The next morning, I arrived bright and early at the Queen’s Arm—Collections office in Oakheart. I wasn’t the first person in line, which was what I expected.

  What I didn’t expect was Jasmine at the front. Her eyes lit up when she saw me; she immediately gave up her spot and zipped to my side, grinning up at me.

  “Morning, Ashy!” her singsong voice rang out. “Are you here to pay your taxes too?”

  “No. I’m mostly here to pay my dad’s taxes.”

  Jasmine nodded, but her eyes were everywhere but me. Finally, she leaned up and whispered, “Your witchy friend’s potion worked! Nathaniel and I are going out!”

  I pursed my lip. “What po—OH! That potion. Congratulations, Jasmine! I am so happy for you.” I deadpanned. Jasmine beamed, hands going to her waist in her signature pose. I rolled my eyes.

  “Thank you so much, Ashy! By the way, Melissa told me you spent some of the early money to buy my seed makers, so… I’m kind of curious how you got the money back already.”

  My face whitened. Her smile never faded—bad sign. “I… uh…”

  “I knew it! You’re working for that witch!” she blurted, then clapped her hands over her mouth, looking around—overdramatically. She was more worried than I was, and I was absolutely worried.

  I took a deep breath, let my head focus.

  “That’s fine, we all do that,” Jasmine added offhandedly. “I’m not going to tell Melissa or Adrian. Did you know I work for a vampire?”

  That knocked the wind and sense right out of me as Jasmine blabbered on. I stared, eyes wide, mouth shut.

  “I mean, I can’t prove Lord Elias is a vampire since he’s been out in the sun, but his daughter, Ophelia—head of the waitstaff? She definitely is. She even told me, showed me her teeth, said she’d bite me if I kept talking to her.”

  “I… what are you even saying, Jasmine.”

  “Oh. I wanted a new line of work and—don’t tell Melissa this—but I’m really good with numbers. I ran it in my head and realized what you’re doing doesn’t make any sense.”

  “...What do you want, Jasmine?” My mind spun. I could ask Elias to handle this right away, and I mean… I could capture her soul.

  My stomach twisted at that thought; bile rose. I’d just have her… sent away? Dealt with? No—anything Elias did would kill her or worse.

  Maybe turn her into a newt? Madeleine had offered that a few times… maybe she had a mind-wiping potion?

  “Oh, I wanted to know how you were cleaning the money from your witchy friend. And if you needed a certain maid’s help. Us common folk need to stick together.”

  “What.” I went flat, unsure how to take any of this.

  “Well, no offense, Ashy, but you didn’t have a sense for finances in school. Sure, you were good with numbers, but not money, but I’m the real deal. I know exactly how many silver spoons there are in Elias’s household—217—and how long each one takes to clean—7.5 seconds, except spoon #114 because of an indent. So I want to make the jump to be a [Merchant] if Nathaniel and I don’t work out.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “And you sell produce, so the way I see it, I can handle selling the goods, and you can handle producing it.”

  “What is happening right now?”

  “Have you thought about mixing whatever you’re making for Madeleine with real crops? People would buy from a local food store, and the Queen’s Arm wouldn’t trigger an audit that way.”

  I’d had enough. I lifted both hands and cupped Jasmine’s cheeks. “Jasmine! What.”

  “Oh, sorry, Ashy! I figured you and the witchy girl were close—always talking and hanging out—so you had to be running for her. I knew Adrian gave you 100 gold, but you spent 40 at Melissa’s to show off, gave me 30, and I think you bought a bow at some point?”

  “...How are you tracking all of this?”

  “...It’s a small town, Ashley. Melissa didn’t tell Adrian about the 40 gold since he’d have made her give it back. But the fact you did it, and you’re standing in line here, means you have an alternate income, right?”

  I glared. Jasmine looked around again and shrugged. “There’s no one else here but us.”

  I finally looked away. She was right. Not being first in line meant I was second—and it was Jasmine. “Were you waiting for me?”

  “No! I came to do my taxes! But I was trying to think of a way to handle the Queen’s Tithe!”

  “Oh… THAT. Shit.” I muttered. “I completely forgot about that.”

  “Yeah, and your dad’s lucky his tithe is capped at 1,000 gold since he never turned a profit. Farmland like his is expensive, but if—no offense, Ashy—if your dad was good at his job and stopped listening to those Floran cultists, he’d have to deal with the Queen’s Tithe instead. And with the new Sovereign and Duke Birchigold’s decree, it’s no longer capped on just income, but land value too.”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “...And Pa owned 20 acres.”

  “Yeah! So after you pay off the 1,000 gold, you’ll have actual taxes to pay!” she said cheerily.

  I glanced at the building. It’d only be that one tax collector inside, right? I could drain her soul? But then they’d send another one.

  Damn leeches.

  “So instead, I’m thinking you and I go into business together. I handle the books and finances, you get the product. I train [Shop Keeper], you train… [Witch’s Assistant], and both of us stop being commoners and get a [Hero] class! I want to be a [Merchant] and you can be a [Witch].” She clasped her hands, excited.

  I looked at Jasmine again, now that my heart had stopped racing. “Why are you so friendly and open?”

  Jasmine glanced aside. “Because you and I are the only girls in this town who don’t have other options. You took a safe route, but I was planning to quit and…” She leaned in—not to my ear this time, but toward the ground.

  “...become a [Whore].”

  My face paled. “Wh—”

  “I can’t work for a vampire, and I know the problem with the love potion you gave me. Even if he loves me, he won’t ever truly love me. I was hoping I’d get easy quests, and I could become a [Matron] and then figure something out.”

  My mind connected one and one. For once in my life, someone looked up to me. And… I had to lie to her.

  No. I didn’t have to.

  I wanted allies and, as spiteful as I could be to some people…

  I lifted my arm and rested my hand on her shoulder. “Jasmine. Could you please [Inspect] me?”

  I turned my veil off.

  She glanced up at me, then used [Inspect].

  “Ashley Hart, Level 5 [Aco]—Amaril’s protection! ASHLEY—” She started to shout, but I covered her mouth.

  “Do you still want to work with me?” I asked.

  “Have you taken a maid who dropped a silver plate and bled her out as punishment while law enforcers watched?”

  “...No?”

  “...Lord Elias doesn’t see us as people, Ashley. Anything is better than him. Ophelia tries to protect us, but we all know she’s being groomed to take her father’s place. I don’t want to know how she’ll prove it. Will he make her execute all of us and pay my pa 3 gold—the life of a [Maid]?”

  I turned my veil back on. I sighed and extended my hand.

  “I, Ashley Hart, swear on…” I paused. “...Rhyvesta that I will hire and take care of Jasmine Carnwich as if she were my own sister.”

  I waited for that inner voice to bite back—to say I was moving too fast, acting out of character. It never came.

  I had always wanted a sister.

  Jasmine eyed me, then reached to touch my hand.

  “I, Jasmine Carnwich, swear on… you’ve got me in a bind here, I can’t swear on Amaril now… Oh! Our sisterhood—to be by your side and closest ally, as if you were my sister too, Ashley Hart.”

  Rhyvesta’s Gaze—what did we just do.

  I glanced at the door. “So do you have any idea how to—”

  “Pay your taxes first, Ashy. I have to fill you in on my plan. Also, tell your witchy friend you won’t be able to grow any more… what are you even making for her?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  “See… I do, yeah, but I feel like if I did, you’d have to kill me, so I don’t. But not knowing makes me want to know since I know you’d tell me if I asked, but if I asked, you’d have to kill me.”

  My eye twitched. “So is that—”

  “It’s a no, Ashy. Keep up! But right now, pay your taxes. I’ll tell you my plan when we get back after, Sister.”

  You made a horrible mistake making her your sister, Ashley.

  No, I didn’t.

  She won’t ever leave you alone.

  I rolled my eyes, nudged Jasmine aside, and went into the Queen’s Arm first.

  The air was very, very stale and bureaucratic. I swear it was the same type of air that was perfectly licensed and stamped and filed—in triplicate.

  There was only one desk, where the white-haired bitch looked down at her books. Agent Marigold glanced up. “Ms. Hart? Are you here to talk about the terms of repossession? The Queen has generous help for paupers, if you need to find work at a boarding hom—”

  I pulled out the bag of gold coins Adrian had gifted me and tossed it onto the table. She eyed it, and with a flick of her hand, raised it into the air.

  “Hmm…” A golden light radiated from it. “...I see. Gifted to you by the Inquisitor? I will have words with him.”

  She took out a stamp and pressed it to paper. “Your next payment will be due at the end of next month, and regular payments of 10% are expected. At your debtor level, you will be accruing 10% interest, Ms. Hart.”

  “You told me that last time. I got it.”

  She didn’t even shrug. “Next.”

  I fumed and stepped out. Before the door closed, I could already hear Jasmine’s mouth running a thousand words a minute.

  Less than 30 seconds later, Jasmine bounced out; Eveline looked flummoxed and angry. I grinned. The grin faded as something wrapped around my arm—Jasmine, clinging like a child.

  “Let’s go, Sister. To the café—we’ll take a private booth and discuss my plan!” She paused, then released me. “Actually, bring your witchy friend! I’d love to talk to her properly, and this only works with her help.”

  I sighed and fetched Madeleine. She smiled when I entered, and gave no resistance when I said my weird friend wanted her to come talk about money laundering.

  Madeleine paused as we stepped out. “I just realized, chérie. Your life right now is literally about Death and Taxes.” She laughed.

  A part of me shivered at that. I was about to bring two chaotic forces together.