Chapter 10

Chapter 10

By the time Garrett woke up the next morning, Ryn was already bringing breakfast in. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked over what she was arranging on the table, his expression lightening up when he saw the hard-boiled eggs.

Ill trade you my porridge for your egg, he said, pushing his bowl toward Ryn.

Are you sure? Theres a lot more porridge.

Im completely sure.

Taking the egg she offered, he peeled it and took a bite, happy to be eating something at least sort of fresh for breakfast. The two eggs disappeared quickly and his slice of bread followed soon after. Faced with a day of working on the account book, he took the opportunity to learn what Ryn had heard from her listening around the inn. With a sigh, the young woman rested her spoon on the edge of her bowl and shook her head.

Not much, honestly. At least, nothing that sounded useful. I did some work in the kitchen, and all the cook did was complain about the quality of the food theyve been getting. But fixing that will cost a lot of money. And even if we did have the money, Henrick is such a skinflint that hed never let the cook spend it. Most of the other problems I overheard were the same way. Theres a gang moving in on the Ghouls Tooth territory and its looking like it will be a fight, but a lot of the members are worried because its really hard to get medicine, so if they get injured it will be a major problem.

And Henrick wont spend money on medicine for them?

Exactly. Its tough having a boss whos so stingy.

Indeed. Thank you, this is good information. Please continue to listen for more tidbits.

Sure. Hows the account book looking?

Certainly interesting, Garrett replied, a wry smile curling the edges of his lips. I think Ill be done tonight if I work late, and then Ill present it to Henrick. Oh, I have one other favor to ask of you.

Sure, what do you need?

I need a sturdy chair thats slim, along with wooden wheels. Here, let me draw what Im talking about for you.

Unused to using his left hand, the sketch Garrett produced was rough, but it was enough to give Ryn an idea of what he was looking for. Taking it from him, she held it out as it dried and then nodded.

I can ask around and see if someone could make this, but itll cost money. Money we dont have.

Would a silver be sufficient?

Are you kidding? Ten copper would be more than enough, Ryn said, laughing. But I dont think I need to remind you that we dont even have a single copper to our names.

I should be able to solve that, Garrett replied with a troubled smile. How fast could something like this be made?

Uh, thats a good question. I have no idea, but Ill ask. Oh, I promised I would help the cook with cleaning up the dishes from the guests! I have to go!

Watching her bustle out of the room, Garretts smile slowly faded but the conflicted look in his eyes remained. Yet even that began to clear up, replaced by a calm certainty.

Survival first. Well worry about other questions later.

The rest of his day was spent finalizing the transfer of the records and putting the finishing touches on the reports he was creating. Burning nearly a whole candle once it got too dark to see, Garrett finally finished up and stacked all the papers together. Putting out the flame that lit the room, he closed his eyes and entered the Dream. Thanks to his Awakened status he could operate with only a few hours of sleep a night, but that didnt mean he didnt get tired. Checking to make sure the hallway and stairs were clear, Garrett activated Dreamers Cloak and stepped out of the door.



Its not as if the money isnt recoverable, though youll have to check to see since some of it might have been spent already.

You mean you know who took it? Obe asked, his voice gruff.

In part, yes, Garret replied, shooting a glance at the heavily built man.

In that case, spit it out, Henrick said, a dangerous look in his eyes.

Smiling at the irate innkeeper, Garrett shook his head slightly.

I would strongly recommend this be a confidential report. Would you give me a moment of your time? Alone?

You want to talk to me alone? Henrick asked, sitting up and staring at Garrett, who simply nodded. Fine. The rest of you, get out.

Hey, hold up, Obe protested, why do you have to talk to him alone? Are you trying to hide something? What are you trying to pull?

The anger in Henricks eyes started to intensify, but before he could blow his top Gorn stepped in, grabbing Obes shoulder.

Come on, the boss told us to leave, so we leave. Since when have we gotten to question him?

Half-dragging Obe, Gorn pulled him to the door, Ryn trailing doubtfully behind. At the desk, Henrick gave Gorn a nod.

Dont go far, this wont take long.

Sure thing, boss.

When the door had closed behind him, Henrick stood up and grabbed a bottle of wine by the neck. Taking a swig as he walked around the desk, he sat down on its edge, towering over Garrett.

You wanted my undivided attention. Well, you got it. But if it isnt worth it, Ill wring that scrawny neck of yours.

Completely ignoring the threat, Garrett handed over two of the sheets hed brought.

There are three groups to discuss. The first are individuals whose math is atrocious and should never be allowed to touch the accounts again. Gorn and the cook are among them. In fact, I doubt the cook even knows how to add, considering he didnt even bother trying. Youll see their transactions on those two sheets. The cook should have returned twenty-six copper, and only returned fifteen. A relatively small mistake, all things considered. Gorn had close to thirty transactions, and almost twenty of them were off by at least a few copper, but its apparent that those were calculation mistakes, rather than malicious effort.

Second, we have those who have actually embezzled gold, equaling twenty-two gold, forty-three silver, and eight copper. Youll find their names, along with the total amounts and their locations in the account books, both old and new, on these sheets, Garrett said, passing over four more papers. Youll have to forgive me, as I dont know the individuals in question, so I couldnt come up with a plan to retrieve it from them. I imagine you might be more capable in that regard.

Taking the sheets, Henrick flipped through them, his face strangely impassive. He didnt seem surprised by the names on the sheets and soon turned his attention back to Garrett, taking another swig from his bottle.

Whos the third group? You said there were three groups, right? Idiots, thieves, and who?

Smiling slightly, Garrett held out the last piece of paper for Henrick to take, his gaze just as placid.

You.