Chapter Sixty-Six

  What a rot-ridden dream. Bloody vivid. Harmony opened her eyes with a deep breath, and there it was, a hint of death and that tang of copper and blood in the air. “Delve me.”

  At the edge of the room, half covered in shadow, Maxwell bored with ragged breaths, ay healing potion by his side. His slumped-over form was nearly unmoving.

  Jumping out of bed, Harmony equipped Night, quicker thaing dressed, and rushed over. [Renew Spirit] did nothing. Toug her agent’s skin revealed a blistering fever of heat. She yered on a light [Cold Touch] to bat it.

  Opening the main door, one of the bodyguards was already on duty early in the m. “Go fetch the Inn’s healer!” Without asking why, the man dashed off, boosted by some speed skill.

  Some real healing abilities would be nice. Why didn’t Hyath wake her? The dream, not being a dream, and that toad dropping him off was the only thing that made sense. Max’s wounds that she could see matched. [Recall] scratched at the memory, there was a vagueness different from the st time Max summoned her while in danger, but the feeling of the man’s skull splitting in her hands was there. She’d killed people. This wasn’t the first time. Harmony shoved that old childhood memory aside. They were trying to kill Max, looking down at his sorry state, they were still too close to it, and she’d been oathbound to save him. pulsion or not, she'd end more lives if he sense of death in her bubbled excitedly at that admission.

  A healer burst in wearing the green and gold uniform of the Inn. “Lady White!?”

  “One of my panions is hurt and needs healing.” A simple gesture to Max had the woman rushing over to him.

  Her hand glowed with magid Max took a deep ragged breath leading into his chest spasming until he rolled to the side and puked on the floor. It smelled so bad Harmony had to take a step back. The healer dragged Max away from the sizzling puddle as he remained unscious.

  “Nasty poison there. What happened?”

  Holes in her memory. She both knew what happened, from two perspectives, yet didn’t. “I’m not sure. When I woke up, he was there. I believe my familiar dropped him off.”

  “I’ll o report this to the guard. Poisons that make potions cause damage rather than healing are on the mandatory rep list. An atta the Glimmering Rose of Naewauld will also be frowned upon. Please stay here.” The healer left.

  Harmony huffed. As if she’d go anywhere. Max now looked as though he eacefully sleeping rather than at death’s door. Back to st night really happening. Those bonded with pets were responsible for their pets' crimes to some degree. Max robably responsible for the summons as. She could always feign ignoranbsp;

  Internally she checked out the oath Max had made to her. Ever since his css and profession ged it was abnormal. The oath couldn’t be the mystery title? She’d been called eternal for a while. As for the theocratid, it had been normal when that was evaluated. She let her mind give the new oath a nudge.

  “Gah!” Max shot up awake.

  “Who’d you piss off? Harmony asked.

  “My family, little Lord Tyler, you, Zhe at the Braided Binds…”

  The oath to tell the truth was overwhelming him in his weakeate. “Not that, who did you piss off enough to attack you st night?”

  “I have no idea. I’m not that disliked. I doubt we’ll ever know who attacked me or why. There is a ce they didn’t know who they were attag.”

  That made no sense. “Expin.”

  “An obscuration field scroll was used. Makes all the exact details fuzzy for everyone dealing with people. Affects everyone in the area. So where we see generic attackers they see generic victims. on for criminals and gangs in Naewauld to use, I don't imagine many scrolls make it down to Hazeldown.”

  That would be useful, both in not being reized. And if set up right help you avoid skills that detect the truth wheioned about specific attacks. It could certainly make a masquerade ball more effit with anonymity.

  [Recall] hit a wall outside if seeing Max and Hyath clearly. It was the blurry man who tried to shock her or a fuzzy woman with a bow. The deaths, those were clear. Not having a face did make it easier, another be if you were trying to acclimate people to killing other people. Still…

  “Someone k was you who they were targeting. With your hair, you delving glow in the dark. Ambrosia could send up her birds and probably find you in minutes wandering the open like that.”

  “Maybe someone wanted an open slot in the Asdant Games?”

  Not impossible, but it wasn't like there was a -in-line list to sider. Gangs should know better than to actally target a minor celebrity. This felt personal. If Max did not have a skill that dragged her into this it wouldn't be her problem. But if he didn't have that skill, he'd probably be dead.

  City guard captain Ellis showed up fnked by two subordinates.

  “Lady White, sorry to impose on you this m. Tresihe poison the healer found, has been used in several killings and now we’re required to trad record all is involving it.”

  Forced here by the politics around catg a murderer. Who would be offended by that? Stuck up nobles maybe. Ellis had probably hoped for an easy job when he was assigo her. “No imposition. Max is a trusted friend, and if this helps figure out what happeo him, you have my gratitude.”

  Ellis gave a curt nod. “Jasper.”

  One of his assistants first went to the empty health potioo Max when she found him. “Nothing otle.” Using his hand he wafted over the vomit Max had expunged during the healing. “Definitely was in his system.” Then the assistant walked up and sniffed Maxwell. It reminded Harmony of Jack from the Dig Boys and his special sense of smell. “Still some in his system. Not sure if it was coated on a on or he was dosed earlier.”

  “Sir Maxwell.” Ellis started

  “It’s Agent Maxwell now.”

  That surprised the captain enough to ar eyebrow, “Agent Maxwell, you give me a rundown of what happe night.”

  Max unched into his tale. Either avoiding looking at Harmony due to embarrassment or his oath's tendency to force him to tell the truth. Wheried to start with the attack, Ellis backed him up further in the night.

  “I was taking advantage of my newfound celebrity…”

  The Rose of Naewauld was looking to pnt their roots and was finding plenty of flowerpots willing to give it a fit.

  Every time it looked like Max was stretg or avoiding some truth, Captain Ellis’s sed assistant would make a light cough. This prompted the captain to dig deeper as he made Max gh what he ate, drank, and anythi into his body during the night while adding to his pottery colle.

  “It’s one of the quicker ways for me to build chaos for my skills.” Max tried to expin.

  [Poise and Bearing] was in full force trolling Harmony’s face while [Style and Grace] kept her body posed and collected during all of the details that were pulled out of Maxwell.

  “I was stumbling down Thistle Lane off Peach Blossom Street when I first noticed the obscurement field, even then, I thought it might just be the drinks the way the man’s face blurred. I’m not that dumb, so I yelled, “Hey!” and wheook off running, I focused on my defensive skills. Probably saved my life when the first attack came, and then I tried to run.”

  He described attacks to dey or cripple, but every time he slowed one and dashed away a new faceless threat stepped in front of him f him to ge dire.

  “Finally reached a dead end and took Bad hit. There I triggered my summon.”

  Harmony held her breath a little as Captain Ellis prompted him for more.

  “Chaos-based, and requirio be in danger. It’s special. The attackers didn’t know what hit them. My memories were spotty from my wounds, but it killed several. Then, uh, Lady White’s familiar got involved and mao whisk me away here. She was sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb her or her guards.” Ellis’s man coughed. “Or her personal maid Ambrosia. So I told Hyath to leave. I hurt and knew where the dy kept some healing potions and figured she wouldn’t mind if I borrowed one and took a nap. It didn’t have the effect I was expeg. I don’t remember anything until the healer pulled me out of it.”

  Captain Ellis turo Harmony. “Lady White, why was your familiar in the area?”

  She hadn't called him. How did he feel about those summoemporary copies? Not like they needed saving. “My partner is noal. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't visited every dark er of the city out of preparation or boredom.”

  Ellis nodded slowly. “Well, there have bees of is.” Reports? Is! “A rge bck monster showing up, stopping assaults and robberies. Officially I'm to tell you to inform him we don't approve of violent vigintism. Unofficially we 't be everywhere.”

  Hyath? What was he doing while she was sleeping? “I uand, Captain Ellis.”

  “After all, we don't to get out that the dark avehe street-level news rags has dubbed ‘The terror that croaks in the night’ is your familiar.” The captain finished with a smirk.