Poltrund was a moderately sized town of no particular political importance. It was a trading hub that had grown out of a trading post some generations prior, and while not as large as Marusta it did boast three different forums where traders could set up shop and compete against each other. The city also felt polished to Lotte in a way that Marusta never had, at least in the business district.

It had only been a week, but Lotte’s nighttime excursions had given her a pretty good sense of the layout of the city. Some places were better-lit and safer than others. Lotte had even managed to stop one or two crimes in progress, much to the frustration of the city guard who had a reputation to uphold. But vigilantism wasn’t going to pay the bills, and with a very specialized skill set Lotte was having difficulty finding a decent job. But she also had magic, and there had to be a way to turn a profit off of that.

Today, Lotte was in the south forum. A small crowd had gathered around her while Zisald kept watch for the city guard. There were always a few of them posted at the edges of each forum, but Lotte had found quickly that individual guards had different levels of tolerance for her presence and she needed to know when to slip away.

“Watch carefully,” she told the crowd before turning a ball of water into ice. She tossed it up a few times in the air before the ball of ice sublimated and a cloud of steam floated away. There were a few claps and sounds of awe from her little audience.

Lotte’s fox ear twitched as she grinned. Now that she wasn’t living in the shadows anymore, she had stepped up her showmanship a little bit. It took a bit of time to come up with new acts, but people had begun to recognize her in the street as a somewhat popular entertainer.

“Lotte,” Zisald whispered in her ear, “guards are coming.”

“Dammit,” she muttered. “That was fast.” Addressing the crowd, she said, “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen and others. That’s all for today, but keep an eye out for me in the future.”

She picked up the little bowl people had been tossing money into and poured the money into a pouch on her belt as she walked away. Lotte couldn’t yet hear the sound of moving armor, so she was probably safe. Still, she dispelled her ears and ducked down a random alleyway. It wouldn’t be safe to return to the south forum just yet. She’d have to pick another one for the next day or two.

When Lotte was sure that she was no longer being followed, she leaned up against a wall and opened up the pouch on her belt. She counted the money she’d earned. It wasn’t as much as she’d been hoping for today, but it might buy her and Alena a meal. Lotte sighed and slid down the wall, letting her ears pop back into existence. What a life she’d made for herself.

“Excuse me?” Lotte looked up to see a small boy standing over her and fidgeting with his hands. “You’re the magic animal woman, aren’t you?”

“I am,” she replied.

“My family needs help and my friends said that you could help us,” he said, clearly on the verge of tears.

She nodded and stood up. It could be a trap, but it wasn’t like she couldn’t defend herself if it was. Though using a poor child as bait would be awfully low of someone.

“Lead the way,” she said.

The child brought her to a more run-down district of town. The buildings here were older and the stone was starting to fall apart from weathering. Makeshift buildings occupied ruins or dark corners. Lotte was brought to a small hovel built up against the wall of a decaying warehouse.

“They’re in here,” the child said, walking through the front door.

Lotte followed and shifted her eyes to be able to see in darkness. There were no lit candles, but the dry wood that made up the foundation would have made that impractical. A tiny bit of light filtered in through the holes in the ceiling and walls. Indeed, a small family was gathered inside the one-room home.

“Hello,” Lotte addressed the surprised man and woman. “I was told you needed magical help?”

After a bit of argument between the parents and their youngest child, it was agreed that Lotte could attempt to do something about the weak foundation and holes in the structure. Though she was a little hungry already, Lotte poured her energy into the old wood pillars holding the walls up and strengthened them, returning them to a younger form. She had to stand on a stool to reach the low ceiling, but was able to manipulate the thatching to seal the holes against rain.

“We’ll never be able to repay you,” the man said when she was done.

“I just ask that people pay whatever they can,” Lotte replied.

She left with a few more small bills in her pocket than when she arrived. Lotte couldn’t justify taking much when the family clearly needed the money more, but even a small amount meant a lot to her and Alena. Eventually, though, Lotte planned to start helping people completely free of charge. It was only fair, since she had the power to do so. And it wasn’t like her and Alena were going to be in such a tight spot forever.

Lotte returned to the inn where she and Alena were staying. It was a small place with only a dozen rooms, but it was cheap enough for them to rent out for the immediate future. She waved to the innkeeper and pulled out a key to unlock the door to her room.

Most of the space was occupied by a bed barely large enough for the two of them. The single chest of drawers only offered enough space for Lotte and Alena to have just a few outfits each. There wasn’t really a secure hiding spot, but Lotte had cast a spell over a small chest to be unnoticeable and hidden it under the bed. That was where their remaining money was stored for the moment.

Lotte was only able to get a small nap before the door opened again and Alena walked inside, looking exhausted. She collapsed onto the bed and pressed herself against Lotte without even taking off her shoes. Alena buried her head in Lotte’s chest and groaned.

“For all the experience I have, the only job I can actually get is as a secretary for a caravan. I helped run my parents’ business. This is unbelievable!”

“I know, dear, I know,” Lotte cooed, petting Alena softly.

“I feel so low compared to where I was at,” Alena continued. “We’re not going to be able to survive for very long like this. We don’t have much money and there’s nobody in this town we can rely on for help. I’m only barely making enough for food and rent.”

“It’s okay, Alena,” Lotte assured her. “We still have most of the money we started with. If there’s an emergency, we’ll be fine. And this won’t last forever.”

Alena sighed, then said, “At least you’re safe, my love. That’s the only thought that gets me through the day anymore. I can be happy as long as you're safe.” She paused. “I do wish you wouldn’t go out and get on the guards’ bad side, though. What happens if they get fed up with you? I can’t lose you again, Lotte.”

“You won’t, I promise. But Alena, you can’t be constantly worried about me. It’s not good for you. You have to trust that I’m going to be able to take care of myself.”

Alena sat up, admitting, “The thought of getting back here and learning that you’ve been arrested or something is terrifying, Lotte.”

Lotte sat up and grabbed Alena in a hug. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m right here. I’m always going to be here. And I worry about you, Alena. You seem to be going through so much.”

Alena nodded, then wiped tears from her eyes as she told Lotte, “I’m a complete failure. I gave up a decent job with real prospects for a cause that completely crumbled before my eyes. There was nothing I could do to stop any of it. And now all the people we were going to help are at Torben’s mercy. Everything I’ve done since the attack on our home has been a waste. And even that was my fault too, for dropping hints in front of Torben like an idiot!”

“Shh, you’re not an idiot.” Lotte nuzzled Alena. “There was no way to know what was going to happen. And it wasn’t your responsibility to keep the Resistance safe. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She paused. “Hey, I made some money today, too. Do you want to go out and grab a bite to eat?”

Alena nodded.

“Then let’s go,” Lotte said, pulling Alena off of the bed.

There was a small tavern not far from the inn that wasn’t too expensive. It was always crowded this late in the afternoon, but Lotte didn’t have any trouble finding a couple of chairs at the counter for herself and Alena. Alena herself seemed to be a little more calm than before, even giving Lotte a half-hearted smile.

“We can get something to share,” Lotte said, counting the bills in her pocket. “Preferably something with a lot of meat.”

“That eye has completely changed your appetite, hasn’t it?” Alena asked playfully.

“It’s changed a bit more than that,” Lotte replied. “Rumor has it that I used to be a man? Not sure if I believe that, though.”

Alena chuckled, adding, “You seem so at home in your body that I can’t imagine you ever looking like anything else.”

Lotte blushed and looked away.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked.

“A little,” Alena admitted, flagging down the server.

They placed their order, also getting a couple of drinks for themselves.

“I’m sure you’ll be running that caravan in no time,” Lotte told Alena, sipping her beer.

“I don’t doubt it,” Alena replied, taking a large gulp of hers. “Are you going to keep trying to make money off of your magic?”

“Once I’m a little better established, I’m hoping that I can catch the eye of some wealthy patron or something. It’s not what I really want to do, but rubbing elbows with the elite would be a good start to buying a decent home.”

“Is that what you want, though?” Alena asked, frowning. “If we settle down, are you going to be able to keep learning more about how your magic works?”

“I… I don’t know, Alena. I’d like to keep traveling and meet other magic users, but I don’t know if I have what it takes to take care of the both of us yet.”

“Excuse me.”

Lotte and Alena turned to look at the hooded figure behind them. Lotte felt claws appear at the edge of her fingers almost automatically. The figure swiftly removed the hood, revealing a woman with brown skin and blue eyes.

“Roshni?” Alena asked, nearly dropping her beer in surprise. “What are you doing here? How did you find us?”

“The hard part was figuring out which direction you went when you left Marusta,” Roshni said, taking a seat beside Alena. “I had to ask around for a while at each of the gates before I found someone who said that you’d headed off in this direction. Once I got into town, I just had to ask around for the girl with animal features and magic. That got me to the inn, but you’d already left. Someone suggested that you might have come here, though.”

“But what are you doing here?” Lotte asked, her claws disappearing.

Roshni sighed, then explained, “The Resistance leaders—Ursel, Gernot, Therese, all of them—are scheduled for public execution in a few days. Those of us who are still left, the ones who managed to find each other, we all agreed.” She locked eyes with Alena. “You have to be the one to lead us. You’re the best person to take charge and do something about it.”

“What can I do?” Alena asked. “I can’t even get back into town. Torben will just have my head as well.”

“I can sneak the two of you back in,” Roshni insisted. “You have the most experience as a leader out of any of us. And Lotte has magic that she can use to help us. If we all work together, we can free everyone and help them escape. Please, Alena, they’re your friends too.”

Alena grabbed Lotte and pulled her away from the counter.

“What do you think?” she whispered.

“It’s very likely to be a trap,” Lotte replied.

“I agree. This is exactly the sort of thing that Torben would do. He could be coercing Roshni into drawing us back to town just to capture us.”

Lotte asked, “Are we still going to go?”

It took a moment for Alena to respond, then her eyes hardened and she nodded.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s worth the risk to finish our mission.”

“Let’s leave tonight, then.”

Alena and Lotte walked back to Roshni.

“Well?” she asked.

“We just need some time to gather our things,” Alena said. “I doubt that we’re going to end up coming back here, regardless of how things play out.”

“Alright,” Roshni said. “I’ll help, but we need to hurry.”

QuillRabbit

The clock it ticking. How will they handle this mess? You'll just have to wait until the new year to see, I suppose.

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