The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King

The roads up to Sentinel took Coin and Elijah through many independent farms. The old man did his usual routine of making deals with every building they stopped at, helping to keep them afloat in terms of supplies. Whenever they couldn't secure a roof over their heads for the night, they simply slept in nature.

Generally, the road was peaceful. More than once Coin had had to chase off wolves or shadowcats, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. And he appreciated getting the occasional snack from the engagements. Elijah seemed content to have Coin serving as both a bodyguard and apprentice, and kept his lessons going in the meantime.

At night Coin maintained his practice of magic, gradually refining the ability to summon wind and electricity at a thought. But the learning was slow going, and it would be some time before he could reliably call upon it in a fight. That made him all the more grateful for the calmness on the roads.

The sun was making a steady descent as they travelled along the roads. They had passed the last trace of civilization, a farmhouse that had sold Elijah a handsome supply of cotton, some hours ago. Nothing else was on the horizon but rolling hills and verdant peaks.

Elijah grunted, sinking into the bench of the driver's seat. "I suppose we should consider setting up camp soon. I doubt we'll find a place to board at before the darkness sets in."

Coin nodded. "How are we for food?"

"We'll get by for now. Oh! But the River Olithe isn't too far from here, we should reach a bend sometime tomorrow. Wonderful region for a spot of fishing."

Coin stared at him, fighting hard to not ask what 'fishing' was for fear of giving himself away. But it sounded like a way to procure food, so the mimic wouldn't complain.

"Have you ever fished?" Elijah asked.

"I... can't say that I have." In the temple, you'd struggle to find a body of water bigger than a puddle. Which most fishermen would consider less than optimal.

The old man chuckled, stroking one end of his moustache. "Something else for me to teach you, then. And I'll have to be sure to tell you what fish are actually safe to eat. As it happens, Sentinel was built close to the Olithe. We're getting close to our destination."

Coin smiled. "Good to know. I'll admit, I'm excited to see what kind of deals you can pull there."

"Hoho! I'll try not to disappoint, in that case." As they travelled, Elijah's gaze travelled to the slopes that bordered the road. Some of them grew tall, speckled with craggy rocks that cast jagged shadows in the sunlight. "We had best be careful, all the same. No way to know what could be lurking around these parts."

"Is this spot... dangerous?" Coin asked.

Elijah considered the question, briefly pursing his lips. "The region has had issues in the past. Bandit camps and the like. Well, some years back, the worst of them were cleared away. If highwaymen steal too much in a region, you see, it causes harm to the economy. Rulers can abide harm to people, but they certainly can't abide harm to the economy. And the criminals here pushed their luck too hard, relishing in the hiding spots this scenery gave them."

Coin scanned their surroundings, looking to the looming peaks. He supposed it was a good spot for an ambush, where attackers could see travellers coming well in advance and then lie in wait atop the crags. And he knew, from experience, that the high ground was a great advantage for any marksman. He'd been plinked in the lid plenty of times by archers from on high.

"Should we be... worried?" Coin asked, frowning.

"I'm not."

And that was that.

They set up camp at the base of a hill, flanked by tall trees. The campfire illuminated them, casting a broad orange glow. From where he sat, atop an empty crate that had previously carried a few lengths of linen, Coin had enough of a vantage point to see anyone approaching from afar.

Dinner was a simple affair, a diced vegetable stew created with some gifts they'd been given from one of the farms they passed. Coin wasn't a fan. If it didn't have meat, he didn't want to know about it. But Elijah had insisted it was good for him, so the mimic had grimaced and gulped it down.

It was, admittedly, not awful.

After Elijah went to bed, Coin had sat up by the slowly dying fire. His eyes were half lidded, the mimic twirling the fingers of his right hand to summon dancing sparks. His skill had improved, he noted in the back of his mind. Each attempt made the power flow easier than the last.

Was he the first mimic in history to tap into magic? It felt like a strong possibility in his mind. But as he considered this, his tired eyes roamed toward his sleeping mentor. He was keeping his share of secrets from Elijah, and the thought of that sent a small pang of guilt racing through his body.

But what was he to do? Elijah was a good man, the first human he had ever liked and trusted, but would he accept Coin if he knew the truth? Would anyone? He was a mimic that could talk and think, yes, but undoubtedly he would still be a mimic in the eyes of anyone who knew the truth.

They'd kill him, he was sure of it. Or, if not kill him, his unique nature would make him a topic of study. That one actually seemed the worse option in his mind, making him grit his teeth. He liked his freedom. Having it taken away? The very notion sent a chill through Coin's body.

He wanted to be honest. He couldn't bring himself to be.

After some more time spent contemplating his situation, Coin closed his eyes. His sleep was light and fretful, his body going as still as a statue.

But in that light, uneasy sleep, a footstep stirred at the edge of camp. A quiet thing, something normal human ears would not have picked up on. But Coin heard the touch of bare feet on dirt, and the faint rustling of the tall grass.

The mimic sat firm, not wanting to reveal his alertness to whoever or whatever was venturing their way. An eyeball opened on the cuff of Coin's boot, coloured to resemble the texture of leather. Just as he had in the past, he could be perfectly alert while giving the impression he was totally inert.

Sure enough, a silhouette was inching into the boundaries of their camp. Short and stooping, adorned in a ragged cloak that concealed them from head to heel. Their head scanned about, checking for any sign of movement. Then, quietly, they made for a bag of provisions and opened them.

Coin sprang upright in a quick flourish, causing the stranger to spin around and gasp. They gripped the sack tight and bolted, while the sudden rush of footstep stirred Elijah from his slumber. "Eh? W-what?!" he asked aloud, his head darting around.

Coin ignored him, racing after the stranger as they dashed into the tall grass. The figure, while short, was quite quick on their feet. Certainly faster than any adventurer he'd had to chase down in the past.

But the mimic was undaunted. He grit his teeth, willing strength and vigour into his legs that propelled him forward at a rising speed. Even so, the hooded figure kept a modest distance ahead of him. In the moonglow, he caught glimpses of a steel sliver on the stranger's hip. A knife that they were in no hurry to draw.

Thinking quickly, Coin thrust his hands toward the ground and summoned a twinned gale from both palms. It slammed into the earth behind him, lifting and propelling him at great speed. He struck the fleeing thief from behind, both figures landing and rolling in a grapple that the hooded figure could not escape from. She tried to recover, but a length of flesh protruding from Coin's heel tripped her before her feet could find purchase.

Still, the stranger was strong and determined, writhing in Coin's grasp like a wild animal. But Coin's grip held firm, the muscles in his arms growing larger and stronger. Even his weight grew more pronounced, pinning the thief as Coin gripped them by the scruff.

Coin raised his free hand, balling it into a fist loaded with enough strength to smash a person's skull like an eggshell. The stranger's hood fell away, revealing two beady dark eyes and a sloping rodent-face covered in shaggy brown fur. Terror was writ large in her youthful features, eyes unblinking as they focused on Coin's fist. "P-please," she whined. "Please, no harm!"

The mimic stared down at her. He had only fleeting memories of ever seeing a creature like her before, before the goblins in the temple had done away with her ilk: A kobold.

As he stared into those panicked eyes, heard the rapid beating of her heart, Coin found himself he could not bring himself to land a blow. Kobolds weren't as vicious as goblins. That was why they hadn't survived the onslaught.

She didn't attack him, so he didn't bring himself to attack her.

Elijah came racing up to the two, puffing and red-faced. "G-good grief! Was that magic you just used?"

Coin nodded stiffly, not looking away from the terrified thief. Who, increasingly, seemed bewildered by the fact that her head was still in one piece.

"You are... truly full of surprises, my lad," he murmured, before glancing to the kobold. "So... a thief in the night eh? Let her go. Thieving isn't a death sentence. And she seems more afraid of us than we are of her. Suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see a kobold near here."

Coin slowly got off of the young woman, who let out a shaky breath of relief. He offered a hand to her, which she reluctantly took to help herself up. Her thin pink tail unfurled behind her, swishing behind her.

"Come along then," Elijah said, sleepily motioning back toward the direction of their camp. "If you need food so badly, you might as well do it seated somewhere comfortable. Do you have a name, lass?"

The kobold blinked in confusion, twitching her whiskers. "This one is called Essine."