She'd been here twice before.

As remote as it was, Esterfell was hardly an ideal destination in Sonia's line of work. Taking someone here meant heading back to Esminster or Wastoces without a client. No pay, in other words. Sonia couldn't exactly raise her prices for trips to the north either—she was already scratching at the limit of what people were willing to pay her—so instead, whenever a contract took her to remote places like Esterfell, she allowed herself a day or two of rest. Esterfell was a fine place to get magnificently drunk.

Tonight, though. Tonight was work.

The first letter had been passed to her upon returning to the Lizard's Head Inn in Sirondius from a short job in the south. Her suspicion at being targeted like this was assuaged by promises of adventure and money, both of which had been in short supply for Sonia for some time now. The second had detailed where and when she was to be present.

She had worries, of course. She took orders well, but she trusted nobody's judgment more than her own. If her experiences with other mercenaries were to be trusted, there would be others like her. And she didn't actually know what this Crimson Company wanted her and the others to do. There was potential for trouble there. Still, as dirt road gave way to starlit cobbles and she breathed in air that carried a promise of winter to come, she couldn't help but feel a leaping sensation in the pit of her stomach. This was adventure. She clucked, nudging Petrus onward.

She found the Spotless Rock, recalling the way to the inn with relative ease. Even at night, a boy, no more than nine years old, seemed more than happy to take her mount at the promise of a coin upon leaving. Already she heard voices from the inn. Was she late to the meeting?

She pushed open the door. It wouldn't appear so. It was obvious who she was meeting: A group of people were loosely congregated at one end of the inn. If they'd received any important messages, it was certainly over now. People seemed to be drinking and getting to know each other.

Quick head count; ten of the inn's patrons seemed to be here for the same purposes as her. Sonia felt a glimmer of the Gift from a couple of them—those she made note of first. Her eye caught on a gorgeous elven woman wearing just about nothing. She grinned despite herself. [i]In this cold? Elves.[/i].

Sonia nodded at the innkeeper, unsure if he remembered her, then slipped off her gloves and produced one of the letters. Holding it up, she addressed the group:

"What have I missed?"