A stranger at a nearby table said, “Thins the herds if you ask me.”
“No one asked you,” Trix told him.
He flashed her the finger and turned back to his friends.
Trix returned her attention to Beorn. “Mercer here?”
“He and Drake got in late last night.” Beorn wiped his hands on a dirty rag. “Had to make room for them. With all these newbies, there’s hardly any rooms left in the city.”
He saw the concern on Trix’s face and added, “I can squeeze you in if you two ladies don’t mind bunking together. Got a deadbeat, been here a week already and hasn’t paid. I planned to give him one more day to come up with the coin before I threw him out, but now that you’re here…” He shrugged, mopped his forehead with the dirt-stained rag, and said, “Might could use Mercer’s help removing the fellow. He can be a handful, especially when he’s in his cups.”
“If Mercer won’t help you, I will.” Trix laid a hand on her sword hilt.
“Much obliged.” With a look at Allison, still soaked to the bone, Beorn said, “Will you ladies be wanting a private dining room?”
“With a fire,” Trix added.
He grinned. “Sure thing. Follow me.”
Beorn took them to a cozy little room at the back of the inn where he added a log to a cheery fire and stoked the flames. Allison pulled a seat close to the hearth and huddled deeper into her blanket. The innkeep left after telling them to make themselves comfortable. Allison closed her eyes and shook. Her first experience in the Savage Realms had nearly cost her. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it wasn’t this. Set on by pirates, nearly drowned, and now shivering naked next to a fire. She stretched her bare feet out toward the heat. She didn’t even have shoes. She would never find that money barefoot. She needed help, and Trix had been in the right place at the right time. Now, sitting here, Allison wondered if she had made a mistake. True, she was going to need help, and supplies, if she was going to reach the money before anyone else, but maybe she had spoken too soon.
Beorn returned with two mugs of warm brandy mixed with green tea and honey. His wife came bustling in with thick blankets. She was a stout woman with rosy cheeks and greying hair. “Poor dears!” She wrapped dry blankets around their shoulders. “Must be chilled to the bone. Drink your toddies. I’ll be back in a flash with food.”
“And I’ll let Mercer know you’re here,” Beorn added.
Trix thanked them both. When they had gone, she kicked off her boots and then stripped out of her soaked leathers. Allison cradled the hot toddy in both hands and sipped, staring into the fire, trying to give Trix a bit of privacy. Not that Trix seemed to care. She wrung out her leather pants and hung them on the mantle to dry before wrapping herself in one of the thick blankets.
The drink helped sooth Allison’s nerves and put a little fire in her belly. But her toes still felt like chips of ice. She sipped, and a shiver walked up her spine. Trix had settled into the opposite seat and Allison asked, “How often does that happen?”
“It’s the first time I’ve been attacked by pirates logging in,” Trix admitted. “But I’ve heard tales.”
“What will happen to the others?” Allison asked. “The ones they took?”
“They’ll be sold into slavery.”
“Can’t they just leave the game?” Allison asked.
“Go ahead,” Trix said. “Leave the game.”
Allison glanced around, like a brightly lit exit sign might present itself reading, “This way to the Real World.”
Allison said, “How do . . .?”
“How do you log out?” Trix asked. “Head back down to the docks. Wait for a transport to drop off and then ride it back out. The only other way is to die. But I don’t advise that.”
“Have you ever died?”
“Twice,” Trix said and shuddered.
The innkeeper’s wife returned, balancing a tray pilled with cold meats, a hunk of warm bread, half a ripe cheese, and a slab of butter. It was simple food, and the sight of it set Allison’s stomach growling. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she got a whiff of the freshly baked loaf. The old woman told them to ring the bell if they needed anything and then left them to it.
Both women dug into the food with abandon. Allison stuffed several strips of thinly sliced beef in her mouth and tore off a hunk of bread. It tasted like beef. Like real beef. She hadn’t eaten meat in more than three years. The global economy had stalled out nearly a decade ago. With rising inflation and record unemployment, the cost of food had sky rocketed. Simple staples like bread and milk cost more than most people made. Chicken and fish had become a delicacy.
“Delicious,” Allison said around a mouth full of food. “I never eat this well in real life.”
“The Real,” Trix corrected. “No one calls it real life, just the Real.”
Allison nodded and reached for another slice of beef. “Do I even want to know what I’m really eating?”
“A protein compound. It will keep you alive and you’ll never know the difference. Pretty neat huh?”
The liquor and the food, together with the cozy room, had done wonders to erase the terror of the pirate attack. Allison cut a slice of cheese, added it to bread, and chewed. “Do some people stay here? I mean stay here all the time?”
Trix ducked her head. “Lots of people. Take Beorn and his wife. I don’t think they’ve logged out in years.”
“I don’t think I could do it,” Allison said. “Not after…” She trailed off with a shrug.
They had finished eating and were picking at leftovers when there was a knock at the door. Trix’s hand strayed to the hilt of her curved sword as a giant of a man stuck his head in. A long black mane of hair with streaks of early grey framed his square face. His eyebrows went up at the sight of them wrapped in blankets. “What happened to you?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Trix made introductions. Allison clutched her blanket closed with one hand and stuck the other out. Mercer’s grip was firm, and his hand was covered in hard callouses. Drake’s hand felt like brittle paper and he had a sly look about him. His beady eyes kept darting down for a look at Allison’s naked legs. It made her want to curl up inside the blanket and hide.
They settled around the table. Mercer and Drake finished off the leftovers while Trix recounted their run-in with the pirates. Then she said, “Beorn says you only got in last night. What happened?”
“We picked a fight with Hardin and his crew,” Mercer explained.
“You lost?” Trix questioned.
“We won,” Mercer told her. “But we got arrested.”
“Ten lashes in the public square,” Drake added in a rasping voice.
Trix gave Mercer a stern look and Allison got the sense there was something between the two. She could see why. Mercer had the kind of face a girl doesn’t mind looking at, and he was big enough to take care of himself.
Trix said, “Why do you let him draw you out like that?”
Mercer sniffed. “Couldn’t be helped.”
“He had our backs to the wall,” Drake said.
Trix let the matter drop and said, “Allison here thinks she knows where the money is.”
Drake snorted. “We’ve heard that before. Every newbie off the boat thinks they know where the money is.”
“This one claims to be a math genius,” Trix said.
“I never said I was a genius,” Allison countered. “I just said I was good with numbers.”
“Wait,” said Mercer. “You know what the numbers mean?”
Allison ducked her head. “It’s a self-replicating cipher with an interchangeable denominator.”
“Oh sure,” Mercer said flatly. “Why didn’t I see it before?”
Allison shrugged. “It’s pretty simple once you know what you are looking at.”
Mercer made a twirling motion with his hand. “And that tells you what?”
“Map coordinates,” Allison said as if it should be o
bvious.
Drake, who had only been half interested, put a hunk of bread down and dusted his fingers. He leaned forward and fixed her with a sharp gaze. “You have the coordinates of the treasure? Where is it?”
Allison didn’t like the look on his face. There was a dangerous light in his eyes. What was to stop these three from killing her and going after the money themselves? Nothing. Nothing at all. They were all armed and she was sitting there naked, wrapped in a blanket with her head full of liquor.
Trix read her thoughts. “You’ll never reach it on your own. You’re going to need help.” She motioned to the three of them. “We’re one of the best crews in the Realms.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” Allison said.
“You’d be getting gang raped by pirates right now if not for me.”
“Trix,” Mercer admonished. He frowned and shook his head.
“It’s true,” Trix said.
“She makes a valid point,” Drake croaked. “The Realms are dangerous. Never mind pirates. Other players would slit your throat for a handful of ByteCoin. And then there are the monsters.”
“Monsters?” Allison said.
“Giant spiders, snakes, Dire Wolves, you name it.”
Mercer held up a hand. “What my colleagues are trying to say is, there are plenty of ways to get yourself killed. If you want to find the money, you’re gonna need a crew. I give you my word, we won’t double cross you.”
Allison considered what to do. She couldn’t deny she needed help. She hadn’t known what she was getting into when she joined the game. Who the hell expects pirates? And she had no idea what else was lurking out there. Still, ten million split four ways was only two and a quarter. Allison swallowed, licked her lips and said, “I get 50 percent.”
“Half?” Drake choked. “No way! We do all the work and you get all the reward. Forget about it.”
Trix shook her head. “Not going to happen.”
Mercer held up a hand for patience. “What about a third? We’ll split the other two thirds? That’s fair.”
Drake looked at Mercer like he had lost his marbles. “Whose side are you on?”
“My side,” Mercer said.
“I say we split the money equally,” Drake said.
Trix agreed. “It’s only fair.”
Allison leaned forward, her cold toes and the fright of nearly being killed temporarily forgotten. “You’ll never find it without me. I’ll go a third, but not a ByteCoin less.”
Drake waved that idea away and turned to his partners. “How do we know she knows where the money is?”
“That’s true,” Trix pointed out. “You haven’t proven anything yet.”
“And if I show you how I know?” Allison said. “You can cut me out and go collect the money for yourselves. No deal.”
“They’re right,” Mercer said. “Give us some kind of guarantee you know what you’re talking about.”
Allison thrust out her chin, nodded, and said, “Fine. Have you got a calculator?”
Trix laughed. “This is the Savage Realms.”
“I’ve got a stub of pencil,” Drake offered.
Allison held out her hand. He passed her a bit of lead wrapped in paper. She used the rough tabletop for a writing surface. “These are the first four digits,” she explained. “They represent the baseline of the equation. You find the root and then use the remaining numbers to modify the coordinates in a self-replicating algorithm.”
All three stared at her with blank faces.
Mercer said, “How does that tell you where the money is?”
“It doesn’t,” Allison told him. “Those are just the first four digits in a much longer, more complicated problem. The rest of the sequence gives me the location.”
Drake sat back and crossed his arms over his scrawny chest. “I’m not convinced.”
Mercer studied the math on the table and then fixed Allison with a hard look. His mouth turned down in a frown. Allison forced herself to meet his gaze. His eyes seemed like they could bore right through her, like he might be able to stare the truth out of her. She thrust her chin out and returned his gaze with fire in her eyes, daring him to question her. At last he said, “I believe her.”
“So what are you saying?” Drake asked. “You suggesting we go galloping across the Realms on the whim of some little girl with a hunch?”
“I’m not a little girl,” Allison told him. “I’m twenty-three.”
“You look like you’re about twelve to me,” Drake fired back. He turned to Trix. “You believe her?”
Trix nodded. “I do, but I’m not giving a third of the money away.”
“For cripes’ sake,” Drake said.
“Fine,” Allison told them. “I’ll go alone.”
It was an empty threat and she knew it, but she was hoping they wouldn’t call her bluff. Her first experience in the Realms was enough to convince her she was completely unprepared for the road ahead, but she needed that money and she wasn’t giving it up so easy.
Drake laughed. “You won’t survive a day.”
“Probably you’re right,” Allison admitted. “But you won’t see a single Byte.”
“Can I have a word with my colleagues?” Mercer asked.
Allison rose with all the grace one could muster while wrapped in a blanket and said, “I’ll be in the hall.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mercer wasn’t sure what to think about this turn of events. He had learned to trust his instincts, and they were telling him the girl was on the level. But could it be that simple? He couldn’t believe luck had dropped the girl into his lap. After all, what were the odds? But then he supposed somebody had to crack the code. Why not Allison? Mercer could barely balance an equation, but the numbers she had scrawled on the table looked good to him. And if she was right, then splitting two-thirds of ten million with Trix and Drake was better than nothing at all. He tried to do some mental math. He came up with a number close to two million. That sounded right.
Drake leaned forward and said, “You really think that little girl knows where the money is?”
“Let’s say she does,” Mercer said.
“She doesn’t,” Drake insisted.
“But if she does,” Mercer said.
“Right,” Trix said. “What if she does?”
“Not you too.” Drake rolled his eyes.
“I wouldn’t have saved her life if I didn’t think she was legit,” Trix said.
Mercer told Drake, “You’re the best at math. Take a look at her numbers and tell us if they’re right.”
Drake sighed. “They’re right.”
“You barely looked,” Mercer said.
“I don’t have to, you Neanderthal. I watched as she wrote them down. They’re right.”
Mercer waved a hand at the closed door. “So she could be right?”
“Possibly,” Drake admitted.
“That settles it,” Mercer said. “I’m going to help her. You two can either join me, or sit this one out.”
“I’m going,” Trix said.
Drake said, “And let her have the lion’s share?”
“What would our cut come to if she gets a third and we split the rest?” Mercer asked.
“Two million, two hundred thousand and change,” Drake told him.
Mercer leaned back and whistled. “That’s a lot of bread.”
Drake said, “And little miss sunshine out there would get three million, three hundred thousand. How is that fair?”
“Life’s not fair,” Trix pointed out.
Drake turned to her. “You’re seriously going to let her have a third?”
“I’m going to agree to it,” Trix said and dropped her voice. “A lot can happen between now and when we actually lay hands on the money.”
“Are you suggesting we cut her out of the deal?” Drake asked in hushed tones.
Mercer was already shaking his head.
Trix whispered, “No. But if she points us to the mone
y and gets killed before we actually collect, well, we did our part.”
“I’m not comfortable with that,” Mercer told them.
Drake turned to him. “Let’s say it’s you who gets killed along the way. You really think little miss sunshine is going to hand over your cut of the money?”
“Maybe,” Mercer said. “Maybe not. That’s her choice to make. But I’m not going back on my word.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Drake said.
“You don’t even think she knows where the money is,” Mercer said. “So what does it matter what terms we agree to?”
Drake put on a petulant face and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Agree to anything you like. I’ll go along, not because I think she’s right, but because I want to be there to say I told you so when she’s wrong.”
Trix rolled her eyes. “Duly noted.”
Mercer got up and opened the door. Allison was in the hall, the blanket wrapped around her boney shoulders, shivering with cold. He said, “Alright. You’ve got yourself a crew.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
A bank of angry clouds boiled in from the west and covered Tanthus in rain. The streets emptied. Players took shelter, filling up the shops and ale houses. Those who braved the storm did so swaddled in thick cloaks and hoods. Sideways sheets of rain lashed the stone houses. Allison was glad to be holed up in the Grey Havens near a fire. Blasts of thunder shook the inn and wind howled around the sloping eaves. Trickles of water came down the chimney, landed in the glowing embers, and hissed.
Drake sat with a sour expression curdling his face. He obviously didn’t believe Allison could find the money and wasn’t happy the others had decided to pitch in with her. Let him brood, Allison decided. All that mattered was getting to the money before anyone else.
“So,” Mercer said when they were all seated again. “Where is it?”
Allison’s brows climbed her forehead. “What do you mean?”
Trix gave her an incredulous look. “Where’s the money?”
“I can’t tell you,” Allison said. “I have to show you.”
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