Hey everyone. Shameless plug for a new story I am writing. I know the Beka/Rosto people interested in this story might be interested in my new one as well. And since it's not a very active fandom I thought I would give you a preview here and see if anyone is interested!

Summary:After Beka stopped the flow of Coles things should stabilize in Corus, right? Except someone is determined to keep things chaotic. Taking advantage of the residual fear the Shadow Snake left behind, someone is kidnapping people again... But now the motivation seems more complex than the desire for shiny things. Can she find the perpetrator before the perpetrator finds Beka?

s/10228647/1/The-Shadow


247 HE

So she's the bloodhound now. He preferred the name Terrier. It fit...better somehow.

She took down the Rogue in Port Caynn and stopped the influx of those toxic coles that were threatening to starve his city. She toppled a crooked throne, left a bit of a power vacuum in her wake.

He smiled, in spite of himself. When she returned he would have to ask her if she considered taking the position. Would he see a flash of panic in her eyes before she hit him?

Rosto the Piper leaned back against his wooden throne with a sigh. It was early. Too early to be up after the hours he had kept the previous night, but he couldn't afford sleep yet. He had been up for hours already and finally been able to pause his work and sit for a moment. These last few months had been hellish. The price of bread had reached astonishing levels, and though he had laid up stores in preparation the city teetered on the edge of chaos. His stores allowed him to sell to the city at a reasonable price, though he was still taking a loss. They checked the silver, but some coles still got through and they did him no good but to decorate his quarters with unusable decorations. He had once dreamed of living surrounded by bags of coins. This was not exactly what he had in mind.

The price of grain was starting to stabilize now, finally, and it was just in time. His stores were nearly exhausted, he had perhaps another week maybe two before he had nothing to sell. If he had nothing, and the price of bread was still high...then people got hungry. Hungry people seek new leadership. He'd had several challenges already, before the revolts even started. He had been prepared for that. But there was something more. The chiefs were talking. Perhaps they thought he didn't know, but he did. He always knew. And this was a prime excuse for someone looking for a promotion.

Now it looked like he might actually survive the year. The Terrier had saved his life. That would ruin her day.

Still, he couldn't rest. If he was honest with himself he had expected it to be worse. He had been expecting a major power grab from someone, he wasn't yet sure who topped the list... None had come. His challengers were weak, unprepared and foolish. One had been new in town and had no idea what he was getting himself into. The other two were low level thugs. Too much hotblood wine and too little bread and suddenly they thought they could do a better job.

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Beka would return any time now. His birdies had not told him if she was bringing the gambler with her.

He shook his head in frustration, trying to cut off the train of thoughts before he made another scene like the one that had erupted upon first being informed that Beka had taken a lover. He cringed at the word. He told himself that he wouldn't waste any more energy on thinking about the gambler. Wouldn't dwell on the fact that he spent most nights in her rooms. That Beka allowed him through those impenetrable walls of her and...

Jumping up with unnecessary enthusiasm he turned to return to his rooms before realizing that the absolute last thing he needed to do at this particular moment was to sit awake in his bed attempting to sleep. Turning abruptly he stalked out of the dove. He would distract himself with talking to his birdies...or something. He would not go find out-of-season gillyflowers.


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"We were so worried about you," Kora said sweetly, "all alone over there trying to take down the Rogue yourself. Are you crazy?"

"She wasn't all alone." Ersken said with a smirk. "She made some... good friends."

Beka flushed crimson and Kora smiled. "Yeah...I ... kind of heard about that."

"The whole city heard about that." Ersken commented and Kora jabbed him lightly in the stomach.

Beka shook her head and tried to remove the blush by force of will but Kora would have none of that.

"So, Beka...is he... staying here?" She looked around as if expecting Dale to pop out of a closet her eyes falling on the gillyflowers.

"No." Beka responded quickly. "No, we decided against ... trying to..."

"Good thing too," Ersken interrupted, relieving Beka of the spotlight. "Cove wouldn't last a week in Rosto's city."

Now Beka flushed for another reason and she could feel the heat of anger rising.

"Not his choice." Beka fumed. "Certainly not his city."

Ersken smiled, a short hug breaking the tension. "Of course not...All hail the Bloodhound!"

"You'll come tonight?" Kora asked.

"Where?"

"The Dove, of course. We eat at the Dove every night these days. Partly because...Well Rosto's the only one with grain reserves left these days. Most of the bakers were driven out by the price of grain."

"Is it really so bad as that?" Beka asked, concern coloring her tone.

"It hasn't been easy." Ersken told her, "The prices were already going up when you were last here. They skyrocketed and no one could afford grain but for Rosto's foreign stores. It's been a hell of a time here, Beka, but with the flow of coles stopped, it's getting better."

"Just in time too, there's been 3 challengers in the last month..." Kora commented, then her tone brightened. "So really you have no choice about dinner, See you tonight!"

Kora slipped out of the room and Ersken followed. Beka called out before he could leave the room.

"Ersken, The challenges? Is...Is everyone ok?"

"He's fine, Beka."

She nodded and Ersken left. Collapsing onto the bed, she barely managed to remove her boots before falling asleep.


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"Look who has graced our court with her presence tonight. You are famous, Bloodhound, what brings you to a poor establishment like this. Come to add to your list of conquests?"

"Only if you give me a reason to." Beka snapped.

"Oh, fiery puppy just like I remember. Port Caynn is lucky to have you."

This caught her attention. "What do you mean?"

"You toppled the Rogue, your majesty," he prodded, "surely you realize that makes you the new..."

"Oh, stop it Rosto," Aniki said cheerfully as Beka blanched in horror. "Stop torturing our puppy, she looks like she's about to fall over."

"That's the idea." Rosto grinned, "And I shall be there to catch her!"

Beka's eyes were still wide with horror and Phelan reached over and touched her shoulder comfortingly. "It doesn't work like that Beka. Well it usually does, but it is always a choice."

"I should punch you for that," Beka grumbled at Rosto.

"I do so miss your touch."

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She could feel her cheeks burning and she clenched her fists in irritation. Fortunately everyone was too mindful of their own safety to comment.

Beka was happy to eat the food of Corus again, and everything tasted of home. It put her in such a good mood that she didn't even think of leaving until hours later. Before she could do so though her attention was captured by a commotion near the throne.

"...'ave to do something...back again..."

Rosto's reply was too low to carry but everyone in the room heard the loud desperate response.

"How can you let our children disappear right from under your nose! We have nothing left to ransom them this time, nothing. How-"

"Enough. It is not wise to insult those you come to for aid" Rosto cut off the woman's wails and Beka winced at the ice in his tone. Redirecting his attention to the crowd he called. "Aniki, Kora to me. You," he turned his eyes to the woman who flinched under his gaze, probably regretting her outburst, "You do not move. Everyone else, find some other place to haunt tonight." Bold Brian came over as the hall started to clear giving a slip of paper to Phelan, before he too slipped into the street.

Beka hesitated as she made ready to leave, looking warily at the woman cowering at Rosto's throne. Would she be amongst the pigeons in the morning?

"Beka," Phelan called and passed the note to her, Something was written across the top that she couldn't read. Possibly Scanran. The rest said: "Everyone out. Bring Beka and Ersken back in 10 minutes. -R"

As they left Beka eyed the note suspiciously. "What is that?" she asked Phelan indicating the Scanran markings.

"He taught me several phrases in Scanran." Phelan informed her, "If they are not written exactly as he taught me, the note is to be disregarded as a forgery." They returned to the boarding house for a few minutes before Phelan led them back out into the street around the side of the building that housed the Dove. Bold Brian was waiting by the door and nodded them through.

Beka's skin prickled. Since when were things done in such a surreptitious way..?

As they walked Beka heard bits of Rosto's voice passing through the hallway from the main room. He sounded angry.

"...You will not speak a word of this to a single living soul, do you understand..."

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AN: There you go! So if I have successfully captured your interest in more Beka and Rosto banter you can check out the entirety of the first chapter which is already posted at s/10228647/1/The-Shadow