“You know the Iyrmen?” Cobra asked, watg as the Iyrme, going off to bathe and ge.

  “sidering one of them is my brother, yeah,” Adam replied as though it were really that simple.

  “Your brother?”

  “Jurot, the big oh the axe and shield.” ‘Didn’t seem like he found much trouble out in the field.’

  Cobra recalled how many times Adam had mentioned his brother, and that he was an Iyrman, but she hadn’t processed it. It made such little sehat she put almost no stoto the words, but with everything which had happened, it made more sense for it to be true. She blinked.

  “What?”

  “Are all the Iyrmen part of the business?”

  “ly. Jurot’s aive, like me, but the younger Iyrmen are more like our trainees…”

  “Trainees?”

  “Yeah, we traihem to bee Experts, and now they’re w for us.”

  “You traihem into Experts?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So they’re all Experts?”

  “Yes.”

  “…” Cobra stared into Adam’s eyes. ‘The Iyrmen are all strong, so that isn’t a surprise…’

  “The kids listen to some of their stories, and then they should be able to sleep peacefully…” Adam paused. “No, hold on, I’ll tell them not to tell the particur scary stories.”

  Cobra suddenly realised where Adam got all his fidence from. If he was walking around with a group of Expert Iyrmen, of course he would be fident enough to stand up to the Marquise. ‘Experts aren’t going to be enough, but if they’re Iyrmen, it might make the Marquise think again. She’s got some Masters and Grandmasters, but will she send them all for Alex?’

  Vonda made her way down, taking her seat opposite Adam. She sat casually, as though nothing was wrong, but her eyes focused on Adam’s face, and when he caught her eyes, he watched as her eyes darted to one side and the his again.

  “ht, Manager Vonda, Cobra here has good news,” Adam said, before motioning a hand to the young woman to speak up.

  “We would like to join the business,” Cobra replied, awkwardly, noting how Vonda wao speak with Adam.

  “That is wonderful news,” Vonda replied, fshing a rexed smile, though it was certainly a practised rexed smile, the kind a priest o learn. “I am gd to hear that you accepted the offer.”

  “I’ll leave you two to discuss the offer,” Cobra said, bowing her head lightly, before stepping away.

  Adam waited for Vonda to speak up, but the young woman remained silent for a long time.

  “We should wait until Executive Jurot returns,” Vonda said.

  “You don’t have to wait long, he’s off ihs now,” Adam said, motioning his head to the side.

  “That is good news.”

  “Is everything okay?” Adam asked. At Vonda’s silence, Adam sat up straighter, and his eyes began to take greater notes of the area around them. ‘It looks like this day isn’t ending soon.’

  Eventually, the Iyrmeurned, Adam their clothes within a basket, the young mahily drying off their clothes. The aade him rex, for if he was drying clothes so casually, perhaps everything was well after all?

  “Let us speak privately,” Vonda said. “The Executives, the Managers, and of course the…” Vonda’s eyes fell to Lud Mara. “If you could join us too.”

  Lucy felt something cold against the back of her neck. ‘Is it that bad?’

  “Nobby, remember, you o look after Alex, and Fred, don’t fet about…” Adam realised he had no idea what the boy’s name was. ‘It’s not like I ask him either…’

  “Yes, mister boss,” Nobby replied.

  “Yes, boss,” Fred replied, nodding his head.

  Vonda guided Kitool, Dunes, Jurot, Lucy, Mara, and Adam, all to a separate room. “I prayed to the Divine, and I have learnt that our path forward is full of blood ah.”

  “I expected as much,” Adam replied. “You know how nobles are.”

  “What happened?” Lucy asked. “We leave you for one day and you make such a mess? Did you pick a fight with the Duchess?” Her voice was light and pyful, though her body remaiense.

  “No, no, no one like that,” Adam replied, waving his hand in the air. “I’m not stupid enough to pick a fight with the Duchess.”

  “…”

  “Oh, don’t hurry to agree,” Adam replied, his eyes snapping at each of them.

  “So who is it?” Lucy asked, her eyes falling to Vonda. “Is it your previous family?”

  “We would not o be so serious if it was that family,” Vonda stated. “The Eastke family is not quite so iial to cause us worry.”

  “Then…”

  “It’s the Tiderock family.”

  “Oh,” Lucy replied. ‘I haven’t heard of them, so I guess they’re not that important.’

  “You have made the Marquise your enemy?” Mara asked.

  “First of all, she made me her enemy, I didn’t do anything,” Adam replied. “Sedly, yes.”

  “What did you do?” Jurot asked, crossing his arms.

  “I didn’t do anything,” Adam replied. “Manager Vonda, tell them.”

  “We went to search for new members t into the fold and Executive Adam found a particur group he was fond of,” Vonda said. “One of them is a Sorcerer.”

  Luced around, her eyes meeting Mara’s to see if she knew anything about it, but then their eyes fell to the Iyrman beside them. Jurot’s eyes were filled with that kind of look which meant he uood the situation.

  “You do not wish to give up the Sorcerer?” Jurot asked.

  “No.”

  Jurot looked towards Vonda and Kitool, the pair who were meant to keep him out of trouble. If they couldn’t stop him, it meant that the young man had made his decision.

  “Okay.”

  “You said they were VIPs,” Lucy said. “What does that mean?”

  “Very important persons,” Adam replied.

  “People?”

  “It’s too serious to make that kind of joke, Lucy.”

  “Lucy may make the joke if she wishes,” Mara said, her eyes falling to Adam.

  “Hey, I don’t want to hear it, especially not from our first VIPs.”

  “We were your first VIPs?”

  “I almost died, we spent a diamond worth hundreds of gold, and I had to give up a drago, and more for the drago, for the pair of you, so of course you were both the first VIPs,” Adam snapped, his eyes wide as though to dare them to pick a fight with him.

  “I am very important,” Lucy joked, feeling a slightly shame rise within her. Out of mercy, she decided not to poke fun at Adam, who seemed so stressed out. “So we’ve got to protect them?”

  “The business is going to protect these kids, even if it’s against the Marquise,” Adam said. “I was thinking about how to deal with the situation, and though I’m loathe to use it again so soon, I nning on speaking with the Duchess.”

  “No,” Jurot said. “The Duchess may find out about the Sorcerer.”

  “So?” Adam asked.

  “She may be tempted to cim the Sorcerer as her own.”

  “Even if that means we won’t be w with her?”

  “She may not uand the sequences.” Jurot gave Adam a knowing look, the kind that said that he shouldn’t fet she was a noble.

  ‘Right…’ “So… what do we do?”

  “How did this situation e to pass?” Jurot asked.

  Adam, Vonda, and Kitool expihe situation to the group. Jurot and the demons listened ily.

  ‘I’m gd they uand my magnifice, but did I really o be present to listen to this?’ Lucy thought.

  Jurot crossed his arms, deep in thought. Jaygak had refused to tell him what had happened back at the guild, the young woman having been informed by Kitool when she had bee by Adam to speak with those at the guild to inform them about the situation. He uood why she had seemed so full of sheer mischievous joy.

  Jurot exged a look with Kitool. She shook her head. Jurot raised a single finger, and Kitool remained silent. Kitool had already do once, and it had gone quite smoothly, but this time they had people specifically looking to go after their group. Even if they did mao slip the Sorcerer out, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t send a group after them, and it didn’t mean that group would believe them.

  Plus, Adam said all of them were VIPs.

  “Adam, how are we to treat the VIPs?” Jurot asked, still irely certain what it meant.

  Adam thought about how to describe it. He had previously used a particur phrasing, using his children, but he wasn’t sure if that ropriately apt. Adam’s children were his children, and as much as he wao protect these children, he couldn’t pare them to his own.

  “Even if Shama appears again, I wouldn’t allow him to touch a hair on their heads.”

  “Okay.” Jurot nodded.

  “I had thought to provide them sanctuary within the order, but it may be difficult,” Vonda said. “If we arrive within Life River’s boundary, I believe things will bee simple.”

  “So we o brave the road for what, three days, before we guaraheir safety?” Adam asked.

  Vonda nodded. “I am uain if the order will be willing to assist too deeply, sihe children are cimed by the business.”

  “If we say they’re in dahen what?”

  “I will be asked what the danger is, and if I state the Marquise, there will be some plications…”

  “I see…” Adam let out a sigh. “Once we’re on the road, anything could happen…”

  “I did have some idea of how to force the order to act,” Vonda said.

  “What do you mean by force them to act?”

  “Our party currently possesses a pair of figures which would force the order to act, although that may escate the situation.”

  “Who?” Adam asked.

  Vonda’s eyes fell across to Lud Mara.

  Mara narrowed her eyes. “You wish to endanger Lucy?”

  “Hey,” Lucy replied. “She was talking about you too.”

  “I will not allow it,” Mara stated firmly.

  Vonda bowed her head, relenting to the woman’s words.

  ht. Demons.