Chapter Five

  Over the hree days, the masters of Coodly manor only showed up sporadically, taking advantage of the spectacle that the prince's funeral had bee. Never was there quite enough time for anolden moment for the staff. Lord Tyler was gone pletely, which was unusual for him to be away so long from his colle when not traveling.

  Harmony found herself altering the looks of several members as the old dy enced others to get in o with a promise of secrecy. [Beauti] leveled twice, and [Style and Grace] once.

  Work was light for ing and serving, and Bates rexed more on schedules. This was why Harmony found herself at Ambrosia's side, the taller woman dragging her out into the city. The neancer might have protested more if she hadn't run out of new books.

  "You will hear my babies sing. A practical demonstration is better thaering me about my pets. You also o live a little."

  Some house boys loved to talk about gambling on the colosseum matches betwees, but it was all fancy movies and wild he manor's books os were a light for Harmony's taste. As a beast tamer, her fellow maid was the best information source for the neancer.

  Along the streets of Hazeldown, the celebration was dying down. Paper masks with the prince's face littered the streets. Vendors sold little puppets of him astride his rainbow-colored coatl for a dist. The attention on the prind his pet had brought Harmony a touch of worry about her pns eased. People's is quickly ged topics, and she looked forward to whatever would distract them . Even if that made her task easier, there was no point if she didn't level up in time.

  A hard jerk from Ambrosia pulled the neancer out of her thoughts. They were there, Cogg and Hall Brews. The tavern had a line leading up to the two open doors of the entrance. You could see a trolled rowdiness ihe pce, but the ing and goings were policed by the bou the door. Pulled past the line, Harmony gasped at the mountain of a man keeping guard at the entrance, her head barely past his waist.

  "Hey, Duke." Ambrosia piped up.

  "Songstress, I was afraid you wouldn't show." The bouncer's eyes went to Harmony. "And this is?"

  "My adorable roommate. The shy one."

  Harmony wao say she was reserved, but all she managed was swallowing her words with a gulp while under Duke's looming shadow.

  "Go on in. It's been too calm without you." The big man told Ambrosia.

  Harmony sidered the inside of Cogg and Hall to be the opposite of calm. Several groups were amid tests of strength, arm wrestling, iron bending, and rock crushing. Tables were being danced on. Sounds of Laughter and boisterous tales cshed in the air.

  Ambrosia whistled as she walked inside, her hands pulling along the diminutive neancer.

  A sed whistle shrieked into the room as a red songbird let lose a cry as it dived in through an open window. Then another yellow bird joi. A blue and green one glided over, and the birds circled the ter of the room.

  Some fused looks, but mostly knowing ones, appeared on faces in the room. The ruckus switched, and loud voices stopped their ughing and tall tales. "Songstress!" Cried a voice.

  "Songstress!" Others followed up. "Songstress, Songstress, Songstress!" The t overtook the room.

  Ambrosia stepped up onto a table at the ter of the room. Harmony dragged up with her. The birds tighteheir spiral, their tweets elevating the t. Ambrosia raised her arms.

  The birds swooped down, nding on her outstretched arms, except for the red one, who nded on Harmony's head.

  "Does everyone want a song?" The beast tamer addressed the crowd.

  Eager roars of affirmation and vigorous pounding answered back.

  With a twist of the songstress's wrist, her birds started singing. A lively tune. Ambrosia's voice began to apany it.

  "There once was a maid, brave as be.

  Frightened of nothing, you will see.

  Took all the worst the lord did give.

  Fought off death, so brave boys live.

  So I sing this song for she."

  A nudge snapped Harmony to attention. She khis song as Ambrosia liked to practice whispering by her bed. The beast tamer enced her to sing along. "While difficult, singing strengthen your [Style and Grace]. It's good practice."

  Another old the neancer Ambrosia expected her to join in now. So she lent her voice as well.

  "The celrs flood, and the ceilings fall.

  The maid ed it all.

  Twisting every skill she could make.

  Every advantage she would take.

  She would not shirk adventures' call.

  Together they sang the silly song of mostly made-up adventures. A long bald of ing, politics, sying gnome gophers, aude.

  "So I sing this song for she."

  The audience's roars increased as the song ended. Apanied by the spping percussion of them pounding oables. A barmaid brought two full mugs to the singers.

  Ambrosia drowned hers with relish while Harmony took a mouthful. The brew's bubbles tickled the neancer's nose, and the sweet and sour drink warmed her throat.

  "I got this," Ambrosia assured her.

  Harmony hopped off the table, a little relieved and a little heady from the attention. From there, she joihe crowd in watg her fellow maid eain the crowd, better than many who take bard as a css.

  A rge ham of a hand patted Harmony's head. "She's great, isn't she." Harmhe voice of the doorman, Duke. "Tried to get her to swear fealty, offered a mighty good deal to make her a perma fixture, but she's unwilling to leave her family at the manor. Didn't even want to eain my offer to buy her employment tract."

  Family? Ambrosia, like most of the staff, was an orphan. Less outside influences for when you lived in the manor dorms. Or you could be disowned. Harmony remembered her own expulsion when she decided on the neancer css. Ambrosia teo be everyone's friend. The young neancer couldn't picture herself giving up on advang to somethier because of friends. As fun as the tavern was, she wasn't sure anyone would want to tie their life to the rowdy excitement of this pce every day. Family at the manor seemed an easy excuse to use for a no.

  Ambrosia sparkled from the attention, bonded pets darting around her, joining the song. There might be a better pce for the beast tamer's future than a dive of a tavern. Harmony promised to help Ambrosia grab this moment while the devoted crowd sang along.

  "What's true today may not be true tomorrow." She told the big man.

  Two more songs and the blonde had to bow out from another oo the groaning disappoi of her fans.

  "That was Amazing," Harmony told her as she helped the beast tamer down from the table. Her birds had already departed through an open window.

  The two girls moved through the crowd into the now crisp, cool night air. "Gd you e. I wao do something special for you with everything ing up."

  "What's ing up?" there was that little w bit of disappoi for Harmony at the revetion that this was not a random outing due to the rexed schedules. Not that she doubted Ambrosia might do something like this without prompting.

  The fident table-striding singer fell away as Ambrosia shifted and struggled to find words. "Lord Tyler has reserved you for three days as his personal maid for a trip to his dungeon lodge. The old dy has already approved it." With that, the beast tamer embraced the petite neancer.

  Rather than be shocked or scared, the first rea was a ft acceptahis wasn't airely ued development, as the lord had wao equip her before bringing her into his dungeon diving group. Three days, though? That was where she tensed up. Tyler could be amazing or awful, sometimes alternatiweewo in short bursts. The idea of three days felt like too much. Slowly Harmony ielling herself this was just one more obstacle toal that she had to overe. Soon, she'll have her levels, spell pos, and an undead pet.

  "It will be alright, Harm," Ambrosia told her, misreading the girl's rea, huggiighter before they returo the manor.