Calliope wasn’t entirely sure how she should relate to Kayden. Growing up on her estate in Averland people had been clearly divided into those you socialized with and servants. The mercenary captain was more like an employee but in Averland a noble engaging openly in business was still gouache and so she hadn’t had much opportunity to practice. In the Colleges of Magic the situation was much the same, the magically talented were the nobility and everyone else were the servants. Perhaps it was best not to give him a tongue lashing for asking impertinent questions just yet. Fortunately the arrival of Sir Otto allowed her out of the awkwardness.


“Bring him in Johan,” she told Mesmer. A moment later Otto tramped in, armor rattling and looking very pleased with himself.


“My Lady I…” he trailed off as he registered Kayden’s presence in the tent.

“What is he doing here?” he asked, more sharply than he might have if he hadn’t spent the last few hours riding through rough country in full armor.


“He is here,” Calliope replied acidly, “because he just escorted me from the mines.”


“The mines, you went down there without us? My Lady you cannot…”


“I may do,” Calliope began, enunciating each word very precisely, “exactly as I please.” The words were directed at both Kayden and Otto despite the knight currently suffering her ire.

“And in any case, you were not here to properly escort me. Fortunately Johan and Captain Caladwarden were up to the challenge,” she continued. Otto’s eyes cut to Mesmer and he clearly wanted to make further objection but apparently he was smart enough to stop digging when he found himself in a hole.


“Of course My Lady, I apologize for not being at my post, the ‘good’ Captain had made it clear that we wouldn’t be needed. So I decided to take the men and sweep for spies and stragglers and we found some,” Otto said, snapping his fingers. Two knights brought in a pair of men in rough peasant clothing, their wrists were bound and they looked terrified.


“What were you men doing in the hills today?” Calliope asked with deceptive indifference. The larger of the two men bowed his head in a frantic gesture of obeisance. 


“Weren’t nothing youse ladyship ‘honest, just trapping rabbits is all,” he blurted. Calliope raised a sculpted eyebrow.

“Trapping rabbits on the same hillside an army was fighting greenskins, I cannot imagine you caught many,” Calliope said dryly. Otto and the knights chuckled at the dryly delivered jest. A look of relief came across the man's face and he nodded in furious agreement adding his own sickly laugh.

“Right you are youse Ladyship, not a single one,” he agreed. Otto reached into a satchel and produced a rather expensive looking spy glass and passed it to Calliope. The sorceress snapped it open and peered at the alleged spy, her dark eye appearing huge in the lens, like a monster out of legend.


“He was carrying this, a stick of charcoal for notes too but he ate the paper before we could confiscate it,” Otto explained. The captive looked outraged.

“We didnt eat nuffin, and that their looking glass was a gift from me da!” he exclaimed. Calliope chuckled and closed the glass with a snap that made the man flinch.


“A gift from your da indeed,” Calliope snickered, “do you have a name sir?”


“Yevins, Carl Yevins your ladyship,” he supplied.

“I don't suppose you are for hire Carl Yevins?” Calliope asked, “natural talent should be encouraged wherever it springs up.” Yevins looked this way and that, doing a credible job of appearing confused.


“For hire your ladyship, like as a rabbit trapper?” he asked guilelessly. Calliope laughed again and gestured to the scowling Knight.

“Cut them loose Sir Otto,” she commanded. Otto’s mouth worked for a moment, but he obediently produced a knife and sliced the bonds of the two prisoners. Both men began to chafe their wrists together, restoring the circulation after the tight binding. Calliope closed the spy glass and tossed it to Yevins, who caught it neatly.

“You may go,” she told the two potential spies. Both men looked confused, and Otto began to redden with anger.

“You…you are just going to let us go?” Yevins asked, clearly taken aback.

“If you really insist I suppose I can have you birched for trespassing on my land, but I really am terribly busy so you will have to ask Sir Otto to do it if you feel it necessary,” she replied dryly. Yevins’ eyes cut between Calliope and the fuming Knight, then he bowed and scuttled out of the tent with his companion.


“Is it really wise to let spies go free my Lady?” Kayden asked in a rare moment of solidarity with Otto.


“It is if you want them to report their findings,” Calliope responded. 


“Have your troops make a show of fortifying the mine, then have them rest. I will be returning to Gallows end in the morning, I shall require that the majority of the men remain here, but will require fifty or so as an escort,” she told Kayden.