"Is my weapon not suitable for dueling? Was that the issue?"

　　Trying to sound sincere, trying to prevent my disgruntled irritation from seeping through.

　　"That wasn`t why I intervened," said Anderson.

　　My challenge to Magpie had been issued at the small town on the northern edge of Swan Lake, during one of our brief, preplanned stops. Each of the previous stops had taken about fifteen to twenty minutes for the merchants to exchange or pick up goods, so it seemed like a prime opportunity. Magpie had initially ignored it, by that point she hadn`t spoken to me in hours, but after being egged on by Wallace and Greene, and with Anderson mostly amused and not dissenting, she finally acknowledged my presence by agreeing. That acknowledgment a success in its own right.

　　"It wasn`t the primary reason I intervened," amended Anderson.

　　We had moved a short distance away from the last wagon in the train. Standing several paces apart with no officiator - none needed at this location - and with no terms discussed - the terms fairly self evident - drawing our weapons. With Transference at five, and her weapon and armor in my range, reaching out and deactivating the enhancements on them. The noticeable change causing her to alter the grip on her knife, and her eyes on my weapon, noticing the red glow, but getting into her stance all the same. `Stop stop stop,` Anderson had yelled, hurrying over. Neither of us initially paying him any mind, waiting for the other to make the first move.

　　"But no," continued Anderson, "its not suitable. There are rules about that sort of thing." Trying not to reveal my annoyance. "I realize Grace hasn`t been very welcoming, but you shouldn`t take it personally. You`re a volunteer, she had less of a choice. That`s undoubtedly a large contributing factor to her attitude."

　　"Sir," giving a salute, "permission to speak freely?"

　　His mouth hanging slightly open for a moment. "You don`t need to salute me or Daniel or anyone here. That`s not how we operate. And if one of the Empire`s soldiers here sees you saluting me, it may cause issues." Tapping his temple. "We`re not in Lumeer anymore, and they`ve got a habit of keeping an eye on us."

　　"Yes, sir." Dropping the salute. "Permission to speak freely?"

　　"Listen, again," his hand now on his face, "that`s not how we operate. I don`t know what got drilled into you, but there`s no need for those kinds of formalities. Speak your mind."

　　"Yes, sir." Standing on my tippy toes and throwing my finger in his face. "You should have stayed out of it. It was none of your fucking business."

　　Momentarily taken aback, then glaring, his hour past five o`clock shadowed face bristling.

　　"Of course its my business, and the whole thing was over some petty bullshit. As far as I`m concerned you were the one antagonizing her. She probably just wasn`t in the mood to talk."

　　"With me."

　　"Yeah, with you. Its not the end of the world, talk with someone else."

　　"Do you know why I joined up with you guys on this?"

　　"Well," said Anderson, slow and deliberate, "if you want to know, I do have my suspicions. Macarthy. Tell me if I`m off base. The way I see it, your psycho brother went haywire, and because he`s been running around town murdering people left and right, you`re trying to get some distance from him."

　　"That`s-"

　　"No, hold on. I don`t know how he treated Grace back when they knew each other, but she obviously doesn`t like you very much as a result. Its not fair to you, I know, but give her some time."

　　"That`s totally ludicrous." Beyond furious, the words coming out a hiss. "And that`s not my brother. Do you think they would have let me come along if it was? That was the first question I got asked when I joined up with you guys." Taking a deep breath trying to steady myself. "I`m the person least responsible for all that. But you`re not wrong, that whole thing is part of the reason wanted to get out of town. You know why else I joined up?"

　　"Why`s that?" Quiet now, chastened.

　　"You guys seemed real nice. Roy and Liz, at least. Real nice."

　　"Today, with her, I had assumed," he started, before shaking his head. "I misunderstood. I`m terribly sorry." Waving it off. "I`ll have a talk with Grace and I`ll let her know. I can`t promise anything, but I`ll see what I can do. Is there anything you want me to say"

　　"No, sir. But thank you, sir."

　　Doing an about face and leaving Anderson`s tent, trying to swallow my rage.

　　Ishtar may not have been the best choice. Solstice may have been smarter, could have met up with Snatch. An image of him entering my minds eye, giving me pause. No, maybe not. Dealing with Rath was awkward enough, he`d be even worse. Taking another step and then someone else appearing, stopping me short. No no no, hurriedly dismissing the vision. Omen would be guaranteed trouble, and Haven`s a deathtrap. Shaking my head, trying to clear it, trying to get back on task.

　　The caravan had been allowed to shelter for the night inside the walls of the fort. It was a popular stopping point for merchants: at the junction of two main roads and located between Lumeer and the slightly larger, and more urbane, city of Cress. There was an open space already set aside for us, with a couple outhouses to serve as a latrine. As nominal citizens of the Empire - we were required to pay citizenship fees, at the very least - we had been welcomed inside after a somewhat lengthy inspection process. The whole thing had sped up considerably after Four Corners and Windward made contributions to the officer overseeing the inspections.

　　Need to talk with Blindside about this. Where is he? They`re making dinner over there, smells like, but he`s not over there. And neither is she. Tent, tent, tent. These are all us. Didn`t think to bring a tent. Only need to ask and one of them is bound to offer. But bound to be strings with that kind of offer. Mostly clear sky, should be fine for tonight without needing to present myself as an offering, bound up by those kinds of strings.

　　Huh, don`t see either of them around here, either. Only the merchants we`re escorting and, over there, some of the Empire`s soldiers. Well, either it`ll be a problem or it won`t. The sun`s starting to go down, dinner`s going to be ready soon. Let`s see, my pack`s still over here, tucked away. Exactly how it was left. Maybe my paranoia`s just on overdrive. Magpie`ll calm down, and Hugo seems reasonable. And while all these men have wandering eyes, have to remember that`s how men are. That`s life now, shouldn`t take it personal, and shouldn`t assume their glances are a threat. Can`t blame them for how they`re made.

　　Oh well, catch more flies with honey than vinegar, should head back and- Nevermind, there she is, heading that way. Need to catch up, try and talk- And she`s found Blindside. Tugging on his arm. Heading off that way, away from where we`d set up.

　　Following after them from a safe distance, carefully stalking after their silhouettes in the failing light. Magpie fading from sight, and then, a moment later, Blindside following suit. No you don`t, that`s not going to fool me. Studying the area where they had been, in the direction they had been heading. There you are - a distortion betraying their position - both of them coming back into my view. The two had slightly changed course, making a thirty degree turn, heading in the direction of some long, rectangular buildings before disappearing around a corner. Hurrying after.

　　"-all the way out here. What`s going on?" Blindside`s voice getting more audible

　　"I going to fry up that fresh fish," said Magpie, as if she were discussing dinner.

　　"Mags," said Blindside, "I don`t think that`s a good idea."

　　"Bee, I only got dragged into this because of you. I was perfectly fine playing hostess and serving drinks. Its easy and I make decent tips."

　　"Perfectly fine? You could have fooled me. How about you try and enjoy the trip instead of looking around for things you don`t like."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

　　"I`m trying, but I can`t stand that fucking bitch. I hate the way she talks, I hate the way she acts, I hate all her stupid fucking bullshit. And you know what I just had to deal with? Hugo told me - gave me an order - to be nice to her."

　　"So? Maybe you should. She`s just some rambunctious first year." Blindside letting out a chuckle. "Tommy said she challenged you to a duel."

　　Magpie making a derisive noise.

　　"She`s probably only trying to make a good impression."

　　"Did Tommy say that?" A pause. "Tommy`s a doofus. He doesn`t see it because he`s thinking about something else, same thing with Hugo and Bert. But there`s nothing innocent about her. Nothing at all. Well, maybe Hugo sees it." Magpie stopping abruptly. "Hey, Bee, why do you think Mac`s doing what he`s doing?"

　　"Mac? Why are you bringing him up? Hmm, well, he`s clearly sending a message. Real public and real loud. I don`t know to who, exactly. Maybe to everybody."

　　"Sly would know."

　　"Yeah, he`d definitely know."

　　"I wish Sly was here now."

　　"Are you sure? What`d Sly say if he saw you, all bent out of shape because of some newbie."

　　"He`d make fun of me, but he`d cheer me up doing it. And he`d be more supportive than you."

　　"At least you know you deserve to be made fun of." A pause. "So are you going to give her a chance?"

　　"Nope." Magpie`s declaration coming out short and sweet. "I wasn`t sure before, but talking with Hugo clinched it. How would Mac deal with a problem?"

　　"I think we both know how Mac deals with problems."

　　"And everyone snaps to as a result."

　　Magpie, you`ve definitely grown up. Proud of you. And thanks for the compliment.

　　"Mags, I still don`t think its a good idea, and I don`t think anything good`s going to come of it. I`m not going help, she hasn`t done anything to me, and she hasn`t really done anything to you."

　　"All I need`s an alibi, she won`t even know what hit her."

　　Silence.

　　"Alright, but give her a couple more days, at least. Wait until we get into town. Maybe its first day jitters on her part, maybe you`ll feel different. If you still feel like doing it, we`ll get our story straight then."

　　"I knew I could count on you, Bee. Thanks." A pause. "I`ll see you in a bit, I need to deal with something else first, real quick."

　　Footsteps moving away, sounds like they`re done talking. Wait, footsteps coming this way, too, time to nip this whole thing in the bud.

　　Trying not to curse. The figure appearing wasn`t Magpie. Only a couple extra blinks betraying Blindside`s surprise when he came around the corner. Staring at each other, neither of us making a move.

　　"I take it you heard," he said, breaking the brief stalemate. "You really pissed her off."

　　"Yeah? That`s on her."

　　Blindside taking me in, not a once over, instead a real appraisal. Noting my stance, then lingering on the stitched design on my glove. My hand resting on the hilt of my knife, just above my stomach.

　　"I`ve known Grace for a couple years," he said. "She`s got a bit of a temper but I can usually get her to cool down." In a different tone, an unmistakable threat. "I consider her family."

　　"She`s the one who started it. I`d prefer we got along." Removing my hand. "Hugo said she`s probably angry because they made her come out here. Why`d they make her come?"

　　"We`re shorthanded." Waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn`t. "I`ll talk to her. I`m Adrian, by the way. Welcome aboard." Holding out his hand, seemingly in a peace offering.

　　"Lucy."

　　Preparing for immediate betrayal, but Blindside releasing my hand and affecting an affable smile.

　　"You feel like grabbing dinner?" he asked.

　　***

　　Joining the meal already in progress, the rest of the Ishtar group relaxing around a campfire, the sun completely down. A hearty bean and beef stew. A touch plain, needs more pepper, needs something, at least. Making some small talk, Blindside still exuding affability. Magpie and Anderson arriving fifteen minutes later, no longer wearing armor.

　　After dinner a couple bottles of liquor being opened and passed. Pretending to take a sip from each on the first go around, watching everyone else imbibe. On the second pass, holding the one of the bottles between my legs, filling it with mana, creating a copy and passing it along. Then, a minute later, faking another drink and passing around the original.

　　Watching everyone else gradually getting more drunk, except for Daniel and Anderson, who stopped fairly early. One of the others pulling a guitar, the sound of Bardsong spreading good vibes and cheer.

　　Magpie getting progressively more giggly and flirtatious from song to song, now sitting in Anderson`s lap. Watching her out of the corner of my eye. Waiting. THe girl getting up, a little unsteady on her feet, and heading off in the direction of the outhouses. Excusing myself a minute later, going in a different direction, but then looping around. Waiting outside.

　　The outhouse door opening, Magpie exiting, stepping delicately, clearly inebriated. Glancing to her left, seeing me closing in, knife in hand, and making a panicked sound. Pulling out her own, barely clearing the sheath, then being touched by my gloved hand, her movement instantly stopping. The Rune Trap sewn on the back of the glove taking effect. Her eyes rolling around trying to figure out what had happened, then lightly toppling to the side. Rolling her on her back, peeling away the fingers on her knife, and taking it away from her.

　　"This is really nice." Giving her throat a little prick with her own knife.

　　A scream trying to develop, but without being able to move, it didn`t have very much volume. Sounds like someone`s coming this way. Maybe Anderson or one of the others, too loud to be Blindside. No harm in letting them hear this. Better, in fact, if they do. And, if it does turn bad, better to die on this side of the mountains and end up back in town. Better than getting all the way to the desert and risk possibly ending up who knows where. Should be fast enough with the shield to block the initial strike, if it comes to that.

　　"I know you`re planning on killing me." Almost shouting, no need to hide. "But, to be honest, I`d rather be friends." Her eyes looking at me, then over my shoulder, hope appearing in them. Silly Magpie.

　　"You`re either going to be able to kill me or not. But, even if you do, that`s not going to stop me. I`m going to come back and I`m going to find you. And then you know what I`m going to do? It`ll be just like this," waving her knife in her face, "but next time I`m going to take this knife and I`m going to pry open your mouth. And then I`m going to get one of those magical scarabs. You know the ones." Her eyes back to me, unmistakable fear in them now. "I`m going to put it on your tongue, and then its going to crawl around inside you until it reaches your heart. But, like I said, I`d rather be friends." Moisture collecting, starting to roll down her face.

　　A man behind me clearing his throat. Turning my head, expecting to see Anderson. It was Daniel.

　　Considering me, considering the paralyzed Magpie, considering his words for a moment before speaking. "I`d heard from Adrian what you were planning to do Grace, and I was coming to talk to you about it." Looking at me. "But apparently you already have it in hand." Considering us again. "Both of you, come with me."

　　Getting to my feet and handing Daniel Magpie`s knife, hilt first.

　　"What`d you do to her?" he said.

　　"She`s fine, she`ll be along in a second."

　　Waiting another twenty seconds, then a loud gasp from Magpie, sucking in air to compensate for her previously reduced lung capacity. Dabbing at her face with a sleeve, and then both of us following Daniel back to the fire with everyone.

　　"Grace," he said, loudly, "has an announcement for everyone. An apology. We`re getting this all out in the open, and then we`re moving on."

　　Her face dour, the entire group looking at her.

　　"Fine," she said, spitting the word, "Lucy, I`m sorry I was planning on killing you. I`m not going to do it." Addressing the other members. "I`m sorry."

　　The group looking at her, some mild surprise.

　　"Good," said Daniel. "Lucy, you need to apologize, too."

　　"What for?"

　　"For what you threatened to do."

　　The group all looking at me. An apology?

　　"Grace, I`m sorry I said I was going to pry open your mouth and put a scarab on your tongue." My grin getting wider. "And then it was going to crawl down your throat, burrow inside you and suck out your blood. Until it finally ate your heart." Giving her a real nasty look. "My apologies."

　　Their eyes all staying on me, the only sound the crackling fire.

　　"That was not an apology," said Daniel, after a moment. "You fucking children. Okay, if that`s how it`s going to be, that`s how its going to be. You two are going to be best friends this trip. You are to stay within fifteen feet of each other at all times." Pointing at Magpie. "Grace, if anything happens to her, I`m going to blame you. And if anything happens to you, I`m going to blame her. You`re both going to get along real nice. Okay?"

　　"Okay." "Okay," she said.

　　"Now go to fucking bed," he said.

　　Looking at each other, then following Magpie to get her gear at Anderson`s tent. Both of us heading back to mine, stored under one of the wagons. Unfurling my bedroll and getting ready for bed. Magpie now in hers, facing the other way. Getting in mine, knife in hand, keeping an eye on her. Waiting for something, but nothing coming. Listening for sounds from the surrounding encampment. Nothing coming. Tired from walking all day, closing my eyes, but still trying to listen to see if anyone was coming.