Page 29 of Ties of Bargains

He had several wedges of cheese. And this goblin woman was part mouse. Would it be offensive to offer her cheese?

He dug out a wheel of the cheese Tulpenland was known for. There was only one way to find out.

Even as he straightened and started unwrapping thecloth, the mouse woman’s nose twitched even more vigorously as she sniffed, the light in her eyes turning downright ravenous. “What’s that?”

“This is a wedge of some of the finest cheese produced in my kingdom.” Harm unwrapped the last of the cloth.

The mouse woman leaned closer, and Harm held it out of her reach before she snatched it or took a bite of it right out of his hand. “Not a bite until we have completed our bargain.”

The mouse woman’s gaze never left the cheese. “I will create breeches, a shirt, and a jerkin with a magical pocket as requested for the jacket and two wedges of that cheese.”

“The jacket and one wedge.” Harm used his foot to shift his pack farther away from her before she got any ideas.

The woman’s eyes narrowed, still entirely focused on the cheese.

“We are headed for a Winter Court.” Val’s arms remained crossed, her tone disinterested. She was prompting him without taking over the bargaining.

Good thought. Harm would have met the mouse woman’s gaze, but she had eyes only for the cheese. “The jacket and two wedges of cheese if you include a coat or a cloak suitable for winter, along with thick stockings, mittens, a hat, and a scarf, in addition to the items already discussed.”

“Done. It’s a bargain.” The mouse woman lifted her hands, making grabbing motions with her fingers.

Harm lowered the cheese, not about to torture the woman further.

She snatched it, took a bite, and moaned as if it was the best thing she had ever tasted.

Harm reached into his pack and fished out another wedge of cheese, making sure to grab one that he liked less than the others he had left. He held out both it and the jacket.

The mouse woman snatched the second wedge of cheese first, then took the coat almost as an afterthought. “Come, come. Step inside my booth, and I’ll get your measurements.”

Having his measurements taken was something he was used to back home, but was it safe to step into this strange mouse woman’s booth? Harm glanced at Val.

Val waved to him, Daisy sitting on her feet. “Go on. Now that the bargain is struck, it’s safe enough. Besides…” She wiggled the cord. “You can’t go far.”

Very true. It wasn’t like the mouse woman could bundle him into her wagon and kidnap him. He was already well and truly held captive as it was, and no one was taking him from Val.

Harm followed the mouse woman into the booth, resisting the urge to reach for the iron knife tucked in his boot as the flap fell closed behind him, plunging him into semi-darkness.

A single candle flared to life, providing a small pool of illumination. The mouse woman bustled forward, setting the candle on a tiny table next to him.

Something skittered in the darkness, and Harm jumped. “What was that?”

“Just my mice.” The mouse woman gestured as a tiny gray-furred mouse ran along the floor by Harm’s feet.

It took all his self-control not to shriek and leap back. “Your…mice…” Was it strange for a woman who was mostly mouse herself to keep mice as pets or was that a perfectly normal thing for this realm?

“Of course. Mice make the best seamstresses.” She whipped a measuring tape out of a pocket, grabbed a three-legged stool, and set it next to him. “Hold still. This will only take a moment.”

The process of taking his measurements wasn’t all that different than it was back home, except that he had to lean back several times to avoid being whacked in the face by a large mouse ear. The woman’s mouse tail occasionally brushed against his legs while mice squeaked and skittered all around the tiny space.

As soon as she finished the measurements, the mouse woman ushered Harm out of the booth and into the alley once again. She nodded to Val. “I’ll get started right away. Please come back an hour before sunset to claim the items.”

Val’s mouth pressed into a tight line—she likely wasn’t happy that they would have to stay in the area until then—but she nodded. “Very well.”

The mouse woman went back to nibbling on her cheese as she bustled around her booth. Did that mean the mice were making Harm’s new clothes?

He shook that thought away. He’d never bring himself to wear them if he dwelled on that thought too long. And after bargaining so much for them, he wasn’t about to not wear them.

Val set out along the alley once again, snapping her fingers in a command that Harm hoped was for Daisy rather than for him.

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