Early the next morning, a messenger knocked on the door to Bron and Rhun’s house. “Kyvril asks for you to see him at his house. He insisted it was important.”

Rhun gave a long sigh. “Sound like another mission.”

The messenger shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you, but I’ll stop by his house and tell him you’re coming.” He stepped away, his footsteps retreating out of the yard.

Bron approached her, carrying a heaping plate of his breakfast. “Aren’t you usually excited about a mission?”

“We’re so close to being done the house.” Rhun scowled. “It isn’t easy to keep focused on it.”

“Before we go see him, sit and eat with me. I made enough to share with you. It will be better to hear Kyvril out on a full stomach.”

Before they left, she took a long look at their “duplex”. Most of it was complete except for a single tower. “I have a funny feeling we won’t see the place for a while.”

“You have a good instinct for these matters.” Bron said, frowning. “I hope whatever this is, isn’t too troublesome.”

Dressing for the day, they walked swiftly across the mostly sleeping town. Kyvril met them at the door to his house. “Hello. Are you two ready for a trip?”

“Still working on my house. But it could wait, if it’s important.” She sensed the tension in his voice. “How long will the quest be? Is it really that far? You didn’t call the mission in the village highlands a trip.”

“The distance isn’t that great. But it is not a simple quest this time. Fara has returned.”

Rhun hissed, fangs bared. “That little bitch. Where is she?”

“She had quite a tale.” He described the situation with her gang, her adoption of the twins, and the coming bandit war.

“Fara is troublesome,” Bron said. “Though she made up a good story, why should we act on any of her words?”

“I thought the same at first,” said Kyvr. “Even doubled the night watch, in case Fara was part of some elaborate scheme against Refuge. But nothing stirred all night. Fara remained in the guardhouse, attempting nothing. Something about her request seemed earnest. Her loyalty was to those two youth, and her request, was in line with what she found important. She has not demanded I help the rest of her gang. She insisted the twins be saved. Even at the cost of violence against the rest of her gang. Not an easy request. Of course she hoped to save all her people, but did not expect it. As you can tell, this is no mission for heavy-handed violence.”

Rhunal grinned. “Well then, guess I’ll go back and finish my house. Tact isn’t my strong suit.”

“I didn’t choose you. I chose Brondulf.”

“Why me?”

“You have the composure to carry this out. I don’t want violence against this gang. The threat is a united bandit army controlling the whole frontier. Refuge just finished pacifying the more monstrous threats. An army of bandits lurking around the trade routes would be just as bad.”

“Even if we somehow save this one gang, the united threat will still be there.”

“Yes, but a group of reformed bandits could provide a lot of insight into that threat. And you two might run into elements of this united bandit army. Could learn something useful. Besides, if they put themselves to work for Refuge, I can use them. I won’t let them join the town for nothing. A certain number of them would need to join the Adventurer’s Guild, at least for a year.”

“Well, it’s good that the town will get something out of this. But as always, Bron and I will be taking the most risk out there.”

“You two have proven reliable. And I’m not stingy in paying my best. Sorceress, your quest for ancient alfar knowledge is well known. I will grant you unlimited access to anything my branch of the Adventurer’s Guild finds. Even private quests. I will buy that access for you. And for you Bron, sometimes I don’t know what you want. You’ll get payment, of course, but I owe you one. Come to me with any future request.”

“Anything at all?” he asked.

“If it’s in my power to give it.”

Rhun couldn’t keep the excitement out of her eyes. “I’m tempted, but I can’t agree right away. Tell me more about this mission.”

“Like it or not, Fara will go with you. She’s going to guide you to her hideout. The young woman will try to convince the others to abandon their lair and flee from the approaching war. She’s being escorted to the house right now.”

Rhun ground her teeth. “Do we have to take her?”

“You’ll need her. You two are known across the frontier. Her gang would assume you are there to wipe them out otherwise.”

“Are you concerned about the prospect of former bandits living within the town walls?” Bron asked.

Kyvr laughed. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Former bandits settle in Refuge all the time. They don’t announce their former loyalties, but I can tell. I keep an eye on them, but many become useful members of the town. If they are reasonable people pushed into unfortunate circumstances, as Fara says, I’m not against the whole crew moving in. I could use the new recruits for the Adventurer’s Guild. The Guild has become stronger in recent months. Especially with Gyda and her brother Nodd joining the guild on a part-time basis. With a pair of orcs to spar with, our recruits have gained strength and skill unnaturally quickly. The two orcish siblings and the guild have hunted down all the nearby chimera. These chimera were not the same strength as something like the giant flying serpent was. With enough numbers and good bows, a dangerous pair of fights became just a matter of good tactics.”

“So you’re hoping to keep a good thing going?” Rhun asked.

“We’ve been given a breather from chimera attacks. I’ve focused on training new members to a quality standard. Casualties from the latest missions have been light. The building project has been going well. I can spare your absence for a while. But I have warning for you two. Fara has great admiration for this bandit chief of hers, Mattias. I have met men like this. Men who can convince others to follow them with almost religious devotion. A person like this is dangerous. A man with that much power over his people will not give up that power. Even if his group was going to inevitably lose their war. Out there, he has complete control of his people. He will not give it up.”

“So what choice do we have then, if he stands in our way?” Bron asked.

“You may have to kill this man. Keep that in mind, but don’t tell Fara about this option. She is too influenced by him already.”

“Trying to turn us into assassins?” Bron asked.

“You must get the twins out by any method that seems best. I’m only warning you about what must happen for success. If I offered you some scouts from Refuge to help, would you take them? The twins are Refuge born and raised, and I want them back.”

Rhun looked over to Bron. He gave her a look, meaning, ‘your choice.’ She turned back to the guildmaster. “We’ve only ever worked as a pair. You say we aren’t there for a fight. So just the three of us will be best. Uh, if it comes to it, will we get paid for any of the bandits we have to kill?”

“Ah, there’s the bloodthirsty she-orc.” Kyvril shook his head. “This is not an assassination. I will pay nothing for any member of Fara’s gang. If you run into elements of the bandit army and eliminate them, it’s good for Refuge. This monopoly on banditry would be troublesome. There will be bounties in the future for all of their heads. But not this mission. You’re dealing with enough. I don’t want you hunting them, so I won’t pay you.”

“If it comes to a fight, I’d hate to do it for free.” She growled. “Bron, do you want to take on this mission? Seems you’ll be doing the negotiation with Fara’s gang. You willing to stick your neck out for Refuge again?”

He looked off to the side for a moment. “If all goes well, there won’t be any fighting. If we get there quickly, there shouldn’t be any hostilities between Fara’s gang and the bandit army. We could slip away.”

“If all goes well…” Rhunal muttered. “Do you know what our brand of luck is?”

“We don’t have any?”

“We don’t avoid trouble, Bron. Our luck is to get out of it.”

He nodded. “It seems like a worthy task. Trouble or not.”

Kyvril glowered at them. “Plan to avoid conflict.”

Rhun raised both hands. “I’ll do everything I can to spare your new recruits. But they better be well-behaved. The little rat, Fara, especially.”

The guildmaster nodded his head at that. “The trouble may come from the twins. They might be unpredictable. Fara made the choice to come here. And her motives are clear.”

”Lovell’s family?” she asked. When he nodded, she became serious. “No matter what, they will live.”

“It’s good to hear that. Keeping that promise may prove to be complicated. I appreciate your straightforward talents, but this is a complicated quest, where much could go wrong. I know you are one to improvise, but trust Bron’s judgment.”

Rhun raised her hands. “For once, I will let Bron be captain on this one. But if things go wrong, I’m the best one to be there. As you say, I’m good at improvising things.”

“Not like I could keep you two apart. Still, try not to hurt my new recruits?”

”No promises, guildmaster. If they keep their blades at their side, I’ll do the same.”

There was a knock at the door, and Fara was ushered into the room. Kyvril turned to address her. “Good news, girl. Refuge is going to take up your request. And none other than Brondulf and the sorceress Rhunal are going with you.”

Fara went pale at the sight of them. She leaned over to the guildmaster and whispered. “I can’t go with them. The she-orc will gut me on the road once we are outside of town.”

Rhun’s hearing was excellent, she heard Fara’s words clearly. “A fine idea. I thought something similar.”

Bron tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at her. “Rhun…”

She carried on as if he hadn’t spoken. “But I was told the evil you did to us that night was not for yourself, but for Lovell’s twin siblings. As you know, I knew him. He saved Bron’s life.”

Fara sighed. “I did it for myself, too. I wanted out of this town. But yes, I couldn’t leave them.”

Rhun scowled, gritting her teeth, showing the full length of her tusks. “So much for that. You’re back here again.”

“I didn’t think this place would survive the winter. I was wrong.”

Bron stepped closer. “And now we have to fix your problem. But as the guildmaster says, it will be good for the town to have more people. But understand, we can’t promise to save everyone in your gang. We are determined to save Bette and Timen. As for the rest, only who we can. I will try to talk them into the only sensible decision. For that, I will need your help to introduce me to this leader of yours, Mattias. If we cannot have that conversation peacefully, the alternative is to take your twins out by force. I would rather not take that step.”

“Nor would I,” said Fara. “I will return to the gang ahead of you and set the stage for your arrival. You’re an odd pair. They’ll know who you are immediately.

She looked to Kyvril. “I know you’re willing to accept the twins back, and even some of my gang. Would you take one more?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You?”

She nodded, seeming embarrassed.

“If you can get the twins out, I’d consider it. I have a certain horse with an old crossbow bolt injury. A certain someone might have caused that to happen. I don’t have a lot of time to see to the horse myself. Maybe you know someone who could brush him down from time to time?”

She smiled. “I do know someone. You don’t believe this right now, but you can trust me.”

“You’re right. I don’t,” he scoffed. “But there is always the future.”