don't have to explain why the Red Hand is here. You've surely guessed by now, and what role you will be playing."
We both nodded. It was fairly obvious, really. We couldn’t use magic to help rescue people out of Chahir, not without stirring up a lot of trouble. The Red Hand had been called in to do the job that we couldn’t really do; they were here to help get people out of Chahir. We were to help them find those people.
"I've set up several houses near the border, to serve as way stations for you. Haben has a map with them marked. Garth, Chatta, I realize that this will be very time consuming. You have no other duties except to help the Red Hand."
"Understood, Sire." I thought about this for a moment, and then added, "You get to tell Trev'nor."
Guin actually growled at me. "Garth, that is hardly fair."
I smiled at him sweetly. He could assign me impossible tasks, and I couldn't argue, but that also meant he got to explain to a five year old why his adopted brother wouldn't be around for the foreseeable future.
Guin growled again, muttering darkly under his breath, but nodded in resignation.
"Anything else, Sire?" Chatta inquired politely. She was obviously amused, but was better at not gloating than I was.
"No, I'm sure you need to prepare and notify your families. I'll have the Red Hand settled into the Ambassador Inn. You'll start tomorrow morning."
It was afternoon right now. He expected us to be ready by daylight tomorrow?
The man really was a workaholic.
~*~
We hadn't set a specific time for meeting the next morning, but Captain Xiaolang struck me as a morning person, so I arrived fairly early, just in case. As it turned out, it was a good thing I did.
I entered the common room of the inn to find Captain Xiaolang already at a table, eating a very large breakfast with pleasurable enthusiasm. He looked up as I came in and waved me over with a friendly smile.
"Good morning," he greeted.
"Good morning." I slung the two saddlebags in my hands into the seat next to me before sitting at the table.
"You're quite early," the captain noted after taking a quick sip from his cup.
"I wasn't quite sure what time I should be here," I answered honestly. "So I decided to come early just in case. Chatta hasn't come yet, then?"
"No, you're the first I've seen this morning," he replied. "Would you like to join me?"
"I've already eaten, but thank you." Not as well as he was, though. I wished I had waited now.
"Forgive me if I seem nosy, but I must ask a few questions. You and Witch Delheart seem like close friends. Are you accustomed to working together?"
"Very much so," I confirmed. "We're often paired together on projects. Actually, we were in school together, and trained under some of the same teachers."
"Good, then you're aware of each other's capabilities and reactions." Satisfied, he popped a piece of bread in his mouth.
"I should warn you that we both have companions." I felt it only fair to tell him about this now. Didi warranted a lot of warning, after all. "I'm not sure if they've been mentioned or not."
"You mean your nreesce, Night, and Witch Delheart's meuritta, Didi?"
I managed to catch my jaw before it could crash land into the table. "Er, you've been told, then."
"No, but I am an information specialist. It's my job to know everything."
If that were true, then why did he need to ask me if Chatta and I were used to working with each other? "Really."
He heard the doubting tone in my voice and started laughing. "Actually, Val Haben thought to warn me about them. Where is Night? I was given the impression that he followed you everywhere."
"He went to make sure Chatta was on her way," I admitted. The captain's laugh was so infectious that I found myself smiling back at him without really meaning to. "She's not known to be coordinated in the mornings. He figured she might need some help."
"Kind of him," Xiaolang noted. "Magus, you don't strike me as a formal person. Are you?"
"Not in the least," I
We both nodded. It was fairly obvious, really. We couldn’t use magic to help rescue people out of Chahir, not without stirring up a lot of trouble. The Red Hand had been called in to do the job that we couldn’t really do; they were here to help get people out of Chahir. We were to help them find those people.
"I've set up several houses near the border, to serve as way stations for you. Haben has a map with them marked. Garth, Chatta, I realize that this will be very time consuming. You have no other duties except to help the Red Hand."
"Understood, Sire." I thought about this for a moment, and then added, "You get to tell Trev'nor."
Guin actually growled at me. "Garth, that is hardly fair."
I smiled at him sweetly. He could assign me impossible tasks, and I couldn't argue, but that also meant he got to explain to a five year old why his adopted brother wouldn't be around for the foreseeable future.
Guin growled again, muttering darkly under his breath, but nodded in resignation.
"Anything else, Sire?" Chatta inquired politely. She was obviously amused, but was better at not gloating than I was.
"No, I'm sure you need to prepare and notify your families. I'll have the Red Hand settled into the Ambassador Inn. You'll start tomorrow morning."
It was afternoon right now. He expected us to be ready by daylight tomorrow?
The man really was a workaholic.
~*~
We hadn't set a specific time for meeting the next morning, but Captain Xiaolang struck me as a morning person, so I arrived fairly early, just in case. As it turned out, it was a good thing I did.
I entered the common room of the inn to find Captain Xiaolang already at a table, eating a very large breakfast with pleasurable enthusiasm. He looked up as I came in and waved me over with a friendly smile.
"Good morning," he greeted.
"Good morning." I slung the two saddlebags in my hands into the seat next to me before sitting at the table.
"You're quite early," the captain noted after taking a quick sip from his cup.
"I wasn't quite sure what time I should be here," I answered honestly. "So I decided to come early just in case. Chatta hasn't come yet, then?"
"No, you're the first I've seen this morning," he replied. "Would you like to join me?"
"I've already eaten, but thank you." Not as well as he was, though. I wished I had waited now.
"Forgive me if I seem nosy, but I must ask a few questions. You and Witch Delheart seem like close friends. Are you accustomed to working together?"
"Very much so," I confirmed. "We're often paired together on projects. Actually, we were in school together, and trained under some of the same teachers."
"Good, then you're aware of each other's capabilities and reactions." Satisfied, he popped a piece of bread in his mouth.
"I should warn you that we both have companions." I felt it only fair to tell him about this now. Didi warranted a lot of warning, after all. "I'm not sure if they've been mentioned or not."
"You mean your nreesce, Night, and Witch Delheart's meuritta, Didi?"
I managed to catch my jaw before it could crash land into the table. "Er, you've been told, then."
"No, but I am an information specialist. It's my job to know everything."
If that were true, then why did he need to ask me if Chatta and I were used to working with each other? "Really."
He heard the doubting tone in my voice and started laughing. "Actually, Val Haben thought to warn me about them. Where is Night? I was given the impression that he followed you everywhere."
"He went to make sure Chatta was on her way," I admitted. The captain's laugh was so infectious that I found myself smiling back at him without really meaning to. "She's not known to be coordinated in the mornings. He figured she might need some help."
"Kind of him," Xiaolang noted. "Magus, you don't strike me as a formal person. Are you?"
"Not in the least," I
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