“—that only appears after midnight in the wildest parts of the wood,” Jereb continued. “Trust me, you’ll know them when you see them. They have medicinal properties, especially when boiled into a tea. Lady Brenner is rather the expert at using them to heal the many injuries we suffer as a result of our training.” The rationale sounded rather lame, at least to Perfidy’s inexperienced ears. Their daily dose of godsblood seemed to heal their injuries better than any sort of fungus tea could. She didn’t question it, however, because, in her opinion, her so-called punishment was the equivalent of a soft slap on the wrist compared to what she’d expected.

“And alas, I’ve all but run out of my supply,” Lady Brenner said. “That’s where you come in.”

“Sounds easy enuff. Why are ye all freakin’ out like I’ve bin sent to pull a tooth from a tiger’s mouth?”

“That might prove to be a less dangerous task,” Julio said, his voice still higher pitched than usual. “The problem with night ’shrooms is that lots of other creatures, including the carnivores, like to eat them, presumably because they enjoy some of the same fortifying benefits. Hunting for them literally puts you in competition with some of Lostwood’s most dangerous predators.”

Perfidy remembered the massive panther. “Nuthin’ I cain’t handle,” she said, though she was glad they couldn’t tell how fast her heart was racing.

“It’s too much,” Jereb said. “I’ll go with you.”

“No,” Perfidy said quickly, not wanting to have her crime result in someone else being punished along with her. “I should do it myself.”

Lady Brenner nodded appreciatively. “I approve. You’ll begin your hunt tonight. Don’t come back without at least a dozen night ’shrooms.”

“But that’s impo—” Jereb started to protest, but Perfidy cut him off.

“That’s fair,” she said. “If there’s nuthin’ else, I’m goin’ fer a walk.”

“You haven’t had your dose of godsblood yet.”

“I’ll have it later.”

“What about training?” Jereb asked.

“I’ll be back in an hour. I’ll train then. I swear it on a hog’s curly tail.” She didn’t give him a chance to respond, turning around and marching straight into the forest. She had traps to check, after all.

“I think I like you,” Gruff said, his stumpy legs moving twice as fast to keep up with her determined pace.

“Does that mean ye won’ play anymore pranks on me?”

“Aye. And it also means I’ll come with you to find the night ’shrooms.”

“No, ye won’.”

“Why not? It’s dangerous work, and I know these woods better than you do.”

“I’ll figger it out like I always figger things out.”

“Suit yourself, but don’t come cryin’ to me when you get eaten by a hoary boar or a jag-nosed werefox.”