Elsewhere
Zechs stood in a narrow space between two buildings, his arms crossed over his chest. After several minutes of waiting, he saw a horse appear at the end of the street, its rider pulling the reins to slow the beast down. Zechs stepped out of the alley and hailed the rider. The horse came to a halt and the rider slipped off the saddle onto the dirt street. The rider wore a cloak, the hood pulled up over his face.
The hooded man held out his hand, and the two men gripped each other's forearms in greeting. Zechs motioned for the man to follow him into the darkened inn. They wound their way towards the far corner near the fireplace and sat down at one of the wooden tables.
Underneath the hood, Zechs could see a few details of his friend's face. The lips curled into a smile.
"I was surprised to hear from you, old friend," the man said. "The rumors…" Zechs waved a hand, dismissing the remark.
"You were never one to believe such gossip," Zechs said, his mouth set in a hard line. His friend shrugged a shoulder.
"Tell me, then… what is the truth?"
"There's nothing to the truth," Zechs said. "It was a disagreement, and it severed a relationship."
"So you had nothing to do with her death?"
"Of course not!" Zechs cried, indignant. He held up his hands and shook his head. "This is not why I asked you to meet me."
His friend leaned forward, his elbows propped on the table. He laced his fingers together and smiled.
"Ah yes. Please, enlighten me."
"I have a job, and I thought you might be interested," Zechs said. In spite of the shadows of the cloak, Zechs thought he saw surprise on his friend's face.
"Like the old days?" Zechs nodded.
"But with a bigger reward." His friend sighed and shook his head beneath the hood.
"I can't join you, old friend. My reputation would be at stake. And yours. You should return home. Make amends."
"I can't," Zechs said. He sighed and rose up from the table. "If that's your answer, we're done here." The hooded man rose and nodded, holding out a hand. Zechs gripped his palm for a moment, wishing life could be more like the old days. But things were different now, and the times had changed.
"Farewell," the hooded man said and turned away. He walked through the inn and left through the door. Zechs watched after him before sinking back onto the bench.
Zechs sat in silence contemplation for a while, occasionally sipping from a goblet of mead. The door to the Dragon's Inn opened a few times, and each time, Zechs snapped his head up, searching for a familiar face. It wasn't until later that Howard finally stepped through the door, followed by a woman.
A woman?
Zechs rose and waited while Howard and the woman made their way towards him. Howard sat down at the table and motioned towards the woman. She appeared to be young, with short dark hair. She wore men's clothing, with a heavy cloak around her shoulders, the hood thrown back. Her dark eyes sparkled in the dim light.
"Who is this?" Zechs asked.
"Your expert lock picker," Howard said, grinning up at the woman. Zechs blinked. "Lu Noin, this is Marquis Zechs."
The woman's eyebrows rose. "Marquis, huh?" she asked, skepticism obvious in her voice. Zechs forced a smile.
"You can just call me Zechs," he said. The woman let out a laugh.
"Thank you for the permission," she said, and she sat down at the table. Zechs stared at her a moment, then followed suit and sat down at the table. He resumed sipping his mead while the other two ordered drinks.
"I didn't think a woman would be an expert lock pick," Zechs said, trying to keep his voice light instead of accusing. This woman seemed to have a sharp tongue. She smiled.
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, and likely never will," she said. "Just don't underestimate my abilities."
"I told you I would find you the best, and Noin is the best," Howard said. "I have one other contact I'd like to involve, and your team will be complete." Zechs nodded, his eyes trailing back to the woman, who was delicately drinking from her goblet of mead. She lifted her eyes and met his. She flashed a smile. For a moment, Zechs felt as if lightning passed through his body, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Who was this woman?
A/N: Who, indeed? Thank you to all the reviewers so far! We love seeing your predictions, so keep 'em coming! :D More to come, soon... and Happy Halloween!
- RGS