Book 2 Chapter 8: Take Care of the Girls

Book 2 Chapter 8: Take Care of the Girls

Dantes slipped past the watchers on the Vixen easily as a rat, and climbed up to the windowsill of his room where the window had been left cracked to allow Jacopo an easy entrance and exit as he wanted. Once inside Dantes did a quick search of the room as a rat before shifting back into his usual self. He quietly walked the room, collecting his things into his pack and lifting the floorboards to find the goods hed hidden and packed them as well. Once he was done he gently opened his door and slowly pushed it open, letting Jacopo do a quick survey of the hallway before he himself stepped out.

He creeped to Veras door quietly, watching for the floorboards he already knew from experience had a tendency to creak. The mage at the bottom floor was a full-blooded elf, so he needed to move as quietly as possible, even though he felt a sense of urgency that pressured him to move quickly. He tested Veras door and found it locked. He began to reach for his makeshift lock picks from the prison that hed had yet to replace, but hesitated. He reached his left hand toward the doorknob and willed the branch that surrounded his arm to grow toward it. He sent out two small protrusions and focused on the sensation the branch felt so that he could get a feel for the tumblers. After only a moment, he had it unlocked and gently pushed the door open. He withdrew the branch back to his arm as he walked inside.New n0vel chapters are published on

Waiting for him was Vera, holding a delicate pistol in her hand and aiming it at his chest. His eyes widened in surprise.

Dantes! she whispered, quickly removing her hand from the pistols trigger. I thought you were one of those thugs.

Dantes slowly and gently closed the door before turning to her. You scared me for a second Auntie, he said quietly.

Sorry. Ive been up all night listening in case one of them tried to force themselves on the girls.

Dantes nodded. That was always a concern. Theyre here looking for me? he asked.

Vera nodded. They are. Mondego sent them after the news about the second breakout. They told us that Mondego sent them to burn the place down, but Mercedes begged him to stay their hand. They were almost too keen to emphasize that point. Where were you?

Paying a visit to Gaspard.

Vera nodded. Thats one I certainly wont argue against. It was good that you were gone. Much easier to control the situation.

What was your strategy?

It's not a crime to ask for someone to help you, Dantes. Youre not so important that everything bad that happens is entirely your own fault The moment you showed up on my door I knew what I was doing by letting you stay here. I knew you were the one that lead the breakout, and that youd gained some kind of advantage you didnt have before. It was as much my decision to let you stay here as it was yours to come here.

Dantes grimaced, ashamed that he had been read so easily. He opened his mouth to say something, but changed the topic as he began to speak.

Ill find Vampa Auntie. Be careful in the meantime.

She nodded, then surprised him by wrapping him in a hug. Be carefulat least as much as you can be.

He returned the hug. I will Auntie. Take care of the girls.

She nodded, and Dantes slipped out the door. Hed been watching it with Jacopo so he knew it was clear. He went back to his room, shifted into a rat and climbed out the window and onto the street. Hed been careful to leave no trace of his visit, and from what he could tell the people watching the Vixen they had no clue about it either.

The sun was officially out, bathing the wet streets in light and creating soft reflective pools of standing water. It was pretty to look at, unless one paid attention to how filthy the water was. He skittered down a few alleys with Jacopo, leaving a couple rats and roaches to keep an eye on the Vixen. Whether or not Vampa could help, he still needed to keep watch himself. Once he was far enough away he switched back to being himself, and helped Jacopo into his pocket. The streets were starting to fill with people again, and while they looked wary and concerned, and the guard presence was heavier, it was still busy enough that no one would be looking his way. He was reasonably clean, had no obvious collar, and had a lot of experience keeping his head down.

He made it to the Guild District just before early afternoon. There the guard presence declined significantly, as the mercs and adventurers were too unruly to handle on their own, and the tradesmen guilds were protected and respected by those groups as so much of their equipment and resources were purchased from them. Hed heard more than a few stories of a rookie adventurer taking advantage of a coopers daughter or some such only to be found dead the next day. He did see a few posters put up by the guard indicating that any adventurer or merc that captured a prisoner would be compensated for their efforts.

Dantes didnt have a lot of experience in the Guild District. Mondegos father had worked there as a relatively accomplished carpenter, but he never visited, and Dantes didnt have any interest in apprenticeships or grueling work. Gaspard had once pitched stealing from a few of the jewelry craftsmen at the source for raw gold and gems, but both Dantes and Danglars knew that they were much more valuable and easy to sell once the crafting was done. Besides which it was much easier to deal with the heat from the guard from robbing a jewelry store than it was to deal with whatever fallout a Guild member may be able to muster against them.

Dantes took things slow as he walked through, taking things in. He noticed that a number of storefronts were closed, likely driven out of business by the factories closer to the docks, but there were still a number of specialists about. He passed coopers, enchanters, jewelers, carpenters, blacksmiths, woodsingers, and even a number of feybinders. As he reached the center of district, the average person went from wearing smocks and heavy aprons and holding tools, to wearing chainmail, and leather, with swords and bows at their backs, and daggers strapped to their legs.

As he walked, he started to be swept up in a current of people that was slowly pushing in the direction of a nearby arena, the one maintained by the adventurers guild. Curious, and heading in that direction anyway, he allowed himself to be swept up into the thick crowd. As he moved, he slipped his fingers into nearby pockets and jackets, slipping anything coin shaped and cold into his many pockets without ever actually looking down. There was no reason to waste being surrounded by a distracted crowd with full pockets.

He eventually found himself in the stands of the arena himself, needing to peer between a pair of tall elf men to see the sand-bottomed pit below. There were five men in the pit, and for a moment he thought it was a free for all, until he caught a better glimpse and realized that four of the men were all facing one in the corner.