B2 Chapter 4:

We didn't split up right away. Part of it was that I still wasn't sure how I wanted to go about it, and we mostly went in the same direction anyway. There was still a decent amount of time before we got to the tower, and we wanted to make a couple of other stops along the way. I would let Six handle them for the most part and make sure the proposed team was more than capable. Not that I had any doubts.

The next time when we showed up, the branch sent out someone to greet us, and the transfer happened relatively peacefully. My guess was that the last branch was from the Nar, so they were a bit more prickly than the Ihererins.

After the formalities, I got to tour the place and speak with some people, but all in all, I accepted some oaths from their leaders and then left.

We didn't have another issue until the fourth one we stopped at. I could have sent Six off at any point, but I waited until we had a branch that refused to cooperate. When that happened, I sent Four, Five, and Six in together. One, Two, and Three stayed with me.

"Why just them?" Two asked once it was just the four of us.

"It'll take too long for me to visit each individual branch myself, so I'll be sending Six as my proxy. She will take care of the branches near our branch while we take care of the ones closer to the tower. I know the ones closer to us will have more to fear, and I believe that we will have less need of a personal oath to me."

I saw One and Three share a frown. Clearly, they didn't agree. So I expanded, "Even if they do cause problems, we will be close, and I can send a few of you or other blades to prune that branch. Besides, I don't have time to canvas the entire continent, visiting every branch."

"That means you're only going to be taking the three of us with you the rest of the way?" One asked, a note of concern in her voice.

I nodded. "Yeah. You three will be more than sufficient."

Another round of anxious looks followed.

"Well..." One said hesitantly, clearly not wanting to disagree with me so openly in front of the other Numbered. I could tell, though, that if she got me alone, she would certainly have a lot to say.

"No," I insisted. "It's fine. You three will be more than enough."

"We're going to an Archmage tower," she said, a little more emphatically than she probably intended, throwing her hands up. "We will not be enough."

"Would the other three make much of a difference?" I asked, inclining my head toward the system of caves from which we could hear distant screaming. I knew archmages were powerful, but with Three and me, only Five among the Numbered I was leaving would be a fighter that could maybe make that much of a difference. Besides, I knew James was nominally an ally, and the organization we both belonged to was far scarier than the Court. But my Numbered didn't know this. They didn't know why we were there.

One looked over at Three for support. Three waggled her head from side to side in a noncommittal motion.

"Maybe," went unsaid.

"But... okay," she said, dropping it almost instantly, which made me suspicious that she had other plans.

"If you want to send for more, you can," I said. "Nine is supposedly done with her mission by now, but also I tentatively promised her to Six. I'm not sure about her traveling alone all the way to meet us there. Besides, I expect it to be a quiet visit; we don't intend to fight the archmage."

That last sentence might have been a mistake, as Two and Three snorted while One gave me a withering look.

"I'll send for her immediately," she said and turned, jogging toward the system of caves this branch was using for their headquarters, heedless of the sounds of a struggle still going on inside.

I shrugged and plopped down on a stool one of the servants had brought out. Three moved to stand behind me, resting one hand on my shoulder as she ran her fingers through my hair, her nails giving me a nice, light scratching sensation at the base of my scalp. I leaned into her slightly as Two shifted around to sit on my feet. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but when she leaned back, placing the back of her head between my knees, I squeezed lightly, covering her ears with my legs.

We just sat in companionable silence for several minutes, enjoying each other's company. I knew that Three was keeping a close watch, so I just closed my eyes, resting my head against her taut stomach.

Three eventually broke the silence. "Master, I haven't said it, but I wanted to make sure you knew. I'm extremely thankful for the kindness you showed my sister. I... I know I forsook all bonds, and my loyalty is to you above everything else. But it makes me... it lightens my heart to see you going above and beyond the deal we had made."

I reached up and touched her fingers on my shoulder with mine. "Your sister was a great help on her own, regardless of her connection with you. Don't diminish her accomplishments too much," I said.

I could feel Three's stomach flex slightly as she snorted. "True. Doja is... well... she's pretty fucking good at what she does."

After that, we remained quiet. My mind tossed out a few possible conversation starters we could have, but honestly, it was just pleasant. The day was cool, but the sun was out, and it was nowhere near as bad as it had been in the fridged north.

We just sat there enjoying it until the Numbered that were still inside the branch dragged out a few people who were finally willing to submit. These were rather bloodier than the ones from the first time, but I sighed in relief as I saw that none of my Numbered were injured.

One, though, hadn't come out yet. When Six stopped in front of me, giving me a salute with a smile, I returned.

"hmm, did you see One while you were in there?" I asked.

Six looked around. "No?

"She went in to take care of something. I don't think she was going to interfere with your task. You didn't see her, so presumably, she's still doing it."

No one seemed concerned for One, and for a good reason. I didn't think she would be easily surprised. Her abilities let her know a lot more about where people were and what their intentions were than almost anyone.

"Mm. Good job, Six," I said and pulled her into a hug after we let the assassins go back. "Were these the original leaders, or did you have to replace them?"

"There were some changes in management," Six said as she stiffened in surprise before relaxing into my chest. It felt like every bone in her body had melted, and I had to work to keep her from falling onto Two. "No one that I deemed incredibly valuable to the Court, though."

I nodded. "Good. Even if someone's a great fighter or has other talents, if they're not loyal, they're not useful."

"I'll keep that in mind," Six said.

"All right. Where is One?" I asked, pushing Two off my foot as I stood up. "We should be going by now."

Just before I was about to walk toward the caves, One came sprinting out, panting slightly. "Sorry, that took longer than I had thought. Ready to go now?"

I flicked her on the forehead lightly. "We weren't in that big of a rush. Come on, let's go."

She rubbed her head and glared at me slightly as several of the other Numbered laughed. I had Four, Five, and Six sit in the other carriage so they could continue talking while One, Two, and Three were with me. As One snuggled into me and began her nap, as she often did in the carriages, I studied Two and Three across from me. They occasionally talked but mostly just went about their own things. Two was fiddling with something in her hand while Three stared out of the carriage through the wicker window.

I wanted to figure them out a bit more. Two and Three were both a mystery. I felt I had a good handle on several of my Numbered now, but, the warnings about Three kept me cautious. And Two had been fun so far, but if anything, she had been acting out less recently than she had at first.

Well... I sure hoped that wasn't anything to be concerned about.