‘I won’t beat around the bush,’ Sith said. ‘We have good news and bad news.’

  Vivian, Aiden and Felix listened with rapt attention as Sith spoke, addressing their foreign guests. Reno stood beside her, probably to offer a familiar face for the crowd with Dixie a step behind, her eyes still fixed on his face.

  ‘The good news is we will be able to send you all home within the next month,’ Sith said. ‘The Council has agreed to contact your leaders to arrange a safe journey back and will provide you with any resources necessary.’

  A collective sigh of relief ran through the listening group. Rikan and Sina hugged each other, a few tears escaping their eyes. Sylf and Vann slapped each other on the backs, grinning uncontrollably at the thought of returning home.

  ‘That’s great!’ Vivian cheered. ‘Good for you!’

  ‘Hmm, I don’t know...’ Felix hesitated. ‘Sounds too good to be true. The Council does not run a charity.’

  ‘So, what’s the bad news?’ Aiden asked.

  Sith took a deep breath. ‘We were not able to find a place to accommodate you during that time.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Vivian frowned. ‘What about the Rusty Kettle? Can’t we just book a couple of rooms there?’

  ‘The Council doesn’t wish to make you feel... neglected.’ Sith hesitated for a moment. ‘Therefore, it was decided that during your short stay with us you will be under Cyrus’ care.’

  ‘Or, to put it in simple words, they don’t trust you enough to leave you alone,’ Peri said bluntly. ‘So, they’re sticking you with the princess.’

  ‘Yes, we got that,’ Sylf snipped back.

  Cyrus cleared his throat and stepped forward, making sure to stomp on Peri’s foot in the process. Peri gave a pained grunt and stepped back but didn’t retaliate.

  ‘The problem is we never had to house so many of you before,’ Cyrus explained. ‘We had one, at most two at a time.’

  ‘What about the housing district? We could use one of the empty houses,’ Aiden suggested.

  Cyrus shook his head. ‘We suggested it, but it was shot down.’

  Vivian rolled her eyes. ‘Let me guess. Something about it being the quarters for nobles only.’

  ‘Good guess,’ Cyrus said wearily. ‘Though I believe the way they put it was that the nobles would be uncomfortable with allowing outsiders to stay with them. Hence, the present conundrum. We need a place to house all of you, as well as myself.’

  They fell into silence, pondering their options.

  Will we have to pitch tents and make them camp outside?

  Felix raised his hand. ‘Here’s an idea. What if they stayed in my house?’

  Dixie shook her head. ‘That’s what he just said. The Council will claim that the nobles will object to outsiders.’

  ‘But they aren’t outsiders. Not when I’m inviting them into my home,’ Felix pointed out. ‘They’ll be my guests, and I’m allowed to invite anyone I want as my guests. It’s why no one has objected to Vivi coming over to my place or Aiden’s, even though she isn’t a noble.’

  Aiden leaned back on his arms. ‘Do you think they’ll accept that reasoning?’

  ‘They won’t have a choice,’ Felix replied. ‘It’s my house. Who I invite is none of their business.’

  ‘But this will put you at odds with the other nobles,’ Sith warned.

  Felix shrugged. ‘No more than usual. My reputation is already at rock bottom.’

  Cyrus scratched his chin in thought. ‘It sounds like this is our best course of action.’ He looked up at Felix. ‘Are you sure this won’t be an inconvenience?’

  Felix smiled. ‘Yes, I’m sure. Though, I should warn you I haven’t been assigned a goblin yet, so we’ll have to take care of ourselves.’

  'At least tell me they’ll provide us with food and clothes and such,’ Aiden said.

  ‘They will,’ Peri said. ‘Apparently, even they have a low they won’t sink to.’

  ‘I could talk to Feruz,’ Vivian pitched in. ‘Sowing season is over so I’ll ask if he can spare a few goblins for a month or so. We would have to pay them out of our own pockets.’

  ‘Then it’s settled.’ Felix turned towards the others, or rather his guests with a smile. He gave a sweeping bow. ‘I invite you all to my humble abode.’

  Vivian rolled her eyes. ‘Humble, my foot. You have six bedrooms and a rooftop greenhouse in that humble abode of yours.’

  ‘And for once they will be put to good use.’ Felix straightened from his bow. ‘Let’s not waste any time. It’s almost nightfall and we have a lot of arrangements to make.’

  ………

  It was almost midnight by the time Vivian, Aiden and Felix slumped into the drawing room armchairs, exhausted and drained. It was no easy task getting the house ready for guests, seeing as how most of the rooms had never even been touched before that day. It was flurry of activity, changing the bedding and the sheets, sweeping and washing the floors, dusting and finally cooking dinner for a party of ten, which included the five foreigners, Cyrus, Dixie and themselves. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the three goblins Feruz had lend them as well as Bruz coming over from Aiden’s to help, they would have never finished.

  ‘Would someone please carry me to my bed?’ Felix groaned. ‘I can’t move a muscle.’

  ‘I ache all over.’ Vivian let her head hang over the back of the armchair. ‘Is this how old people feel all the time?’

  ‘I cannot believe you two are whining over some manual labour,’ Aiden said, trying and failing to look unaffected. ‘You lack stamina.’

  ‘Oh really?’ Vivian scoffed. ‘Since you’re so unaffected, why are you slouching? Aren’t nobles supposed to have perfect postures or something?’

  ‘I could sit straight if I wanted to.’ He slouched even further into his chair, if that was even possible.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  ‘Then do it.’

  ‘I don’t want to.’

  ‘Let’s not get into it,’ Felix said, for once playing the role of negotiator rather than instigator. ‘We’re all tired so let’s just get some sleep. It’s late, so you two should stay the night.’

  ‘I won’t argue with that.’ Vivian groaned as she stood up. ‘There’s no way I’m walking all the way back to Sith’s right now.’

  The others had been settled on the second floor, which left the two bedrooms on the first floor next to Felix’s empty for their use. Vivian immediately laid claim to the room facing the street, flopping down on the bed in an act of ownership. Aiden rolled his eyes at the display and graciously accepted the remaining room that overlooked the backyard. After a set of good nights exchanged through wide yawns they turned in. Vivian fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, not even bothering to take off her boots, her deep breathing a sign of a calm and dreamless sleep.

  ... That is, until she was rudely awakened by a knife held to her throat. She looked up through bleary eyes, her arms splayed on either side of her, to see a familiar head of green hair and a set of green eyes.

  ‘Make a noise, and I will slit your throat,’ Tala growled, crouched over her on the bed. She pushed her knife closer to emphasis her point.

  Vivian gulped and nodded. There wasn’t much else she could do at the moment.

  ‘I’m going to ask you a few questions and you are going to answer.’

  Another nod.

  ‘This is supposed to be a city of mages, and yet I can sense no magic from you.’ Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. ‘Are you a spy?’

  ‘If I was spy, would I admit it?’ Vivian replied before she could stop herself. She wasn’t surprised when the knife dug a little deeper into her throat, drawing a drop blood.

  ‘Are you being brave, or just stupid?’

  ‘Probably stupid.’

  ‘Answer the question.’

  Vivian swallowed, choosing her next words carefully. ‘I am a mage, but I’m a bit different from the others… I can show you.’

  Tala studied her for a moment before tightening her grip on the knife. ‘Go on then. But if I see you so much as twitch your magic towards me...’ She let the threat hang in the air.

  Taking a deep breath Vivian turned towards her right hand and concentrated. She tried to ignore the knife held against her throat imagined pulling those now familiar golden threads out of the air. How they twisted in midair and wove around her in lazy circles.

  ‘Nothing’s happening,’ Tala growled. ‘Did you lie to-’

  ‘It takes a minute, alright?!’ Vivian argued back. ‘We can’t all just call upon our magic whenever we want.’

  ‘Actually-’

  ‘Just- just give it a minute.’

  At last, the first spark appeared, sliding through the air and trailing a gossamer line of gold behind itself. Then another appeared, and then another and another one, till the room was filled with them.

  ‘Wh- what?’ Tala’s grip on her knife loosened as she faltered back a bit, her head swivelling to take in the lights. ‘What kind of magic is this?’

  The grip on her arm that was holding her down relaxed as the elf looked around in wonder and Vivian decided to take the opportunity to free herself. Putting all her weight behind it, she shoved the intruder off the bed to the left before rolling off to the other side towards the door. Tala was caught off guard but she still managed to land on her feet and stood up just in time to see Vivian pull a dagger out from her boot and do the same.

  Thank the gods I was too lazy to take it off before I fell asleep…

  ‘There.’ Vivian gestured at the threads still hanging in the air. ‘You have your answer. I am a mage. Though I have a feeling you didn’t sneak into my room in the middle of the night just to confirm that I was one.’

  ‘What makes you so sure?’ she bit back. ‘Perhaps I really was just suspicious.’

  ‘Oh please. There’s no way you thought that a city of mages somehow let a non-mage slip in undetected. And if you really did want to confront someone about being a non-mage, why didn’t you go after Peri. He has no magic either.’

  Tala scowled. ‘You’re not as stupid as you look.’

  ‘Yes, I get that a lot.’ Now it was Vivian’s turn to narrow her eyes with suspicion. ‘So, the question now is, why are you really here?’

  Tala gritted her teeth, visibly mulling over how much she should reveal. Vivian edged back towards the door, not taking her eyes off the elf for even a moment.

  If I could just reach the handle…

  Tala’s eyes narrowed as she noticed the movement. She slowly took a step around the bed and Vivian matched in kind by taking a step back. Her golden threads wove themselves around Tala as if trying to entangle her, but she passed right through them. Vivian wasn’t sure if it would work, but she imagined the threads going taut and restricting her.

  Tala stopped. She tugged her arm forward, struggling against the threads that bound her. The threads held strong for a moment before snapping. Tala quickly freed herself but didn’t take another step forward, biting her lip in thought before doing the unexpected and sheathing her knife. She held her hands up in a sign of surrender.

  ‘Alright, I give up. You got me.’

  Vivian was thrown off for a moment, before she regained her resolve and gripped her dagger tighter.

  ‘So, speak,’ Vivian demanded. ‘Why have you come here?’

  ‘I want to make a deal.’

  ‘Do you usually make deals with knives held to throats?’ Vivian bit out.

  ‘More often than you’d think.’ She sighed. ‘Listen, I apologize for startling you, but I truly do wish to make a deal with you.’

  ‘Couldn’t you have asked me in the morning?’

  ‘It needs to be a secret.’

  ‘Even from Sylf and Vann?’

  ‘Especially them.’

  ‘What is this super-secret thing you want from me? In case you didn’t know, I haven’t been here that long myself so I highly doubt I can help you.’

  ‘I need information. I’m looking for someone.’

  ‘Who?’

  Tala shook her head. ‘First tell me if you’re in or out.’

  Vivian bit her lip in thought. ‘… What’s in it for me?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You said it was a deal, not a charity. So,’ Vivian stood up straighter. ‘What do I get out of it?’

  Tala seemed to give it a bit of thought. She glanced at threads surrounding them, studying how they moved. She drew in a breath before answering.

  ‘How about… I teach you how to use your magic?’

  ‘Come again?’

  ‘You must have noticed that your magic is very different from other humans.’

  Vivian nodded reluctantly. ‘But based off your earlier reaction, it’s very different from elven magic as well.’

  ‘True, but it is more similar to ours than it is to other mages.’

  Vivian nodded at the threads of light around them. ‘So, you can teach me how to control… these, whatever they are.’

  ‘I can try.’

  ‘That’s not reassuring.’

  ‘Not, but it’s all I can offer.’

  Vivian sighed. ‘Assuming that I accept that ridiculous offer, I need to know why you’re looking for this person. I won’t help if you’re holding harmful intentions.’

  ‘I… need their help with a matter back home. In fact, they’re the reason I even came to this prejudiced dump.’

  ‘Oi!’ Vivian objected. ‘That’s my country you’re talking about! I mean, you’re right, but still…’

  Tala gave her an unimpressed look. ‘Anyway, it is imperative that I find them.’

  ‘How do you even know they’re here?’

  ‘I can recognize their handiwork anywhere.’ Tala glanced up and down her figure, at the clothes she was wearing. Vivian quickly understood who she was looking for.

  ‘I might know where they are,’ Vivian said slowly. ‘But, I’m still not sure I can trust you.’

  Tala reached behind her to pull something out of her belt satchel. ‘Look, just-’

  ‘Oi! Hands where I can see them!’

  ‘I just need to show you something.’

  Vivian huffed. ‘Slowly then.’

  Tala slowly reached behind her and pulled out a small, wooden bunny figurine and placed it on Vivian’s bed. ‘Just show this to them and tell them I want to meet. I’m sure they’ll agree.’

  ‘… Alright, I’ll pass the message. But if she refuses, that’s that.’

  Tala smiled. ‘She huh? So, you do know her.’

  Vivian bit back a curse and gestured with her knife. ‘Since we have made the deal, I think it’s time you left. Move towards the door, slowly. No funny business.’

  Tala stepped towards the door, while Vivian edged around her as she approached, always keeping her eyes on her.

  Tala rolled her eyes. ‘We’re partners now. Can’t we have a little trust between us?’

  ‘You were holding a knife to my throat less than twenty minutes ago. So, no’

  Tala smiled playfully before grabbing the door handle and pulling. The door swung open and she stepped out, pausing a moment to give Vivian a nod, before pulling it shut behind herself. Vivian immediately leapt forward and locked the door. She pressed her ear against the door, listening for footsteps but couldn’t hear anything. After a few moments of silence, she slumped down onto the floor, the tension draining from her body as she heaved one breath after another as if she’d just run a couple of miles.

  That was scary… that was so scary…

  Vivian rubbed her throat where the blood from the small nick had dried and swallowed.

  It’s just one thing after another… Is it too much to ask for some peace and quiet?

  She dragged herself to her feet and threw herself onto her bed, though she doubted she would get any more sleep that night. She kept glancing at the door, reassuring herself that it was locked, and that the elf wouldn’t be able to come back in.

  If only the mind listened to logic alone.