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O ne of the smartest decisions I’d made was taking a chance on hiring a Theran because while my boyfriends were getting sloppy drunk, he’d been upstairs caring for Mom. He’d explained what he’d done and that he’d walked some over to Theda.

Basselt also told me that since she needed to be resting, he told her where I was and gave her a few hard truths. The fluid in her lungs would build to the point it would be like drowning. Dying would be slow and painful and I’d have to watch it, knowing I could have fixed it by going to my father.

Mom would have thumped my head if I said that, but hearing it from someone who could literally scent she was dying made it sink in. She was probably going to get worked up over the task I was given, but if I could do it, it would be a one and done as far as I could tell.

The contract I signed said nothing about the military. I was pretty sure he didn’t want me because he thought I was a gay man. He didn’t think I was going to pull this off, anyway. So, really, if I caught a murderous psychopath, I’d come out on top with my freedom.

“You don’t really have to do this,” Basselt said. “I can scent what they used in this remedy and recreate it until my herbs are ready to harvest.”

“That’s sweet, but I do. They teach us the basics of reading contracts in school, but Mom and the Madame gave us extra lessons.

The contract I signed works in my favor if I pull it off.

No military service or anything. I do this and I’m paid up.

I can’t bring attention to myself trying to stick it to them by reneging on the contract.

If he doesn’t try to take the tavern, he could find out I’m not Lance and try to make an example of me. ”

“Are you allowed help?”

“Nothing in the contract said I can’t. I’ve spoken to Inspector Trevils, and he said it’s no problem if I want to visit the other crime scenes. I guess I’ll have to suck it up and work with Neco a little.”

“You know Theran can do more than just scent illnesses and your secret, right? I can smell who lived there and who wasn’t supposed to be there.

Killing someone is messy. No one is just going to let you kill them.

They fight back. A human wouldn’t be able to tell you if all the blood belonged to the victims, but I can tell you if some of it was the killer’s.

I’m a wolf, Lucy. Once I have their scent, I can tell you who they are. ”

Fuck me. It could be that easy and that hard at the same time. I knew he wanted to help because I helped him. I got vibes there was a connection between Basselt and Mom. He was looking out for me and that felt good because my birth father was such a deadbeat dick.

“We can’t,” I said, gently. “Guttertown is for outcasts. No one would give a shit if they found out you were Theran. It’s not the same if you cross the town line.

They aren’t kidnapping you and torturing you anymore because Leodos burned the diaries and refused.

But if they see a random Theran walking about, they could snatch you to figure out how to wipe you out for good. ”

Basselt just smirked at me.

“I’m a wolf, little one. I’ve been banned from my lands for a long time.

I’m only seen when I want to be. Tarja and Athan met me because I let them.

Theran are different kinds of animals and we all have different jobs.

It was decided I would be a warrior and a guard to the kings when I was ten.

I might have failed at guarding the prince, but humans can’t tell most of us from you if we are wearing your clothes. ”

“No, I can’t risk you. You’ve been so much help in more ways that one. It’s not just the healing stuff. We’ve had more meat since we hired you and you’re an amazing cook. And my mom thinks you’re sexy, so I’m rooting for you.”

Oh, damn. I was pretty sure I just embarrassed the giant wolf.

I guess I forgot that just because he was living in Guttertown now, he wasn’t Guttertown bred like I was.

Everything he’d told me about their culture seemed amazing, but maybe they weren’t as direct as someone who grew up playing in a brothel.

“Baby steps,” Basselt groaned, mopping his face with his hands.

“Hey, can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want.”

“You just suggested I sleep with your mother, so nothing should surprise me at this point.”

“She hasn’t gotten laid since she had me, so you’d be doing her a favor. Anyway, what we’ve done to all of you was so bad, Leodos burned all of it and was willing to die to stop it. Why haven’t you tried to wipe out the Barons?”

“You’re pretending to be a boy because it’s standard in Guttertown for the Barons to come here, force women to be with them, and meddle with their herbs to give them a child they can exploit because you barely have anything here.

Why hasn’t Guttertown tried to wipe out the Barons?

You could probably convince Lower Cutwart and any merchants who aren’t licking their boots to join you.

“We won’t fight because of the Idric rock.

They know it makes us powerless. They’ve stockpiled it and make their arrow tips out of it.

The Tempris being mostly wiped out also puts us at a disadvantage because they can kill them out long range.

We are waiting for our god to return. She will fix this. ”

“Your god is a woman? I like the sound of that.”

“Yours is a man?” he asked. “How does that work? Men can’t give birth.”

I just shrugged.

“We’re not much into religion here in Guttertown. If God is real, then he’s been shitting on us for the longest. For what it’s worth, I hope your god is real. I hope she comes back and fixes shit for everyone. If she comes by my tavern, drinks are on the house.”

“Honestly? We pray for her because she’s supposed to bring peace, but we don’t know how or even what she was like.

If she comes back during my lifetime, I hope she’s the type to visit a tavern in Guttertown, but not let you serve her for free.

You need to wake your mom and give her the remedy and then you should probably get some sleep.

You’re going to want to be at full capacity to catch a killer. ”

Yeah, that.