Page 90 of Beyond the Cottage

Lil removed her helmet, and ribbons of lavender hair fell down her back. She looked older than the others, maybe forty, with elfin features that contrasted her warrior’s body. “It’s urgent.”

“She told you she’s not interested,” Ansel said.

“I’m gonna have to insist.”

Ansel’s chest rumbled.

“Relax,” Gretta whispered. “Let me talk to them.” It felt strange to be the one promoting diplomacy over violence, but it had been a strange fucking week. Also, curiosity niggled her.

“What kind of witch?” she asked.

“Music,” Tadpole said. “Singers have gone missing from our area, including Heron’s kid sister. He tried sorting it out himself, but the bitch stole his voice and almost killed him.”

An aria witch, then.

Gretta studied Heron’s chalkboard and his sad, haunted eyes. They didn’t plead or demand anything from her. They looked resigned. He reminded her of Ansel when she’d first arrived at the cottage, and it called to her in a way demands couldn’t.

While she was anxious to get the repellent to the capital, a quick detour wouldn’t makethatmuch difference. “Maybe I can spare the time…”

“Absolutely not!” Ansel and Philip cried in unison.

“These people are hijackers and thieves,” Ansel said. “What if they kill you?”

Lil stuck a hand on her hip. “We may be thieves, but we aren’t killers. She’d be our honored guest.”

“Nat’s expecting you,” Philip said.

Since Gretta no longer worked for him, she was having trouble finding a shit to give about being late for their meeting. And who knew, maybe this would launch her freelance hunting career. “Where does the witch live?”

“Great Opal Lake. We’re from there, too.”

Gretta knew of it but had never been there. It was named for milky waters that were said to have nourishing properties. If this gang drank it, that would explain their robust builds.

She pulled Ansel aside. “What do you think? Can we tack an extra day or two on the trip?”

He seemed startled she’d consulted him, but this journey was as much his as it was hers, and she couldn’t send him off to Nat without so much as an introduction.

“I don’t trust them,” he said.

“They’re practically my fan club. I don’t think they’d hurt me.”

“I thought you were in a hurry.”

“I am, but we can help these people. Wouldn’t you have wanted someone to do the same for us?” As he considered, she added, “This is also our chance to field test the repellent.”

He scrubbed a hand over his neck like he did when he was about to cave. “Fine. But you’re not facing the witch alone. I’m going with you.”

Smiling, Gretta turned to Lil. “We’re in. You’ve got forty-eight hours.”

Tadpole hooted. “We can pay you. You can cherry-pick the sacks.”

“That won’t be necessary. In fact, if you want my services, you’ll return what you stole and let the train continue.” Gretta may be a killer, but she wasn’t a thief.

Lil nodded at her cohorts, and they left the parlor.

“You’re really going to run off with these pirates?” Philip asked. “You prove my point at every turn.”

On paper, it did seem reckless, but Gretta was trusting her gut on this one. “Send someone for Brand and the pixies.”

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