247 HE

So she's the bloodhound now. He preferred the name Terrier. It fit...better somehow.

She took down the Rogue in Port Caynn and stopped the influx of those toxic coles that were threatening to starve his city. She toppled a crooked throne, left a bit of a power vacuum in her wake...

He smiled in spite of himself. When she returned he would have to ask her if she considered taking the position. Would he see a flash of panic in her eyes before she hit him?

Rosto the Piper leaned back against his wooden throne with a sigh. It was early. Too early to be up after the hours he had kept the previous night, but he couldn't afford sleep yet. He had been up for hours already (had he gone to sleep last night? The days were starting to drag together...)

These last few months had been hellish. The price of bread had reached astonishing levels, and though he had laid up stores in preparation the city teetered on the edge of chaos. His stores allowed him to sell to the city at a reasonable price, but checking the silver wasn't enough to keep him from taking a loss. Some coles still got through and they did him no good but to fill his quarters with unusable decorations. He had once dreamed of living surrounded by bags of coins. This was not exactly what he had in mind. Still he kept them, thinking perhaps one day he would learn how to reclaim the silver coating and offset some of the loss. It was risky to store up so many coles but he trusted that Ersken would keep the dogs from jumping to the wrong conclusion should anyone come sniffing.

The price of grain was starting to stabilize now, finally, he had perhaps another week maybe two before he had nothing to sell. If he had nothing, and the price of bread was still high...then people got hungry. Hungry people seek new leadership. He'd had so many challenges already, he'd lost count of them. He'd been prepared for that. But there was something more that made him nervous. The chiefs were talking. Perhaps they thought he didn't know, but he did. He always knew. Still it looked like he might actually survive the year. The Terrier had saved his life. That would ruin her day.

Still, he couldn't rest. If he was honest with himself he had expected it to be worse. He had expected a major revolt within the court from one of a couple of hot spots that he could see developing. None had come. His challengers were weak, unprepared and foolish. Several were new in town and had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Some were his own rushers, too much hotblood wine and too little bread and suddenly they thought they could do a better job.

His thoughts turned back to his main concern; Dawull or Ulsa? Who was the source of the unrest. Dawull had been first under Kayfer and everyone knew he was bitter that Rosto had beat him to the throne. He'd tried to buy a revolution once before, but Rosto had a hard time believing that he could find no better fighters to send than the ones he had faced in the last few months... He was essentially a coward, but a good leader for his district until he caused too much trouble. Ulsa was much the same way. She had hired people to try to kill Rosto once before and she was vicious. He'd thought to get rid of these two many times before but still hadn't. Better perhaps to know who wanted his job.

Beka would be returning to Corus any time now, his birdies had not told him if she was bringing the gambler with her.

He shook his head in frustration, trying to cut off that train of thought. He'd made quite the scene when he was first informed that Beka had taken a lover; terrified some of his rushers to the point that he went nearly a week without challenges. So Beka had tun off to Port Caynn and let the first cove she met charm her and break through those impenetrable walls of hers. Like he was one to talk? He'd gone through so many mots trying to forget about Beka Cooper he couldn't bloody well keep track of them anymore. He used to revel in the ease with which he could make them fall. It was meaningless. Empty. He knew it, they knew it. Now i ft only reminded him of the one that never did.

He told himself that he wouldn't waste any more energy on thinking about the gambler. Wouldn't dwell on the fact that he spent most nights in her rooms. That Beka allowed him to kiss her, to hold her ... Jumping up with unnecessary enthusiasm he started to return to his rooms before realizing that the absolute last thing he needed to do at this particular moment was to sit awake in his bed attempting to sleep. Turning abruptly he stalked out of the dove. He would distract himself with talking to his birdies...or something. He would not go find out-of-season gillyflowers.

Beka was more relieved to return to the lower city than she had thought she would be. Returning to the city was returning home for her and she was comfortable here. Comfortable and exhausted... Turns out taking down cole producing Rogues is something of a tiring venture.

Returning to her Rooms with Achoo on her heel she had grand plans for the day that involved being unconscious for at least 10 hours. It was not to be. When she pushed the door in she discovered a vase of beautiful bright red Gillyflowers sitting on her desk. There was no note, but it didn't need one. Rosto was the only one who could find Gillyflowers this time of year, much less deliver them to a locked room... Taking the flowers she inhaled deeply, reveling for a moment their strong spicy scent. She had no sooner dropped her bag before she was pounced on by Kora and Ersken.

"We were so worried about you," Kora said sweetly, "all alone over there trying to take down the Rogue yourself. Are you crazy?"

"She wasn't all alone." Ersken said with a smirk. "She made some... good friends."

Beka flushed crimson and Kora smiled. "Yeah...I ... kind of heard about that."

"The whole city heard about that." Ersken commented and Kora jabbed him lightly in the stomach. Beka shook her head and tried to remove the blush by force of will but Kora would have none of that.

"So, Beka...is he... staying here?" She looked around as if expecting Dale to pop out of a closet. Her eyes fell on the gillyflowers and she raised her eyebrows.

"No." Beka responded quickly. "No, we decided against ... trying to..."

"Good thing too," Ersken interrupted, relieving Beka of the spotlight. "Cove wouldn't last a week in Rosto's city."

Now Beka flushed for another reason and she could feel the heat of anger rising. "Not his choice." Beka fumed, "Certainly not his city."

Ersken smiled, a short hug breaking the tension. "Of course not...All hail the Bloodhound!"

"You'll come tonight?" Kora asked.

"Where?"

"The Dove, of course. We eat at the Dove every night these days. Partly because...Well Rosto's the only one with grain reserves left these days. Most of the bakers were driven out by the price of grain."

"Is it really so bad as that?" Beka asked, concern coloring her tone.

"It hasn't been easy." Ersken told her, "The prices were already going up when you were last here. No one could afford grain but for Rosto's foreign stores. It's been a hell of a time here, Beka, but with the flow of coles stopped, it's getting better."

"Just in time too, there's been so many challengers in the last month. I thought I'd have to start sending Rosto to court naked to save me the laundry, " Kora commented, then her tone brightened. "Anyway, really you have no choice about dinner. See you tonight!"

Kora slipped out of the room and Ersken followed. Beka called out before he could leave the room.

"Ersken..." she hesitated, unsure how to ask. Ersken smiled at her.

"He's fine, Beka. Take more than a few drunken rushers to make Rosto flinch."

She nodded and Ersken left. Collapsing onto the bed, she barely managed to remove her boots before falling asleep.

Get up, you lazy dog!

She shot up in bed, looking around for the source of the voice. She had a brief moment of confusion before she recognized her surroundings. Purple eyes gleamed down at her. She hadn't even opened her mouth to respond before a loud knock on the door made her jump.

"Come on Beka" Ersken's voice called from outside the door, "Time to go."

I told you.

"Could have given me a little more warning," she grumbled at Pounce before quickly changing out of the uniform she had fallen asleep in and opening the door.

I am a constellation. Don't you think I have better things to do than to serve as your waiting servant!

"No, I really don't think you do!" She retorted angrily and Pounce laughed a little mrt of laughter as he stalked off tail held high.

Ersken looked slightly confused before he caught sight of Pounce disappearing around a corner.

"I don't know that I'll ever get used to that."

"Me neither," Beka said grumpily.

When they reached the dove, Kora and Phelan were waiting. The place was busier than normal, Beka supposed that was because so many were forced here just to feed themselves. Phelan greeted Achoo warmly and Beka made a show about being offended that he missed the scent hound more than he missed her.

Beka was happy to eat the food of Corus again, and everything tasted of home. Eventually, though, as she sat at the table, her eyes were drawn to the throne like a magnet.

Dark eyes found ice immediately. Rosto was watching her openly and Beka fought the urge to look away. She was the bloodhound now. She'd hobbled Pearl Skinner and her assassin Zolaika. She could look at Rosto the Piper without flinching like a silly gixie. Rosto smirked at her from across the room, finally breaking the contact when someone came up to whisper something in his ear. She pulled her gaze away and back to the table feeling an inexplicably smug satisfaction that he had looked away first.

Rosto appeared behind her chair before long. "Look who has graced our court with her presence tonight. What brings you to a poor establishment like this? Come to add to your list of conquests?"

"Only if you give me a reason to," Beka snapped.

"Oh, fiery puppy just like I remember. Port Caynn is lucky to have you."

This caught her attention. "What do you mean?"

"You toppled the Rogue, your majesty," he prodded, giving a slight bow that was all irony. "Surely you realize that her position passed to you the moment you took her. In fact...you, my dear, should be eating with me on that dais. I'd be most foolish to not keep a close eye on the mot who saw Zolaika's face and lived!"

"Oh, stop it Rosto," Aniki said cheerfully as Beka blanched in horror. "Stop torturing Beka, she looks like she's about to fall over."

"And I shall be there to catch her," Rosto grinned.

Beka's eyes were still wide and Phelan reached over and touched her shoulder comfortingly. "It doesn't work like that Beka. Well, I mean it usually does... but..."

"I should punch you for that," Beka grumbled at Rosto.

"I do so miss your touch." With that he leaned in and captured her lips in a brief kiss. His hand went to the back of her head, pulling her close and tangling his fingers in her hair. Her limbs turned to water and she struggled to remember why she had promised to punch him next time. By the time her brain caught up and she stiffened, he had pulled away with a cheeky grin. He glanced down at his fingers, where several small spots of blood indicated he had found her spiked strap. Before he pulled away though he leaned into her ear and whispered to her; "Did he make you melt like I do? Did he thaw your heart, my ice queen?" Then he was gone, swallowed back into the crowd in a moment.

In front of the whole court. He kissed her like one of his doxie's in front of the whole court. She could feel her cheeks burning and she clenched her fists. Fortunately everyone was too mindful of their own safety to comment when her eyes flashed like that. Ersken finally put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"It's Rosto, Beka. You remember how he is... he doesn't mean anything by it."

Beka nodded and Ersken began to tell her about something that had happened on one of his watches. She wasn't really paying attention, but eventually her anger cooled and she began to enjoy herself again. She had missed this,. Aniki and Kora, Phelan and Ersken. Even Rosto, though she would never admit it aloud. She glanced back over to the dais. Rosto had returned there not long after coming to visit them and had not moved since. Several doxies seemed to rotate around the dais, diving in for a moment of fun between the small groups that came to petition the Rogue about some court business or another.

At the moment an older mot, mayhap as old as her mother would be now, was speaking to him in a lowered voice. He had sent away the doxies and though he leaned back in a relaxed posture Beka could see from here the tension he held in his posture.

"...'ave to do something...back again..." her voice rose and began to garner the attention of people nearby.

Rosto's reply was too low to carry but everyone in the room heard the loud desperate response.

"How can you let our children disappear right from under your nose! We have nothing left to ransom them this time, nothing. How-"

"Enough!" Rosto cut off the wails with a voice of iron that cut clean through the din of the room. People fell silent around the dais and Beka could understand his words clearly now. "It is not wise to insult those you come to for aid." Redirecting his attention to the crowd he called, "Aniki, Kora to me. You," he turned his eyes to the mot who flinched under his gaze, probably regretting her outburst, now "You do not move. Everyone else, find some other place to haunt tonight." Bold Brian came over as the hall started to clear giving a slip of paper to Phelan, before he too disappeared into the street.

Beka hesitated as she made ready to leave, looking warily at the mot cowering at Rosto's throne. Would she be amongst the pigeons in the morning?

"Beka," Phelan called and passed the note to her, Something was written across the top that she couldn't read. Possibly Scanran. The rest said: "Everyone out. Bring Beka and Ersken back in 10 minutes."

As they left Beka eyed the note suspiciously. "What is that?" she asked Phelan indicating the Scanran markings.

"He taught me several phrases," Phelan informed her, "If they are not written exactly as he taught me, the note is to be disregarded as a forgery." They returned to the boarding house for a few minutes, then Phelan led them back out into the street around the side of the building that housed the Dove. Bold Brian was waiting by the door and nodded them through.

Beka's skin prickled.

As they walked Beka heard bits of Rosto's voice passing through the hallway from the main room. The obvious anger in his voice was all the more chilling for the fact that he spoke in a low even tone.

"...You will not speak a word of this to a single living soul, do you understand?" The response was too quiet to be heard but Beka winced when she heard Rosto continue "... You will never disrespect me in front of my court again."

Chills creeped over Beka's skin again but as she came into the main room the mot looked ... grateful? She nodded eagerly and thanked Rosto before leaving.

He turned towards Phelan, nodding his gratitude and indicating a table where Kora and Aniki were already settled.

"Another one?" Ersken asked Kora who nodded.

"Another what?" Beka cut in, standing behind the table rather than sitting. "What in-"

"Sit down," Rosto told her quietly, a hand dropping onto her shoulder from behind and lowering her into her seat. "I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't intend on telling you what was going on." He sounded tired, Beka realized, and instead of speaking further he just nodded to Aniki.

"You know how bad things have been in the city," Aniki started. "Kora told you of the challenges?" Beka nodded. "What you, and most of the city, don't know is that it's even worse than that. You remember the shadow snake?"

Beka glanced over at Rosto. His eyes were closed as he leaned back in his chair but a rhythmic tapping of his fingers on his belt told her that he was listening. She furrowed her eyebrows. Rosto usually saw everything, taut as a bowstring, ready all the time. Now he just looked exhausted. How had she not noticed the dark bruises under his eyes earlier?

"I hobbled the shadow snake," she said, pulling her eyes from Rosto. "Of course I remember-"

"It's back." Ersken interrupted.

"That's impossible," Beka said, "She went to execution hill."

"That she did," Rosto said, eyes still closed. "In the last few weeks someone has taken up the moniker 'the shadow' and is utilizing the residual fear of the snake."

"I'm sorry we couldn't tell you sooner," Ersken said, "but we couldn't trust it to a letter or risk someone overhearing. There's rumors all over the city but most still think it's a tall tale."

"It's different this time though. Messier," Aniki said. "Someone is taken, the family is notified that unless they pay the ransom...well you know how this works. The problem is the ransoms are beyond the means of those taken. The snake did prep work, she knew exactly what she wanted. This time it's like they're picking ransoms at random with no relation to the means of the families they take from. This last was asked for gold. She's never seen gold in her life."

"What do they stand to gain if they ask for what they cannot possibly receive?" Beka asked.

"We don't know," Rosto said, finally sitting up. "And it's worse than that. Sometimes they don't even bother with a ransom demand. Mother Cantwell disappeared two weeks ago. We were notified that she was taken and she was found murdered 48 hours later. No pretense at ransom at all."

"How many?" Beka asked, a dread tightening her stomach.

"Four that we know of. Mother Cantwell and 3 children of rushers" Ersken responded. "The Dogs have been investigating but..." he trailed off.

"Every person taken so far has been associated with my court," Rosto finished bitterly. "The Dogs consider it 'internal strife.'"

"If they don't want ransom what do they want?"

"If it's not money it's usually revenge or power." Aniki answered.

"Or both," Rosto said, eyes focused on some distant spec of the wall.

"Why all this secrecy?" Beka asked.

Rosto smiled grimly, "Alas, the best of Rogues do not generally survive as many catastrophes as I have lived through. I'm good...but I had hoped to deal with this before it sent the city into a panic. But it's getting worse, and it will be common knowledge soon enough. You seem to have birdies no one else can reach, Beka. If you can find out anything about this shadow?"

Beka nodded and the group began to disperse.

Rosto caught her arm before she could leave, "Welcome back, Beka. It's good to see you."

"Some homecoming present you've given me."

"You can't fool me, you're thrilled that you won't be bored." Beka shrugged, not bothering to argue the point. "Besides, I had to repay you for the gift you gave me during court."

"You didn't exactly ask permission," Beka snapped. He grinned and it chased some of the exhaustion from his face.

"You want me to believe that the puppy fast enough to survive Zolaika couldn't have avoided a welcome home kiss."

"I haven't been a puppy for years, " Beka muttered.

"You'll always be my Puppy."

"I've never been your Puppy."

He sighed melodramatically. "I'm glad you made it out of there, Cooper, I have missed this."

She didn't smile. Not until she was safely back in her rooms.

AN: Thanks for reading, leave a review and make me smile :)