With the pig’s trough filled, Nelson knew he could sneak out a lot easier than he might have without. It was still not a foolproof way of getting out of the farm without them alerting his exit, but they were quieter than they could have been.

Moving swiftly so that he could reach the town in less than the two hours it would take to get there, Nelson kept himself hidden under his cloak’s hood. As soon as he reached the town, he wasted no time sneaking into the rattus’ room.

He took a quick glance within to make sure the man was either not there or asleep. A vague body shape in the bed told him which one it was. He nodded and snuck in quietly and checked the draws and bags within the room. All Nelson found were a few scrolls and notes about locating and figuring out more about him as a noble. Nothing really to suggest that the rattus was involved in anything, especially not slavery.

However, what he found suggested there might still be some connection to his father, though what? Nelson could not be sure. What amused him more was not the slim ties the rattus might hold to the one his father was working for, but the notes the rattus had compiled on the town’s peoples’ thoughts about himself, both as a nobleman and also as the man who had tried to capture them and the mistrust resulting from that.

Nelson barely had time to return the items to their original places, when he heard the rattus stirring awake from the sounds he had been making. Although he had been sure to be quiet, a rattus’ hearing was almost as good as the malruthiia and enerawyn.

Quickly, he slipped back out the window and onto the roof before the rattus realised he was there. With his confirmed beliefs that this was some sort of lead, Nelson returned to the farm and slipped back into his room without his step-sister being any the wiser.

As soon as morning came, he was set straight to work by Esta. As soon as she was out of earshot, he pulled Atraas and Inleet aside, filling them in on what he had found.

“At the very least, the rattus has some reason to research me, and I expect it has something to do with the man my father was working for, and even if it isn’t, this is the first lead I’ve picked up. No one else has come to me about debts or to even find out who I am. Let’s monitor him,” Nelson said to them.

Almost as soon as the three had finished their tasks and could slip away, they did. Esta would scold them about it later, but Nelson had a job to do, and between the boredom and not wanting to upset the King enough to risk being beheaded for treason, he figured he would rather the scolding.

“So what’s the plan?” Inleet asked as she cracked her knuckles and grinned. “You two left me home while you played the last time. Please tell me that I get to beat someone up?”

“Not yet,” Nelson chuckled and shook his head slowly. “We can’t let the rattus know we are on to him, and if he realises that we’re on to him, then we can’t let him know how much we know. Though I don’t even know if this information is enough to prove one way or the other. We need more than this to go off of.”

Inleet huffed. “I guess. I’m just bored. If I wanted an honest life, I would have taken that gold and ran,” she replied, muttering.

“I know, sis, me too, but some trouble can’t be rushed,” her brother replied with a wry grin. “Nelson always has the best adventures, so let’s just put up with this for a little longer.”

“We’re almost back at the town, so both of you, be ready,” Nelson interrupted quickly. “I’ll act as bait as usual, but I don’t know if he will come to me or merely keep tabs on me. We can’t mess this up. Our benefactor will not forgive us if we fail.”

Nelson still didn’t know if their benefactor was the same as his, but he felt there couldn’t have been anyone else who would have known to place them there. Had they been strangers, he would have figured they were his lead and not this rattus, but no one knew his old contacts. No one but the King and his Knight Captain, it seemed.

As soon as they reached the town, Nelson moved to the market to browse the things on display while the twins moved to locate the rattus. He half expected Lynnette to show up again to bother him, but for once, she remained out of his sight. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but he put it to the back of his mind. She was frustrating to deal with, but she knew what he had to do.

It took less than an hour for the twins to alert Nelson to the rattus’ location. It seemed just as they were spying on him; the rattus was spying on Nelson. He would have laughed if he had been allowed to give away the hilarity of it all.

After another hour, the rattus made the first move. He moved over to confront Nelson personally. His yellow eyes almost seemed to slice into Nelson’s soul as he said, “I know what y’all are up ta, and it seems ya know what I am doing, too. So let’s just get straight to the point.”

Nelson’s eyebrow raised as he considered the rattus’ words. Had the twins not been cautious enough? Or did the rattus know he had snuck into his room last night? No. If he had any suspicions on that end, he would have gone to Lynnette or another town guard to report it, and then he would have to explain himself.

“And what would that be?” Nelson replied, deciding to be cautious with how much he said or gave away. There was no proof he had been in the rattus’ room at all.

“Let’s go somewhere quiet,” the rattus responded, its small, round ears flickering curiously.

With a shrug, Nelson nodded simply. The rattus was only half his size, so he had no reason to fear him trying to fight him. Rattus were not known to be physically strong unless they were in a group. Though they were not defenceless, as they had their teeth and claws still. Not to mention the gadgets that would give them advantages.

As soon as they found a quiet spot, the twins were told to wait within enough distance to be on hand if he needed them. It didn’t matter too much if they overheard the conversation or not, but Nelson wanted to give the rattus a sense of security. If the rattus knew the twins’ hearing was excellent or not, he made no sign of it.

“So, speak. Explain what it is you wish to discuss with me?” Nelson asked, offering a smile. He would ask nothing unless the rattus gave something away. It was better to pretend innocence than to give away your hand, after all.

“We have been scouting the other out,” the rattus admitted openly. He then continued, “it was only a matter of time that ya would learn this from the townsfolk. Even if they distrust ya, they would not keep their mouths shut for long, and ya would want to know the unfamiliar face in town.”

Nelson held that smile and nodded. “I need to know if I should be worried or not,” he agreed. He wondered what the townsfolk had said about him, but he had his thoughts on it and none of it mattered. “So tell me, what did you want to know about me? It would be better to go directly to the source sometimes,” he probed curiously.

“The one who told me to gather information only said that they wanted to know who had taken over the old Whitefield lands if it had not been the step-daughter,” the rattus replied, shaking his head. “I was coming here anyway, as Lord Whitefield had owed me coins.”

“Had owed? Not still owe?” Nelson questioned, trying to mask his surprise. He hadn’t paid off any debts to anyone, and as far as he knew, neither had his step-sister. Or was he seeing things that were not there?

“Well, as I was making my way here, someone promised to pay off the debt in return for the information I gathered,” the rattus said with a small shrug. “I was hesitant at first, but it isn’t as though ya could pay back the debt either, could ya?”

“I barely have enough to feed my pigs. You’re not wrong,” Nelson nodded. “Does this other person want me to owe them the debt instead?” He then asked. Nelson was unsure what this all meant, but he knew one thing was certain. No one paid off someone else’s debt for selfless reasons. Especially not someone who wasn’t a close friend of the family, and if no one had come to him about this matter, then they were in no way, shape or form, a close family friend.

“That might be what they plan, but I couldn’t say for sure. I just know that usually, they put these matters in writing, so for that not to have happened is a little strange,” the rattus relayed, his hairless tail swaying from side to side behind him.

Nelson frowned and folded his arms. It was strange, and he felt more than ever that this person must be up to something sly. He just wasn’t sure if this was connected to his father’s side job or not. “And could you tell me who this generous benefactor was? Or did they not offer a name?” He asked. He had to know if he could get a name or if he would have to play a game. Which rich person would benefit from doing this?

Seeming to think it over, the rattus nodded. “He never said not to tell ya, or that this was some secret, so I don’t see why I couldn’t tell ya. Especially if you two will come to an agreement later on, so I can give ya the name.”

Nelson smiled sweetly. “Then please do. I would like to know if I owe him a debt, or if I can relax, knowing I have someone looking out for me, though even then, I would feel I owe them.”

Nodding again, the rattus replied, “then the one ya want to contact is Sethis Silversmith.”

Sethis Silversmith? Nelson knew that name all too well. Why would the man whose daughter would soon marry the King suddenly want to bail him out of debt? Sethis was not known to be generous, but greedy and insufferable. He was the first man in his family to be given the rank of noble, thanks to something the King’s father had agreed on before his timely death.

“Thank you,” Nelson quickly spoke up with a dip of his head. “Then enjoy the gold. I’m not sure why he would pay off my debt to you, but I am sure he will contact me when he gets the chance.” He had a feeling he should pay Sethis a visit, but decided not to mention this to the rattus.

He would have to do this slyly, with no one knowing. What Nelson couldn’t understand was that if Sethis was the one behind the slave trade how would he get away with it? He couldn’t do those things right under Fenryn’s nose so easily like that. Still, it was worth looking into. The man would absolutely not pay off any debts out of kindness.

The rattus nodded slowly. “Then if ya have the information you wanted from me, mind answering some of my questions?” He asked.

Nelson figured this was fair payment. Information for information, and it wasn’t as though he had to tell the whole truth to the other. He would stick to the King’s plan, saying they blackmailed him into the entire ordeal and that he was glad to be free again.

Once they were done, the rattus left to gather his things from the inn. He would leave during the day since his job was done. Nelson looked at the twins and filled them in on his next move. They were going across the Lost Travellers Marsh to visit Sethis Silversmith in secret.