Count Veyron waited until the treasurer carried the payment chest away before speaking again.
"I have another offer."
Teclos had already turned toward the doors. He stopped but did not look back.
Axel stood several steps behind him, the dark chain hidden beneath his cloak. The mercenary captain had left with the other survivors, eager to put as much distance as possible between himself and the severed head lying on the hall floor.
Veyron leaned forward in his chair.
"The werewolves were not the only creatures choking my roads."
Teclos finally glanced over his shoulder.
"More monsters?"
"Men."
That answer interested him less.
Veyron gestured toward the map still spread across the table.
Red marks covered the roads running between his villages, mines, and farming settlements. Some were small, no more than crosses beside narrow paths. Others had been circled repeatedly.
