Grey chose two pastries that looked like they might contain egg and ham. “I think you’ll like this. Or tolerate it.”
I smiled. Our drinks and food appeared a moment later, and I drank quickly, ignoring the heat. As soon as our guest showed up, I’d likely be too busy to drink my coffee, and I didn't want to start this day without caffeine.
A few moments later, the woman from my vision arrived. Her beige dress was threadbare, and she looked tired. When her gaze landed on us, she stutter-stepped, her blue eyes flashing.
“You are not Councilor Rasla.” Her accent was a bit old fashioned, like Rasla’s had been, but I could understand her.
“We aren’t.” I stood. “But please, don’t leave. We need your help.”
Her gaze moved over us warily. She stared at Grey for a particularly long time. “What does the Devil of Darkvale want with the likes of me?”
“Your help,” he said, his voice soft.
Her face crumpled in a frown. “My help?”
“Please, sit.” He gestured. “Order anything you like.”
“All right.” She approached cautiously, taking the seat closer to me.
I sat next to her while she ordered. Once she had food and drink in front of her, she looked up at us. “You’d best explain. I wouldn’t have come if the letter hadn’t contained Rasla’s seal. How did you get it?”
Did I explain that I’d found it more than three hundred years into the future? No. Instead, I just said, “We stole it.”
Her eyebrows rose. “You dared?” She scoffed. “Of course you dared. You’re the Devil of Darkvale,” she muttered at Grey.
“Why did you think that Rasla was asking you to meet here?” he asked.
“Honestly, I did not know.” She shrugged. “But I feared repercussions if I did not come, so here I am.”
“Something went wrong at Councilor Rasla’s house, and you left your post, is that correct?” Grey asked, concern in his voice.
She nodded, her expression haunted. “I could stay there no longer. And yes, leaving led to hard times. Won’t be able to keep my home, come winter. The money will run out.”
Grey reached into his pocket and withdrew a pouch that jingled with coins. “Whatever forced you to leave is unfair and unfortunate.” He set the pouch on the table in front of it. “That is for you.”
She frowned an
d took it, looking inside. Her brows rose, and her face went white. “This would see me until the end of my days.” Suspicion flashed in her eyes. “Why? What do you want in exchange?”
“That is yours to keep no matter what happens here,” he said. “I dislike unfairness, and while I do not understand the details of your situation, I have no doubt that Councilor Rasla is to blame. A housekeeper would not leave her post without promise of a referral.”
“That is true enough.” She shrugged as if that were obvious. “But still, you must want something from me.”
“Information, if you are willing to give it,” Grey said. “If you are not, then I would use my power to compel you to tell me. It would not hurt you, but I would leave with the information I need. Either way, the money is yours.”
She scoffed again, which seemed to be her signature expression. “You’re honest, I’ll give you that.”
“As I said, I would see to it that no harm comes to you,” Grey said. “But it is a matter of life and death. Of my life and death, and that of the woman I care for.”
Her eyes darted to me, considering. “I do not recognize you.”
“I’m not a resident of Guild City,” I replied. “Not this Guild City, at least.
“So you’ve given me this money to ease my way.” She hefted the pouch. “And you’ll have the information you want, whether or not I give it to you of my own volition.”
“That is essentially it, yes,” Grey said.
“You could have just taken the information.” She frowned at him. “That’s the reputation associated with you.”