made me raise an eyebrow.

"We went back for it, I needed proof," Lord Henry explained without sounding remorseful in the slightest.

"It makes sense."

Together we watched the men work, until he was called away. After another brief handshake, we made our way to the square and the mayor's office. It was still half decked in decorations for the flower festival. Out the front of the building, I spotted Mayor Gage himself, standing alongside Simmons who had a large foot resting on our chest of gold.

A smile tried to break through Poker Face at the sight. I was glad he had made sure that someone had looked after our chest. I stopped the coach, and climbed down, not bothering to open the doors. This stop wouldn't take long.

"Mayor Gage, you have our money."

"All present and accounted for," He sniffed at my question, as though my casual tone affronted him. "Did you think otherwise?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You did have me help you out from underneath a gambling debt."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

He went red, but I ignored him, turning and holding out a hand to Simmons who shook it. "Would you be willing to help me count it?"

"That's not required." Mayor Gage sounded like he was about to start shouting. "How dare you—"

"My employer wants me to make sure. Unless you want to discuss this face to face with her?" I lied smoothly, and his gaze went to my placid expression to Simmons smirk.

He didn't say another word, simply stomping to the coach and opening the door. I heard Penny greeting him, before it slammed shut with another force to get a small whinny from the horses. That made me frown, and Simmon shook his head.

"Our mayor should know better."

"Yes."

With that out of the way, we did our count. It wasn't difficult work, and we finished quickly. When combined without previous earnings, and payments, all twenty-five thousand gold was inside. I smiled at Simmons as he closed the lid and helped me secure it to the back of the coach.

"Thank you good sir, I'd tip you, but as you can see I'm broke."

A guttural laugh met that, and he slapped me on the back hard enough I almost fell over. With a tug on the straps to make sure everything would sit correctly, I moved to the driver's seat and got us moving towards the gates.

The streets were quiet, and I moved along them with little issues. More of The Howlers watched me go, but guards joined us,marching beside the coach as best they could. At the gate, I saw Captain Roderick standing there alongside an unhappy Moe. He glared as the Captain saluted, and I mirrored the gesture. Then, we were outside, and off to Crecia and paying the bounty that had started this mess.

The week of travel went far faster than I had expected. Despite the new influx of gold, I picked the types of Inns that Reeds would have, ignoring Mayor Gage's displeasure. We simply didn't have the discretionary funds for anywhere nicer, and besides, I found myself enjoying the atmosphere.

We did odd jobs as well, mostly local things to earn food and board. Penny took delight in the small hunts, and I found myself dragged along with her until I was down to my last bullet. Days turned into nights into days, and soon we reached Ophilim.

I found myself excited to see what had become of The Witch's Brew and the two who worked it. Neither had sent a letter in a while, though I wouldn't have been easily reachable if they had. The horses trod into town, and we moved towards The Frogs Wart. Though I doubted Mr. Whithers would be pleased to see us again.

There was something in the air as we travelled, and I found myself glancing around. People on the street acted normally, but as we reached the square I noticed something missing. The set up for The Witches Brew was gone.

A frown crossed my face, and when we arrived at The Frogs Wart I didn't waste time getting the horses settled. The door opened quickly, and Mr. Withers stood there, his eyes wide as he watched me.

"You?" He sounded startled, as he ran a hand over his bald head. "You can't—"

No hesitation touched my voice as I turned to him. "I can. Where are those two children?"

His hands twitched, and he glanced at me and then he saw the door open and Rita stepped out. She was followed by a grinning Penny, and then the Mayor, who I noticed paused long enough to help Sasha down. That should have been my job, but I was focused on other things.

"I… that is to say."

"Did we not have a conversation about why it would be a bad idea to lie to me last time we were here, Jasper?" I stressed his first name, in an effort to make it more personal.

"Yes."

"Then where are they?"

Thoughts of the potential answers came to mind, and I couldn't help but worry. As Rita looked at Jasper, he stepped back, and swallowed audibly.

"Inside. With.. with my other guest."

"Who?" Rita demanded, her hand already on her weapon as she glared at the Innkeeper.

Jasper stepped towards the door and opened it, his hands shaking almost as much as his voice. "Mr. Jackal."

***

It wasn't the experience I expected. When walking in, I imagined another set up like the one with Hester. The kids tied up, and Jackal made threats. What I found was a table covered in food, and both Theo and Maddison sitting there chatting happily amongst themselves. Jackal himself sat, his gloved hands resting on the table, with no weapons in site. Rita stood slightly behind me, as did Sasha and Penny.

We had the thought of sending the latter around the back, but Jasper warned us against it. Mayor Gage had elected to stay in the coach, which no one had objected to. At our entry, Maddison piped up and waved a spoon at us in greeting.

"Hi, Mr. Burling!"

"Good afternoon Maddison," I said, doing my best to keep my voice even. "Theo. How is the business treating you?"

"Really good, I mean, it's well sir," Theo said, his tone changing from childish to an attempt at professionalism.

"Sit."

As Jackal gestured from me to the single empty chair, I realised that it was the first time I had heard the man speak. His voice was surprisingly normal. No growl, or particular depth to it. That sat at odds with his appearance.

I pointed at myself. "You do know I'm not in charge of this company, or what Miss. Thrumlin does?"

"Yes, I am aware." he made the gesture again. "You are a businessman, however. This is a business deal."

"Truly? I don't think I've ever seen this many children at a meeting like this before."

"Collateral." His tone was smug.

Mine matched his, even as I took the seat. "Obviously, but you're making a mistake. You need more than collateral to secure a deal. A proposition for instance. Take mine. My companions won't have you killed if you simply go out the back and vanish. No one needs to get harmed."

Maddison gasped, and Theo's hand trembled. Jackal simply watched me, his expression unreadable through the mask. When he did speak, his words didn't fill me with confidence.

"Mr. Burling, you are aware of the Lace Courier Companies propensity to ship alchemical reagents, yes?" He didn't so much as twitch.

It took effort not to glance towards the children, or the meals they were enjoying. "It's a piece of information that has come up."

"And you know that we have Inns that give such things out to customers, you experienced that yourself did you not? It was how we figured out Rita made it back home."

"Please get to your point." I leaned back in my chair, and tried to ignore the subtle hiss that was coming from behind me, Penny most likely.

"I have the cure they need." I had to hand it to him, he didn't sound guilty about it. "You have over Rita, I tell you the cure, and I'll leave while your alchemist makes it."

The slight tapping of my fingers on the table did little to hide the "And why should we believe you?"

"What other choice do you have?" He sounded smug.

"Simple. I kill you, and hope Sasha can figure it out before they die. These children are an investment, yes, but money isn't my problem. Not right now. What do you say to that?"

"You're lying."

"Are you willing to test me on it?"

Everything went still, and I refused to budge. The truth was, I didn't think I could do it. Rita wouldn't let me, that was for sure. Already I could imagine her doing one of those near silent arguments with Sasha and Penny about it. Theo and Maddison were watching me, eyes slightly teary. Jackal stayed silent.

"Well?" I pressed.

"Do it." He shrugged. "If I come back empty handed, I'm dead anyway. You think the Peol Mercenaries are going to be any more gentle with me then you are?"

A frown here wouldn't kill my negotiation so I let it happen. "What do they have to do with anything?"

"Don't play coy. You think we want her? We're a delivery company, plan and simple."

That made me pause. He spoke the truth. They were a courier company, it made sense they were middle man. The Peol Mercenaries being involved was strange though. Why would they care?

"Your opinion on my motives aside, the children don't have an infinite amount of time." As if on cue, Theo let out a cough and rubbed his mouth. "Dispense of me, or hand her over. Make a choice."

Neither sounded appealing, so I attempted a third desperate option. "You could join up with us."

"No."

"Alright. Penny, shoot him."

"Penny, do not shoot him!" Rita's voice cut through the air. "I'll go."

"We did this already," I pointed out.

"And we'll do it again."

She dropped her sword, and moved to the table as Jackal smiled, and stood up. "I'll leave the antidote in the stables. Thank you for the coach, by the way."

"No." I reached into my pocket, and Maddison gasped as my gun appeared.

"She's already agreed."

"Touch my horses, and I will shoot you." There was no room for negotiation in my voice. "Take Jasper's mare, but don't you touch mine."

The innkeeper shot me an irritated look, but I didn't care. "Sorry Jasper, but if I don't bring those horses back, I'm dead."

To my relief, he laughed. "Fine. Don't come out for, let's say, ten minutes. I'll leave the ingredients you need."

"Agreed."

I hated it, but Rita was the boss. With frustration, I sat and watched him go, before looking at the clock.

"This is going to be a long ten minutes."

"Do we have a plan," Penny asked, coming up behind me even as Theo went to comfort his sister.

"Yes." I looked at her. "Tell me. Do you know how to ride?"

"Of course."

"Then let's have a quick meeting, and then we have a horse to saddle."

As Sasha moved to settle the kids, and Jasper dithered at the side of the room, Penny and I discussed our time. When the clock showed that it was time I stood up, and all three of us raced into the stables to see what he had left.