Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 156907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
Goddess damn it, once she’d spotted him, she’d been so focused on that troll, that door, its hinges, its lock, she hadn’t noticed this.
“They haven’t been discovered so they grow arrogant,” she mumbled.
“Perhaps,” Gal replied. “Perhaps it’s that this area is not patrolled by the city guard or any guard, and their generosity, which we have observed is not much, but it’s more than anyone here normally experiences…food, liquor, blankets, koekah, ashesh, taibac, smoke, they are grateful and would do anything. Or perhaps they do not disguise themselves too much, so the population of the Shanty can identify them as personages who can hold any promises they might make.”
Serena found a wall and leaned against it, crossing her arms on her chest, her gaze never leaving the gnomes.
“And they’re still at work even after True’s announcements?” she queried.
Both gnomes nodded, but Brix spoke.
“Once we reported our findings to him, our king has sent in others, like you, but they are men here setting themselves up to be recruited by this Rising. If this is successful, it will be a way to understand their inner workings.”
Thank the goddess, this was clever too.
“And that troll?” she pushed.
“He must be guarded, but as far as we can tell, and word has it from an operative in Firenze, with the death of Carrington, they’ve lost their knowledge of where their treasury is. We had not seen it, but I believe that troll, that door, and what lays behind it, was known only by Carrington.”
Which could be why she had seen no one get near the troll.
“Until they find it as it is hardly hidden,” Serena drawled.
“And thus, it needs to be guarded,” Gal replied. “And he must not be approached. He must not be provoked. There might be others about, keeping an eye on the Shanty and doing it much better concealed, or searching themselves. We cannot bring attention to that door.”
“Have you seen that troll with anyone?” Brix asked.
She shook her head.
“Has he left his post?” Gal asked.
She again shook her head. “He pisses by the door, and I would not round the corner of that building. There has to be a mound of his shite there.”
Both gnomes curled their lips.
“He has also not been approached,” Serena continued. “But it was not yesterday Carrington was taken. If Carrington was keeping him stocked in whiskey and whatever else he needs, by now, even a troll will become concerned Carrington no longer comes. Which brings another issue, for I’ve never seen him enter either. But if he knows what’s inside, and hears his comrade is no longer among us, he might help himself. I’ve noted those in the Shanty don’t concern themselves with affairs of state. They concern themselves with where they can find some koekah to sniff up their noses. I would not be surprised he does not even know of the executions. But Carrington not coming, he’ll find out.”
“Just what we need, more issues,” Brix muttered.
“Or we could be wrong and he’s just a drunk troll in a doorway in the Shanty,” she carried on. “We need to know what’s behind it or guarding it is a waste of time when we have none of that.”
Gal looked to Brix.
Brix shrugged.
They both looked to Serena.
“We form a crew,” Brix declared.
Serena felt a frisson over her skin.
A crew.
She and Chu had been a crew, of a sort.
A highly functioning one.
It was much more fun working something like this with him.
It was much more fun, returning to their lodgings after a day of working something like this and doing that with him.
Life was just much more…
Everything…
With Chu.
But she had lost him.
Through jealousy and hate, she’d lost him.
“One of us provides distraction, the others breach that building,” Gal spoke into her thoughts.
Hmm…
She had a feeling she knew who would be the distraction.
“To keep my disguise, which I will need to do in case we’re wrong, I would have to fight pretending to be unskilled and inebriated,” she said. “Trolls are mighty, even when they’re deep in their cups, and they don’t know their own strength. He could harm me greatly. And trolls have cocks and he’s a he. If I bring myself to his attention, he could want something else, and not giving him that, and I will not be giving him that, I would need to expose my skills to fight him.”
“Can you pick a lock?” Gal asked.
She could not.
Damn it.
“You could teach me,” she tried.
They looked at each other again, but neither shrugged this time before they looked to her.
“True wants men planted in their ranks,” Brix shared. “We must wait for that. We cannot give any indication we know they’re operating in the Shanty. Once we have men covert in The Rising, we can launch the operation to distract the troll and get inside.”
“And what if The Rising finds this troll and his door before we do all of that?” she queried.