The hotel room was the most luxurious in Goldport, the average person could never imagine such opulence. The morning sun was filtered through floor length lace curtains. The sky was still light; but the sun would be fully over the horizon in a matter of minutes. The room was engineered so that it would always feel like the air was the perfect temperature.

Genia King stood naked, staring through the curtains at the seaside below and the sea beyond that. She had chosen this room not only for its amenities; but also, for its proximity to her warehouse. She was deep in thought and seemed oblivious to the pair still in her bed. Carmen was still asleep, the cotton sheets covering her in a haphazard fashion. Landis Stone was marginally awake; but kept his eyes closed in an attempt to learn more about Genia’s situation. This was by far the most comfortable room that he had ever been in, and he was in no hurry for it to end.

Without turning, Genia spoke in a low voice, “I need your help.”

Landis knew that she was talking to him. “I don’t come cheap.”, he said, low enough not to wake Carmen. “Last night wasn’t a down payment.”

She turned around, the morning light filling the room, making her pale skin almost shimmer. She strolled over to the edge of the bed and sat lightly. The fact that the three of them had been tied in exquisite knots a few hours earlier didn’t factor into her current dilemma.

“I have to get my goods back.”, she looked at him, anger welling up in her. “Business is business, and I can afford to lose one here or there; but they think they can steal from me and get me to replace everything?”, she looked Landis in the eyes, “I don’t know you very well at all; but I think you can you understand that it’s the principle as much as anything else?”

He thought for a moment, “I am a whore in the truest sense of the word. I can be bought, my affections, my loyalty…”, he sat up and looked at her, “but once I accept a job, no amount of money or… temptation of any kind, can make me betray my employer.” They sat quietly for a moment or two, he placed a loving hand on Carmen’s thigh. “Pay my price, and I’ll be your man.”

Genia and Landis were in a bakery, looking out the window at the front of the warehouse where her goods had been moved. There was a pair of large and well-armed guards standing in front of the place. It was going on lunch time and Genia was starting to get nervous.

“We need to move, the Trade Federation will be here soon, and when they see that my warehouse is empty, that’ll be it. I’ll be a victim. I like being a victim even less than I like being robbed.”, she said anxiously.

“Not to worry, Mistress”, he said with a hand on her shoulder. “I have a plan that I think will work out just fine.”, he paused for effect, “if not, you owe me nothing.”

Landis had his winter jacket on, it covered him from neck to ankle and hid his armor and weapons. He approached the warehouse with a drunken stagger. He lurched towards the water for a few yards, then back onto the boardwalk. He finally lurched towards the guards who were none too happy to have a large drunk to deal with. They tried to push him away; but he staggered back, then again fell into their arms. The smaller of the two pulled out his short sword to make a point, big mistake.

Landis looked around and saw that no one was near, and that no one was paying attention to his drunk act. He grabbed the arm holding the short sword and twisted it with a sickening snap. The sword fell, and so did the man. The larger of the two tried to grapple with him, again, big mistake. Landis placed a perfectly aimed liver punch that brought the big man to his knees. He cocked his fist and waited for the perfect angle and when he punched, it was faster than the crack of a whip. With a little effort, he dragged the men into the warehouse and tied them up. Inside the warehouse was a large room where goods were stored. There were offices on the upper level at the back of the building; but the front was just for storage.

Walking cautiously, he heard a couple of people talking towards the back of the warehouse. They were at the bottom of the stairs discussing who knows what, and not actively looking out for intruders. He peered around a large stack of crates to see a cluster of five men, one of them had crazy hair and he wore too much jewelry. Landis pulled a coin out of his pocket and launched it at the opposite end of the room. The sound of metal striking wood crates and stone flooring got their attention. The one with the wild hair started giving hand signals, and three of them darted off in the direction of where the coin landed, drawing their weapons as they ran.

When the sound of running feet had faded, Landis stepped out into the open, not more than fifty feet from Era Rutendo. The Highwayman looked up at the lone figure, scanned for his back-up, then smiled. His trademark wide toothy grin was meant to encourage his men and to frighten his enemies. Today they did neither.

“Get him!”, Rutendo screamed at his last accomplice, while running to join his other men. The man pulled out his sword and started swinging it in a wildly menacing manner. He was well over six-foot-tall, and broad of shoulder. His beard was spiked at the bottom with beads worked onto the spikes. All of that, along with his breath was probably enough to scare away most opponents, but not so with Landis. The thug swung at Landis, too high, too low, to the left, to the right. Landis waited for the moment when he was thrusting and was leaning too far forward and stepped to the side so that he could bring his razor-sharp blade down across both of the man’s arm. His sword cut through both wrists and sent them along with the sword they were holding to the dusty warehouse floor. The man howled in pain till the second swing separated his head from his body.

Pushing past the pile of meat, Landis went off to find the Highwayman and his remaining crew. They were either too surprised or too stupid to try and be quiet. He followed the sounds of banging and shuffling feet till he had reached them trying to open the side door. A shorter, bald man had his back to Landis, desperately trying to work the lock on the door. Landis pulled his short sword and threw it hard enough that it passed through him and embedded in the wooden door. Era Rutendo pushed the others in front of himself, while bargaining at the same time.

“Who are you friend? Why do you harm us peaceful traders?”, Era asked.

Landis lunged forward like a viper attacking and skewered one of the men guarding the Highwayman. “I know that you’re a thief. You failed to steal these goods on the road, so now you’re trying to fulfill your contract here in town.”, he blocked a few strikes from the last man. Landis looked his opponent, a tall skinny fellow with dirty blonde hair and poor complexion. The man was slightly better than a common cutpurse; not anywhere in the same league as a professional Sellsword. He wondered why the man would stand here, toe to toe, both of them knowing how it would end. Landis parried a few more attacks, then with a minimum effort, he thrust his sword into the man’s throat. His eyes bulged and he dropped his weapon. He reflexively reached for the wound, though he knew that he was mortally wounded. He slowly fell forward onto his face, so that there was now no one between Era Rutendo and Landis Stone.

“You’re coming with me.”, he said, his voice making it clear that there were no alternatives.

“Lead the way, ya lousy cutthroat!”, he spewed.

Landis cracked him violently on the top of head with the flat of his sword. The man crumbled unconscious to the floor. Landis tied a rope around his boot and dragged him to the far entrance where his employer was waiting.

Cool water struck Era’s face. The shock of it pulled him out of his delirium. Looking around, he saw that he was in the back office of what he assumed was a trading company. Before him was a short haired woman, smartly dressed in white clothes, tailored, tasteful and expensive. She looked very familiar. Behind her was the lout that had knocked him out and killed his crew. In the corner was her bodyguard, quiet and always watchful.

“You again! You don’t seem to know how this is supposed to go.”, he said to Genia.

“Perhaps I don’t”, she said. She walked over to a cabinet and went for a crystal bottle, pulled out the stopper, and poured some of the honey colored liquid into a crystal glass. Era looked longingly at the beverage; but she only served herself, not offering to him or anyone else. “You’re alive so that you can tell me how things are supposed to go. I know you’re the puppet, not the puppet master.”

“More accurately, Miss, we are both puppets in this production.”, he sniffed and nodded at the glass in her hand. He was tied up and couldn’t move. She ignored him and went on with her interrogation. “I have my suspicions; but who precisely hired you to raid my supply train?”

“If I say anything, my life is over Miss, you must understand that!”, he exclaimed.

“This specialist behind me”, she hooked her thumb in Landis’ direction. “I sent him in the warehouse knowing that there were five of you in there. He came out with you in tow in just a few minutes, and he didn’t look even a little tired.”, she crouched so that their eyes were now only a few inches away. “Tell me the answers to all of my questions, without delay or obfuscation, and maybe I won’t ask him to skin you to make me a winter jacket.”

Era looked miserable; his ever-present smile wasn’t present. He thought for a moment, then surrender was all over his body language. “Apna, it was that trader Red Apna, with the Limurca Group”.

“As I expected.”, she said calmly. She pulled up a chair so that they were close, almost like he was an invited guest. “I have a list of things to ask. If you cooperate, I’ll consider letting you live.”

Era was truly unhappy now, his head down without the power to look up, he just nodded in agreement.