The clinking wine glasses and hushed whispers of an expectant crowd silenced any boisterous conversation. The change was jarring and it stopped me in my tracks. Roadblocks fashioned from foppish nobles and surly off duty men-at-arms stood around me in all directions; marooning me at the dead center of the ballroom. Luckily the attention of the whole room had turned toward upward and away my frazzled self. I dared not jostle the crowd lest its attention turn back on Rose and I. I'm sure there were plenty of people here just waiting for the right excuse to toss Rose and I out... If we were truly lucky, that's far as they'd go.

But that was a known. What ate away inside me is an unknown. A primal fear bubbling deep down that I didn't know where and how to confront.

My hand was still wrapped tightly around Rose's claw, but when I stopped pulling her along she stepped forward to stand beside me. Rose gave me an inquisitive look. That stagnant warm air of the crowded room had now been replaced by a chill which crawled up my spine, something that shouldn't happen while the unfailing warmth poured out. I'm certain I alone clutched this uncomfortable feeling of dread close to my chest, because everyone around me had polite expressions on their faces. They calmly waited for their host to address the crowd.

Why was I still so broken up? It must be due to who had vanished into the crowd. If he were here... If he was allowed to be here, if he had a reason to be here... I'm certain the expression on my face right now made it impossible to blend in. All the thoughts running around inside my head were an ocean's width away from the matter at hand. My other hand started to tingle and then very suddenly feel as though it was being consumed by frostbite. A cascade of vivid memories sprang back up from my subconscious. I had grabbed hold of that otherworldly... thing. It's death wail echoed in the back of my mind and my veins were not pumped full of adrenaline to quiet it... Its creator lurked in this manor. Loose. And that look in his eyes told me I was the target.

My only saving grace is that everyone was too busy looking upward to notice.

And looking down on the ballroom below: Count Aaron. Candlelight shone off his cue-ball head. That's the very first impression he gave, leading me to believe he needs a better publicist. His face was worn to the point that no cosmetic could hide it. The man did not give off the impression of a wizened old man, but just some guy who got the short straw in the gene pool. If it were not for all the expensive clothes hanging off of him, you might mistake him for the shifty homeless man panhandling on the street corner. In the end I could not begin to imagine what stress could cause someone to age twenty years before their time. There were too many strange and incompressible things about this world that could leap out and prove me wrong for me to even try.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the Count began while the room went completely silent. “Serene merchants, venerable men and women of the cloth, esteemed and decorated knights, men and women of fortune. I am humbled that you have all managed to travel from far and wide and across the Empire to be here tonight.”

And already the first round of applause roared into life. Roar might be a poor way to describe it; gratuitous and weak, but I found it ridiculous that these people were congratulating themselves for even being here. I wasn't feeling anything from the man's voice. He's not an orator, that much for certain. Rather... He must be telling everyone what they wanted to hear.

I stood idly by until Rose nudged me with her elbow in a tender spot that caused me to flinch. Proper etiquette suggested we both follow suit. Of all people who would, it had to be her. That stung me deep down in a place that wouldn't heal right away. At least this Aaron fellow appeared eager to continue; luckily, this round of applause didn't last long.

“These are trying times we now live in. Not since the time of our forefathers has this world of ours teetered on the brink. Everyone gathered here today: leaders, entrepreneurs and brave warriors and heroes; each one a pillar of The Empire. The Empire which stands as a bulwark against the coming dark. No other has matched it, and none ever shall. For fourteen hundred years humanity has stood united as one people. Together, united, not even the mightiest Demon Lord could break it!”

Yet more applause.

“And so many of you are still wondering the purpose of this gathering tonight... I do not blame you. Despite the best efforts of all the leaders gathered here and now, there exists a threat to these lands of ours. The idea of this Empire is still strong, as strong as it was all those centuries ago. Yet now we must look to its parts. Infighting, negligence, insubordination... corruption.”

He paused again, but no one was applauding this time. They were, however, listening with rapt attention.

“Yaleria has watched over these lands for longer than the Empire's flag has graced the wind. We Yalerians know of duty, I know few who would challenge me there. The great bloodlines of this duchy have stood upon the Brightwall and spilled much blood to keep the claws of ancient horrors that lurk behind it from wrecking chaos on lands. The Shadelands are a realm that must never be allowed to pollute the gardens of the Almighty...”

I've heard of these things.. The climate of this land seemed rather odd and it seemed to be caused by some magic means; it certainly didn't make sense from a geographic or meteorological reasoning. A foggy haze blanketed Yaleria and you could see the sun overhead for about a quarter of the whole year. I was actually a little surprised to see a flourishing vineyard in the count's backyard. It's a surprise that anyone manages to live here at all, the growing season must be a nightmare. How could anyone carve out a life here, let alone have what's necessary to throw an elaborate party to show off one's wealth?

This land apparently boarded another where the sun never rose above the horizon at all. That should be impossible, obviously, but I haven't caught anyone else treat it as fiction. And I couldn't write it off either... Not after walking through that desert in the far north. Both places were improbable, the result of a curse. This particular curse seeped over to Yaleria and throttled the daylight all year round. What manner of creatures wander a realm where the sun doesn't rise? Apparently the living dead. That was enough to send a chill down your spine if the lack of a sun's warmth didn't do it for you.

“...But that is but one duty we citizens of Empire aspire to. I look no further than Duke Terigrewl.”

Count Aaron waved his hand over the crowd toward a portly but stout man. A large bald spot had been carved out by age from his auburn hair. It compensated the long narrow beard that reached down to his chest. Unlike the Count, or any of the other members of the crowd nearby, his arms were thick and round, but with muscle. Standing beside him was his equally portly, but plump wife. Besides the distinctively huge ivory and black pearls she wore around her neck, there wasn't much to say about her. That's all I could really think and be polite.

“A man who by dedication to the Empire and with stalwart and commendable seamanship drove the merfolk from Droug Bay.”

A generous round of applause and modest wave of dismissal from the Duke.

“Now the sea routes along the South-West are considerably less dangerous. And the fall spawning grounds that thousands of fishermen, mongers, and tens of thousands of Imperial citizens rely on for food are once again liberated.” Count Aaron turned and waved his hand to tall lady in white cloth robes on the opposite side of the room and said, “And to those that keep the peace-”

The crowd turned its attention to the woman with perfect rigid back posture. Her plain face remained stoic and unmoved when the rest of the audience looked in her direction.

“With grace, patience and wisdom: Bishop Regslaw managed to mediate and bring a decades old blood feud within the Morgan dynasty to rest. So many of the same blood tearing one another apart, the blood stained lands beneath their feet that they claimed over one another was becoming a breeding ground of despair. Ripe for outside forces to plunder and corrupt the faltering hearts of men and women who resided there. But her holiness' calm and motherly temper soothed the raging beasts of war. Now the soil itself can heal and the corruption be pushed back.”

And then the man raised his hand back up into the air.

“And of course, we could hardly overlook the endeavors of—”

Count Aaron's expression petrified and his next words got caught in his throat. It didn't take me more than a second to figure out why; he looked right at me. A jolt of anxiety struck me and that seemed evidence enough that his eyes were locked onto me. The Count's eyes raked over me like hot coals as they slowly turned to the girl standing on my left. I couldn't help but follow his gaze, but Rose wasn't doing anything extraordinary. She existed... That might be enough.

There was about a three meter gap in the crowd behind us, so it might stand out a bit if you were looking at it from above. Rose's fiery tail gliding across the smooth ballroom floor would cause people to keep their distance; fire tends to do that with any living thing that doesn't have a death wish. And now the audience started feeling something had gone wrong. It wasn't taking them long to figure out its source. A crushing feeling bore down on us, yet Rose maintained that optimistic and oblivious look.

“—all those gathered here today!” Count Aaron said, suddenly raising his voice louder than before.

His voice echoed loud enough to grab everyone's straying attention, myself included. The count produced a handkerchief from his pocket which he used to dab large beads of sweat off his large wrinkled forehead while his ragged breathing quickly came back under control. With his other hand he continued panning his hand across the whole room after pointing it at Rose and I.

There were a few errant glances our way from those around us, but they eventually returned to pretending we didn't exist. Regardless, Count Aaron managed to save his little speech by the skin of his teeth. We too were saved. We were balancing on a knife's edge here, that much was for certain. The law is certainly our side, but not the hearts and minds of the other attendees... Or maybe they were terrified for Rose? Sure, she's a monster, but in that green dress of hers... She didn't look the part of a wolf loose in the hen house. Or is that just me thinking—

“Yes. Troubled times are ahead, so that is why it is indeed important to reconnect with one another and pledge ourselves to our duties as stewards of this land of ours. It is we who have inherited these lands from our forefathers, the very ones who spilled so much blood to prevent humanities extinction. We can not shame them now by failing the legacy they have handed down to us... And to do so in place of those currently not with us this fine evening.”

And with those words the mood suddenly dropped again. It seemed planned this time though.

“I will be honest, many of you have no doubt what this evening meant so many moons ago. Our planned guests of honor are not with us this evening. One taken by grief, the other taken before her time. All your support upon hearing of my dear fiance's passing has truly moved me and I glad to know she meant so much to so many people... And I am sure she also meant much to the man who was to be my brother-in-law: Duke Malco. The dear but absent Brenden could not make this night. No less than eight months have passed, but he still refuses to leave Blackstone Keep. He overlooks the Brightwall day after day, committing himself fully to the task his dearly departed father handed down to him, as his father's father entrusted it to him. Let us all offer a moment of prayer for the Duke.”

And in predicable and polite fashion, everyone bowed their heads and raised their hands in prayer. Rose and I looked about, bewildered, but mimicking those around us to not to disrespect or stand out any further. I couldn't resist stealing a glance upward at the man throughout while everyone else had their eyes shut and staring at the floor.

“Oh, Almighty. Hear those gathered here today. Let our prayers be heard and may your mercy find your way into Duke Brenden Malco's heart. Save him from his despair. Let him know the love of his countrymen those across The Empire are with him. Save his soul before that shadow in his heart consumes him. Amen.”

And a chorus echoed out for that final word. But I felt as though there was something not quite right about what he had said. Maybe it's because while I looked up, the expression I saw was not serene. His lips were curled as though it hurt to speak those words.

“But let us not wallow in the mire, tonight we shall not sully her memory by making celebratory evening anything less than a grand ball.”

Count Aaron turned toward the orchestra gathered and waiting in the corner of the room and gave them a nod. With the signal given, the troubadours played on their assortment of instruments which were both eerily similar to ones I was familiar with and others alien, yet played sounds and notes like any other... And this string of notes sounds a little familiar too me... It was off, but similar enough to make the image of a river pop up in the back of my mind.

The ballroom began to clear as once more people broke off into groups and pairs. Like the social butterflies they were, they fluttered from one group to the next look for fertile grounds to hobnob with one another. After all, this might be their only chance till after the fall harvest to meet with as many important and wealthy people in one place. Aside from the music, nothing had really changed. That and the fact that Count Aaron himself was descending to join the festivities. For every couple of steps along the balcony there appeared some new person waiting for their chance to speak with him.

I felt another tug pulling me in the opposite direction. A powerful grip wrapped around me arm and yanked me out of my stupor. Rose's glistening amber eyes met me when my head snapped around in the direction I almost fell over in.

I spoke first to try taking control the situation, “Rose we need a minute to—”

“Come on!” Rose shouted with a bubbly smile on her face.

“No, wait—!”

I never got the chance. Rose pulled me in the opposite direction from the nearest exit and straight into the middle of the ballroom floor. As the music slowly built out of its intro and toward its first verse, the couples gathering in the space created readied themselves. A few of them had to make way because Rose wasn't going to shy away at the fringes of the floor, she had to drag me right into the center... I knew that music playing should have filled me with more dread.

Right in the center of this ballroom, while dozens of eyes turning our way, Rose pulled at the hem of her poofy green dress and curtsied. Although she put on the airs of a proper lady, the tail behind her wagged back and forth like a happy dog. Embers poured forth and that alone told me how excited and happy she actually was. Usually her tail smoulders and flickers, but it is time like this when there's a real fire hazard. That gave us plenty of room at the center as well.

Against my better judgment I bowed as I should. I did it on reflex, but I didn't get a chance to stand up straight and redirect Rose's energy. Just a moment later my left hand was seized and crushed. Anyone looking in might think she laid it there, but she actually held it up like a noose around my neck. She easily pried my other hand from my side and wrapped it behind her waist. With that same hand, the one she used to nearly tear my arm off, she daintily lifted one corner of her dress. When the introduction ended, she started to move and I couldn't do anything else other than follow her as she slowly spun round and round.

I remembered another time like this. We were alone and on a balcony away from prying eyes. Except now a hundred people watched. The looks on their faces were dumbfounded. It seemed like no one had anything to say, not even in whispers. Could it be her brashness, or do salamanders not dance?

This was a lot different from a drunken romp around the tavern though. Rose moved as she wanted and pulled me along for the ride, but at least her motions were refined and followed a very deliberate script. She'd have to, otherwise we'd be stepping on each other's feet. She beamed at me while we stepped in circles around the ballroom floor.

I could not help but smile back and I almost didn't notice that Rose leaved behind a train of fire along the floor where her tail dragged over it. The gasps of surprise were quickly met with sighs of relief when these flames died out on their own. They did leave behind a pretty light show though, it was like an overexposed picture of car tail lights.

Rose kept pulling me along with her with each step she took. Stepping on her talons would be a little easier than anyone else's dainty heeled slippers, but while I had to steal a quick glance downward to watch my feet, Rose kept looking forward at me with overwhelming confidence. At least I remembered the first few steps, but Rose kept on changing them up. Maybe to keep it interesting? But my heart skipped a beat when I was suddenly pulled out of the rhythm. She appeared to care more about matching the steps to the melody of the music instead of play it safe.

“Relax, Laven,” Rose whispered.

I snapped back like a taut elastic band, “Easy for you to—”

“—Move like we practiced!” She beamed.

Rose had been pulling me along, but now she threw herself forward. If I took a wrong step I'd fold over backwards and onto the floor, with Rose in a heap on top of me. I slid one foot back and braced with the other as they met together. With one more to the right I wheeled around and redirected her which caused her to twirl about once before falling back into my arms. The audience gasped in delight as the green hem of her dress twirled with her fiery tail roaring and fire crackling behind her. Somehow, this all seemed real familiar.

“We never practiced—“

Hold on. There's that feeling. Rose on the attack and myself reeling. She kept the same pace as one of her spartan sparring sessions... Without the sword swinging and the beatings... Really, everything was about fighting with this girl. She carried over that passion into everything else she did.

“You relaxed yet?” She asked with a playful grin.

With everyone watching, I'd have to say:

“Obviously not.”

“You've been leading for the last bit.”

In one sense of the word, sure, I'd have to— No. Rose pushed herself into me and I had to deal with all that energy... Which I guess is another way of saying—

“Lift me,” Rose said hushed.

“Wh-”

“No 'whats'. Next spin. Do it.”

On reflex I grabbed her by the waist. She then jumped into the air and kicked her legs forward and back, prancing through the air. The crowd awed again as I caught her and brought her back to the dance floor.

“Now you're just trying to show off,” I hissed back between clenched teeth.

“No retreat, Laven. We're on the attack now.”

And she picked up the pace and intensity of the dance, so she really meant it. Rose wasn't giving me a chance to get another word in edgewise. Every breath I could soak up was to power my legs, not my mouth... No retreat, huh? That's what she said... Wait. Was this whole spectacle to stop me from—?

“From behind, hug me,” she ordered.

I was caught off guard and did exactly what I was told on reflex. With her claw in my hand, she spun around and stepped back to that her back pressed up against my chest. Her tail slipped off to the side, the hot flames brushing up against my thigh. Many in the audience gasped as though preparing themselves to witness my skin bubble and boil with third degree burns. While I held her, she raised one leg straight up into the air which caused the furls of her dress to ripple. Her talons rested near her head for a second, I saw her prepare to axe kick someone at first, but she gracefully brought her lithe leg back down instead.

“Spin me!” She commanded right into my ear while looking back and up toward me.

Her leg pointed sideways, her inhuman talons pointing exactly horizontal. I held her claws in each hand, one to the side and the other above. While she balanced on the talons of one foot, I spun Rose around and she rotated as graceful as a spintop. She ended it while facing me and slowly falling over backwards so that I had to catch her and pull the girl back, her other leg kicking up into the air and flourishing her dress' frills once again. We then stepped back into the waltz again and spun round and round the center of the ballroom floor.

I think I lost track of how long we had been at it now. The real way to tell was by listening to the music which seemed to have finished its final bridge and wound down to the conclusion. Rose and I finally came to a stop when the last few notes played; we were both panting hard. I couldn't think of a reason how this much of a workout could flush Rose to a shade red like— No, wait. I know exactly why. Oblivious to everything else around her, she slowly pressed in closer and closer. She slowly lifted herself up on the balls of her talons and her face got close. Real close. My heart skipped a beat, but it was the near stroke I'd feel when the audience broke out into a jubilant applause. Rose broke out of her stupor and nervously fixed her hair as we turned away from one another and bowed.

“S-see?” Rose flustered. “ It's our turn to make a go at it.”

That feeling of dread I had from before had certainly been blown away. All those looks of distrust, suspicion and disgust had melted away. Those hundred pairs of eyes looked much softer now. My anxiety had been straightened out and the chill down my spine had long since departed. A warm feeling had crawled my arm and flirted with my heart as it stretched across my chest. Rose's claw and my hand were interlocked by the fingers while we waved with our free hands to the now dwindling applause.

And then came the flood. It didn't matter if the troubadours were going to play another song, the party goers broke away from the actual dance and back into their social dance. Rose had looked as though she wanted another round, but this flood of people killed that idea off rather quickly.

“Bravo,” One respectable lady lauded.

Another praised, “A fine display!”

The accolades were smothered upon the two of us and the curious crowd crushed inward to the point Rose and I were forced back to back. A lot of people from all manners of the Empire's high life had a lot of questions to ask. After the initial crush they remembered themselves. Like the well mannered aristocracy they were, the crowd became an endless barrage of people who wanted a minute to speak with us.

Meanwhile, Rose feasted on steady stream of hors d'oeuvre. Or did she merely intercept whole platters when they strayed too close? I saw through that strategy of hers. Since her mouth was full, she wouldn't have a chance to speak. She'd no doubt shove her foot in her mouth if she did. The fancy and polite speech of the nobles as they prattled on all around us bored her. Only the methodical chewing of enough food for five (maybe more) stimulated her enough now.

Their questions were not directed fairly at all. Rose smiled at me with her cheeks puffed out and full of food; a cheeky gesture that was too preoccupied and content to help. A disarming smile. I suppose that's fair, because if she did the talking... I'd expect disaster sooner rather than later.

The questions came in such rapid succession that I could not get any questions of my own answered. All I could do was piece together a bunch of holes in an ongoing puzzle. The one thing people wanted to know about the most is the situation in the North. News from there had apparently ceased. It didn't surprise me. I only had to look back at all the insanity we had to go through to get this far south. What with an important bridge and a giant ship being removed in the process. Traders, nobles, clergy and knights, none of them seemed to have a good grasp on what was going on.. I found that hard to believe, but here they were: asking me of all people. They could show me a map and I'd have a hard time pointing out where I am right now.

And those questions that came were all quite predictable. A few dared to bring up what all the others were dancing around: 'what was going on in Domdracveria?' they asked.

Is it true that a dragon sits on the throne?

That much could not be contested... The competition had been soundly dealt with. I saw it myself.

Is it true that the Princess has been rather taken with—

No comment!

Will the dragon princess be sated for long?

...That question always caused me to pause. I think that one question, asked over and over again, was certainly the sum of all fears. Violetta had been such a frail and shy girl. Breaking that seal had transformed her into a whole other person. She brimmed with confidence and power.

I knew exactly the root of this fear, because one time I uttered it as a threat in the heat of moment. The weight of those questions, and the assumption I knew the answer, told me the gloves on treatment of Rose and I meant I didn't even need to utter that threat.

Domdracveria was a tiny little mountain kingdom at the extreme north end of The Empire, near the boarders of an endless sea of trees and empty tundra beyond that. But almost all of that used to belong to little kingdom during its golden age thousands of years ago. Would the Dragon Princess move to return it to those days? With the deterioration of law, order and intuitions connecting the Mid and South-lands with the north; would it be really that much of a stretch to see the North revolt? How long had things been relatively peaceful? Forty years?

But I had yet to get a chance to explain why I was here in the first place. No one seemed to care about that.

“At last— A chance to met the man of the hour,” A voice, the very definition of passive aggressive, said from somewhere deep within the crowd.

We turned and saw Count Aaron approach; the crowd politely made way. He did not come alone, a pile of weathered muscle walked beside him; muscle in the vague shape of a man. Scars crisscrossed his entire body and made patches in his brown hair. A wafting stench came off him that overpowered every other scent. A repugnant narcotic. It seemed that the only one nearly retching from it was me, but it did cause Rose's nose to twitch in irritation. I wondered for a moment why this man had been allowed to walk about freely in the first place, but that smell vanished as quickly as it had hit me.

While my sinuses recovered, the next thing to be shocked were my eyes. The man was armed and had a chain coat underneath his padded coat. A sword swayed in its scabbard at his hip as well. There wasn't a single one of the Count's guards in the room, so I felt something was very wrong. I could sense Rose shifted beside me and in response I took my own step closer to stop her from doing anything rash. Yet that man didn't train his eyes on Rose, they were burning holes into me. A pair of black coal-like eyes which smouldered with hate.

That's when I pulled my eyes away from his own and spotted a familiar insignia. Silver with a trim of red, woven in the exact same way, but with its own distinct patch. A Silver Bannerman. Thoughts of those adventurers aboard that ferry came flooding back. This was not good. He's the opposite of Count Aaron, the man who approached us with all the necessary civility of an ideal host. But his words were bold, daring and served to mask the venom:

“Greetings, sir... Laven, was it not?” The Count said, all smiles.

“Yeah, that would be me,” I replied, tense.

He turned his eyes reluctantly to my right.

“And this must be the infamous—“

Count Aaron looked over to Rose and the twist in his face worried me. It wasn't the end of the world, but something was off. I looked over gradually to see Rose had migrated to a platter of shucked oysters. A loud glassy crunch gave me goose bumps when she bit down on the whole thing and began grinding the hard shell into gravel. She finally noticed everyone's gaze and gave her own curious look in return.

She didn't flinch. Rose showed no sign that chipping or breaking a tooth was a valid concern at all. She glanced back at the scarred man who for the first time looked back at her. I spied a trace of sweat on his brow. He's nowhere near as bad as the count who with each passing moment looked as though he had literally stepped out of a sauna.

I've had my— in there— I shook my head to clear away those thoughts.

“Rose... You're not supposed to eat the shells,” I said.

“Why?” She asked.

'Because you'll break your teeth' came immediately to mind, but I suppose that actually didn't apply. The more I thought about it, the more I recalled her cracking bones apart with her teeth to get at the marrow.

“Tastes like a good source of minerals,” Rose said whilst taking another loud crunch out of the remaining half of the oyster,

That— I wasn't sure if she made a joke, or if it were serious. I'm not sure I could actually disagree with that either. It's the first time I recall her eating seafood though, so maybe she didn't think bone or shells were any different. I hoped Aaron hadn't spent the last hour or so collecting his nerves, because the subtle quirks in his expression told me that's exactly what he was doing. Those paying attention to our little public conversation seemed to notice, but remained silent.

“I-I have heard you have traveled far from the North to be here tonight,” the Count continued, “What brings you so far south in this troubled times?”

“I have business in the Free Ports,” I answered truthfully.

“A daunting task. For someone without a sizable retinue.”

“We've made due, so far,” I shrugged. “But the walking doesn't bother me as much as the tolls.”

Aaron smiled and turned sideways as an invitation to walk with him. His intimidation game had suffered a set back, so I think he desired a change in location and in mood.

“To ensure proliferation in the Empire. Old laws which have proven necessary in these times. Without it I could see massive migrations toward city centers.”

I stood my ground.

“I see massive migrations regardless.”

The Count sighed with the kind of heft to it that told me he was prepared to explain something a toddler should have already understood. The tinge of condescension slipping through his kind smile rubbed me the wrong way.

“Evacuations,” Aaron declared. “Controlled for their protection. Lessons were learned since they last occurred forty years ago. Entire regions were abandoned and others were overpopulated. Overpopulation leads to strife and strife leads to stressed institutions. People fall through the cracks and become prey to the succubi.”

With a new fire in his belly, the man turned himself back to face me.

“There are pockets of monster controlled areas everywhere and some populations are more at risk than others. In order to defend them, the Empire must consolidate them first.”

“And milk them dry while you're at it?” I spat back.

“Laven, The Empire's resources and manpower are not infinite. It can guard some highways, but not all of them. Those that move south on their own will have to make due without imperial protection. Nothing is taken from them, the only thing asked for in return is their labor when they reach their new homes. Their new communities will adjust, with time, and The Empire will reorganize. New lands of opportunity are opened all the time for those adventurous enough to plunge into the frontier.”

Like Brun: That quaint little town I stumbled into... It feels like a long time since then.

“And they are hiring all the time?” I asked.

“Not to the likes of you,” he replied coldly.

His polite host's mask faltered for a moment.

“Were you not aware? I thought you might have heard by now.”

“About what?” Rose piped up, the Count's shift in tone breaking even her away from that platter.

“Monster companies have been harder to come across lately. Demand has... waned.”

The scarred man beside him showed the first hint of a smile. A corner of his lip curled up for a second. I had a second to catch it from the corner of my eye.

“I am surprised to see the likes of you here. Such a sight was not so uncommon a year or two ago. But it— how do the peasants say it?... The chickens have come home to roost. The story of Earl Iilic has made its rounds. Perhaps the bards and rumor mongers have yet to move it north? I suppose they wouldn't, not with how the roads and rail have been recently. You see, Mr. Laven, Earl Iilic. A man more like you than I guess you'd care to admit. The outlaw problem had struck him just as hard as anywhere else, so he allowed a roving band of orcs and goblins to take up residence in the forests of his fief. No charge. Keep what you capture for yourselves. That's the nature of the deal he made... And it went well. Until his son and heir had an encounter with their war chief.”

I swallowed hard; a series of memories flashed before me Running through the northern woods with an entire war band of pig-like women chasing after me.

“Eloped. Pah!” The Count spat. “Yes, I'm sure the boy spoke the truth with the note he left behind. That's when the war band turned inward and on the Earl's castle. He fled to the capital while his lands were seized and became but another demon realm dotting the maps of the Empire... One of many tales, but enough for the Church to stop turning a blind eye.”

“Rose's guild status still stands,” I said between clenched teeth.

They verified it with some sort of magic at the Count's gate.

“Free Port bureaucracy,” he replied.

“The Treaty of Lannic,” I shot back.

Shoshanah stressed that last night. When in doubt, speak of Lannic: that's what she had said. I had been wondering about these fabled Free Ports for a while, but never asked why they were called Free. Well, Shoshanah meditated on it for a couple nights and figured out the laws in play that made it so. The Sea of Lannic was the great ocean to the south of the continent and this treaty gave the Free Ports dominion over them.

Those city states are free because of that thousand year old document the Empire signed off on. Apparently not even the full might of the Empire could push a handful of rich city states into the sea. That first emperor of their was a military genius, but apparently there was another kind of genius living in the Free Ports at the time. Giant cranes on the harbor walls that could left whole ships into the air and drop them back down, shattering them to pieces. Sewer systems that were labyrinthine which no man could solve and only a trusted few memorized their maps by rote. Great big walls and other wondrous inventions that kept the cities secure.

The sieges went on for almost a decade, the granaries showed no signs of depleting and the Free Port fleet controlled the waves. That Emperor capitulated to a deal in favor of the Merchant Princes. A Demon Lord's army could have arrived at anytime, so he could not afford to spend too much time breaking those cities. They would hold onto their little strip of land along the coast at the cost of paying tribute. Each city would retain their sovereignty and The Empire would not meddle in their trade and internal affairs.

A thousand years later, and with monsters how they are now... If profit could be made, the Free Ports would do it. They don't give a flying fuck what the Emperor or the Church has to say about it. One of the Doges, a bishop and the Guild itself signed off on it, so Rose's status as a mercenary with the Free Ports was set in stone. And that's why we needed to get down there as soon as possible. We'd finally have all the breathing room in the world to sort our affairs.

We just had another thousand kilometers or so of increasingly hostile Empire to get through first.

The same gears seemed have been turning inside Count Aaron's head.

“Well, even so... Those papers are unprecedented. For this, this Thorn Knight, to obtain them-”

"Hey! My friend worked hard on those,” Rose shouted, sensing an insult on the tip of the Count's tongue.

She took a step forward which caused the Count's muscle to lower a hand to his belt. Rose caught the soldier's sleight of hand and came to a stop. It was too subtle for most to see, and the other guests around us didn't notice, but the Count and I locked gazes and stared one another down.

“If you keep hiding behind thousand year old walls, even you will run out of time eventually, Laven. You and Malco both will learn that the hard way,” the Count said.

Aaron's cryptic warning did not have long to set in. A silky voice spoke from behind the wall of guests and brought the escalating situation to a halt.

“Duke Malco, you say?”

All four of us turned toward the voice and the awed guests who made way for a single woman. She stood out... An understatement for sure. Wavy locks of platinum blonde hair framed her fair complexion face which hide two sapphires, two radiant blue eyes. Her gait was sensuous and the black long cocktail dress clung to her curves and left little to the imagination. A pair of heeled stilettos encased her small feet, long lace gloves and stocking crept up her arms and legs. A captivating beauty, not unlike gazing upon a fine cut diamond of immeasurable worth. I looked to Rose and she looked to me. I had felt my heart thump and I had looked over with concern, but the salamander had been just as impressed as I. Rose was a ruby in comparison, but nowhere near as elegant and refine; clear but uncut.

And dangling from a chain around the woman's neck was a small blue gemstone that matched the color of her eyes. It was so small, smaller than the other jewelry she wore as bangles on her arms, the tiara on her head or the rings on her slender fingers. It put an uneasy feeling in my gut.

“—Perhaps you have seen him?” She asked with fluttering eyelashes.

“—N-no, mam,” the Count blustered with his face turning red.

Whatever charms she oozed, it was hitting him a lot harder than it was me.

“As I said earlier, he failed to arrive.”

“Hmm~” She hummed with disappointment.

“And whom, might I ask, looks for—?”

“Hyria,” She replied with a courtesy.

There was not much skirt to courtesy with.She looked at the muscle for a moment and just by laying her eyes on him, it was as if she had punched him in the gut. The man's huge frame shivered for a second before he ground his jaw shut and looked away. His sword arm twitched and his right hand clenched, but the woman lost interest in him soon enough and left the soldier to deflate once she removed the pressure her mere gaze exerted.

“A pleasure,” the count managed to say and finally offer a smile, “I am—”

“—And you must be Sir Laven,” Hyria said with her own smile as she turned toward me. “And Rosette, The Thorn Knight. A pleasure.”

“You've caught us off guard. You seem to know us, but—”

“I shall call upon you later tonight,” she said bluntly and with her eyes fixed on me.

“Hey!” Rose said placing a claw on my chest and stepping in between the two of us.

The woman, Hryia, turned her gaze over to Rose. The same pressure hit her too, but she held her ground and furrowed her red brow back at the woman's slack expression.

“Rest well. The Counts manor is open to all guests for the evening should they require.”

The woman locked back upon the Count again.

“Is it not?”

Her words were heavy. By now the beauty of the woman and the peculiar air about her had attracted another sea of eyes toward us. Aaron could nothing but nod under the pressure.

“B-but of course. What manner of host would I be— if I did not accommodate my guests?”

She spared a smile for the count and then turned back toward Rose and I.

“I feel your being here was meant to be. You may help me and I shall help you in return. For the price of one favor.”

Was... Was she hiring us? Someone finally—

“Tonight. When I call upon you. The details are.... Private... I cannot speak of them here. Until then— Rest.”

Between that and a blink, the woman's expression softened as though she was suddenly a different person altogether.

“But first, we should all enjoy this fine evening,” Hyria said with a warm smile.

And just as suddenly as she had arrived, she walked away and approached the other guests of the party. The men melted in much the same way the count did. Much to the annoyance of their wives. Aaron had at some point stepped away and disappeared back into the crowd. Although I could not say the same for his muscle who carved a path with his wide shoulders and mean stare as an icebreaker. No doubt the Count was in front and storming away in full retreat.

I could only imagine the blow to his pride.

“Right— well, that was something,” I said. “Maybe now we ought to—”

A strong and powerful warmth seized my hand. I dared to look down and follow the arm it belonged to, all the way to its face which beamed brightly back at me.

“—Take her advice!” Rose cheered.

I heard the music warm up once again and I was pulled off my feet.

***

Hours later... Too many hours later. We trudged through the hallways of the Count's manor. I took deep breath after deep breath as I followed Rose. She smelled of wine, but she had a spring to her step. That tail whipping behind her glowed bright and flared occasionally. No doubt burning off all the excess alcohol which fueled it instead of made her tipsy or drunk. Meanwhile, my stomach growled. I didn't have a chance to eat a thing. Certainly not with that event horizon for a stomach nearby.

We followed a nearly petrified maid through the winding hallways till we reached a suitable guest room on the far left wing of the manor at the top floor. Far, far away from the other guests I assumed. That maid forget all her manners and professional and speed walked away before running as soon she went around the corner. She would be flogged if she acted like that for any other guest. I sympathized with her and Rose couldn't be bothered. We threw ourselves into the room.

And what a room it was. Worthy of five stars with the candles already lit and a pitcher of fresh water prepared. I helped myself liberally to it, because I had been on my feet for hours spinning around that dance floor. After I freed my swollen and throbbing feet my boots of course. No time to care about the carpet and the drapes, I kicked them off and dropped down in a soft leather chair.

“Finally!” Rose groaned while closing the door.

Her claws whipped around her back to pick, tug and pull at the strings holding her dress up. She was desperate to free herself.

“You're going to rip it,” I warned.

“They'll fix it,” she retorted. “Besides, you ain't getting me back in that thing. Not ever!”

Snap. A taut string broke and Rose pulled the dress down toward her ankles and kicked it free in one motion. I sat in the chair, the dress landing at my feet. Rose stood in the middle of the room, naked except for her black string panties. A soft aching groan reverberated off her while she cracked her back and stretched her arms across her chest. Her bare chest. Large breasts swaying and bouncing back and forth with each flick of her hips, twist of her waist and shrug of her shoulders. I tipped the glass of water up high and shied my eyes behind it, but couldn't help but look all the same... Not that the clear water and glass blocked anything at all.

“You know what? I'm hungry,” she said suddenly.

“You ate half the platters down there yourself.”

Rose locked onto me and pointed accusingly with an outstretched talon, “And I danced one and a half of that off!”

“The chefs wont be up now,” I sighed. “And Aaron's men will be patrolling the grounds. Don't agitate them. I'm sure they wont take kindly to the famous Thorn Knight wandering around late at night with a lot of other important dignitaries locked in their rooms.”

Rose leaped forward and pinned me to the chair by slamming her claws down onto the arms of my chair. She leaned over and stared right into my face. At point blank. My eyes kept darting down and back up.

“That's a risk I'm willing to take,” she said resolutely, but with expressionless focus on her face.

And she pushed herself away, walking toward the closest with her tail and behind swaying behind her. Next she freed her hair which had been in a bun atop her head. Her long vermillion hair unfurled down her back and danced all around when she shook her head to unclump and separate the last of the stubborn strands. I took another swig, but my glass was already empty and I felt the heat and started sweating it all out after just drinking it... My face didn't feel red... But another part was... Dammit! I wasn't flushed or freaking out about her walking around like that, but I had gotten hard as a rock. I was getting too familiar with this kind of play.

During my self reflection and minor revelations, Rose found a bath robe to tie around herself. She deftly tied the rope belt into a knot and struck a fighting pose with her clenched claws at her waists.

“Alright... gonna find more of those clans.”

She then marched on her merry way while whistling one of the waltzes from earlier.

“Clams, Rose. Clams... And no you don't.”

I leapt up to stop her and squeezed through the door as it closed. I gave chase and luckily she hadn't started sprinting yet. I could thank our distance from any kitchen or pantry for that. She didn't know where she was going, or what or who she'd stumble into before catching the scent. I grabbed hold of her by the wrist and dug my naked heels into the rug.

“Hey,” She pouted when I anchored her to the spot.

“Come on. You've had more than enough. Just let what you got digest and you'll be fine.”

It was a struggle to drag her back. Especially when she got her claws into the stonework. She acted like a petulant child, but I did manage to eventually drag her back to the room.

“Sleep it off, okay? Right now we gotta talk and figure out—“

As I placed my hand on the door handle, a faint voice snaked its way into my ear. Someone was inside the room. I couldn't afford to wait as Rose gained strength and would start pulling me along with her at any moment. I steeled myself and pushed it open suddenly, afraid of what intruder awaited us.

Someone was definitely in there alright. A mass of green stood at the center of the room illuminated by the flicking candlelight. A small figure, twirling and spinning slowly around. It held up a sheet and sang quietly.

“La, la laa la, laa la,” the quiet girl's voice sang the chorus of that waltz from before that Rose had stuck in her head.

My eyes adjusted and fixated on the girl: There Minte stood. Her eyes were shut, her human ones that is, and she appeared to be in her own little world. She held Rose's green dress up by its sleeves. Just as you would if you were trying it on and wanted to make sure it was the right size. But the way she stepped... she mimicked those dance steps of Rose before. Not particularly well, but she tried. And the way her arms were placed... As if she had an imaginary dance partner.

It took about eight seconds or so before on of her mantis eyes pseudopupils swiveled in my direction. She froze on the spot. Her head slowly turned toward me, emotionless, but with... were they little wet tears forming in the corners of her eyes... And despite whatever efforts she employed, her face quickly turned from pink to pure red.

Thud. Twang~. The dagger hidden up the sleeve fell from the sleeve and stuck into the floor. Its hilt vibrated back and forth for a few seconds more and was the only sound aside from Rose, still in the hallway and caught in my grip, that could be heard. But when I froze too, caught up in the awkward moment, Rose stopped pulling and came around on her own accord to see what was going on.

“Hey what's the big idea—“

Before Rose could stick her head in Minte dropped the dress to the ground and kicked it under the bed at an inhuman speed and unnatural precision. But that meant she didn't have the time to disappear before Rose peeked her head behind me and looked into the room and locked eyes with the mantis girl.

“—Minte?”

Yeah. The surprise and confusion in her voice was like my own. But before anyone could walk in on this, I stepped inside the room and Rose followed on her own accord. I let the door close behind us and I made sure to lock it tight.