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“Please stop harassing our benefactor,” Elrith said to Palan as a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. Palan’s chuckle had sent chills down his spine. The archangel turned towards the owner of the carriage and lowered his head. “I apologize for his behavior. He’s a bit rowdy, but he won’t hurt you.”
“Is that so,” the owner said.
“Shouldn’t you be keeping an eye on the road?” Raea asked. There was something about reckless drivers that made her feel uncomfortable.
“Your voice is lovely,” the woman said and blinked. “I’ve never heard any other quite like it. Also, you don’t need to worry about the road. I’ve already said no one else is heading west, and it’s a straight line to Marossa. All the roads are straight in the second sector.” Her gut told her that the hitchhikers she picked up weren’t from around these parts. She stared at Palan and bit her lower lip. “Why don’t we introduce ourselves since we’ll be traveling together for the next few days? My name is Linda Bael.”
“Bael?” Elrith asked and furrowed his brow. “From the capital’s Bael family?”
“Yes,” Linda said as a slight smile formed on her lips. “Shouldn’t you introduce yourselves as well?”
“That….” Elrith stopped and scratched his head. “Err—“
“He’s Elrith Caelum,” Palan said and pointed at the archangel. Elrith’s mouth dropped open as he whirled his head around to look at Palan.
“Why did you tell her?” Elrith asked, practically shouting.
“How will the archangels find us if they don’t know where you are?” Palan asked in reply as he licked his lips. Elrith buried his face in his hands.
“We don’t want them to find us,” Elrith said and groaned. “That’s what the disguises were for.”
Palan shrugged his undisguised shoulders. “Too late now,” he said and smiled at Linda.
Linda sighed. “Are you going to kill me?” she asked as she sat down on the driver’s seat, hanging her arms over the seatback and facing the group with her back to the road. “Be honest please. I’d rather not sit here in suspense.”
“If I killed you, who’d drive the carriage?” Palan asked. He turned towards Raea. “Is the Bael family one of the big ones with an archangel?” Raea nodded. Palan turned back to Linda. “Then—“
“But he’s old, and weak,” Elrith said. “Lord Bael isn’t going to leave the capital even if you kill her. I don’t think his frail body could handle it.”
“That’s true,” Linda said and bobbed her head. “My grandfather is over a century old. There’s not much he can do.”
Palan frowned as his gaze traveled back and forth over Linda and Elrith. “Whatever,” he said and snorted. “Whether or not I kill you depends on my mood.”
Linda furrowed her brow. “And what puts you in a bad mood?” she asked.
“Everything,” Cleo said with a cough. “And even if he’s in a good mood, you might still die.” She pulled the hood off and scratched her head. The rough material of the robe made her scalp tingle.
“Can’t you control him?” Linda asked Elrith. “I mean he’s your demon, right?”
“Calling him property is one of the quickest ways to put him in a bad mood,” Elrith said and sighed while shaking his head. “I’m not his contractor. She is.” He pointed at Raea. “But forget it. As long as I’m here, I won’t let him kill you.”
Linda’s brow furrowed. “It seems like the information was wrong then,” she said.
“Information?”
“Yes,” Linda said and nodded. “I heard you became a bloodthirsty killer after you deserted from the army.” She paused. “I knew you were a deserter. You also did a terrible job at hiding your identity.”
“Well, if he hadn’t blabbed…,” Elrith said and shot an annoyed glance at Palan.
“Before that too,” Linda said. “There were lots of little things.” She shook her head. “I guess you’re not too concerned about being found out considering the fact that you’re heading straight to an army base.”
“What do you mean?” Elrith asked as a wrinkle formed on his forehead. “Isn’t Marossa a civilian city? Why would it be an army base?”
“You haven’t heard?” Linda asked and raised an eyebrow. “The cities west of Luana have all been lost to the rebel army. Once Luana falls, Marossa’s the next place that’ll be attacked. Of course the army will reinforce it.”
“That fast?” Elrith asked as his mouth dropped. It had only been a few weeks since he received the letter informing him about General Akurel’s loss. How did Solra’s army mobilize that quickly? “Tell me more about the war.”
“There isn’t much to say,” Linda said and scratched her head before tossing aside the veil covering her face. “The halflings’ march is relentless. No matter how many die, there’s always more to replace them. General Michael and General Jones haven’t been able to use their powers because of the fallen angel Solra. The army is forced to retreat after every encounter. I heard stories about these contraptions that the halflings have. It’s a tube that shoots out metal balls—stronger than trebuchets.” She rolled her eyes. “As if the walls weren’t pitiful enough.” She paused and brought her teeth together as if she wanted to say something, but was afraid of offending someone.
“I wouldn’t have made a difference if that’s what you wanted to ask,” Elrith said and clenched his hands into fists. “Solra already beat my army multiple times in the borderlands before he came here.” He exhaled and relaxed his hands. “Why are you heading to Marossa if it’s going to be a battleground?”
“There’s always profit in disaster,” Linda said and gestured towards her wares. A frown appeared on her face when she saw Palan sitting in a corner with Raea sleeping in his embrace, covered by one of Linda’s heavy wool blankets. She forced down her annoyance and peeled her gaze away from Palan. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m not greedy,” she said. “I just like making money more than I value my own life.”
“That sounds pretty greedy to me,” Cleo said as she rummaged through a pile of Linda’s stuff.
“That’s what my grandfather said to me before he kicked me out of the capital,” Linda said. “I still disagree with him. What’s the point of life if you don’t have money?”
“Would you rob someone?” Sally asked and tilted her head. Her face was still hidden by her hood.
“Of course not!” Linda said and snorted.
“But didn’t you scam me?” Elrith asked, recalling the inflated price of the carriage ride and clothes he bought.
“It’s not robbery if people are willing to give you their money,” Linda said. She turned towards Cleo. “Like what you see?”
Cleo held up a child-sized, green leather vest. “Yes,” she said and nodded as she turned the vest around to observe the back.
“Then I’ll gift it to you,” Linda said with a smile. She glanced at Palan, but he showed no reaction to her attempt at bringing herself closer to their group. “It’s hard to find buyers of child-sized clothing.”
“I’m not a child,” Cleo said and pouted as she put the vest on. It fit surprisingly well. “You don’t mind the fact that I’m a halfling?”
“Halflings are buyers … err, people too,” Linda said and nodded. “As a merchant, it’s important to establish relations with every type of person if you want to maximize your sales.”
Elrith nodded. “I guess that’s how you remained calm when you found out who I was,” he said before muttering, “Especially after all those rumors.” He frowned at Palan who yawned and pretended not to hear Elrith’s indirect accusation.
“Oh,” Linda said and blinked. “No, that wasn’t it at all. I thought it’d be inconvenient if I died because I wouldn’t be able to make any more money, but that’s all death is—an inconvenience.” She shrugged.
Elrith sighed and hung his head. “Why can’t the people that flock to Raea be normal?” he asked as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Hey!” Cleo said and threw a rotting hand at Elrith. “I’m perfectly normal.”
Thanks for the chapter. I still think Cleo is my favorite character in this story.