Elias found the curled shoes surprisingly comfortable. The only problem was the smiles it drew from the townspeople as he ambled through the town. He’d followed the man in the tricorn hat for a few streets before he ducked into an alley with a concerned glance over his shoulder and vanished. Elias looked around at closed doors and children running through the streets. This was probably a residential district.

  He approached a little boy who was eyeing other children playing with a rubber-like ball on the steps of a slightly tilted building. The boy glanced up at him, without suspicion, and humphed under his breath.

  Elias crouched in front of him. “Hey, kid. Quick question. Where’s the nearest market?”

  “Market?” The boy scrunched his face, eyebrows almost meeting above his nose. “There’s one about four streets that way. Take a left and go until you see the naked fish fountain.”

  Elias reached into his pocket and froze. He wasn’t carrying candies here. There were a few coins, so he tossed the boy the smallest denomination.

  “You want to play?”

  “Jin said I couldn’t.”

  “Why?”

  “My leg still needs to heal.” He lifted a pant-leg and pointed at a poultice stuck to his calf.

  “Hey Jin!” Elias called. “Why not let him play?”

  The boy hissed at him to stop, but the other children came over. Jin looked the oldest, and he eyed Elias as if he were a fool.

  “Aiden’s injured. We can’t let him get hurt more.” The other kids agreed.

  “Alright, but why not play something where he can participate?”

  “What’s partspate?” Jin frowned.

  “I mean a game he can also play. Like he can be the referee in a game of dodgeball.”

  “Dodgeball?”

  Elias whistled as he walked away, screaming children behind him with little Aiden shouting for order on his step. A young woman tossed him an apple from a nearby window and he smiled back, feeling invigorated. Education was important.

  The market was easy to find, but wasn’t very large, just a small local area for general supplies and groceries.

  The half-dressed mermaid statue was a bit disconcerting. At least he thought it was a mermaid, left half fish, right half human. A little questioning had him heading to the eastern district where most inns were located. The old lady running the grocery store told him to mention her name to get a good deal. When he’d asked her name, she’d frowned and asked him why she should share it with a stranger. He apologized and bowed. She’d reminded him to mention her name again as he left.

  There was significant variation in the buildings, different materials and styles indicating that they were demolished and reconstructed frequently.

  The eastern district looked just like the residential area he came from, which it turned out was also the sect residences. That tidbit had come from a fisherman who pointed him east when he was heading north. Apparently, this was a good time of year to go fishing.

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  “Fisherman? Oh, you must mean old Gil,” the twins operating the local laundry said, each word interchanged. Elias was almost dizzy trying to keep track of who was talking, so he just closed his eyes.

  “That well of his ran dry years ago, though.” One twin said.

  “He still brings back fish every day.” The other disagreed.

  They launched into a debate about the quality of empty-well fish, which Elias interrupted long enough to get directions to ‘the best inn this side of the golden wall for people without money’ and he hurried off.

  Elias stared at the normal-looking building with a glowing wooden signpost engraved with ‘Forest’s Rest’. The streaks of mana on the signpost were almost as mesmerizing as the light it exuded.

  “Three silver per night. Minted silver, mind you.” The sharply dressed man at the bar said, without looking up from his ledger, carefully mouthing out words and making small marks with his pen.

  “I don’t have much, and I might need to stay for a while,” Elias said.

  “We’re not running a charity.”

  “I can understand, but how about we come to some sort of agreement? That’s wrong by the way—you need to carry the two over.”

  The man looked up, and Elias smiled brightly.

  “You can do accounting?”

  “Sure!” He probably could, it was just adding and subtracting numbers anyway.

  “Alright, if I have three crates of thirty-six red wine bottles. How many bottles do I have?”

  “One-hundred and eight.” Elias replied.

  The man looked impressed. “My name’s Gareth. Wait here. I’ll get the boss.”

  He hurried through a door without waiting for Elias to offer his own name. Elias looked through the book. Varen wasn’t considered a genius, but this level of math seemed too simple even for him.

  Gareth returned with a tall woman in tow. She was draped in luxurious white robes similar to Ila’s and moved with an almost sinuous grace. She studied him, eyes darting over his damaged clothing and resting on his shoes for a moment.

  “So you’re the ‘genius,’” she drawled, finger tapping a heavy-looking amulet around her neck that flashed twice with the light of mana.

  “Professional merchant, rather than genius. I’m sure you could use some help.” Elias bowed as he did in front of the gate. Her lips twitched at the motion, whether amusement or recognition it was hard to tell.

  “Merchant?” She chuckled, and Gareth blushed beside her.

  “Merchant’s son, at least.” Elias conceded. “But I can do numbers, and all I really want is a place to stay for a while.”

  “I do need help. Gareth’s time is better spent elsewhere. That’s why I put the notice in the window.” She patted Gareth on the shoulder and sent him further down the counter to assist the bartender.

  Elias looked at the window. Sure enough, there was an ‘accountant wanted’ sign. How had he missed that?

  “Looks serendipitous, doesn’t it?” Elias smiled even brighter. First impressions were important at job interviews.

  “Yes. Almost effortlessly so. My cousin really is better off at the bar than dealing with numbers, as I’m sure you could tell.” She nodded at Gareth in the distance, a whimsical smile gracing her face. It suited her.

  “Needs some focused teaching. Targeted actually. He’s bright enough, just seems to have issues with numbers.” Elias regretted the words as they spilled out.

  “So you think that would help Mr. Merchant’s son?”

  “I also taught some kids at home.”

  She tapped her lip, and he stood straight, trying to come to attention.

  “You want a place to stay, correct? Then I’ll offer you employment on a few conditions. First, I’ll deduct rent and meals at half the normal rate as a staff discount. Second you’ll stay in the basement quarters, it’s not ideal, but paying customers come first.” She waited for him to agree before continuing.

  “Third, don’t mess with the inventory, and don’t poke your nose into rooms that you have no business in.” She caressed the rapier on her hip. Another thing he hadn’t paid attention to. That was risky according to Varen.

  “Fourth, you’ll teach Gareth in your free time. I’ll pay extra.”

  Elias nodded.

  “I’m not sure what business you have with the sects or Enforcers.” She glanced at his wrists where the cuffs had chafed a purple bruise. “But I want none of it here. My place is to be free of sect interference. Understood?”

  “That was just a misunderstanding.”

  “Misunderstanding or not. I don’t like the sects.” Her eyes flashed.

  “Understood.” Elias swallowed, there was a pressure building around her, the kind that meant she was more powerful than him. By a large margin.

  “With the unpleasantness out of the way. My name is Forest. You can call me boss if you’re bored.”

  Gareth cursed in the distance, and a bottle of something flew into the rafters and cracked, its contents spilling over his shoulder.

  “Elias. I’ve been hearing Forest a lot today.” He held his hand out, but she just wrinkled her nose.

  “I’m sure you have. Why don’t you dry off.” Her smile was particularly mysterious.