Getting back to the manor was an ordeal. We got out of the Quintius shelter fairly easily, that wasn’t the problem. I hadn’t realized that there’d been one in the part of the city we were in. It was mostly manors and fancy houses, but I guess even those with crystals and power can need something like that.

  The issue was, the carriage was gone. According to Calmar, he’d sent Samuel back to the manor with it. Nobody thought I’d recover as fast as I did, since I’d continued coughing up blood even after losing conciousness. The cramping pains I was suffering were probably because of that.

  Then we had to decide on whether or not to leave without Porter. He’d gone off to try and find something to eat for Calmar. With Deacon here, I wasn’t expecting trouble, but I’d rather sit down and wait than hear an earful because we wandered off without him. So, we wound up waiting in the lobby with a few of people dressed in well made but simple clothes.

  After a bit of eavesdropping, I found out they were servants to Lord Germaine. He apparently had a son who was staying here instead of their estate, which sounded weird. What kind of hardships could the guy have while being cared for by staff?

  I didn’t have a lot of room to talk anymore, unfortunately. Despite some efforts, I barely knew any of the Rosecrest staff beyond Grimoire. It was a pain trying to be social, and they were all so… meek around me that talking with them was frustrating. It was to be expected, since my family paid them, but it made it so I only talked to five people when the house had closer to three times that.

  Another woman hurried into the lobby and walked over to the gathered servants. I heard something about a chamberlain, but it was hard to make it out with how low they were keeping their voice. I raised an eyebrow at Deacon.

  The bard focused for a moment, and I swore I saw his ear twitch, before speaking. “They’re talking about Lord Germaine’s chamberlain. Someone found a ledger, though it’s not being said what’s in it.”

  I can probably guess… I thought, but didn’t comment on that. “When should we head out, do you think?”

  Calmar turned to look at me sharply, “You literally just got out of bed from being injured, and you’re talking about going out?” He sounded incredulous, but I don’t see how he was surprised by my behavior at this point.

  “Toren said it himself: getting EXP will help alleviate the symptoms.” I leaned back on the bench I was sitting on, leaning my back against the stone wall. “And if Deacon is more capable now than he was, I’ll be in very little danger.”

  Deacon sighed, “I hate to agree with her here, but it may also be a good idea to get her out of the city for a couple days.”

  My stepbrother looked like he’d bit into something sour, but eventually, reluctantly, nodded. “Fine…” He sighed, “I suppose I should give you your birthday present after we get back, then.”

  “Birthday present?” I said, tilting my head as I considered it. Looking at my age, I noticed it said 18 instead of the 17 I’d started with. “Huh. Wonder when that happened.”

  “It’s been a little over a week.” Calmar said with a soft smile. “I’d been trying to plan some kind of party, but didn’t know what to try, then your friends got arrested…” He trailed off.

  “One thing after another.” I said.

  “Yea.” He responded.

  We sat quietly for a few minutes. Eventually, Porter showed up holding a small wooden box that had steam seeping out from the seams. It smelled good, and my stomach grumbled out a complaint. Deacon snorted a laugh, but otherwise didn’t comment. Jerk.

  “Oh, you’re awake.” Porter said, holding out the box to Calmar, who took it and gingerly opened the container. I couldn’t see what it was, but it smelled delicious. “Maybe I should have waited to get this, then. It’s from Teresa’s place a few streets down.”

  “Oh, excellent.” Calmar said with a smile. Looking between me and Deacon, his smile dimmed, “We should probably get something for you two as well…”

  Deacon held up a hand, “I’ll be fine. I was waiting for Porter before heading out for food myself. Dani, do you want me to get you something, or would you rather wait till you get back home?”

  I’d rather go with you. I thought, but I’d notice that he hadn’t offered to take me. It was probably so I wouldn’t worry Cal more. “Whatever you think I’ll like. My stomach feels awful, though, so maybe something light.”

  “That reminds me!” Deacon said, snapping his fingers. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small metal flask that easily fit in the palm of his hand. Without much fanfare, he offered it to me, “Birthday present from me. Thought you’d like it.”

  I took it and felt it sloshing lightly. I opened it and sniffed, regretting it instantly as my stomach churned. Which sucked, because it smelled really good. A deep wood scent with a bit of spice. “Thanks. What’s in it?”

  “Whiskey.” Deacon said simply. “Cheap stuff, but there’s an enchantment to keep the contents cool to drink and to clean itself.” With a wave, he left, leaving me with the present, my stepbrother, and his bodyguard.

  “Not sure I approve, but I’ve got no room to talk.” Cal said.

  Porter shrugged as he sat next to me, “Being a hypocrite isn’t a crime.”

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  That got a snort laugh out of me as I put the flask into a small opening I made for my Spatial Closet. “If it was, I’m sure half the city would be jailed.”

  Calmar shook his head, a soft frown on his face, “No, just sold. They don’t hold people in the jail for long.”

  My head snapped over to look at him, “What do you mean?”

  He sighed and set the portable box of food aside before leaning forward, “I had hoped I wouldn’t need to bring it up. What do you plan to do if your party goes to jail?”

  I shrugged, “Try to find a way to get them out of jail. Any ideas?”

  Porter smiled, but Calmar rolled his eyes. “If it’s a fine, that’s easy enough to take care of. But if they get a serious charge? They’ll get sold and be required to work off any debt incurred because of it.”

  Color drained from my face, “No.”

  Porter put a hand on my knee, patting me in a manner he probably thought was comforting. “Dani, we’ll do our best to stop that from happening. If it does, we can probably purchase their debt ourselves. Once sold, no one actually cares if they’re kept in a collar.”

  I looked at him and he flinched. I took a breath before I said anything. Breathe in… and out…

  It didn’t work the first time. Or the second. I gave up trying to stay calm on the fourth breath. “So… no matter what, if they’re arrested they get sold?”

  Calmar shook his head, “If it’s not a violent crime, you’re slapped with a fine and sent on your way, if it’s the first couple offenses. Well, most nobles are, anyway.” His head shrunk in on his shoulders as he said it, like he was embarrassed to be a noble. “If you’ll be in jail longer than a month, you’re sold off regardless of the severity of the crime.”

  “So… do they hold people for a month first?” I asked, a bit of hope leaking into my voice.

  “Sometimes.” Porter said. “It depends on who was wronged and who you know. It shouldn’t be too hard to get them to keep your friends in jail until you can work out another arrangement.”

  It still felt like I was grasping at threads instead of coming up with an actual plan. “Cal, what do you think our chances of that happening are?”

  “Better than you’d probably think.” He said as he pulled a wooden plate from the box. On it was a noodle dish with some kind of savory smelling sauce. I could see the meat in the sauce, and it was easy to scoop up decent size bites with the fork.

  My stomach grumbled again.

  We waited there for around a half hour before Deacon returned with a few skewers full of meat and tuber vegetables. I started eating mine almost the second we were outside, ravenous because I hadn’t eaten before seeing Calmar that morn…ing… “How long was I there?”

  “Almost a full day.” Calmar said, as we started down the road. “And before you leave the city, you’re stopping by a Melrose clinic to get a second opinion, like Toren said.”

  “Like Deacon would have let me leave without doing that.” I said dismissively.

  Cal and Porter looked at Deacon who shrugged, “Half the time I don’t even need to suggest the reasonable option. I think she just likes complaining about me being around all the time.”

  I rolled my eyes and slapped him, gently, on the arm, “You just don’t like that I’m self aware of how I act.”

  “It makes my job easier.” Deacon responded, not even reacting to my antics. “Back to what we were talking about earlier, I don’t think Elayne and Zaion are in danger of going to an actual jail. The guild master has probably already put in the paperwork for them to be released, so long as they accept a monitor.”

  “Which will be you, somehow.” I asked.

  “High rank means more responsibility, and alas monitoring misbehaving misfits is one of those.” Deacon sighed dramatically, “Truly a terrible burden.”

  “What about Paige?” Calmar asked, surprising me.

  The bard winced, “That… might be a problem, if Jason wants to press the issue. It could at minimum go into the local justice system over the guild justice system.”

  Porter and Calmar exchanged a look, “How long until she’s moved?”

  Deacon looked up at the sky as he thought. “Maybe a day or two. The upper limit is five days.”

  Calmar nodded, “Alright then I’ll have to make arrangements when we get back. Porter, do you still know how to get in touch with your friend who works the jail?”

  “Not really. We fell out of contact after he got married.” He frowned in thought, “I can try, though.”

  “Do it. I’ll start looking into relevant loopholes to try and get this all thrown out.” Calmar shook his head, “I can’t believe he’d go this far just because Deacon failed him.”

  “That’s not what this is about.” I said, confidently.

  All three of them stopped and turned to look at me. Deacon had a thoughtful look before I saw his eyes light up when he figured it out, causing him to grimace. The other two were slower on the uptake. “What’s it about?” Calmar asked.

  “Jason kept getting told no by Paige and Elayne about various things in the short time we worked together.” I explained. “I’d bet every crystal I have that he wants to see Paige suffer, since he can’t get to Elayne.” Deacon squinted, but stopped when I gave him a confused look. Did I miss something?

  Cal looked uncomfortable, “I hate asking, but by that logic shouldn’t you also be in danger?”

  I considered the idea. “...probably not? The people he’s hired have actually gone out of their way to try and avoid hurting me too badly. Maybe he’s scared of my father?”

  Cal nodded, “Yea… he’d incinerate the person and whatever building they were in if something happened to you.”

  “That… seems a little extreme.” I said, looking at the buildings around us. “Wait… how can he burn stone?”

  Calmar shrugged, “You can burn anything if you try hard enough.”

  I didn’t know what to say about that. He was right. “Okay… but I still don’t really know what he’s capable of. Just… rumors. And that storage room me and Toren use for our meetings.”

  “You mean the trophy room.” Porter said.

  “I guess?” I said, scratching at my chin as I spoke. “The one with the melted slag in the shape of armor?”

  “Yeap. That’s the one.” Porter nodded. “He could reduce this place to dust without much effort."

  Like he needs more people talking about him, telling me how great he is. I thought without any real heat to it. “Back on topic, has there been any luck looking for which group is backing Jason?”

  Calmar shook his head, “No, I’m still waiting on a few letters, but I’ve hit a dead end."

  I swore and stepped through the gate onto our property. As I started for the front door, I considered who I could ask for more information.

  Zeratus was an idea, but I’d already been messaging him about this issue constantly. I did have one person who might be able to respond, though it wasn’t sure if I could trust them. “Hey, Deacon. What do you know about communication books?”

  It was time to try and reestablish communication with Marquis Elias.