Everybody stared at Mendax. Mendax stared back.
Willing them to believe him was not enough.
From a dark iron bracelet that had been hidden underneath his sleeve, he pulled a letter. Unlike Lacuna's bag where she reached into it, Mendax held his hand out and seemingly willed the letter into existence.
He pushed it towards Aureum.
"Check the handwriting."
Aureum read the short letter to the rest.
"Continue. There may be a bonus if you find my daughter in a hurry. Signed Calces Zizan."
Her hands began to shake.
"It really looks like Dad's handwriting."
She put her hand to her mouth. The gathered men looked at her in similar frozen horror as a tear streaked down her eye.
"I'm so relieved!"
Gaudi and Sitis relaxed. Mendax's shoulders grew tighter, though nobody noticed but he.
"I was scared half to death! I thought you were going to kill me or something!"
"You truly were just sent here to make certain she was safe?" Sitis asked.
Mendax stiffly nodded.
"Technically, I might also be ordered by her father to drag her back, but I haven't received his reply yet."
As they got farther from Nix, it would take longer for letters to be sent and a reply to be made. Of course, the week in Fluentem hadn't been enough for him to get a reply from Calces.
Mendax allowed himself to sink into his natural way of speaking. He was too shocked to try and speak anyway different.
It had been foolish to try and keep up the accent for so long. It worked for short meetings with clients, but when traveling with people, he didn't last two weeks.
This entire endeavor I've been an idiot.
"Thank Bonum's guidance and Malum's negligence," Aureum said.
It felt like cold steel stabbed him.
"But I'm still going to need you to stop," Aureum said.
"Stop?" Mendax repeated.
"Stop the following. The surveillance. Whatever you call it yourself. I've lost my mind ever since I came to Fluentem."
"Can I at least—
"No. I don't care what my father promised you. If it's just money I'll pay you to leave, really."
"That would ruin my reputation," Mendax said.
His last ditch attempt to salvage anything. He still couldn't plead for it.
"What reputation? How does stalking someone else's daughter help it?" Aureum mocked.
Mendax flinched.
She was right, but her correctness wouldn't save this situation from going wrong.
He should strike now. While their guard was down when he could reclaim what little control of the situation he had left.
Summon a blade of ice and cut the stranger's throat. They would be expecting him to draw his swords. If he was fast he might do it.
The stranger was probably weaker than Sitis, but Mendax was the most unfamiliar with him. So less surprises in taking him out first.
Then Sitis would try to protect Aureum.
Instead of taking him out directly, it would be best to redirect him. The shadowed cobbled road would be simple enough to ice.
Sitis was slow. Once he was redirected, it would be easy to go around him.
Surprise at his friend's death and timing would make Sitis fall for it. Even if he remained focused, a man dying next to him was difficult to ignore.
Hopefully, they're friends.
Aureum would be open to deal with. Just a moment. One small window before Sitis righted himself. Even if he had to suffer a pierced wound, it would likely only be one.
She still hadn't fumbled her needles out of their pocket after all. And when he came within reach it would be too late.
She had no defense.
Sitis could be chipped away at afterwords, a thousand small cuts to bleed him out. If he ran, so would Mendax.
It's not like a warrior from Bonumbas would be able to see his connection to the Lord of Nix. The locals of Fluentem wouldn't be able to dig too deep into Nix either. Mendax wasn't officially connected to Lord Nix. As long as he made it out alive, Mendax would be fine.
It would be a mess, but not an insurmountable one.
But.
His body refused to move. He watched her, in a cold sweat.
The cold sweat was normal. The heart beating like a drum was also normal.
It was normal before combat. Only trueborn killers felt nothing.
Move.
"How about this," Aureum said. "I'll meet you at the Dragon's Burned Hoard in a week."
Aureum chose it because it was the only other place she knew to meet in Fluentem that wasn't the inn she was staying at. She also wasn't concerned with trashing the place by accident.
"You won't follow me in that week. You won't try to contact me. If you do follow me, then you can deal with trying to collect any fee without me."
Even if he could keep finding her, Aureum knew how far away he was. Unless he could outpace her, he would never catch her.
Mendax didn't know this.
"We'll see," he said.
His voice was as flat as she'd ever heard it.
"That's it?" Gaudi said. "We let him go?"
Sitis looked at Aureum. She shrugged.
"I guess we'll see how it goes from here."
"I'll be at that meeting," Sitis said.
"You're welcome to it," Aureum said.
Sitis eyes moved back to Mendax.
"Go," Sitis said. "We'll be watching,"
Mendax backed away slowly. More plans formed in his mind's eye. He acted on none of them. Instead, he skulked away like a common criminal.
"I'm sorry, but are you sure you'll be all right?" Gaudi said when Mendax was gone. "Why aren't we just beating his head in? That usually helps bring some sense."
Sitis shrugged.
"He's sketch as can be. But if what he's said is true, we don't have a reason."
"What about just preemptively? His face won't suffer much."
"How about I treat you two?" Aureum said. "It'd be a shame for us to waste the day on this."
"I never say no to free food," Gaudi said.
Sitis stood with his arms crossed, still eying the direction Mendax went.
"You can sense when he's coming?" Sitis said.
"Yeah," Aureum said. "I already told you."
"If he heads in your direction, don't hesitate to come to me."
Aureum's eyes narrowed.
"Or go to the guard at least."
Aureum doubted after seeing the specimens of Fluentem's guard that they'd do much more than give her pleasing words, but she nodded.
"Let's go eat then."
———————————————————
Despite Sitis' worry, Mendax didn't even turn in her direction that week.
It made sense, after all, him being hired by her father. Why would Caducus waste so much effort on her? Right now she was nobody to him.
Aureum spent one blissful day relaxed. The pretext was to wait and see what he did. In reality, she dozed the day away in comfort.
And then she turned her attention away from him. The thread of mana was still in effect, of course.
Before anything else changed, she needed to assure herself that Vitreum would be fine.
Benedic hadn't kept up the politeness after their meeting at the pub. He never left a follow-up letter at the Pale Lady. Aureum had no choice but to wait around at the Dragon's Burned Hoard.
For a few days, he didn't show up despite the people there assuring her, "that he showed up at least every night."
It figured that when she had a moment of free time, he would be busy.
All I need is to follow him and see that Vitreum is all right. Is that so hard?
It seemed so.
At the end of another long evening sipping beer, she decided to change her strategy. She didn't need to meet Benedic. She needed to see Vitreum. Maybe she could do that directly.
All she knew about Vitreum was that she had a kitten and the child liked candy.
Two vague facts true of a lot of kids.
Instead of spending her next day at the pub, she spent her mornings wandering the city's selections of sweets.
Every high-pitched tantrum made her turn, but the way she finally found Vitreum was the meeting between dedication and luck. A little window store's owner, for there was no inner building for the customers, spoke of a girl who babied a kitten.
Aureum didn't even hear this but in passing, the owner was talking to some acquaintance of his.
"Excuse me, did that girl have blond hair?"
Aureum broke into their conversation.
"Yes? I think so? Do you know her?"
"Ah, yes," Aureum said. "Well, the girl I know with a white kitten is a bit of a brat. I don't know if this girl is the same."
"Oh, she was here but a moment ago. She treated her little kitten like a king. It was adorable."
"Really? It couldn't have been the girl I knew then."
Aureum continued her way. Her eyes were looking for Vitreum, but she had no real hope. It was her second day of wandering like this. The hours had a way of wearing down unrealistic and realistic expectations alike.
Even if she had expected Vitreum, she wouldn't have been prepared for what she saw.
Vitreum carried her white kitten on a velvet cushion in her arms. The little thing had a gem-encrusted collar. That was the least of the sight.
What was most astonishing for Aureum was how Vitreum walked with all the ceremony of a ring bearer at a wedding.
For a kitten.
That somehow decided to stay there. He was puffing himself up, wasn't he?
"Make way for his majesty Snowfluffles!"
"Are you kidding me—
"MAKE WAY!"
That snapped Aureum out of it. That was the Vitreum she was familiar with.
"Of course don't mind me," Aureum said. "Can I join the royal entourage?"
"May you!"
This kid.
"May I join?"
Vitreum looked at her kitten. He purred up at her.
"You can, uh. I mean you may!"
So Aureum spent the next couple of minutes following behind Vitreum. The girl continued to announce his majesty every couple few steps or so. To the cooing of all the onlookers.
Should I be impressed by her focus?
Vitreum continued this act long past when Aureum got bored of it. Aureum's greater concern was the fact that Vitreum's bodyguards were out of sight.
"Um, where—
"Remain at your station!"
"Alright. All right!"
Vitreum had a vicious stare for a kid.
Finally, Vitreum sat down on a little bench. She shushed Aureum's attempts to speak and fed Snowfluffles a cat treat. Then she scratched his head as she spoke.
"All right, what did you want to say?"
"Are we still doing the royal parade?"
"No, we're done now."
"All right," Aureum said. "I just wanted to have a chat."
"Aren't we doing that?"
Aureum took a second to swallow her first response responsibly like an adult.
"How have you enjoyed Snowfluffles?"
"His Majesty Snowfluffles."
"My mistake."
"I love him! He's so soft and cute! He has to be the best kitten in the world!"
"I'm glad you're taking good care of him," Aureum said.
At least she's not torturing the poor cat. I think?
"And where are your guards?"
"My brother has them."
"And he's not anywhere nearby, is he?"
Vitreum shrugged, her whole body deflating afterward.
"Nothing's happened, so what if I leave on my own?"
She spoke with all the attitude of this being a worn conversation.
At least somebody's mentioned it to her.
"Just because nine times out of ten nothing happens doesn't mean the tenth isn't going to bite you!"
Vitreum remained unconvinced at Aureum's words.
"Look. I'm staying at the Pale Lady. If you have to go out, then you can come pick me up to join you."
"Why would I bother?"
"Isn't it boring having parades by yourself?"
Aureum tried to put honey in her words. It was burnt honey, but it would have to do.
"Maybe. Why can't you just come to my place?"
"I didn't want to teach you to give your address to strangers."
Aureum was too tired to come up with anything, so she blabbered the truth.
"It doesn't matter, strangers are coming and going anyways. We're rooming at the Greenscales."
"What is your brother's fascination with dragons?"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Is that all? Can I go now?"
"Uhhh. No. Let me walk you home."
"Whyyyyyyy?"
"Because I can't leave you alone, you might get hurt."
"I'll be fine."
"Do you want me to carry the cushion on our way back?"
Vitreum nodded.
Getting the kitten did wonders for Vitreum's behavior. She seemed too busy with him to throw the fits Aureum had seen earlier. Perhaps it was just a good day, or the other day before had been a bad one. Regardless, the trip to the inn was without major incident.
The inn Vitreum and Benedic stayed at was a grand one. It felt like it took the entire corner of the street.
Aureum bent her head around to see.
It feels that way because it does take up the entire street corner.
Fluentem didn't have as much traffic as Triviis. It was probably the grandest inn in the entire city.
How on earth did Benedic afford this?
Neither Benedic nor Vitreum were the direct children of Lapis. Or, so Aureum had believed.
"Are you going to follow me in?"
"I have to make sure the building doesn't swallow you, Vitreum," Aureum said.
Vitreum giggled.
It hadn't entirely been a joke.
The woman and the girl walked in side by side.