The cool night air met Aureum's face as she closed the door behind them. Neither spoke for a bit, appreciating it.
Then Aureum remembered the last time she'd had a night walk with Mendax.
"We should open the window when we get back."
She spoke to stop thinking about it.
"Sure, but the creaking would wake Vitreum." A thought struck him. "Did you get anything about her mothers?"
"I think she's only aware of the adopted mother."
"You're not sure?"
Aureum sighed.
"I'm not the best at interrogating children, sorry. I'll ask her directly in a bit. I'm leaving her in peace for a few days at least."
They rounded the bend.
"About that storm you mentioned…" Aureum said. "Do you think it'll be bad?"
"I don't expect it to hit us."
"Why not?"
"Why would they bother?"
Aureum looked at him in doubt. He took a breath.
"I'm certain most of the guards knew they were criminals. The ones who were getting paid off might miss the bonus, but they won't want to reveal their own connection to it. The ones who weren't paid off will have even less motivation to search for criminals.
There will be an outcry. But we just cleaned up the city a bit. I'd be surprised if anyone cared.
Hopefully, there weren't any witnesses. Other than that, I can't imagine how they would connect it to me."
"And if there was a witness?"
Mendax shrugged.
"I'm guilty, so I guess I would have to leave the city at least."
"Great."
"People will have the sense to keep quiet."
"It's sensible to keep quiet about murder in the streets?"
"The assumption will be that we're the auction house's rivals in some way. Not some random strays. It's best for most people not to get themselves caught in between."
"Still a little shaky to me."
"Sometimes shaky things outlast what is better built if they're placed where they aren't tested."
Aureum thought about that. It still seemed like nonsense, but what could be done? Everything was already in motion.
I guess I should think about leaving after all?
She clenched her jaw. She still hadn't had any contact from Spesavia, and what would she do about Aureum? Send another letter?!
"So you wanted to talk?" He asked.
I'll just shoot.
"What would you think about training me to fight?"
They took a few steps in silence.
"Huh?" Mendax said.
"Give me a real response."
"I'm sorry, but aren't you still… concerned about me?"
Mendax stopped, and so did Aureum.
"'Concerned' is a pretty light way to put 'fearing for my life'."
"So why are you asking me?"
Aureum shrugged.
"I know you're dangerous, but at this point, you've had countless chances to hurt me and never taken them. Alongside your letter, that means I believe your story."
Even if Mendax was some evil mastermind, there's no logical reason why he would wait so long when she was vulnerable if his intentions were truly nefarious.
Unless he wants to scam me out of all my money, but Dad has way more than I do.
"In conclusion, you owe me, you're nearby, and your schedule is open."
"Oh."
They looked at each other. His pale green eyes met her brown. It was nice not having to crane her head up just to look at him. He still had a few inches on her.
The scales are pretty hard to ignore, but at least his eyes are pretty.
Mendax looked away first.
"That makes sense. I guess."
"With you being paid by my father, it benefits you to train me. It'll help me, help you."
There was a huff of amusement from him.
"Heh. Right. Ignoring the fact that doing you a service for free is helping me, somehow, what makes you think any of this is a good idea?"
"Why would me learning how to fight be a problem?"
Mendax shook his head. That wasn't the issue.
"You half-learning how to fight might give you the confidence to face a dragon, for one," he said.
"Ha ha. We haven't seen one in centuries. Maybe a millennium...?"
"Oh, I believe in you. You could find one, I'm sure. Either way, you would not be equipped to fight that dragon."
"Then just teach me properly."
Mendax shrugged as he continued walking. Aureum took a few quick strides to keep up.
"Just because I know how to fight doesn't mean I know how to teach," He said. "Do you even have an idea of what you want to learn?"
Aureum hadn't put any thought into it.
"A bow?"
"You don't have the arms for that."
"I'm stronger than I look."
"Maybe, but can you learn to strike a moving target that's coming for you at speed? Without mana? Even if you do learn it, what do you do when they get close to you?"
"Something to keep my distance, then."
"You need something simple that you can use in both hands until you build more strength. How about a spear?"
"Spear?" Aureum sputtered. An image of buff infantrymen and guards arose in her mind. "Wouldn't something like a sword or dagger be better?"
"For distance? No. Not unless you throw them. Hah. We would need to work on your throwing, too."
"I do it fine."
"It's a waste of mana when you have too little to begin with. At least with those pearls, you'll have more of that. Maybe you can use actual throwing knives and not needles."
"So you'll teach me?"
Mendax's eyes narrowed.
"Let's not call it that. I don't think we'll have enough time for anything official. Let's call it guiding."
He regretted it as soon as he said it.
Aureum blanched. Then she cackled.
"That makes it too strange!" She wheezed. "Just call it training like the rest of us."
"I'm sorry. Let's do that."
Aureum chuckled to herself for a few more steps.
"Guiding. Merciless Malum, man."
Mendax's ears reddened, but nobody but him knew in the dark. Eventually, Aureum got back on task.
"Is spear the only option?"
"It's the simplest weapon I know enough about to teach you," Mendax said.
"It's not exactly what I had in mind."
"Too bad. I'm not going to teach you anything with a long blade next to your fingers first. I understand you didn't choose me based on my teaching experience, but I've never taught before, and I'd like to avoid incidents."
"Alright. As long as you're teaching me."
"Yes. I'll teach you. In what time we have."
Mendax sagged a little as he agreed. Aureum tried to resist the urge to brag, but couldn't resist a smirk rising.
———————————————————
The next day, a crowd cheered around the corner in the street as three dice landed. The game was raffle.
"Three fours! He won again!"
With three faces matching, he'd won.
"He's cheating!"
Of course I'm cheating, Mendax thought.
He hadn't won twice in a row or anything scandalous like that. This was the work of hours, winning enough to keep the crowd and not lose the audience or the players.
The sun made his skin itch.
Vitreum sat next to him, peering at the game, biting her lip.
He hadn't wanted to take her, but she'd started making a fuss. Considering it the lesser of two evils, he'd taken her along instead of leaving her to wake Aureum up or go off on her own.
Now, having the day's activities clearly before him, he regretted it.
Even if she cried, I should have just ignored it.
Too late now.
"What happens now?" She whispered.
The whisper was as Mendax directed. They were co-conspirators after all.
It was about a dozen workers' money for lunch that day. Vitreum must have easily seen much more money with her upbringing, but Mendax's mistake was letting her hold it.
The girl clutched at the coin purse like it was a major treasure.
"Don't worry," he murmured to her.
"If you can figure out how I'm doing it, I'll give it all back to you," Mendax announced. "Otherwise, without proof, there's no crime."
This caused a commotion around him.
"We'll use my dice this time," Mendax's accuser growled. "And if you lose, I get to keep everything!"
Mendax laughed. To win now meant he might as well admit he was cheating.
"Of course."
The man pulled out three grimy dice and rolled them onto the circle drawn into the sand.
Vitreum saw a glint from the wooden dice they landed.
It was three ones.
The crowd had a moment of silence before they erupted into even louder cheers.
The man tossed his money down as he roared.
"Cheater! This man is nothin' but a filthy cheater! Nobody gets triples twice in a row!"
"But he's so good at it!" Another shouted back, grinning as he spoke. "C'mon, it's not even a day's wages for you."
This was a younger man who was beside Mendax.
"You'll let him keep all that money? Just because he's good at it?!"
"'Course not."
The younger stranger slapped a hand on Mendax's shoulder.
"We'll only let him leave if he explains the trick to us!"
"That's your only price?" Mendax said.
"Well, we can't exactly beat you with the kid watchin'. But if you don't want to tell us, we shall provide!"
That beating wouldn't end well for them, but it was true that Vitreum was watching.
It wouldn't be anything she hadn't seen before at this point.
Mendax winced as he thought it. He stood up.
"Well, it's simple."
He summoned a shard of ice on the tip of his finder, then he squashed it into a six-sided die. He tossed it and made it land and stay on one of its points.
"But you showed us you were a physical practitioner!"
"Even I know a few tricks. As long as you don't lose focus from your main path, there's no disadvantage to it."
The crowd grumbled. Yes, a sorcerer up to his usual tricks wasn't that clever. The true trick was the amount of control he had.
"But what about my dice?!"
Mendax slid his winnings into a pocket and picked up Vitreum.
"Oh, that's just the same but with more distance!"
He had placed a thin layer of ice onto the wooden dice without touching them, and pulled them whichever way he wished.
If everyone could do that, games with dice would be worthless.
Surprisingly, he walked away without having to intimidate anyone.
"Hey, Petra, you have an ice pearl. How about you try it?"
"I don't think it's going to be that simple."
Mendax and Vitreum heard the crowd talking amongst themselves as they went to get a spear.
"I don't get it," Vitreum said, after they had walked awhile.
"The game?"
"They won when three sides were the same, right?"
"Yes, it's very simple."
"Can I win money just from winning something so simple? Why doesn't everybody—
"Do you remember how they shouted when they lost?" Mendax cut her off. "How would you like that to be you?"
It had been a mistake to take her.
Well, there was little he could do now. Vitreum's face turned sullen with his harsh tone. He was madder at himself than her.
"Vitreum, if you remember anything, remember this. Don't bet. It makes you mad over lunch money. Real wealth isn't money, but the ability to earn money."
"So I should cheat?"
"No…"
Mendax was at a loss.
"Would it have been bad if we had been caught?" she asked softly.
We were caught, but how do I explain all of that?
He tried to wrap his head around moralizing it, but came to a realization.
It's wrong. The whole thing. Even if it's just on a minor scale.
"It could have been terribly bad if we were caught cheating," Mendax said.
And, it felt like the first time he'd told a half-truth that had more truth than lie to it in years.
Vitreum nodded, taking his words at face value. His serious tone made her want to be serious in response. Mendax let her down. Soon enough, she resumed her haughty stride.
In the end, he was more unsettled than she was.
———————————————————
Aureum woke up late, her waves of brown hair splayed across the pillow. Vitreum and Mendax were gone.
She was sore and exhausted.
She rolled over to go back to bed.
———————————————————
When they finally did return, she had brought up a late lunch for herself and was slowly chewing through it.
"We got presents!" Vitreum said.
"Oh?"
Mendax unrolled the cloth around it and revealed a spear. He placed it on the little table in front of her food.
It was a common spear. A dark wood for the base, with a shining iron tip embedded at the end.
"It's… nice," Aureum said.
"It's not," Mendax said, amusement in his tone.
"I told him to get the pretty one!" Vitreum said. "We got pretty ribbons instead!"
She twirled to display a new green bow in her hair.
Aureum looked up at him expectantly, but Mendax went back to the spear. He picked it up.
"It's sturdy and cheap. Perfect when you're learning. Might be a little heavy for you, but that should help strengthen your arms, and it's better than it breaking when you need it."
"You're quick," Aureum said. "I'm not sure I'm ready."
Mentally, at least. Actually, is what I'm wearing good for this?
She would be fine. Dressing for comfort was her travel style these days. Besides, if she couldn't use the weapon in her travel attire, what would be the point of learning it?
"Well, why wait?" Mendax said.
"Closing off my other options, aren't you?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm the one closing off your options when you asked for this. Finish eating, and let's go."
He pulled out a hair ribbon. It was more flamboyant than the one she had, with a fake flower attached to it.
"This is the ribbon I got for you."
Aureum touched the ribbon after she took it. It was smooth, but the flower itself was made of some kind of thin leather or parchment. The whole thing was a deep red.
"An amaryllis?"
"You know it?"
"My mother grows a lot more flowers these days."
I think she said it blooms even in winter, and symbolizes hope for that reason. Or was it strength?
She tried to remember which one, but it was lost to her.
Maybe it was both.
He probably just chose it because it was pretty.
"I think I'll go downstairs to eat. I'll be up soon enough."
Aureum watched him slink out the room. He looked guiltier than he usually did. "
"Did I make him mad? I guess I should have said thanks."
"He didn't look mad to me," Vitreum said. "Are you really gonna use that?"
They both looked at the spear.
"I guess."
None of this was what Aureum had in mind.
Well, I'll see how this goes. Better than just waiting around for trouble.
Still, the ribbon lay on the desk while the spear leaned against it.
"Hmmm."