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Speaker 1: Soul

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Speaker 1: Binder.

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Speaker 1: Two.

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Speaker 1: Dire.

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Speaker 1: Spokesman's Journal, December
seventh. There's a locked equipment shed by the

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Speaker 1: lumber yard. No one knows who it
belongs to, and nobody seems to have the key.

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Speaker 1: Every time I try to bring it up,
people change the topic. Like most of the town's

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Speaker 1: mysteries so far, this one is
probably nothing. Once I finally get it

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Speaker 1: open, it'll turn out to contain
rusted tools or some other such revelation. Then

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Speaker 1: I will continue to look the fool, and
the revealer will slap me on the back and

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Speaker 1: laugh at my expense. I keep telling
myself that. But what if

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Speaker 1: I'm wrong? Or, no,

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Speaker 1: am I just losing it? I don't like to
think about that. Winter has only

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Speaker 1: just begun.

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Speaker 1: Ravi Specht, spokesman of the town of
Dire, wondered when he would get to be

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Speaker 1: useful. He was their leader, in a
sense. He was also completely,

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Speaker 1: utterly redundant. He waved at Mr.
Streamwise, and the man waved back from

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Speaker 1: his front door, then closed the door
behind him before Ravi could even speak. No,

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Speaker 1: no, he didn't need anything today. It
would be nice if they would at least let him

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Speaker 1: ask. So Ravi continued making his
evening rounds, smiling at people,

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Speaker 1: waving at people, looking the part of
the dedicated spokesman, checking in on his

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Speaker 1: people. Were they his people? He'd
been in Dire just four months,

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Speaker 1: arriving before the first chill was
even in the air. In that time, it seemed like

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Speaker 1: nobody had really let him in. He felt
like a stranger. That was probably

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Speaker 1: just how small towns worked. He'd
figure it out. He'd find his place in this

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Speaker 1: community. When they were ready,
they'd let him in. Ravi sat down

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Speaker 1: on a stump outside the trading post
and pulled out his canteen. He had seven jackets

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Speaker 1: on. It made him look very large. Yes,
yes, it was the jackets that made

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Speaker 1: him look large. A man came out of the
trading post and walked right past Ravi.

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Speaker 1: Ravi scrambled to put away his
canteen and ended up just throwing it on the
ground

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Speaker 1: when he couldn't get the top on. His
name, what was his name? Nap.

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Speaker 1: Nerp. Nape? No, definitely not Nape.
That wasn't a real name. So he settled

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Speaker 1: for, Hey, um. The man turned and
nodded his head in

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Speaker 1: greeting but didn't stop walking.
It's Nate. Nate.

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Speaker 1: Nate, do you need Nope. All squared
away, spokesman. Go

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Speaker 1: relax. It's your first winter. We'll
take care of things while you learn the ropes.

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Speaker 1: Ravi tried to respond, but the man
had simply kept walking, waving a goodbye over

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Speaker 1: his shoulder. So Ravi sat back down
and picked up his canteen. It was empty.

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Speaker 1: There were only forty-six people
living in Dire. He was determined to, if not

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Speaker 1: befriend, at least gain the respect
of each of them in time. But how could he do

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Speaker 1: that if they wouldn't even talk to
him? A crunch in the snow snapped him away from

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Speaker 1: his brooding thoughts. A
disheveled-looking woman stood outside the
trading post,

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Speaker 1: staring at the door. She looked like
something an oxbane had chewed up and spit out.

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Speaker 1: There were forty-six people living in
Dire, and this was not one of them.

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Speaker 1: She turned to look at him. Her eyes
ran up and down his body as if searching for

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Speaker 1: something. Then she turned away and
entered the trading post, a look of disinterest

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Speaker 1: on her face. Another dismissal. Ravi
set his jaw and

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Speaker 1: stood up. That was enough. Greeting
visitors was

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Speaker 1: squarely in his job description.
Especially dangerous-looking

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Speaker 1: visitors. He would make sure this
drifter wasn't up to something. Yes,

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Speaker 1: he'd send her on her way. It was his
town now, after all.

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Speaker 1: Estes dropped her pack by the door
and walked up to the trading counter. A

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Speaker 1: ropy-looking girl stood behind the
counter, wringing her hands, watching her in

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Speaker 1: quick glances. There wasn't a proper
bar in the trading post, but there was a bar.

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Speaker 1: It was four stools in front of a
counter where bags of grain and jugs of heating
oil

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Speaker 1: sat. Every town had a bar. What else
was there to do but drink this far north?

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Speaker 1: Estes took a seat and moved a sack of
grain so she could put her elbows up. She

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Speaker 1: scanned the room for exits, people,
and weapons. Then she turned her silent

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Speaker 1: gaze to the girl behind the counter.
The girl took in a sharp breath and then

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Speaker 1: slipped away into a back room. Estes
could hear soft murmuring between two people,

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Speaker 1: but couldn't make out the words. The
front door opened again and Estes turned to

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Speaker 1: look. This must be the town tough,
come to tell her not to make trouble.

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Speaker 1: Pretty fast work getting here so
soon. She'd only just sat down. She wondered if
she

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Speaker 1: would have to do this routine in
every town. A fat young man with the brown skin

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Speaker 1: suggestive of southern heritage
waddled into the trading post. He tried to close
the

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Speaker 1: door, but fumbled with the lock and
it blew back open. He scrambled to close the

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Speaker 1: door and after a few more attempts
finally got the lock to catch. Then he started

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Speaker 1: walking toward her with his arms
straight out in front of him like a scarecrow

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Speaker 1: coming in for a handshake. Welcome to
Dyer. I'm Ravi Specht.

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Speaker 1: Estes took the hand and gave it a
proper handshake, planting her feet just in case

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Speaker 1: he tried to use the arm as leverage
in a surprise fight. The young man let out a

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Speaker 1: little grunt, released her hand, then
opened and closed his hand, wincing. What

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Speaker 1: brings you here?

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Speaker 1: Business. Oh? He took a seat on the
stool next to her.

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Speaker 1: They both politely ignored the
tortured cracking sounds his chair made.

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Speaker 1: What kind of business?

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Speaker 1: Oh, just setting up some contracts
for next year. Hopefully.

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Speaker 1: She deliberately stowed her glyph
pouches in her pack. They would give away that
she

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Speaker 1: was a binder. If word got out that a
binder was in town, her quarry would flee.

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Speaker 1: At the same time, she needed to learn
everything she could, and that meant poking

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00:08:01,392 --> 00:08:06,172
Speaker 1: her nose around a little. The man
next to her looked more like an obstacle than a

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Speaker 1: lead, though. It would be best to be
rid of him quickly.

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Speaker 1: Looks like you scared off Cecilia.
I'll keep you company until she gets back.

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Speaker 1: That's not necessary. Instead of
accepting the dismissal, he smiled

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Speaker 1: warmly. The warm smile of a
bureaucrat who had no intention of listening.

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Speaker 1: That a military uniform? Estes
stiffened. The

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Speaker 1: young man kept smiling, though.

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Speaker 1: I don't see any rank or branch
medals, though. So, you on

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Speaker 1: leave or something?

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Speaker 1: Yes. Not the kind of place most
people go on leave.

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Speaker 1: I'm not most people. And like I said,
business.

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Speaker 1: Mm-hmm. Business with who, exactly? I
know everyone in this town.

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Speaker 1: Estes had no glyph pouches, but she'd
taken the time to sew some glyphs into her

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Speaker 1: clothes before coming into Dyer. It
wasn't a true arsenal. She didn't have the time

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Speaker 1: or materials to prepare anything
beyond some creative distractions and makeshift

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Speaker 1: weapons. But it was enough to cook
this guy if it came to it. Not a good way to

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00:09:33,972 --> 00:09:39,832
Speaker 1: start her covert investigation,
though. She let a hand slip behind her back to
palm

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Speaker 1: the composite smoke and light glyph
she'd tucked in her waistband.

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Speaker 1: They didn't give me their name. I
don't know who I'm meeting. The man's smile

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Speaker 1: finally fell from his face. Is that
so? He leaned

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Speaker 1: forward, eyes narrowing. I think you
should conduct your

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Speaker 1: business quickly and in the open.

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00:10:08,572 --> 00:10:14,572
Speaker 1: She wanted very much to bounce this
man's head off the counter. He was clearly

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Speaker 1: a stooge. Either a complete nobody or
the lapdog to someone more important.

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Speaker 1: The girl, Cecilia, returned then with
an older man. The way she stood

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Speaker 1: just behind him indicated trust. Her
father, maybe? The man wiped his hands off

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Speaker 1: on a rag and tossed it aside,
stepping up to the other side of the counter.
Evening,

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Speaker 1: spokesman. Then he nodded at Estes.
Evening. Sorry about that.

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Speaker 1: Cecilia's not used to visitors. It's
usually not a problem here. As you might

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Speaker 1: imagine. The name's Gust. Estes
replied with a shallow nod.

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Speaker 1: Estes. Nice to meet you. How can I
help? Dry rations.

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00:11:03,832 --> 00:11:09,572
Speaker 1: Something I can carry. And a drink.
If you please. Oh, and some steel

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Speaker 1: weapons if you have them. The brown
man next to her perked up at that.

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00:11:15,552 --> 00:11:21,032
Speaker 1: He was the spokesman? It seemed like
an odd choice.

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00:11:22,412 --> 00:11:28,092
Speaker 1: Expecting trouble? I hope not.
Something big caught my trail about

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00:11:28,132 --> 00:11:32,832
Speaker 1: halfway here from Green Hollow. The
man nodded slowly.

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00:11:34,512 --> 00:11:39,972
Speaker 1: No weapons to spare, unfortunately.
But the rations and drinks I can manage.

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Speaker 1: What did the beast look like, if you
caught it? Hard to say. It kept its

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Speaker 1: distance. Gust poured her a drink and
then started gathering supplies from around

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Speaker 1: the trading post as they spoke.

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Speaker 1: Well, it could have been that same
oxbane that's been giving us so much trouble.

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Speaker 1: It's a real thorn. We've lost a dozen
livestock already. It must have had pups if

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Speaker 1: it's eating that much, though. They
don't usually bother people. Oxbane?

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Speaker 1: Oh, sorry, spokesman, I forgot you
were here. Yeah, an oxbane is, it's like a

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Speaker 1: wolf, but bigger, much bigger.
Normally, wolves will give you more trouble than
an

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Speaker 1: oxbane. Still, I can't say I'd like
to have one following me home. I know what

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00:12:30,928 --> 00:12:36,788
Speaker 1: an oxbane is. Sure, sure. And don't
get that look on me, spokesman.

128
00:12:37,168 --> 00:12:42,868
Speaker 1: Don't worry about it. We'll take care
of it. Dennis and his nephew are trying to

129
00:12:42,928 --> 00:12:48,168
Speaker 1: trap it. Like I keep saying, it's
your first winter. We don't expect you to do

130
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Speaker 1: everything. Estes sipped her drink
and watched the exchange. She

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00:12:54,128 --> 00:12:59,808
Speaker 1: needed some excuse to be here. Gust
finished stuffing food and

132
00:12:59,868 --> 00:13:05,268
Speaker 1: basic supplies into the burlap sack,
then dropped the sack on the counter. That'll

133
00:13:05,288 --> 00:13:10,768
Speaker 1: be five pieces. Estes' eyebrows went
up. Five?

134
00:13:11,868 --> 00:13:17,688
Speaker 1: We don't get by turning visitors into
enemies. You'll get a fair deal here. It was

135
00:13:17,808 --> 00:13:23,108
Speaker 1: more than a fair deal. The first half
dozen things he'd stuffed into that bag were

136
00:13:23,148 --> 00:13:28,408
Speaker 1: worth more than 20 pieces, easy. And
they were worth more than 20 pieces in a

137
00:13:28,488 --> 00:13:33,768
Speaker 1: town much closer to where goods were
actually produced. How

138
00:13:33,868 --> 00:13:39,308
Speaker 1: exactly did people make a living this
far north? So she paid the man.

139
00:13:40,908 --> 00:13:45,948
Speaker 1: Estes here was just telling me about
the contracts she's here for.

140
00:13:47,128 --> 00:13:53,028
Speaker 1: Contracts? What contracts? She
covered her grimace with another sip of

141
00:13:53,108 --> 00:13:59,068
Speaker 1: alcohol. How to play this? Pelton
would know. What she would

142
00:13:59,148 --> 00:14:04,828
Speaker 1: give to have the detective's help in
this. But that was impossible. Pelton was more

143
00:14:04,868 --> 00:14:10,508
Speaker 1: likely to put her in chains than help
her at this point. Military contracts.

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00:14:11,588 --> 00:14:17,587
Speaker 1: That was when the man behind the
counter froze. Gust shot a quick glance

145
00:14:17,647 --> 00:14:22,548
Speaker 1: at his spokesman, then forced a
nervous smile. He took in her uniform.

146
00:14:24,068 --> 00:14:29,848
Speaker 1: Who you meeting with? Estes shrugged.
There was a trail here. It

147
00:14:29,888 --> 00:14:34,668
Speaker 1: might not be the trail she was
looking for, but at this point, she followed
what was

148
00:14:34,728 --> 00:14:40,488
Speaker 1: in front of her. She tried her best
to look relaxed, just as confounded as he

149
00:14:40,568 --> 00:14:45,928
Speaker 1: was. I didn't get a name. I was told
they'd meet me when I

150
00:14:46,008 --> 00:14:51,728
Speaker 1: arrived. Then the spokesman rose from
his stool, that warm but

151
00:14:51,788 --> 00:14:57,128
Speaker 1: indifferent smile back on his face
again. You've got your supplies, but

152
00:14:57,208 --> 00:15:02,148
Speaker 1: unfortunately, we don't have a place
for you to stay. You must be in the wrong

153
00:15:02,288 --> 00:15:07,948
Speaker 1: place. Gust put his hands out. Hold
on. We're not sending

154
00:15:08,028 --> 00:15:13,788
Speaker 1: anyone away before dark, especially
if there's an oxbane hanging about. Then Gust

155
00:15:13,848 --> 00:15:19,848
Speaker 1: met her eyes and all humor drained
from his face. Besides,

156
00:15:20,088 --> 00:15:23,728
Speaker 1: she can't leave yet. She just got
here.

157
00:15:25,288 --> 00:15:30,728
Speaker 1: If you'll excuse me, I have some
barrels to clean. He gave them a sharp

158
00:15:30,788 --> 00:15:36,728
Speaker 1: nod and left. The spokesman stared at
her with undisguised suspicion.

159
00:15:37,728 --> 00:15:42,448
Speaker 1: Why are you really here? It's like I
said, spokesman.

160
00:15:43,588 --> 00:15:46,828
Speaker 1: Business. He continued to stare.

161
00:15:48,348 --> 00:15:53,268
Speaker 1: I'm permitted to carry a weapon.
Estes snorted a little laugh,

162
00:15:53,968 --> 00:15:59,508
Speaker 1: staring straight ahead instead of
meeting his eyes. He didn't say he had a weapon.

163
00:16:00,868 --> 00:16:06,168
Speaker 1: A moment later, Cecilia stepped up to
the counter again. She'd never actually left,

164
00:16:06,328 --> 00:16:12,008
Speaker 1: but as quiet as she was, they'd all
forgotten her. You can stay with Miss Riselda.

165
00:16:13,568 --> 00:16:18,028
Speaker 1: You can stay with Miss Riselda. We
don't have an inn, but when visitors come, she

166
00:16:18,068 --> 00:16:22,308
Speaker 1: lets them stay in her shed. It's
nice. It's a nice shed.

167
00:16:23,788 --> 00:16:28,188
Speaker 1: Estes polished off her drink and
picked up the sack of dirt-cheap supplies.

168
00:16:28,648 --> 00:16:33,228
Speaker 1: Hopefully they weren't poisoned.
Sounds lovely. Will you take me there?

169
00:16:34,768 --> 00:16:40,548
Speaker 1: I'll do it. Estes rolled her eyes.
This one was like a

170
00:16:40,628 --> 00:16:42,128
Speaker 1: dog on her shoe.

171
00:16:43,648 --> 00:16:44,548
Speaker 1: Let's go then.

172
00:16:48,048 --> 00:16:52,188
Speaker 1: The two of them walked in silence for
a few minutes through the scattered buildings

173
00:16:52,228 --> 00:16:57,068
Speaker 1: they called a town. The snowstorm
from the day before did a lot to clean up the

174
00:16:57,108 --> 00:17:03,068
Speaker 1: place just by burying it. Estes
finally broke the silence herself. She

175
00:17:03,128 --> 00:17:08,768
Speaker 1: had to. If this place didn't turn up
any answers, she clutched at her chest.

176
00:17:09,268 --> 00:17:13,188
Speaker 1: Her heart pounded. She needed
answers.

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00:17:14,788 --> 00:17:20,648
Speaker 1: Spokesman, Ravi. This might sound
like an odd question, but have you

178
00:17:20,768 --> 00:17:26,368
Speaker 1: seen anyone new around here in the
past few months? Besides you?

179
00:17:27,688 --> 00:17:28,008
Speaker 1: Yes.

180
00:17:29,688 --> 00:17:35,608
Speaker 1: No one. Her heart fell to the snow.
That couldn't be right.

181
00:17:36,128 --> 00:17:41,528
Speaker 1: There was nowhere else. Nothing
farther north. It was

182
00:17:41,588 --> 00:17:47,128
Speaker 1: dire and then the wastes. A frozen
hellscape where nothing grew.

183
00:17:47,928 --> 00:17:52,628
Speaker 1: No one really knew what was beyond
the wastes because no one came back from those

184
00:17:52,708 --> 00:17:58,628
Speaker 1: trips. Ravi stopped walking.
Supposedly, they send off a

185
00:17:58,688 --> 00:18:03,708
Speaker 1: couple dozen people per year who try
to cross the wastes. Apparently that's where

186
00:18:03,768 --> 00:18:09,708
Speaker 1: most this town makes its money.
Outfitting idiots for their suicidal mission. He

187
00:18:09,788 --> 00:18:15,128
Speaker 1: turned and watched her coolly. Of
course, they all come in the

188
00:18:15,328 --> 00:18:21,188
Speaker 1: spring. No one is crazy enough to
come to dire in the winter. No

189
00:18:21,268 --> 00:18:26,848
Speaker 1: one but you. He let his words hang on
the quiet winter

190
00:18:26,908 --> 00:18:32,888
Speaker 1: breeze. There was a long howling cry
in the distance. Like

191
00:18:32,968 --> 00:18:38,788
Speaker 1: a wolf but deeper. Sadder somehow. It
was a lonely cry.

192
00:18:39,728 --> 00:18:45,348
Speaker 1: Estes looked out into the darkening
starless wilderness. And though she

193
00:18:45,408 --> 00:18:49,468
Speaker 1: waited, no one answered that lonely
cry.