Chapter 65 part 1

The duchess couldn't focus adequately on the petitions. Most were the same old people who gave her tiring and boring petitions about things they thought were unfair, since it didn't benefit them. Most the time she was able to endure it without problems, but today she couldn't brings herself to muster the patience to at least seem like she was doing her job like she was supposed to.

All because of the mercenary girl.

Jenn was an enigma that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She'd long learned to trust her ears on how they picked up the way people said things. As that would often betray their intentions. Although, typically it was in the words they used rather than the way they said them, but with Jenn, it was clear the way she said the words were much like how Emily said them when she was speaking her native language. Yet, somehow she could understand Jenn like she was actually speaking in her own language.

While she couldn't find an excuse to detain her, especially since she'd already received word that the mercenary company had been registered with the guild, Versith was determined to learn what she could about this 'Jenn.'

As well as why she had the feeling that Jenn was the same as the slave who couldn't speak that she'd bought. Even though she had absolutely no evidence to that point. As a description would only get her so far if the queen came to check because the mercenary company complained to her about Versith taking Jenn as a slave for only a suspicion.

When she was finally able to get out of the petitions, she immediately called for her advisors. This was something that she wasn't sure would be entirely legal or something that was wise.

It was only something she knew she needed to do in order to figure out what it was that bothered her so much about this girl. A girl that shouldn't bother her, except to mourn that she wasn't her property. A girl that might actually be the escaped slave she'd spent so much money on. The escaped slave that had disappeared without a trace.

The only real difference was that the slave who disappeared couldn't talk. Yet, this girl was able to without issue. Without any signs that she hadn't been able to talk at any point.

"Get me Emphis," the duchess ordered one of the servants who often stood outside her meeting room, as her advisors started to enter the meeting room. "I need her now."

"What're you on about this time, your grace?" her financial advisor asked as she entered, her long brown beard looking as impeccably groomed as ever, even as her blue eyes sparkled behind her spectacles.

"Just something that happened today that I'm needing more information about. Information that I can't get myself in this city," the duchess replied, doing her best to make light of her problem. As she doubted that her advisors would like the idea of her sending someone to infiltrate the mercenary company that was already registered with the guild.

If that was found out, it would significantly impact, not only her treasury, but also any contract she might apply to the guild for in regards to needing a mercenary or mercenary company for anything.

"That's no reason to call for Emphis," her military advisory commented from where she was sitting, her black hair shining almost as brightly as her pink eyes. "Emphis' value lies far beyond just gathering information."

Versith nodded. She wasn't going to deny that. However, there was something about this situation that made her feel what information she gained from sending her to these people was going to return in an exponential rate. One that she couldn't predict with what little information she had at the moment.

"Well, what do you think about a mercenary company who accepted the queen's request to patrol the Forest of the Lost and they wanted to just build five towers, plus a headquarters for themselves, in the forest?" Versith demanded, the challenge clear in her eyes.

"I admit, that's strange," the military advisor replied, sounding like she was trying to placate the duchess and keep her from getting too upset.

Which only amused Versith, since she knew that she wasn't upset about this. If she was, then she wouldn't have given them permission to build the towers. The reason she brought it up was because of how suspicious it was. Which was why she needed Emphis to go and find out what she could about this mercenary company.

Including if they were up to something, or maybe filling another contract that patrolling the forest was merely a means to an end. After all, that request had been in the guild for years and no one had wanted to fill it at all. Not with what everyone knew about the Forest of the Lost. Which meant there was another reason for them to have accepted that request. One that probably wasn't going to be good for her.

When all her advisors were in their seats in the meeting room, Versith explained what happened with the mercenary Jenn, how she looked similar to the descriptions to the slave that she'd spent so much on specifically that disappeared with the caravan in the Forest of the Lost, and the strange request she'd made. Including offering to build bridges to expedite anyone traveling through the forest.

When she finished, her financial advisor was the first to speak. "As long as they don't require compensation for building all that, and improving your lands, I don't see the problem."

"That's because you only think about the costs of things," the military advisor retorted. "It's clear they're up to something. Either it has to do with their headquarters, which if what they told you is true, would be out of the way of the road once those bridges are built and ready to use. Sending Emphis I to figure out what that is would be the smartest move here."

"Would she go in to eliminate the leader or leaders of this mercenary company?" one of Versith's secondary advisors asked.

"If she did that, then whoever got them to do whatever they're up to would merely send in another mercenary company. One that we might not see coming," the military advisory snapped. "If we don't learn what they're really up to, then we'll end up at the mercy of whatever it is that they've got planned. We have to move as fast as we can to prevent whatever that is."

Versith listened to the discussion as it went on. She didn't think that there was any real problem with doing so, but she was more inclined to wait and see what came up from learning more. She valued the advice she gained from her advisors, as that's why she had them there in the first place. The secondary ones were mostly there to replace her primary advisors in case something happened to them. As she felt it was best that they get to voice their thoughts in order for them to learn from those who came before them.

At the end, it was clear from almost all of her advisors, with her financial advisors the only ones who didn't agree, that sending Emphis to gather information was what she needed to do. The girl that had a knack for getting information and killing that even the best of her spies couldn't beat. Someone who was so good at what they did, that most of her enemies thought that Emphis had to be in her forties rather than still a teenager.

The fact of which still made Versith nervous about the girl. Why Emphis remained so loyal to Versith, she couldn't say. Just that Emphis had her own reasons for staying in the duchess' employ. Reasons that Versith had yet to get the girl to reveal.

When the duchess left the meeting room, she found Emphis already waiting outside. Which didn't surprise the duchess at all, as the girl hadn't been given a new assignment since she'd brought the information about Emily outside her city, not doing anything. An assignment she'd been given when Versith hadn't been able to find anything about that girl after she'd escaped getting captured as a slave.

"What'd you call me for?" Emphis asked as the duchess left the meeting room.

"I have another task for you. One that might take longer than all the others you've come across so far," Versith answered calmly.

"Why would it take longer?"

"Because we don't know what you'll be looking for."

Emphis blinked, clearly surprised. "Why don't you know?" she asked, sounding almost like a lost child that if Versith didn't know any better, she'd think that the girl was weaker than she looked.

"And the answer to that lies in what we don't know," the duchess answered, feeling like this could go on for a while if Emphis was of a mind to press for information that the duchess didn't have. "Though, I can at least give you what information we have on the group you'll be infiltrating. It isn't much, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what you'll need to."

"And how will I make my reports?" Emphis asked, her eyes darting around her due to her being ever vigilant to her surroundings when her guard was lowered a little. "The Forest of the Lost is a little out of the way for a mercenary company."

The duchess didn't question how Emphis knew she was getting sent to the Forest of the Lost. She always seemed to know more than Versith thought. As such, she'd long since stopped being surprised at the depth of the knowledge this girl had.

Emphis was just too dangerous for even Versith to underestimate at any time. Versith could only be grateful that Emphis was loyal to her and not an enemy.

_

Jenn was happy the return trip was proving to be uneventful. With all that had been going on since starting up the mercenary band, it felt sometimes like she was a magnet for events that added more to her load. While this trip to the duchess was one she knew she'd need to go to anyway, she had been worried that it would end up with her getting more on her plate when she was still working on other aspects. Aspects that she couldn't say how long they'd take. Such as with the wolf-kin and jackalope-kin.

She hoped that things would calm down and that they'd be able to sort out the other issues that she had going. Such as finding a source of hardwood and metal on the other side.

One thing she had learned on this trip was that magic could be used to turn any metal into another. Which meant if they could find just zinc or something, they'd be able to get iron and steel. Which in turn would allow them to really start producing tools to help the settlement that likely right now lay under a layer of snow.

Though, Jenn hoped that it wasn't enough to damage, if not destroy, the structures they'd managed to build with what little materials they'd been able to gather.

"Sorry to bother you, but the others were wanting me to ask if you were up to something," Embris said, coming up from behind Jenn, as she was at the head of the group.

"Why would I be up to something? And why can't they ask me themselves?" Jenn asked, wondering why Embris had to be the one asking if that was true.

Embris merely shrugged. "Not sure. They just said something about how I get along better with you than they do, and so I'd be a better fit for the job."

Jenn sighed. While she had hoped that the others would have been less intimidated by her, she supposed that having them openly defiant of her would be worse.

"Well, first, I'm just thinking about what my next task will be," Jenn replied, hedging on the truth. "Second, I'm not going to go off on anyone just because they ask me a question or anything."

Jenn hoped that wasn't the reputation that she'd acquired at this point. Although, she couldn't say what the reputation was, since she'd never really paid that close attention to hers. Even in the past she never really paid that close attention to what others thought of her, so she didn't bother trying to keep a pulse on what her reputation was.

However, she knew that a leader needed to know what others thought of them. That way they'd be able to best lead them. Only, she didn't have a clue as to what even those in her squad thought of her if they weren't openly defiant of her, that is.

Yet, it wasn't like she really knew what she could do to remedy things with the way they were now.

"Jenn?" Embris asked, pulling Jenn out of her thoughts. "You okay? You kind of looked a little freaked there for a minute."

Jenn waved it off, hoping that Embris wouldn't look too deeply into it. "I'm fine. Just letting my mind wander again," Jenn laughed, she wasn't sure if she'd buy the act she was putting on, but that's mostly because she'd never done this before and so couldn't say how her acting skills were.

"You-" Embris started to say but stopped when a centaur walked out from behind a tree ahead of them by the road. "You see that?"

Jenn nodded, feeling like she'd seen this centaur before. She could see a quiver and bow on the centaur, plus she noticed that this one had brown hair. There didn't seem to be any clothing, which left much to Jenn's view, including the centaur's chest. The slight raising of the chest made Jenn think that this centaur was female, though she supposed that if she was seeing breast growth, it could be a male centaur who was coming down with gynecomastia. She doubted it, but it was possible.

She also noticed the centaur had brown hair and looked rather lost.

"Yeah, I see her," Jenn replied calmly, hoping that her voice wouldn't startle the centaur. As the fact she was there indicated there was another gate nearby. Which she knew would meant that she'd need to add another tower to the list, since she knew she hadn't put one in this area.

"What is it?" Embris asked, sounding like she was in awe. "I feel like I've heard of creatures like that, but nothing's coming to mind."

"Where I'm from, they're called centaurs," Jenn answered, turning around quickly as she heard weapons being drawn behind her. "Put those away! We can't be sure she's hostile!"

Jenn was confident the centaur wasn't hostile, but she didn't want the others to be aware of her doubts. As she couldn't say that it'd help her case any if the others were aware of that.

When she turned back towards the centaur, she could see that she had noticed them and was observing them with her bow in hand. She didn't have an arrow at the ready with the bow, but Jenn wouldn't be surprised if she'd be able to reach behind her back for the quiver, pull out an arrow, nock it, and shoot it faster than she would imagine.

"I'm Jenn," Jenn called out, hoping that the centaur would be willing to speak. As she did recall when a centaur appeared on Earth, in her home state in fact, they did return later to begin opening a dialogue between the worlds. Though, Jenn hadn't seen if anything had come of it, since she'd left on this expedition before any actual communication had started.

"How do you know my language?" the centaur asked instead of introducing herself. "Other humans I've met still don't know my language, so my father sent me to continue hunting again while we wait."

Jenn supposed that she was referring to the situation on Earth, which she guessed was fair, since Jenn couldn't say that she hadn't encountered humans on any other world as well. Not that it mattered in this situation anyway.

"It's my magic," Jenn said, not caring that her answer was oversimplified in general. She was getting a little tired of having to explain how it worked, even though she knew that she'd eventually have to do just that at some point.

"How can I know you won't attack me?" the centaur asked, her free hand twitching, as if she was itching to shoot an arrow at them.

"You'll just have to trust us," Jenn replied, hoping she didn't sound as cliché as she thought she did. "Although, consider this, you have weapons more suited to attacking us from a distance than we do. If you can't trust us just yet, then keep your distance and we can talk. If we make a move to attack, we'd have to get close to you to do so, and you'd be able to attack us easily if we did that."

The centaur looked at them, then at her own bow. Jenn doubted that the centaur would be able to take all of them out if she stood her ground while firing, assuming her squad decided to attack, but she was confident that no one was going to attack her. Not only did Jenn not see any advantage to it, but it was clear that too many of her unit would get shot down before the centaur was subdued, at the very least.

"So, let's try this again," Jenn suggested. "My name is Jennifer. What's your name?"

The centaur looked around, like she hoped help would appear from behind any of the plant life around them. Jenn felt like she might not be surprised if something like that did happen. Or at least with the way things were going for her that day, it felt like it shouldn't be that surprising.

"My name is Chonyne," the centaur replied. "It means 'sure arrow.'"

"You look a little lost," Jenn said, hoping that by helping this young centaur she might be able to score some points with making a deal or treaty of some sort with the centaurs. As she hoped that it would at least help with getting peaceful relations with them, even though she couldn't be sure what kind of benefit she might be able to receive from doing so, since she didn't really know what they had to offer.