The next morning we were up earlier than either of us had voluntarily been up in a while. Even when we were walking to Perch we waited for the sun to be well and truly up to get going, but not today. Today we rose with the sun, and I for one was not a fan.

  It only got worse when Cassie insisted I stay appearing human for the duration of the visit, as a part of appearing non-threatening. I for one wanted to spook the pair of nobles with some form handcrafted to incite fear in them for making us get up this early, but I went along with it regardless. I had at least been allowed to bring my sword, to keep up appearances.

  It hadn’t been too hard to find out where the Fairworthy household was located. I would love to say that it was easy because of our stellar detective work or some clever trick, but in truth someone had mailed us the address over night. It was helpful, but I wasn’t entirely happy that someone that presumably worked with Simon knew where we were staying.

  Regardless, we were only just mentally prepared by the time we rocked up to the Fairworthy estate. Well, I was. Cassie had been completely fine all morning, as well as the rest of yesterday as well. I didn’t know how, but I wasn’t going to question it. Having her confident about something was pretty much expected, and pretty helpful to boot.

  Our destination was in the noble quarter, which meant that I was visiting twice in as many days. That was… slightly wild to me. The average person wouldn’t come here ever, really. Not because they couldn’t: for as discouraged as it was for the common man to roam the various higher class areas of their home cities it was technically allowed.

  It was more that most people simply didn’t have a reason. Why would you go somewhere that required you to pay exorbitant fees for every service and caused you to be looked down upon by half the population there? Sure, the amenities here were better, but was that really worth it when a meal cost as much as our room did?

  Regardless, I was actually a little disappointed by the Fairworthy’s home. For all that it was a large home, with a sizeable amount of space around it and multiple stories to its name, it had nothing on Noren’s mansion, which actually brought up more questions about the man that was supposed to be helping us out soon.

  We stopped at a wrought iron gate, which was manned by a plump guardsman in a little booth, who appeared to be enjoying an early morning nap. After a few seconds of awkwardly waiting, Cassie coughed.

  “Hrk!” The guard spluttered. “’M awake!”

  “Clearly,” Cassie remarked drily. “Could you open the gate, please? We’re expected.”

  The guard, clearly not quite with it after having been disturbed, didn’t even check who we were. He just reached over and grabbed two small rocks, both of which were engraved with elegant runescript. “Keep these on you,” he slurred as he handed them over, blinking in the morning light. “Bring ‘em back when you leave.”

  “Sure,” Cassie agreed as she took both stones and gave one to me. “...What are they?”

  The guard squinted. “You dumb or something? They’re keystones.”

  I could see Cassie grasping for an excuse, so I jumped in. “We’re not from here,” I lied. I reasoned that Ren had said the Fairworthys were a merchant family, so a visit from abroad within the bounds of possibility.

  The guard straightened up immediately. “Oh. Apologies, then. We ‘ere in Althea use keystones in almost every noble ‘ousehold. When you ‘ave one on your person, any locks that ‘ave been linked to your stone will open for you.”

  Cassie nodded slowly, clearly catching on. “Thank you for informing us. Me and my colleague appreciate your understanding.” With that, she held the stone dramatically before her and waved it at the gate, which did absolutely nothing in response.

  The guard leaned out of his booth a little. “No, no. You don’t need to wave it, miss. Just touch the gate while the stone’s in range.”

  Cassie gave the guard an embarrassed smile and reached out to touch the gate. The moment she made contact it swung open, granting us access to the estate. “Thank you for your help, sir.”

  The guard graced her with the most obviously fake smile I’d seen since Jeremy. “Not at all, miss.” With his piece said, he shoved himself back into his booth and settled back into his seat. I doubted he would still be awake by the time we left.

  The moment we stepped through the gate it swung closed again behind us, which had me clutching my keystone. I didn’t want to lose the literal key out of here.

  “So,” I started. “I’m your colleague now, am I?”

  She shot me a sideways glance as we walked up the gravel path to the main building. “Technically, yeah. We are on the same team, after all.”

  “I guess, yeah,” I admitted. It still felt weird to be referred to as her colleague, though, no matter how accurate it was.

  Cassie sighed. “You’re reading into this, aren’t you?”

  “What? No. Maybe…”

  “Oh, for Fate’s sake…” she muttered under her breath. “I said it literally once.”

  I dragged out the silence, my composure finally breaking as a grin spread across my face. “Got you! You believed me, didn’t you?”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Cassie stared at me. “...Yes?”

  “It was a joke!” I explained.

  She held my gaze for a moment. “You sure?”

  I faltered a little. “I mean, yeah?”

  Her expression remained completely serious. “I mean it. Are you absolutely certain there wasn’t anything subconscious in that?”

  “Not anymore,” I grumbled. A moment later Cassie burst into laughter, and I realised that I’d been had. “Oh, you-”

  “Ladies,” interrupted a curt voice from ahead of us. “I’m glad to see that master Gerald’s guests are in such high spirits, but if you could please keep it down.”

  I turned back to the building we were approaching to see that the door was open, with a man standing just within it. He was gaunt, with a prim dark suit, a shining bald head and a stern expression. He was clearly some kind of staff, and probably rather good too, but compared to Jefferson he looked like an amateur.

  “Sorry, sir,” Cassie regained her composure almost immediately. “Could we come in? I believe we’re expected.”

  The man’s face didn’t so much as twitch. “Quite, assuming you are who I believe you to be. The adventurers, yes?”

  We both nodded, and the man turned away. “Come along, then. If you would kindly seat yourselves in the room to your right, I shall fetch the young master post haste.”

  He sped away in the direction of a grand staircase, somehow managing to move at a reasonably brisk pace whilst remaining completely stiff. This left Cassie and I to locate the ‘room to our right’ ourselves. The only issue with that was the fact that there were three rooms to our right, and almost as many on our left.

  “...So which one do you think he meant?” I asked Cassie.

  She snorted. “Who cares? As long as he’s gone, we may as well look around.”

  I shrugged as she dashed through the closest doorway, the first on our right. I followed her in to see a sitting room, complete with huge windows, a piano that probably never saw any use and a few seats spread around in a vague circle.

  As Cassie froze, I also saw a man sitting in one of those chairs. He was large, but no more than age had inflicted upon him. He appeared to be reading a thick, leather bound book. He was also in a robe and very little else, which was an incredibly unfortunate sight.

  It didn’t take him long to see us burst in, which had him covering up quickly. “Ah! Who might you be, then? I assume you’re meant to be here.”

  “Um,” Cassie faltered, clearly not sure how to respond. I was in a similar position, but fortunately the man seemed to realise. “Oho! Are you the two fine young ladies my Gerald befriended yesterday? He did say you would be coming around.”

  “Befriended?” Cassie spat, breaking from her rut. “He lodged a formal complaint about us. We’re here to provide an ‘apology’ so we can move on with our lives!”

  The man’s expression soured. “Oh. And what did you do to deserve this… complaint?”

  “Nothing!” Cassie declared.

  “Bah. I know my son, he wouldn’t dredge up some… bureaucratic nonsense over nothing,” the man said, shutting his book.

  “Quite right, Father,” agreed a voice from the doorway. I spun to see Gerald standing there, also in a robe. Fortunately for everyone he had more clothes beneath it, unlike his father. “It appears my new friends have a… unique brand of humour. Right, ladies?”

  Cassie barked out a harsh laugh. “No. We just want to get this over with and leave.”

  Gerald’s eye twitched. “And no idea when to cut the joke. Apologies, Father. They can be an acquired taste.”

  Gerald’s father stood. “I can see that! You really know how to pick them, kiddo. You three keep it down, if you will. My wife’s a light sleeper.” With that he took his leave, leaving us alone with Gerald.

  He entered the room properly, closing the door behind him. “Now, before we begin with this… necessity, I reckon we should correct the ambience, yes?”

  Gerald strode around the room, savouring the walk towards the piano in the corner. “I understand that you’re probably confused, presumably about why I was the one to call you here.” He reached the piano, reaching under the lid and pulling a hanging wire. The piano began to play itself, a quite melody pouring out of the unmanned instrument.

  “I am willing to tell you all that and more,” he continued. “I think you’ll see that there are a lot of things that you don’t understand about this situation.”

  “What’s with the dramatic monologue, man?” Cassie asked. “Just let us apologise already.”

  “Tut tut,” Gerald reprimanded her. “I believe you’re getting ahead of yourselves. Besides,” He took a few slow, deliberate steps away from the piano. “I didn’t bring you both here for petty ego-soothing, so may I continue?”

  Cassie sighed, almost visibly holding herself back from making a snide comment. “Fine. Go ahead and pretend to be charismatic for a bit, what do we care?” Nevermind, she must have failed.

  Gerald, however, took it in stride. “I rather think I will. I understand that we have much to discuss, so why don’t you both take a seat.”

  Cassie and I shared a look. The seats were all too close to the windows, which Noren had warned us to stay away from. “We’ll stand,” she said.

  He shrugged as he took a seat himself. “Suit yourself. Now, before we properly begin this discussion, I would like your word that nothing I say here will leave this room.”

  What?

  “Why?” Cassie asked. “You called us here to apologise. Why do you want that confidential?”

  Gerald smiled, but it was tight. “All will be revealed, but first I must have your word. Specifically,” he looked directly at me for the first time. “I need yours.”

  “Why me?” I asked, speaking up for the first time.

  “Because of what you are,” he stated confidently.

  I resisted the urge to put my head in my hands. I might as well have a huge sign nailed to my forehead that said ‘inhuman’ written on it. I’d even stuck to regular old human features, just like Cassie had asked.

  “Which you know how?” I prompted, trying not to show my surprise.

  “Oh, it’s just a theory, albeit an incredibly likely one. Yet not one I have shared, for the record.”

  Cassie spoke up, clearly frustrated. “Alright man, we get it! Can you stop trying to be mysterious and get to the point?”

  He raised his hands. “Of course, of course. As soon as you give me your word.”

  I sighed, but didn’t see a way out of it. Part of me was irked at handing out my word like this, but at the end of the day it wasn’t worth wasting any more time over. “Fine. I promise that I won’t tell anyone else about anything you say in this meeting.”

  He smiled slightly at my words, but it quickly twisted into a frown. “Not good enough. I need you to promise for the both of you.”

  I remembered the discussion I’d had with Cassie yesterday. “Nope. Not speaking for her if I can help it.”

  Gerald lapsed into silence for a moment, clearly upset. However, he eventually relented. “Fine. I shall have to trust you to understand the value of this meeting and keep it to yourselves.”

  After a moment’s pause, Gerald looked Cassie and I dead in the eyes, one at a time. He exhaled and, after another brief pause, spoke. “I am not Gerald Fairworthy. You must help me.”

  Patreon!