Raine spoke to Landon. "So, what do you want me to do?"
Landon didn’t answer immediately.
Raine waited while standing near the end of Landon’s bed. Her arms folded, looking at him and feeling a little nervous. She had already learned that whenever Landon looked this calm, it usually meant he was about to ask her to do something troublesome.
Cole, meanwhile, was leaning against the same window again. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes looked sharp, waiting for more details to unfold.
After a long moment, Landon reached toward the small table beside his bed and picked up a folded piece of parchment. "There is a flower shop in town that I want you to go to," he said.
"A flower shop in town?" She frowned.
"Yes." Landon unfolded the parchment and slid it across the table toward her. "This is where Ariana purchased the water lilies."
Raine’s expression changed as her interest rose. She picked up the parchment and glanced at the rough drawing of a street. "So, you want me to confirm whether they are selling Azicus again?"
Landon nodded. "Cole received information yesterday. There was another delivery of rare flowers not long ago."
Cole lifted a shoulder. "Not confirmed," he added. "But the information came from a reliable source."
Raine studied the map for a moment before setting it down. "And you want me to check the flowers. Isn’t it dangerous? Will they suspect me?"
Landon gave her a flat look. "You’re the only person here who can tell the difference between a water lily and an Azicus."
He was right. Most people would not notice the difference unless they had studied plants carefully.
"So, you want me to go to town... enter a suspicious flower shop... and investigate if they still have more Azicus there or not."
"That summarizes the situation." Landon nodded and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Wonderful," Raine said with a hint of sarcasm.
Cole pushed himself away from the window and walked closer to the table. "We’ll leave early in the morning tomorrow."
"Early in the morning?" Raine scrunched her nose.
"Yes. Because it will take about three hours by carriage," Landon said.
"Carriage? Why carriage?" Raine stared at him.
"Because you’re not a shifter. You cannot shift and run toward the town, which, actually, will save a lot of time."
Raine scowled. "No..." she protested.
Cole tilted his head. "Why? Do you have something else to do?"
Raine looked at him with an annoyed look as if he had asked about something obvious. "No, but the temperature will be cold, especially in the early morning."
The room went quiet for a moment. Both men looked dumbstruck.
"You’re refusing because of the weather?" Cole tried to confirm
Raine lifted her chin. "I don’t like cold."
Staring at her after a moment, Cole asked. "You cannot bear three hours in a carriage, but you survived being whipped half to death not long ago." Cole looked genuinely confused.
Raine waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, that was painful, but this is uncomfortable. They are in different categories." What she said left Cole speechless.
Landon raised his hand in annoyance and declared, "No more complaints. We are leaving tomorrow morning."
Raine sighed dramatically. "Fine." Then she paused. "Wait." She leaned closer to the table. "How much money do I need to buy my indenture?"
Landon tilted his head. "Why do you want to know?"
"Of course, I want to buy it." Her eyes were expectant.
"Ten thousand gold."
Raine was shocked. "Ten... thousand? But that’s absurd."
"That is the price," Landon replied lightly.
"I could work for years and never earn that much!" Raine threw her hands in the air. "I knew your father spent his gold carelessly in the auction back then." She glanced toward him. "So, I am expensive."
Cole coughed quietly. "That might be an exaggeration."
She pointed at him. "Not helping." She turned back to Landon. "Ten thousand gold," she repeated slowly. "For my freedom. If I have the money, I can get my indenture back, right?"
"Yes."
Raine stared at the floor for a moment before sighing. "Fine." Then she turned toward the door. But before leaving, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "One more thing."
Landon waited for her to speak, as Raine gave him a sweet smile. He had learned that if she smiled sweetly, he wouldn’t like what came next.
"The next time you ask me for a favor, my fee will be one thousand gold."
Cole blinked. "Your fee?"
Raine nodded. "If I need ten thousand gold to buy my freedom, I might as well start collecting."
"You haven’t completed this favor yet." Landon looked unimpressed.
Raine shrugged. "Consider it a preview of my future prices." Then she left the room.
Cole watched the door close behind her. After a moment, he chuckled and turned his gaze toward Landon. "I think I like her business strategy."
Landon didn’t respond to that.
***
The next morning was colder than Raine expected. A thin layer of frost covered the grass outside the pack house, and her breath turned into white mist as she stepped onto the stone path. She pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders. "This is exactly what I complained about," she muttered.
The carriage was already waiting near the front gate. Cole stood beside it, speaking quietly with the driver. When he noticed Raine approaching, he smiled. "Good morning."
"It’s too early." Raine glared at the sky. "And it isn’t that good, if you ask me."
Cole chuckled. "You’ll survive."
"Are we ready to leave?" A familiar voice she didn’t expect came from her back. She spun her body so fast it was as if she was spinning on ice.
There he was. Landon, in his travelling cloak.
"What do you think you are doing?" She hissed.
"Leaving."
Raine pointed at him in disbelief. "But you are sick."
"And you are the healer."
She leaned forward. "That doesn’t mean you should travel! Can you stop actively trying to kill yourself?"