Within the hour, the armorer had taken my measurements and would be making me some leathers a woman could be proud of wearing and safe being seen in-or shot at. I’d ordered three ensembles: one in black, one in brown, and one in midnight blue. To his credit, the man didn’t balk at the rush job. I knew he wanted me to be wearing his work as soon as possible. When someone finally did take a shot or stab at me, he wanted to make sure it was his leathers that saved my hide. There was nothing like a foiled hit to boost business.

Phaelan was less than thrilled with my choice of colors.

“You wear red,” I told him as we left the shop. “I don’t. With my red hair it’d make me look like a lit match.”

Something blue darted on the edge of my vision. Several blue somethings, man-sized, about a quarter of a block ahead. A blue so bright that it gave Phaelan’s doublet a run for its money.

One of them stopped and stared at me.

I stopped breathing.

The thing was standing in the middle of the street, people flowing around it as if it weren’t even there.

It was blue, all right. From its clawed feet to the top of its bald and horned head. Blue.

It was also naked.

I couldn’t tell if it was male or female, and I really didn’t want to get close enough to find out. But it didn’t appear to have anything to indicate that it was either sex. Creepy.

It grinned at me and darted down a side street.

I think my mouth fell open. “What’s bright blue and buck naked?” I never took my eyes from where it’d gone.

“Hmmm, I don’t know,” Phaelan mused. “I haven’t heard that one. Vegard?”

The big Guardian shrugged. “New joke?”