CHAPTER 79 The Dark Enchanted Forest is a Dark Enchanted Forest

CHAPTER 79

The Dark Enchanted Forest is a Dark Enchanted Forest

Rufus

“As per the records from the Assembly relocation project, the operatives responsible for torching Kith Bog were hired mercenaries from Drendil, and not our responsibility,” Guild Master Derek explained while I read over a tidy report logging the statements of each Rogue class we’d shipped off to the Assembly after the mass attack during the day of the Bridge Battle. “You will find the contracts individually signed by our guild members that specify royal targets only . As such, there was no breach of treaties, and we will not be offering reparations.”

“Thank you, this will be enough to reassure my king.” I carefully reviewed each page in a stack placed before me, my reading glasses perched on my nose. Everything was meticulously organized. “I shouldn’t be long.”

Very unfortunate.

I’d been hoping to leverage the Peldeep assassin’s breach of treaty for information on how the giant had even gotten assassins across the border, but it didn’t look like that was going to be the case.

And … now I was courting Bronwynn. It would’ve been so much easier to threaten to bring down the entire weight of the Dark Enchanted Forest when I didn’t need to calculate how that would affect future family dinner parties.

Guild Master Derek’s office had a giant desk in the corner appropriately sized for the storm giant, but I was currently sitting on a comfortable-size couch across from him with papers stacked on a short table between us. There was tea and snacks, and two copies of each report so that I could bring back a set for our records.

Dealing with the long-standing Peldeep guild was night and day to meeting with Servalt. While Guild Master Lina’s entire business was cloaked in shadows, secretive, and bordered on the illicit, Peldeep was an established guild with centuries of history and reputation .

“Any chance,” I broached, knowing it was a lost cause; still, it weighed heavy on Keith’s mind—and by that, I meant it was driving my king up the wall with irritation, “you would reveal how you suddenly bypassed my kingdom’s defenses?”

“Trade secret, I’m afraid,” the guild master refused with a smile. He was missing one of his teeth; his lower left canine. I hadn’t gotten a good look at the giant last evening, but from across a table, he was a very confident older man with salt-and-pepper hair, sideburns, and stormy gray eyes.

As for size, I came up to just below his elbow.

“Just thought I’d ask.”

“I’m sure the Dark Lord will figure out the loophole any day now.” Derek chuckled. “And I’ll have a new magical defense to puzzle through. It’s been a pleasure working against his border guard all these years.”

“I’ll let him know you said so.” I nodded, tapping the files. There were only ten or so left. “As long as Peldeep continues to respect the safety and security of Nilheim citizens during contracts, then we may lay this to rest.”

The guild master nodded. “Of course … and we appreciate that you’ve diligently adhered to the same restrictions.”

We didn’t send many assassins to other kingdoms, anyway. There were only six who had registered their Assassin class in the forest, and they enjoyed using their skills for other occupations, like maid or nanny. Keith’s old wet nurse, retired now and living her best life in Gren’s Keep, had been an Assassin class. There were a few other rogue classes, but they were highly prized and guaranteed a well-paying job with a pension in the Dark Horde. Since the Dark Enchanted Forest offered high-paying jobs with salaried four-day workweeks at four-hour shifts, not many thought about leaving.

I checked the clock and saw we were making good time for what was an arduous task.

After I’d survived the dinner with Bronwynn’s giant relatives the previous evening, I’d been shown to a room one building over in Guardian Ulric and Tracker Glindy’s home. As their titles suggested, they were very skilled at protecting visitors … and protecting the family from visitors.

I hadn’t minded.

The black with gold trim outfit I’d prepared for meeting Guild Master Derek wasn’t as impressive as the clothing gifted to me by Linden, but it was still perfect for this meeting. Comfortable but fashionable. Marigold had been waiting for me at breakfast with Ulric and Glindy. The priestess would act as my official escort while conducting business with the guild master, and after we’d finished a meal of fruit and flying pork bacon with small hotcakes had showed me to Derek’s office. When asked, she’d let me know that Bronwynn would be busy with the children all morning .

She’d stepped out for our main discussion, but was waiting on hand outside.

Now that I was finishing up my meeting with Guild Master Derek, who was proving very helpful even without the grimalcat, there was another worry distracting me.

How was I going to meet up with the rest of the fan club without changing into my folk form? No one had ever seen me in beast or beastfolk form, as I’d managed to keep my work and my hobby completely separate thanks to the introduction of my hidden identity, Fergus.

There was a need to appear as myself in the royal court while visiting Their Royal Highness and when I was representing Nilheim on the Continental Council, but otherwise, I spent my days in Peldeep in a furless form, using the anonymity to relax.

Now I was courting the very woman I longed to hear, and I was expected to meet up with Frida and Ross as soon as they contacted me to let me know they were in the city. The rest of the group would be there too, though I knew few personally outside of the Crystal Cast correspondence … My opportunity to mingle at the yearly fan event had been stopped short when the entire place burned down. Maybe I should host another fan event this year. A fall affair, or a winter solstice concert … By that point, I should have revealed all to Bronwynn.

“Alright, that’s the last one.” I waved a hand over my copy of the documents, and the pile disappeared into my storage ring. “I’ll report these back to the Dark Lord.”

“And what will you be reporting back to the council?” Derek asked. He retained a friendly businesslike demeanor, though his low voice couldn’t hide his suspicious curiosity.

I paused in the process of standing up. Honestly, I was going to wait until Slake came back and then speak with the guild master again. The original meeting was supposed to be tomorrow … But, as he’d brought it up himself: “That depends. Are you the one secretly delivering molten ash vane?”

The guild master didn’t reply right away. Instead, his eyes searched mine, and whatever he was thinking about was hidden behind a calm outward mask. I waited.

Finally, he asked, “Rufus, who does the Dark Enchanted Forest order its poisons from?”

“Anyone and everyone,” I replied. “Every market has a pop-up apothecary and any number of stalls with homemade antidote or poison bottles for sale. Or just locally harvested ingredients that have similar effects. Even if the castle was looking for something specific, we could have the army find it or ask the Pixie Prim to grow it. The Dark Enchanted Forest is, well, a Dark Enchanted Forest . Stumble around long enough, and the forest will figure it out.”

Guild Master Derek nodded .

“The rest of the continent isn’t like that. Instead, you have a few famous poisoners who will brew up batches of poisons and hire someone to distribute the goods to potential buyers.”

Back in Servalt, Guild Master Lina had said something similar.

“And you have three such poisoners?” I recalled Bronwynn mentioning it.

“Yes.” Derek waved his own hand—and four bottles of molten ash vane appeared on the table. The giant didn’t have any visible rings or jewelry, so either it was a skill or he was just very good at sleight of hand. Both were equally likely. “We have three poisoners, and recently, these have been popping up in the inventory lists.”

“And you are telling me because ?”

“You’re one of the lead investigators, are you not?” Derek waved the molten ash vane back to where it came from.

“I am.”

“Then you would come back here with a signed writ from Their Royal Highness to audit my supplies sooner or later. I have the registry of each bottle, and the records show that each bottle we’ve received is untouched. The problem is that our poisoners are located across the continent, and I can’t be absolutely sure who’s been adding MAV to the batch.”

It was an amusing thought, that both Guild Master Lina and Guild Master Derek shared the same scheme. If it was a good plan, it was a good plan. “Could you figure out which one is the poisoner?”

“With enough time, yes. Though there’s someone here who might already know.” He trailed off, obviously hesitating.

“Who?” I prodded. There was no sense in stalling when he’d come so far and told me so much already.

“It is against the guild’s confidentiality contract to tell you her name, but you already know her,” He sighed, “since she isn’t a normal guild member and spends a lot more time traveling than most.”

I felt my heart sink as I offered a name and he didn’t say no.

“One last thing,” he said as we stood. He was towering over me, as giants were wont to do. “Linden and Marigold have approved of your match, and I’ll honor my brother’s choice. But I’m sure you know what would happen to you if you ever hurt my niece?”

“Of course.” I was a perfectly legal target, as per the treaties with the Peldeep Assassin Assembly. I offered my paw, and we shook hands before summoning Marigold to escort me.

But not back to Bronwynn. No.

I had a date with a horse.