Chapter 61: Last One Out

Chapter 61: Last One Out

As soon as I left the Palace grounds, the difference was immediately noticeable.The posters with my face on them had all gone and I felt anonymous again. Just the way I liked it.

Still, I didnt want to take unnecessary risks, so I put my hat on and kept to the side streets on my way back to the inn.

The others were in the courtyard, waiting for the dinner service to start. I could hear them laughing and chatting even from outside, and they irritated me more once I saw them smiling and full of beans. They looked well-rested and well-fed.

I, on the other hand, had only had a couple of sandwiches all day and was barely able to walk.

Hey! Youre back! shouted Maurice as I walked in, although they were all having such a good time, Im surprised he noticed.

You were gone a long time, said Claire. We were starting to worry youd been thrown in the dungeons.

You didnt sound very worried, I said rather more bitterly than I intended. The smiles fell from their faces, replaced by guilty embarrassment. Even when they were feeling happy and smug, they were only ever one cruel word away from sad and miserable. I really couldnt stay mad at them.

I burst out laughing. Im kidding. It was fine. The King says he wants to meet all of you. I sat down at the wooden table. Im starving.

Whats he like? asked Flossie.

Surprisingly young, but reasonable. Our friends, The Avengers even without looking I could sense Maurice bristling were there too.

I told them about Tins plan to ask for the marshlands and my request to the King for them instead. This development took them by surprise and they pelted me with a barrage of questions about Tins intentions for the marshlands (which I didnt really have much knowledge about) and my own intentions (which I had even less knowledge about).

Do you really think hell give us the whole of the marshlands? said Claire.

No, I said, probably not. But as long as he doesnt give it to those twats, I dont care.

They all agreed with this sentiment, but they were also aware that there would probably be some blowback if Tin found out what Id done, which was inevitable. The mood around the table was very different now. When I had arrived, they were happy and laughing. Half an hour later, they were edgy and worried. What a ray of sunshine I was.

Dinner was finally served and I spent the next twenty minutes stuffing my face while the others continued to discuss the finer points of what a bunch of evil bastards Tin and company were. The general consensus was that the quicker we left the city the better, and I certainly agreed.

You and Flosse should buy all the kitchen stuff tomorrow, I said to Claire. Just get a couple of pots and some basic utensils. Get food supplies too, and jerky. Lots of jerky. Ill go get the spear made.

I could come with you, said Maurice eagerly.

This drew a scornful look from Claire. Well need help carrying everything.

Oh, sure, said Maurice. Of course.

Both Maurice and Dudley seemed less than enthusiastic about yet more shopping with the girls, but I preferred that to them hanging out with me. I hadnt mentioned my arrangement with the Princess and I didnt want them tagging along to the Palace. Being trained in swordfighting by the person who put a price on my head didnt make much sense even to me, so I didnt know how I was going to explain it to them.

Once I had learned the basics, I could teach them. But for now, I wanted to limit our exposure to Princess Looney Tunes.

You and Dudley should stick with the girls, I said to Maurice. Make sure they dont run into any trouble. New novel chapters are published on

If you think it best, said Dudley, somewhat resignedly. He was usually at his happiest when he was around Flossie, but theres something about following a girl around as she goes shopping that sucks the will to live out of a guy.

After eating, I made my excuses and went to my room. Perhaps theyd regain their good mood, but more likely Id ruined the evening for them. Serve them right for abandoning me earlier. I was too tired to worry about it, and was asleep within a few seconds of getting in bed.

The following morning, I visited the blacksmith and explained what I wanted. A normal spear would consist of the head and a wooden shaft which would be fitted together. However, the frogmen would have difficulty repairing the spear if it got broken. They were used to making the best of whatever bits of wood they found lying around. Crafting and shaping a replacement shaft to fit perfectly would be very difficult for them. My solution was to have the whole spear made out of metal. No separate parts, nothing to fix.

When I got back to the inn, the others had returned with all the goods. Claire and Flossie were discussing their purchases, while Maurice and Dudley looked bored out of their minds. I told them wed be leaving the next day and not to mention it to anyone.

The following morning was warm and bright. Perfect departure weather. First stop was the Municipal Directory where we emptied our accounts. Then we went to collect the spear. As we approached the smithy, I could see some sort of commotion going on.

There were two soldiers shouting at the blacksmith who looked pretty scared. I couldnt hear everything being said, but there was lots of swearing and questions about his parentage. My first instinct was to turn around and walk away. When you play enough RPGs you learn not to pull aggro when you dont need to.

But I needed that spear.

I walked up with my little crew backing me up. Kind of. Somehow, the closer we got to the shouting soldiers, the bigger the gap between me and the fearless four behind me became. You couldnt fault them on their consistency.

Excuse me, I said. Will you be long? I have some business with the blacksmith.

Their uniforms told me these were Palace guards, and higher than the sentries posted around the place. The one doing all the shouting was some kind of officer. He looked me up and down and quickly sussed I wasnt a local. I hoped this would buy me a little tolerance.

This is city business, nothing to do with you, visitor. He looked at the cowering blacksmith and then back to me. Wait, are you the one responsible for this one failing to meet his army quota? Your actions wont be looked on favourably by the Palace if youre found to be involved.

The other soldier had been staring at me intently all this time, which was making me uncomfortable. Now he leaned towards his colleague and whispered in his ear. Shouty McShoutsens eyes widened. Suddenly his attitude did a one-eighty.

Er, well overlook it this time, but dont let it happen again. They both hurried off.

I hadnt heard what the soldier had whispered, but I had caught one word, boyfriend. I assumed the soldier had seen me with Laney at the Palace and had jumped to the wrong conclusion. Not that I planned to correct him. If thinking I had a special relationship with the Princess got them to leave me alone, I was happy to let them believe it. The tiny tyrant had her uses.

What did you say to them? said Maurice. The others had gathered around me once the danger had passedtheir timing as impeccable as everand were miffed by the way the soldiers had run away.

Its like they were scared of you, said Flossie.

Of course, it wasnt me they were scared of, they just knew their lives wouldnt be worth living if they pissed off the Princess.

Where exactly is it you go when you arent with us? asked Claire.

Fight Club, I said. Cant talk about it. Rules are rules.

The blacksmith was also impressed by how the soldiers had reacted and only took half the money for the spear. I have to say, I did enjoy being seen as a badass, but I was careful not to get carried away. The trouble with being a fake badass is that once your bluff gets called, the beating you take is very real.

I decided not to hang around and push my luck, so we headed out of the city. We were stopped at the gates.

No one leaves the city, by order of the King, a soldier informed us.

The atmosphere felt very different to how it was before. The line of people that was usually outside wasnt there any more. Not a single person was waiting to come inside the city walls.

I took out the Key to the City and showed it to him. Were on a special mission. We can wait while you confirm with the Palace, if you like.

Bluff. Sweat. Wait. Panic rising

The soldiers exchanged looks with each other. No, thats fine.

They let us through. As we reached the road to the marshlands, there was a loud metallic scraping noise. I turned to see the portcullis over the city entrance come down.

Something was definitely going on. Something I wanted no part of. We picked up the pace and kept going north.