Masterful Trickery

XII. A Guard's Welcome

He raised his hands and rubbed his face with them, hoping the act would clear his mind.

"Well?" Alex asked, tone still obviously impatient.

Ralph sighed and nodded. And then he saw her stand and walk up to him.

"Shake on it," Alex ordered, extending her hand to his.

Ralph reluctantly took it. Her palm was rough on the surface, but soft as he closed his around it. But her grip grew stronger that he almost yelped in pain as she shook his hand with a satisfied look on her face. "Hope te do good business with ye, guv." She turned on her heels and said over her shoulder, "Ye gather yer horse, guv, while I take me things."

"We are leaving now?" he asked, surprised.

She stopped and looked at him, the smile on her face still visible. "'Cors! We need te go somewhere else first, see. Check with someone I know before venturin' into the Dark Forest."

Ralph blinked away what he thought was a radiant glow about her. His eyes must be playing tricks on him and he reminded himself that he was not facing an angel. "Somewhere where?"

"Just some place I know, guv," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Where?"

"Why d'ye ask?"

"Because I will be payin' ye fer yer services, bandit," he mockingly said.

"Meriwether, guv."

The name sounded familiar. He was certain he had heard of it somewhere. "Meriwether?"

"Aye," Alex said with a nod.

"I do not think—"

"I'm not suicidal, guv. If ye wanna go te the Dark Forest te investigate, we need te be certain we'll be goin' te the right place. The bleedin' forest is too vast fer us te venture on our own. It's too bleedin' dangerous if we dinna know where we must go, see."

"You told me you will survive the Dark Forest," he pointed out.

"Nae, I said a bandit will. I dinna say 'twas me, did I?" As he prepared to rant, opening his mouth, Alex raised her hand to stop him. "Oi, we already shook on it, guv. Ye can't back off yer word. Now, go and get ready, mate. And prepare me pay as ye do."

Ralph remained in his chair, gaping after her as she left the dining room.

*****

Ralph thought that it would be best that they take the carriage with them to which Alex readily agreed on after insisting that Siege be harnessed as one of the pair of horses to draw them to their destination.

"I was expecting you would insist on horseback," Ralph commented moments after they left Beechworth.

"I dinna want yer friends te see me with ye, guv," she said.

"My friends?"

"Aye. Those bleedin' Guard friends of yers, guv. They went after me and they killed the prisoner."

Ralph looked out into the dire scenery, brows furrowed. "We are driving south."

"As ye heard me instructions to yer driver, 'cors we're drivin' south."

"And where exactly are we going? Where is this Meriwether you speak of?"

He veered his eyes to look across the carriage at her. She crossed her arms over her chest and slid lower into a more comfortable position, her legs spread wide in front of her, her dirty and worn-out boots almost touching his legs. "Blucksley," she said.