CHAPTER 40 The Bad Side of the Pixie Prim

CHAPTER 40

The Bad Side of the Pixie Prim

Brownie

Watching Rufus get flustered was surprisingly enjoyable, and Brownie happily explained to the beastman why she had decided to go with him.

“You don’t need me in the guild with you. You need me on standby when the boss betrays your meeting and tries to take advantage of you.” Brownie waved at Jack. “He’s already said you shouldn’t go and it’s a trap. Besides, I can look for our runaway slave trader if they show up at the Guild.”

Rufus was glaring daggers at Jack. When his golden eyes caught hers, she paused.

“If you follow me,” he said, staring at her so intently that she felt the hair rise at the nape of her neck. His voice was low. “You will be needlessly put in harm’s way.”

“I don’t think they will care if I hang around outside …” She trailed off.

Rufus stood up and put his tea aside. He sounded like it was pulling teeth to get the words out of him. “I am not going to stop you from doing what you think is best. But I am a delegate from the kingdom of Nilheim, with all the power and security that allows me. I am also over level fifty.”

He didn’t say that she was none of these things, but Brownie felt the weight of his words nonetheless. She hesitated.

Then Pjori cut in. “Have neither of you been to the Assassin’s Guild?”

“Shh!” Jack was sipping his tea, amusement written clearly on his face. “Don’t tell them.”

The two turned on Pjori. The storm kelpie coughed. “The Assassin’s Guild is the building next door.”

“What?” Rufus crossed his arms, still the only one standing at this point. Brownie thought about joining him in a show of solidarity against Jack … but she hadn’t finished her dessert .

“That’s why we chose to make the Wistful Cup our base of operations,” Jack explained. “One eye on the enemy. And if Miss Brownie is staying here, then she’ll have ample opportunity to notice any familiar faces on the street.”

“I am scheduled to meet with a representative of the Assassin’s Guild outside the Artful Acorn in one hour’s time.” Rufus looked between Jack and Brownie.

“That is two doors down, past the guild,” Jack informed helpfully.

Brownie took a bite of tart. The cherries were simmered in sugar beforehand, and the entire treat was a slowly savored delight. If only a handsome beastman weren’t staring at her while she ate that tart. There were so many crumbs.

“I’m leaving now,” Rufus told her, and she hurriedly took another bite.

Brownie had barely finished, but she stood up and brushed off her outfit. “Then I guess I’ll wander upstairs to keep watch? How long do you think it should take?”

“An hour.” Rufus looked like he wanted to say something more but chose otherwise.

Brownie hummed. “Then if it’s longer, I’ll start to worry.”

He stiffened but nodded. Then he turned to the two still seated. “I hope that now that you’ve invited us here, you will be sure to keep this building secure in my absence. I’ll be leaving my things upstairs.”

Jack waved away his concern. “The Wistful Cup is neutral ground and under the protection of many different parties.”

“Nobody wants to get on the bad side of the Pixie Prim,” Pjori added, shaking his head. “Even I know that, and I’m not from here.”

Rufus nodded and walked to the door, opening it up politely for Brownie. She glanced over her shoulder at him and said, “Goodbye,” then walked out of the interrogation room with her head held high … and forty-nine seconds remaining on her [Liar’s Palace].

Following Rufus to the Assassin’s Guild was the perfect excuse to follow Rufus out of that room. She’d noticed around the same time he did that there was more to her being there than just as an accessory to her previous experiences with the slave traders … and she was giving Rufus the benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t in on the entire thing.

His outright anger at Jack made her feel slightly reassured.

The unfortunate thing about the Assassin’s Guild being right next door, and the meeting place for Rufus two doors down from that, was that she couldn’t just sit in a chair and watch at the window. She had to crane her neck to stare down the street while Rufus set up kicking his heels outside a shop down the way.

At least he was as tall as she was, which was to say very tall, and easily spotted.

The assassins discovered as much; three approached him earlier than his appointed time. Technically, two approached him, and the third hovered close by, pretending to be interested in something that was on display in a storefront window. Brownie knew immediately they were Assassins. Once you picked up the signs, it was easy to tell most of the Rogue classes apart.

The generic signs were obvious; [Silent Steps], [Soft Foot], [Hide Tracks], [Shadowstep]. There were so many different perks that came with a Rogue-based class. They all had the same thing in common: that the person moving left no trace of their passage. And not just sound, but the stylized way they moved just screamed “don’t look at me” and “I’m not here.” It gave away the class to anyone who knew what they were looking for.

Brownie had grown up surrounded by family members who specialized in obfuscation. She even had Rogue as her coming-of-age class, not that she told people that. Don’t get her started; Brownie loved her family, she just loved music more. She was very lucky that her family’s training in the [Rogue] class gave her improved dexterity that helped her play her instrument, but she was equally lucky that her family her decision to become a bard since it brought her joy.

Maybe she would swing by and visit her cousins when she got home; she didn’t always stay long enough to see everyone between her trips.

Or not. What with everyone up in arms over the molten ash vane, it would be better to lay low.

Rufus and the two assassins finished talking. Sure enough, they walked back toward the Wistful Cup, and into the building next door.

Now it was just hoping Jack was wrong, and Rufus made it out again in one piece.