Sam

  The inside of Vivi's home was lovely and warm and smelled of cinnamon and fragrant herbs. Aside from the foyer and a small adjoining kitchen, the first floor was split in half into a living room and a library, though Sam wasn't entirely sure what set them apart as both rooms were completely filled with books and writings of all kinds. There were many shelves dedicated to stacks upon stacks of newspapers, she noticed.

  Sam and Apples sat down by the fireplace in the living room. Vivi was gone for a few minutes, then returned with a platter of dried fruits and meats and a pot of tea as a light evening meal, setting it all down on the wide coffee table between them before taking a seat in a well-stuffed armchair. She had rolled up the sleeves of her gown to reveal nine AP crystals and the quill-and-inkwell of a Scholar.

  "Thank you very much for taking us into your home, Ms. Vivi," Sam said, putting on her most polite demeanor. "I'm sorry if it's a terrible imposition, but would it be possible for us to sleep over here tonight? I think most of the inns will have stopped taking in people by now, and I don't exactly know where else we could turn."

  "Of course, of course," Vivi said with an absent-minded wave of her thick hand, "I'd assumed as much already—I had some guest rooms made up as soon as I got word from Will. Although, there are only two of them, so you and your friend here will need to share."

  "Thank you, Ms. Vivi! We don't mind sharing—do we, Apples?"

  Apples shook her head so that her chubby cheeks jiggled.

  "Good, then." Vivi poured herself a cup of steaming black tea and sipped gingerly at it. Those keen hawk's eyes never left Sam, though, the woman's glass lenses glinting in the firelight. "I have heard some things about you, Sam."

  Sam squirmed in her seat. "What kinds of things?" Vivi had to have worked in education in her previous life—Sam always felt like she was on the spot when under her scrutiny.

  "That you recently won a deathmatch fighting tournament back in Sheerhome, for one."

  "Really?" Apples asked, eyes gone round.

  "Kind of," Sam said with a sheepish laugh.

  "And in spectacular fashion too, from what I'm told. The popular version is that you summoned lightning from the sky to defeat your last opponent, but that would be ridiculous, of course."

  "Right," Sam agreed, not sure if it would be considered bragging to correct the Scholar, "nothing like that, of course."

  "I also hear that you're supposed to be dead."

  "Yeah…"

  "Congratulations on being resurrected again, in that case. Only a shame you didn't end up someplace nicer for your third go around."

  "Right…"

  "It was a joke, dear. Do lighten up." Vivi took another sip of her tea, and reached for a dried apricot. "The only thing about you that I know for a fact is that Will obviously has a very high opinion of you. In his most recent Message, he asked me to extend you every possible courtesy, and to help 'bail you out of trouble' if you managed to help yourself to some. Are you a troublemaker, Sam?"

  "No, ma'am! Well, I don't think so." The Scholar's gaze was not accusing, merely curious, but it caused Sam to wither regardless. "I try my best not to be."

  "Aren't you precious? I can see why Will is so taken with you."

  Sam felt her face go hot, and quickly grabbed some tea to hide her blush behind the cup, managing to scald her tongue when she drank it too quick. "He said that in his letter? That he's… taken with me, or what have you?"

  Vivi's lip curled in a bemused smile. "Not in so many words. I gathered through inference."

  "Oh. Right. Of course."

  "And you feel the same way about him, I see."

  "Well…!" Sam cleared her tingly throat as she set down the too-hot coffee, settling on eating to diffuse her nervous energy instead. "We actually are, sort of, you know, together."

  "So romantic," Apples breathed, cupping her cheeks in her hands.

  "Indeed," Vivi agreed. She chuckled into her tea, momentarily upsetting the trail of steam rising from it. "William Greene, in a relationship with a woman. Out of all the curious twists of fate to happen in these strange times, I'd unfortunately left that one off my bingo card."

  "How is it you know Will, exactly, if you don't mind me asking?" Sam asked.

  "You could say that he's a pen pal of sorts."

  "Of sorts?"

  "If you want to put it indelicately, you might also call him my informant. I learned of him through my work about two years ago and saw fit to contact him. We've been working together quite amicably ever since."

  "I thought you'd be his informant."

  Vivi smiled. "Yes, I suppose he would think of it that way."

  "But you're friends?"

  "We're acquaintances, yes."

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  "Got it."

  There was a sound of a door coming open as Mongrel stomped in out of the dark, shutting the door behind him just slightly harder than necessary. When he wandered into the living room Vivi raised a forbidding finger, cup raised to her lips in the other hand, and stopped him in his tracks.

  "No shoes indoors, Mr. Caldwell," she said in her cool school teacher voice, one that brooked no argument. "We are not animals."

  The old man gave a dignified snort, but spun on his heel without a word to do as he was told. Once he was de-shoed and properly seated around the coffee table—big toe poking out through a hole in one of his socks—Vivi finished her tea and set down the cup on its saucer with a final-sounding clink.

  "Well," she said, "now that we are all present, why don't we discuss the reason you have come to me?"

  "All right," Mongrel replied, already competing with Sam over the food platter and stuffing his mouth with too many morsels. "Gho uhn."

  Vivi quirked an eyebrow at him.

  Sam swallowed a mouthful, cleared her throat, and said: "Please go on, ma'am."

  The Scholar let out a small sigh. "Very well. I trust none of you are familiar with me or my work?"

  Sam shook her head.

  Apples shook her head.

  Mongrel gave a low grunt, too busy eating to reply.

  "I see. I work as an editor for the local news publication, and I'm also a full member of the Couriers' Guild. This means I am able to maintain a wide information network across the octant and beyond, giving me access to intelligence most are not privy to. That, and the fact that me and Will share the same… shall we say 'radical' political leanings, are the reasons why he directed you to me. You're looking for the man they call Big Deal Buck, correct?"

  "That's right," Sam said, nodding.

  "Then I'll tell you what I know. He came through Timbryhall roughly six weeks ago, already on the run from Lord Brimstone's men. Updated bounty warrants and notices of his imminent arrival came by Message ahead of him, but he disguised himself well enough that he wasn't picked up on entry. He found refuge at a local brothel, The Eternal Rose, where a number of the girls sheltered him and protected his identity.

  "He stayed there for three days, then purchased supplies and a mount and continued north. From there, he spent some time in Talltop. Being at the halfway point between Sheerhome and Stormfront, it serves as something like neutral ground, meaning that Brimstone has less direct power there.

  "I don't have conclusive information on his current whereabouts, however. If he's still in Talltop he's been keeping a very low profile and staying clear of trouble, which doesn't seem like him at all."

  "Agreed," Mongrel muttered, digging at something between his teeth with a fingernail.

  Vivi continued as though Mongrel had not spoken. "Which means that he's most likely either continued north to Stormfront to seek Lady Winter's protection, or he's gone west to Freetown. I find the second option most likely, personally."

  "Now you're just making shit up, lady," Mongrel said. "I've never heard of any place called Freetown before, and you can pretty much count all the Octant Six settlements on both hands, so I find it unlikely that one slipped my mind."

  "I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of it," Vivi replied smoothly. "Its existence is something of a loosely guarded secret."

  "Why?"

  "Freetown is a settlement founded only a few years ago, located in the wilds somewhere west of Talltop. It's a commune for outlaws of all stripes—something of a pirate haven, you might say. The town also serves as a staging ground for raids and highway robbery against the territories of lords Brimstone, Winter, and Oaken, existing somewhere between the jurisdiction of all three powers.

  "As I said, its existence is meant to be a secret, albeit a rather open one among the criminal element. I happen to have a few informants who run in those circles, which is how I learned of it. I would expect Buck to be well-aware of Freetown as well, and I imagine that he would be inescapably drawn there. As one of the most successful outlaws alive in Octant Six, he would have instant celebrity status there. And from what little I know of the man, I feel comfortable in saying that there's nothing he loves more than having his ego stroked.

  "The only real alternative being to report under Lady Winter's uncompromisingly militaristic structure in Stormfront, I think it's fairly obvious which one our man would choose, given his famous disregard of authority."

  "So we basically know where he is, then?" Sam asked. "That's great news!"

  "Maybe hold off on the celebration a little while longer," Vivi said, motioning to usher calm. "We can be reasonably confident that Buck is in Freetown, yes."

  "But?"

  "But I don't know where Freetown is in precise terms—nor can I find out by any readily available means. The only way to find it is to rely on one of a small number of guides who lead new potential members to the haven along their hidden paths."

  "Okayyy—how do we find a guide?"

  "You'll need to ask around in Talltop."

  "Any idea who to ask?"

  "I'll give you a list of names to get you started. I've compiled a dossier for you that contains the most basic intel you might need.

  "Although your search hinges on finding a guide in Talltop, I do recommend that you bring your own, also. I notice that you don't have an Explorer. These guides—being criminals, as you understand—are not always trustworthy. If one tries to set you up in an ambush or leaves you for dead, it will be useful to have your own method of navigation through the interior, at least to get you back to civilization."

  "Will did mention that we should pick up an Explorer from the slave market here," Sam mused, tapping a finger against the tip of her nose. "We'll go first thing in the morning and get that sorted out, then."

  "I'm sure I could find you a trustworthy Explorer among my contacts in the city. In fact, I have a runner I deal with regularly who might be able to do the job nicely."

  "That's all right, ma'am. I want to take the opportunity to free at least one slave while I have the chance. I'm sure whoever we end up choosing won't let us down."

  Vivi threw Mongrel an inscrutable look over her spectacles. Mongrel just gave an exasperated shrug, refusing to get involved.

  "Well, if you're sure…" the Scholar muttered.

  "Thank you for all your help, ma'am," Sam said with an emphatic smile. "We're all really grateful for the information. Although, um… Not to be rude, but why are you doing this? It seems to me like you're putting a lot on the line by helping us."

  Vivi took off her glasses, folded them, and placed them on the table. With the briefest of smiles, she said: "I haven't given up hope for a better world just yet. If there's a chance to replace Brimstone with someone even marginally less homicidal, I'm willing to bet on that."

  Sam's smile grew into a grin, and she found her fingers gripping the armrests of her chair. "That's what I like to hear," she said.

  "Also, Will Greene owing me a favor might prove useful someday."

  "I guess that's fair, too."

  "I suspect you won't have too hard of a time here in Timbryhall. You're lucky that you came just as Commander Thorpe left for Sheerhome with his commandos and a good chunk of the garrison."

  "I suppose that was who we've been seeing on the road all day," Sam mused.

  "Yes, I'll bet it was." Vivi leaned back in her armchair with a contented sigh. "Now, if there's nothing else pressing at the moment, I suggest you all go upstairs and get some rest. You can feel safe while you're here."

  "Thank you, ma'am," Sam and Apples said in unison.

  "Cheers, yeah," Mongrel muttered a beat later.