"Are you certain this is the place she was staying, Auguste?" Giselle withheld her grimace as they slowed to a stop in front of the Battershin Inn. It was surprisingly large and well-kept compared to the sparse cottages around it. The ruckus coming from inside and the smell of beer and bile in the street, however, made her feel dizzy. The sooner they were done, the better.
"Lord Arion insisted that most of the reports of undead bounties confirmed to be killed by the Witch were submitted by the Guild Master that ran this inn," Auguste said, seeming unfazed by their dirty surroundings. If we are lucky, the Witch might still be here."
"I don't know about you, but I wouldn't trust this stable with my horse," Giselle muttered. They dismounted their horses, handing the reins to two of the six knight enchanters that had accompanied her to the inn. On the off chance this witch ended up being wanted or in any way hostile, she wanted as much assistance with nullifying magic as possible. "If any of you hear the bar go quiet for too long, or you hear magic erupting inside, it probably means we're going to need backup. Be alert."
The stablehand pitching a pile of dirty hay into a cart outside the stable eyed them leerily, pausing his work as he watched them enter the inn. The inside bar was crowded, full of raucous laughter and shouting. But, the moment the door shut, the inn went silent. Giselle kept her gaze on the woman standing behind the bar with the barkeep. She had her arms crossed and a frown on her face.
"What brings you out here, little wolf cub?" Master Marta growled.
"I'm looking for someone," Giselle said, taking a few steps forward. Her boots on the wooden floor were deafening in the silent bar. "Lord Arion's records tell me that you've been housing a huntress named Valerie. That true, Marta?"
"What business do you have with the Witch?" She asked, seeming unfazed.
Auguste patted Giselle on the shoulder to signal her to be quiet. He stepped forward, smiling at Marta. "I assure you she is in no trouble with the law. We are here because of the undead incursion. Miss Valerie has potentially valuable information about the vampires that we need in our investigation."
"You lot arrived a little late to the battle. I'm sure you know that Valerie already solved the worst of the problem?" Marta's tough exterior softened as she smiled back ever so slightly at Auguste. Giselle withheld a gag. Ever the woman charmer. "Guess you wouldn't be here if you didn't. I hate to give you bad news but Valerie checked out of the inn yesterday evening. Said she was heading east."
"I see. Is there anywhere you think she might have stopped by on her way out of town?" Auguste asked.
"Sunderarms," Giselle said. "Anyone who's got the coin knows it's well invested by going there to resupply. Thank you for the tip, Marta."
"Next time send a warning before you come barging into my establishment. You scare off the clientele," Marta called after her as she and Auguste headed for the door. "Good luck catching her, little wolf. She's a tricky one."
*******************************************************************************************
There was already a crowd of horses outside Sunderarms by the time they reached the smithy. There were several apprentices and master smiths on the forges out front working away on the anvils and bellows. Surprisingly, Master Garrig was not in his usual place observing the main forge. It was a nice change to have no one look up and stop their day to stare at her as Giselle walked up the steps and entered the shop.
Almost every single one of Harold's salesmen was busy inside the emporium, discussing weapons or armor with clients. There was no sign of Harold, however. Giselle couldn't recall the last time she had seen the master enchanter away from his sales floor. His first apprentice, Tori, came rushing over from her master's usual seat behind the counter.
"Good morning, Lady Labelle. It's an honor to have you visit us," Tori said cheerfully. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"I was hoping to speak to Master Harold or Garrig about something. Are either of them available?"
"I'm afraid Master Garrig is in his private forge working for a very special client and has asked not to be disturbed. Master Harold is also in his private office working on an enchantment project for the same client. I can ask him if it's a good time to step away for a moment. I'll be right back." Tori quickly walked through a door behind the counter and disappeared from sight. Giselle admired the wall of arrows before her, pondering if she should pick up another quiver or two while she was here. Her brother would also need to come in to be sized for armor again, and it was almost time to have a proper blade made for him to learn to wield into his adulthood.
"Master Garrig's blades get sharper every year," Auguste said as he browsed the daggers and throwing knives locked underneath the glass display counter. "Have you given any thought to when you'll commission Jean's new blade? He is almost of age."
"I have. I thought he could accompany us when it is time. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to choose the style and materials for himself. He deserves his own set of armor, too. Not just old sets left over from previous generations." Giselle passed by a display case full of rings and other jewelry that glowed dully with magic. Absently, she twisted the sapphire signet ring on her left hand. Jean coming of age was going to be the most important time of his life. She wanted to make it memorable for him, even if the only ones celebrating him would be herself and Auguste and a handful of close family friends.
Giselle was roused from her thoughts when Tori reappeared from the back of the shop. A few seconds later, Harold walked through the door. He greeted her warmly as he came around the counter to shake her hand. Despite his chipper appearance, she could tell something was off.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Lady Labelle?" Harold asked her.
"Well, as you know, my brother is coming of age in a few months. I was hoping we might discuss ideas with you and Master Garrig about commissioning his blade and a suit of armor for his ceremony?" Giselle smiled, taking note of the look of mild panic in his eyes. Why was he so jumpy?
"Of course! It's almost hard to believe the lad is already approaching sixteen. Please, let's head to my office." He motioned to the stairs leading up to the office, still wearing his increasingly strained smile.
Once the door had shut behind them, he walked to the window that overlooked the sales floor and drew the curtains so no one could see them. With a snap of his hands, the candle wicks illuminated with soft white flames that lit up the office with a pleasant glow. Harold took one of the chairs behind the impressive walnut desk. Giselle and Auguste took the two chairs before it.
"I understand you and your husband are working on a project for a special client. Sorry to pull you away from your work on such short notice," Giselle said.
"Oh, yes, it's a very in-depth restoration for a collector of antique armor. Not as exciting as you might think." Harold waved a hand dismissively. "You are always a top priority, Your Grace. The restoration has no deadline to adhere to. Master Jean's armor and blade, however, should be started without delay." He began to pull open a few drawers, pulling out paper and a hefty-looking catalog. Giselle waited patiently for him to finish scrambling about the contents of his desk, her hands resting on her knees. When he finally looked up, the cheerful expression on his face finally vanished, replaced by one of dread.
"If this project you're working on has no deadline, then why is it that Master Garrig can't join us?" Giselle asked. "I would appreciate his input on my ideas."
"You are not here to discuss Jean's blade and armor, though, are you, Your Grace?" Harold asked. "Have we done something wrong?"
"Neither of you are in any trouble, Master Harold," Auguste said. "We are here to discuss someone of interest in our investigation into the vampire insurgence. We understand she was seen here and is known to be a frequent patron of yours."
"Your patron is also not in any trouble. I have come to learn that she was responsible for wiping out the main leadership of the coven and wish to ask her a few questions about what she found out there," Giselle added. Harold had become as stiff as a board, and a bit of color had drained from his face.
"Let me see if my husband can take a quick break from his work. Excuse me a moment," Harold said quietly. He quickly rose to his feet and left the office.
Giselle and Auguste waited for a short while before they heard two sets of footsteps coming back up the stairs. Harold entered the room, followed closely by Garrig. They took their seats, both seeming nervous. That was one part of being an emissary of the Empress that Giselle detested. Everyone always associated her with trouble.
"Thank you both for stepping away from your work, Gentlemen. I just want to know where the Huntress Valerie has gone. I know she's a familiar face here. Surely she mentioned something to you before she left?" Giselle asked. "I promise you that she is in no trouble."
"I should certainly hope so. She's a hero as far as I'm concerned," Harold said defensively. "Does a better job of protecting the people than the guards and those cursed Knights up in their citadel."
"Harold, Love. Calm yourself. They've already said she's in no trouble," Garrig said quietly, more as a warning than to soothe him. "The Huntress stopped by to refill her quiver and purchase some other hunting supplies. All she told us was that she would be heading east to follow up on the attacks spreading along the highway. Knowing her, she probably stopped by Wornwick's to resupply potions and sell off her wares. Perhaps Madame Arabella might know more."
"Thank you, Gentlemen. We're sorry to interrupt you on such short notice. We would still like to discuss a commission for Master Jean's ceremony while we are here," Auguste said.
"I do have one question for you both before we get down to business," Giselle said. "This 'special client' of yours isn't really a collector, are they? You wouldn't be worried about being disturbed unless it was something incredibly important. What are you two working on?"
"Forgive me, Your Grace, but we are not at liberty to discuss our current project with anyone. Our client asked us specifically for it to remain anonymous and that no one else is allowed to see what we are working on for fear of it being stolen from them." Harold said. "I hope you can understand."
"Of course. If the piece is that valuable, then I'm sure that you both wish to ensure its safety." Giselle sat back in her chair, still not convinced. Perhaps it really wasn't her business, but she had a nagging suspicion it involved something big."That being said, I hope adding my own requests to your list of things to do won't be too troublesome."
"Not at all, Your Grace. As I said, this current project has no deadline. We'd be happy to ensure that the young master has a proper blade and armor to call his own," Harold shuffled a few pieces of paper on the desk and dipped one of the eagle feather quills on his side of the desk in a bottle of ink. "Now, what ideas do we have for Master Jean's big day?"