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(Chapter Ten — Opening Shop and Increasing Harem Members)
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One day later John gave Edda an important task. 'Side story.'
Edda left the city at dawn with two shadows that called themselves her followers and she called "left boot" and "right boot" until they earned better names. The road east wore last night's dew like a memory, and the gate guards were too busy yawning to ask why a woman with a braid like a whip and a smile like a private joke needed three canteens, a roll of lockpicks, and a satchel that clinked.
"Left boot," she said without looking back. "Inventory."
The taller one —narrow shoulders, soft voice, eyes that watched too much— patted his pack. "Wire, pins, poultices, jerky, six chalks, one bell that does nothing but I keep anyway."
"Right boot."
The shorter one —square, stubborn, a mole on his cheek like an ink blot— said, "Two coils of rope, four knives, three that I will pretend not to have, a bottle of vinegar, a whetstone, a whistle, and courage."
