Page 24 of A Fable of Riddles and Redemption

Reluctantly, Herrick had to admit it was beautiful and mesmerizing.

Then, much to his astonishment, the pastries on the platter lifted into the air and began to whirl around in an intricate dance. Tea cups bounced between the desserts, and the teapot itself twirled in the center of it all.

Duke Armand clapped in amusement at the spectacle, a rapt expression on his flabby cheeks. “Marvelous, simply marvelous.”

Captain Firmin seemed entertained, but still a bit skeptical. He was less demonstrative of his emotions than the duke, as his reaction clearly indicated. A particularly delectable looking pastry stuffed with chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar floated over to the captain, bobbing up and down in time to the music as it approached. Captain Firmin eyed it warily as it drew closer, stiffening when it reached his mouth.

“Eat it, Captain!” Duke Armand cried in obvious delight.

The pastry jiggled in front of the captain’s face as if begging for him to eat it. Though he gave it a baleful glare, Captain Firmin snagged the pastry midair and took a bite. As he ate, his serious expression melted away. When he finished the pastry, he dusted off his fingers with a small smile.

Herrick was still not convinced, and grumpily observed the display with narrowed eyes, trying to remain as stoic and taciturn as he could. Despite his doubts, he knew this masked mage was their best chance at successfully chasing the red pandas out of the city—and keeping them out.

But that didn’t mean he had to trust the man.

Not in the least.

Before the duke or the captain could hire the piper, however, a pastry with a red filling—some sort of berry, Herrick assumed—suddenly hovered in front of his nose. He grabbed it, in part to keep it out of his face. But the enticing scent was too much to resist, and he bit into it.

Raspberry.

His favorite.

Not that this Caliban could possibly have known that.

Herrick devoured the treat before he even realized he was eating it.

“Very well,” Duke Armand said when the song ended and the uneaten pastries and teacups returned to their previous places. “We will enlist your aid, and pay you according to how effectively your performance resolves our problems. A guestroom here in the castle will be arranged for you. Tomorrow, we shall see how you fare against the vermin plaguing our city. Cast them out, and we will reward you well.”

Caliban gave a brief nod, tucking his flute back onto his belt with a slight smile. “Excellent. I would be honored to assist.”

The generic chatter of small talk invaded the conversation at that point, and Herrick paid it no mind as he ruminated in his own thoughts while standing guard. Servants came and went, attending to the various tasks of setting up a room for the mage and refilling the teapot.

Concern wormed through his stomach at what the morrow might bring, but Herrick fully—and gratefully—acknowledged that he had no decision-making power over the affairs of Adael.

He couldn’t help but wonder, however, if Duke Armand and Captain Firmin had saved them by hiring Caliban—or if they had just made the biggest mistake of their lives.

Chapter eight

Casting Out Vermin

Zorina

All of Adael was abuzz at the quickly spread word that a mage had come to rid the city of its pests. Zorina nudged her way through the thickening crowd, hoping to get a better view of this enchanter performing such a feat.

When she reached the main town square, the multitude was too dense for her to get any closer, so she found a crate beside a store to stand on. Her diminutive stature prevented her from seeing much of anything over the people around her otherwise.

Once Zorina was in position, she focused on the fountain at the square’s center. As expected, Duke Armand and Captain Firmin stood there, ready to address the crowd. Several guards—including Herrick—were situated as sentries nearby.

To her surprise, however, a black-clad cloaked man with a white mask joined them—the same man who had studied her and Herrick the day before as the guard had watched him.

The realization made her uneasy. Was this the mage, then?

And why had he noticed her the day before?

Zorina hoped his attention then had only been due to Herrick’s proximity—something she would have to avoid in the future in order to stay hidden.

Before she could dive too deeply into her own thoughts, Captain Firmin whistled to silence the crowd.