“DEFTLY HANDLED, ELRIC!” Cat said, reaching up to kiss the man on his cheek.

  “Catrin. I hope my brother isn’t being too much of a nuisance,” Elric chuckled, pulling Cat in for a hug. “It’s been too long. A friend of mine said she had seen you watching a puppet show of all things. I laughed it off, but then I heard a few guards poking fun at another for thinking he had a date with a green-eyed beauty named Catherine who came in the gates with a cloak only partially covering an expensive silk outfit. Some careful questioning by trusted men led us to the Red Turkey. A fine inn, good enough for a princess even,” he smiled, satisfied at his own cunning.

  Cat just shook her head in awe. “I have to admit, you have an uncanny ability to keep track of your own city, Elric. My only mistake was not coming to you in the first place. Rest assured, it was my next stop.” She looked up and smiled at him.

  “Oh, cut the charm Catrin,” his face took on a more serious look. “I knew a mind like yours would jump on the mystery of the covered shipyards and need to investigate, but I never expected to find you stuffed up in a corner with some sell-sword spying on the construction. I would have expected a more…political maneuverer. Pressing my parents for information essentially.”

  Cat nodded, seeming to agree with what he was saying. She still locked arms with the older man, and kept her smile, but she was being more serious as well. “Well, Fleetmaster, my resources at the moment are much more limited than I would like. Things in Wyrmgate have not been stable recently, and certainly not for me.”

  Elric took a moment considering how to respond. Even to Bert’s eyes, it was clear he was wrestling with something internally. “Well, things here in Keelwick, as you have seen, are not exactly normal either. These Eels have been turning everything upside-down, but I’ll leave it to Mother and Father to explain it all. Still, I have been keeping an eye on reports from Wyrmgate and stories of you and my brother obviously. I know things have been tough. I’m sure we can figure out some next steps to reforge our alliance.”

  Cat agreed quickly. “Yes, thank you, Elric. That’s the whole reason I’m here.” She said no more and they walked quietly for a bit.

  “So, the sell-sword. They had him down as Berk Nightsoil at the gates. Some jest, I assume? Knowing you, there’s likely more to his story as well. Care to introduce us?”

  Cat looked to Bert and nodded.

  “Bertram Lorne, sir,” Bert said quickly. He considered using Dragontongue, but figured this was close enough to the full truth.

  Elric took a bit of a stutter step at the mention of the name, but recovered quickly, reaching down and knocking his boots with a hand, as if a rock was stuck in them. “A pleasure, Bertram Lorne.” Then, to Cat, “I assume he’s a trusted friend?”

  “Indeed, his loyalty is to Wyrmgate and to peace,” she said quickly.

  “Then he’s a friend of mine as well,” Elric said just as fast. He reached into his long coat and pulled out a sword safely in a scabbard. He looked at it carefully, then tossed it to Bert. “Keep it sheathed, Bertram. Cover it as best you can with your cloak for now. If Lady Catrin thinks she needs a man with such a nice blade, I’ll trust you’re able to use it only when needed.”

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  Bert nodded his thanks as he attached the scabbard to his belt. “My thanks, Fleetmaster.” He felt using the man’s title added a certain military understanding between the two of them. Like he was a soldier as well. It was true, he supposed.

  He turned his focus back to Cat. “It seems we are in agreement. My parents…” he trailed off.

  Cat stopped walking, forcing Elric to stop and look at her. “Tell me, Elric. I’ve had my share of bad news recently. I’d rather enter the castle armed with the truth than be caught surprised.”

  Elric shook his head and thought for a moment. “Oh, it’s not so bad as all that. They are still in their right minds, just under extreme pressure from the capital. The Eels are here by the grace of God, and my parents must support them to some extent, but it is not just taking a toll on our people, but my family as well. Things here hang in a precarious balance. I don’t know which way it will tip, but I hope you will join me in my own goal.” He stopped talking and gave her a moment to process.

  “Elric…I. You know I must do what is best for Wyrmgate first, of course. But a stable and prosperous Keelwick is a key part of that. I have always admired you and I trust your ability to make the correct decision, but if you want my help, you need to let me all the way in.”

  Elric nodded slowly, then quickly, his mind made up. “I suppose if I can’t trust you, I can’t trust anyone. Sometimes you just need to jump in with both feet. Catrin, I want the Eels gone. They have been sent to us with explicit instructions to aid them in their ship building. My family argued and dithered at first, but we had to cave eventually or face the wrath of the capital itself. We sent messengers to confirm our orders and put it off as long as we could, but you have seen what they are building.” He put both hands on his head. “They wish to make war…with dragons! It’s insanity! I am a man who wishes only for peace, and I know sometimes that means you have to fight and kill for it. But…to start a war when peace has been the way of the world for as long as anyone can remember? It’s absurd! I work to convince my parents that it’s time to rebel against the orders. It’s time to build a coalition of towns and cities to tell the capital that we’ve gone too far and that we want a change in plans.”

  Cat smiled widely as his words, nodding as he spoke and even clapping her hands once in agreement as he finished. “We are of a mind, as usual, Elric. Bertram and I are on a mission that matches yours. We came here hoping Keelwick would join us in trying to reforge that peace.”

  “So, the stories we hear are lies then?”

  “Which stories?”

  “We confirmed that Garrick Crowe had taken control of Wyrmgate, obviously, and that a group of dragons and people from the north had marched on it to take control or destroy it. That’s where things were mixed. Some said you and Darian fought against this foreign army and killed a dragon. Others said the two of you rode a dragon against Crowe. Others say you were seen flying a flag over the city on dragonback. Others say you killed Darian and married Crowe,” he paused allowing her to put her fingers in her mouth, mocking vomiting all over the cobblestones. “Yes, well. Obviously my mother and father will wish the most recent news you can offer.” His face went serious once more. “Consider your words carefully, Catrin. I trust you, but they will not be so quick as I. Especially as you come to them with Bertram Lorne at your side rather than their youngest son. Consider your answer there as well. To be frank, I don’t care what answers you give, save that they aid our aim of peace and that you tell me the full truth later. I understand my parents age rapidly and think they live in a time now passed, but they are still my parents, and my liege lords. No matter how I feel personally, I will follow their orders to the letter.”

  “I understand,” Cat said quickly.

  The three walked quietly the rest of the way. Bert wanted to bounce ideas off Cat like they always did, but didn’t want to speak unless she started. He figured she would know best anyways.

  One thing was abundantly clear to Bert: he was out of his league in this moment. Cat would have to live and die on her own. He hoped that thought was figurative and not literal as guards waved Elric into the castle proper.