Piper pressed her lips together as she stared at the Drunken Dryad Inn. Back on Earth, her mother had always told her if she couldn’t say anything nice, she shouldn’t say anything at all. Which meant she wasn’t uttering a single word about this place.

  The roof of the Drunken Dryad sagged worryingly, and many of the wooden shingles were missing. The chimney had crumbling bricks, and much of the whitewash on the outside was peeling. To make matters worse, there were nearly a dozen drunken people passed out in the street surrounding the inn. From inside came the sound of bad music and raucous singing. This was clearly a rougher part of town than where she was staying.

  “What a dump!” Ophelia said, clearly thinking the same thing. “You guys stay here?”

  Basil frowned. “It may not be the nicest building in the empire, but at least it’s affordable for aspirants. It only costs a copper a week to lodge here and another copper daily for meals. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal.”

  “Still…” Ophelia couldn’t tear her eyes away from the building. “Do the bedbugs carry you off in the middle of the night?”

  “Ophelia,” Piper said out of the corner of her mouth. “Be nice.”

  Her friend shook her head and started picking her way through the drunken people snoring in the street.

  Selene moved to stand beside Piper. “It’s really not that bad. When I was working as a jester, I had to sleep in the stables sometimes. It’s a huge step up from that.”

  Piper grinned. “I had to live in a barn for a while, too.”

  “Why would your family make you sleep in an outbuilding?”

  “I’m… adopted,” she said, haltingly. “Ophelia’s family found me and took me in. I owe them everything.”

  “But they made you sleep in the barn…” Selene continued, a frown spreading across her face. “That seems…unkind.”

  “It’s a long story. But I understand their decision. Anyway, they let me move into the house after a while.”

  “I see…” Selene said. However, it was clear from her expression that she didn’t really understand.

  Piper wanted to tell her more, but there was no way to explain everything without mentioning how she’d shown up on their doorstep looking like a demon. In retrospect, she was lucky that Alfred hadn’t brained her with his axe. She would be forever grateful for them taking her in when common sense said they shouldn’t.

  Dismissing her memories, Piper followed Ophelia across the muddy street. She was forced to gingerly step over a man lying across the entryway. Then she pushed open the rickety door and was assaulted by the sound of drums and flutes. Both instruments were being played with gusto but not much skill. Not that the crowd seemed to mind as they were singing along enthusiastically.

  Scanning the room, she searched for Ophelia. The main floor of the Drunken Dryad was about half the size of the inn she was staying at. There were a dozen rectangular tables crammed into the room, with a little wooden stage in the corner for the musicians. The floor was covered with a grimy layer of straw.

  After a second, she spotted Ophelia settling down at a vacant table on the far side of the room. She threaded her way through the tables before plopping down next to her friend. Placing her elbow on the table, she leaned her face against her hand. She was completely exhausted and desperately wanted to sleep.

  A man with an eyepatch and long scars crisscrossing his face approached the table. It looked like a demon had clawed him at some point in the past. He wore a stained tunic and pants with holes in them. Using his one good eye, he looked them up and down. “Looking to buy a meal?”

  Basil hurried over and held out his hand. “They’re with me, Hermes,” he said. “I’ll cover their meals for tonight.”

  Hermes placed one hand on his hip. “Got any coin?”

  “Unfortunately, I’m a copper short.” Basil produced a handful of copper from the pouch on his side. “Do you think you can put the rest on my tab?”

  “So, you survived another quest,” Hermes said, a big grin splitting his face. “Good for you.” The older man pointed at his scars. “As you can see, being an aspirant wasn’t for me. But you seem to be doing all right for yourself. And I suppose I can let you owe me this one time. How many meals do you want?”

  “Three meals for the regular group,” Basil replied. “And two for my new friends.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  As Piper waited for the food to arrive, she gazed around the room at the people gathered inside. Most of them were older, with only a handful near her age. Based on their clothing, she guessed they were laborers; they had worn and simple clothing. And more than a few had scars like the innkeeper, Hermes.

  Were they all washed-out aspirants as well? Or was life just dangerous in the city? Even with the redcap raids and monsters prowling the mountains, not many people in Alderwick had scars. Maybe the Crimson Guard weren’t completely useless after all.

  The second she thought that, a shudder passed through her body. Some of the Crimson Guard might be decent, but they still fed on humans. And they’d allowed a lord to nearly eat her family. They were all awful in her book.

  As she sat people-watching, Selene settled down across from her. As usual, the woman looked stunning. Piper was starting to suspect that there was a skill involved. After the fight with the mucklings, and the long walk on the dusty road, she couldn’t understand how anyone could look so good.

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  Ophelia tapped her fingers on the table. “I’m starving. Where’s the food?”

  “It will be here soon,” Piper said. “Be patient.”

  “Alright, Mom,” Ophelia said, her words dripping with sarcasm. “Speaking of Mom, do you think she’d kill me if she knew I hadn’t been praying to Infernus before every meal?”

  At the young woman’s words, everyone in the group froze and turned in her direction. Their eyes were wide as they regarded them.

  Selene leaned across the table and grabbed Ophelia’s wrist. “Watch what you’re saying before you get us all arrested or worse!”

  “Hey!” Piper said, rising slightly from her chair. “Get your hands off her!”

  “Words like that could land us all in the Dawn Citadel,” Selene hissed. “And almost no one comes back from there. Have you both lost your minds?”

  “Let my friend go,” Piper said in a dangerous tone. “I won’t ask you again.”

  “Fine.” Selene pushed Ophelia’s arm away. “Then tell her to stop talking about false gods.

  Piper returned to her seat, keeping a wary eye on her group. “What are you talking about?”

  Ophelia rubbed her wrist. “Yeah, what’s wrong with mentioning god?”

  Selene eyed them. “Don’t you have an inquisitor in your village?”

  “Nope,” Ophelia said before Piper could reply. “We lived across the mountains. What’s an inquisitor, anyway?”

  For the second time in the evening, everyone in the group stopped and gaped at them.

  Basil was the first to speak. “You’re… from the Bloodveil Empire?”

  “We sure are.”

  “Ophelia,” Piper said, trying to warn her friend. “I don’t think we should be talking about this.”

  Ophelia frowned. “Why not?”

  Basil frowned. “But how did you get around the Black Pyramid? I thought the way was closed.”

  “We found a way past the demons.” Ophelia glanced over at Piper, finally seeming to clue in. “I mean, what demons?”

  Althea’s eyes widened. “You saw real demons!”

  Piper sighed and facepalmed. She was pretty sure that her friend wasn’t going to earn a spy class when she awakened. And she certainly wasn’t going to get the subterfuge skill either. Any hope of hiding their origins had been completely dashed.

  Darn Ophelia.

  Selene settled back and watched them through her thick lashes. “I want to hear everything now. This sounds like quite a story.”

  “There’s not much to tell,” Piper replied slowly. “Our farm was attacked by a vampire noble. We barely survived and then fled across the mountains to hide in the Arissian Empire. Only the two of us made it across.”

  Basil’s frown deepened. “But how did you survive the Black Pyramid? Even those with the most powerful classes fear to tread in there.”

  “We ran into a group of adventurers,” Piper said quickly. “Without them, we never would have made it across. We owe them everything.”

  “Do you know the names of the people who helped you?” Basil asked. “Were they from a specific guild?”

  They had to stop speaking for a minute as the innkeeper arrived with their steaming meals. The plate was nearly overflowing with a thick stew and had a ragged hunk of bread on the side. Neither looked particularly appetizing, but at least they should be filling.

  “I find all this hard to believe,” Basil said, looking troubled. “Vampires? Demons? Who are you?”

  Ophelia rubbed her hands together at the sight of the food. Then she looked up and pointed across the room. “If you don’t believe us, ask him. He’s the one who saved our lives.”

  Piper frowned and looked toward the entrance. Framed in the doorway was Lukas, who was surrounded by a group of burly men. Two of the men wore fine armor, with gold badges on their chests, while the other had robes that shimmered with magic and a silver badge

  The largest man dragged Lukas forward, holding him by the arm almost as if he couldn’t stand on his own. Which might be the case, as the young man’s face was swollen and covered with dark bruises. His tunic was torn and splattered with blood. It looked like he’d fought a mammoth and lost.

  As Piper watched, Lukas raised a trembling hand and pointed it in her friend’s direction. Piper didn’t need [Ambush Detection] to know that they were in trouble.

  Rising to her feet, she placed a hand on the hilt of her knife. If she was going to have to fight, she couldn’t use her claws and tail. If someone ended up looking like they’d been savaged by a wild animal after a bar fight, there would be a lot of questions. But then again, as her gaze swept the room, she noted a handful of animal companions lurking around the tables. Maybe claw wounds wouldn’t raise as many eyebrows as she thought.

  I hope it doesn’t come to that.

  Lukas was dragged across the room, his face contorted with pain. The men tossed him in front of their table, where he crashed to the floor.

  The largest of the men pointed at Ophelia. “Is she the one?” he barked in a harsh, gravelly voice. “Speak, dog!”

  Lukas tried to stagger to his knees, but one of the men pushed him down with his boot. “Yes or no,” the man snarled. “I need to know the truth of what happened to my brother.”

  At those words, Piper examined the men more closely. All had the same curly dark hair and sharp features. They must be the brothers of Demetrios—the man she’d accidentally killed by using [Umbral Terror] on him near the Black Pyramid.

  Though the man had attacked her for the meat she was carrying, she still carried a heavy burden of guilt for his death. She’d only meant to incapacitate and not kill him. Hopefully, she could resolve whatever was happening without any further bloodshed.

  “I’m the one,” she said, stepping forward. “I was with him at the Pyramid.”

  “Nice try,” the oldest said. “Our friend Lukas said one girl had dark hair and one had a scarred face. And you’re neither.”

  Piper frowned at that. There was no way to correct them without blowing her cover as an illusionist. So, she decided to try another tack. “Fine. Who are you, and what do you want with my friend?”

  “I’m George, son of Orion. And these are my brothers, Elias and Jason. We simply want to find out why Demetrios didn’t come home, and this bag of cow shit did.” George thrust his thumb toward Lukas. “We’re just going to have a friendly conversation with her like we did with our friend here.”

  At the man’s words, Piper’s resolve hardened. There was no way she was going to let them lay a single finger on Ophelia.

  “She’s not going with you,” Piper said, with a note of steel in her voice. “But we’ll answer any questions you may have.”

  “I’m not asking, little girl.” George cracked his knuckles. “Now get out of the way before I bash your skull in.”

  Hermes hurried over, wiping his hands on his apron. “I don’t want any trouble here. Do you understand me?”

  “Get lost, old man,” George said without looking at the innkeeper. “This is none of your business.”

  Hermes' gaze darted between Piper and George before he stepped back. Turning, he dashed over to the exit and disappeared outside. As the door slammed shut, a hush fell over the room. Even the musicians on the tiny stage stopped playing.

  With any chance of a peaceful resolution fading, Piper lowered herself into a fighting stance. As she did, she heard the sound of scraping chairs. Glancing back, she saw that the rest of her group had risen to their feet and were readying weapons.

  Turning back to the brothers, she smiled sweetly. “I’d recommend you leave before you get yourself into trouble.”

  “Deal with these idiots,” George said, gesturing at Jason. “But make sure the girl stays alive.”

  Selene appeared at Piper’s side, daggers appearing in her hands. “Try not to kill anyone,” she whispered. “Otherwise, you might get thrown in jail.”

  Piper’s brow rose at those words. Then everything slowed down as the hulking brother charged at her. While she would do her best not to kill Jason, she didn’t think he would show her the same courtesy.