The Cost of Reputation II

We showed ourselves into the boss’s library. The boss for this job bothers me, I know this isn’t her house, and she always wears a vale so we can’t see her face. Usually I wouldn’t take a job like this but I follow the all important mercenary code closely, enough money will buy a lot of unasked questions. For all I knew she was just a hired hand like I was. I wasn’t even sure what the job was going to be yet, like I said, money is the first thing that comes to count in this job. My reputation dictates that I not turn down a job just because it’s mysterious.

“There’s someone for ya to meet,” the boss said. “She’ll be yar partner.” I would have groaned if I was alone, it wouldn’t have been professional though. This wasn’t the first time on a job that my partner had been chosen but I liked it better when I could chose for myself.

It was a girl of about sixteen who stepped out of the side room and gave me a suspicious look. She didn’t look like anyone who could help with any of the sort of jobs that I was ever hired for but the code would dictate that I do whatever the boss said. She was dressed modestly, she looked so meek, I didn’t like the look of this job at all.

“I’m a thief,” said that modest girl bluntly. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t as proper as she looked. I should have known better then to judge by appearances after living this world for so long. It still made me suspect the nature of this job even more; a job that I would need a thief to go along with me wasn’t one that I would play a main part in. In jobs like this I was usually just the one who had to protect the thief so he could do whatever was needed. A theft in a dangerous house or part of the world probably, well this wasn’t the first job I had had of this sort.

We didn’t talk about what the job was, instead both the girl and I got a letter that we were told to open only after we left the house. We were also each given a bundle of money which sweetened my mood a lot. It was therefore in the comfort of my new room that I found out what I had signed on to do.

“You will meet your party at the west gate at noon on the twentieth. You will have provisions provided for you. You will proceed along the north road for twenty miles until you reach the city of Belvien where you will go west until you reach Headwall’s Wood. Your job during this time and the return trip will be to protect the members of your party and the goods.” That was all there was, still no details, and I didn’t like the look of the word goods, this job screamed danger to me but there was nothing I could do about that. The way it was written also worried me, it was obvious that that badly spoken boss hadn’t written such a formal letter. My suspicion that there were other people behind the scenes seemed to be confirmed. Having signed on to the job I couldn’t just back out now however, danger and duplicity was a part of the job after all. I had known that when I had become a mercenary.

On the appointed day I found the girl I had been introduced to by the boss waiting for me at the gate. There were also three laden horses waiting for us. Three horses and two of us that I had known of, the third quickly made his appearance. He was a middle aged man in flashy clothing and a small pack on his shoulders.

“Hello, I’m Hans; I’m the witch for this job.”

“This is a magic job?” I asked, growing three times more concerned about whether or not I was going to make it back to this city alive. Magic made everything more dangerous and unpredictable.

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To be continued...