by David Petrie
She let out a squeak as the intimacy of the move caught her by surprise. Fortunately, he didn’t wait too long before releasing her into another twirl, which he followed with another sprawling grapevine. “How 'bout a big finish? There’s something I’ve been wanting to try.”
He was clearly having a good time.
That was when Kira noticed that none of the other couples were dancing anymore. Instead, they were all watching from the sides. Ginger beamed at her, pride evident on her face.
“Lead on.” Kira gave Berwyn a nod.
“Okay,” he lowered his head to whisper in her ear, as if conspiring, “just try to bend one leg up and point the other one.”
“Umm, what?” Kira pulled her head back.
“Don’t worry, just go with it,” he advised before spinning her backward again. Instead of holding her there, he crouched to her level and raised one of her arms over his shoulder. When he rose back up, he took her with him, both of her feet leaving the ground as he stepped in a circle.
She hadn’t been expecting it, but as he’d suggested, she went with it. In a way, it reminded her of flying. He spun twice, then a third time, increasing his speed before slipping her off and placing her back to the floor. She landed with momentum that she directed into a twirl that spun her around her partner like a top.
What the hell, why not give them something to talk about? she thought, getting carried away as she flicked a few points of mana into the spellwork of her wings. Shimmering pixie dust filled the air around her, receiving a few audible gasps from the crowd.
Finally, Berwyn pulled her back into his arms and dipped her just as the music stopped.
The room fell silent.
“Wait for it.” Berwyn held her there with one hand supporting what little weight she had.
The crowd erupted in cheers and whistles.
“And there it is.” He shot her a wink and lifted her back to her feet. Taking one step back, he bowed to her, this time placing a kiss on her hand without hesitation.
He raised his head and turned to the crowd, holding his hands out toward Kira. She gave a polite curtsy that she thought seemed appropriate for the situation. She would almost certainly regret it later when listening to Max’s comments.
Berwyn clapped his hands. “I think that’s probably a good note to end on,” he called out as the crowd settled down. “Once again, thank you all so much for coming, and I’ll be counting on your support in the months to come. So, safe travels and all that. And have a lovely night.” He gave a wave that carried a sense of finality that declared the night over.
He turned back to Kira and clasped her hand. “Thank you for making my night. I should have asked you to the floor earlier. Unfortunately, I probably need to return you to your house.”
“That’s okay,” Ginger’s voice answered from behind, clearly acting like Kira’s skills on the floor had not been a surprise. “I’m sure you’ll get another chance.”
Berwyn slipped back into his formal persona. “I certainly hope I do.” He sighed, glancing back at the palace doors. “However, right now, I should probably go meet with Mr. Holiday before he gets worried that I’ve forgotten about him. Sometimes, running an empire is not all it’s cracked up to be.” He clapped his hands together, pointing a finger at Kira. “Anyway, next time? Definitely.”
“Sure.” She smiled and inclined her head.
“Great, have a wonderful rest of your night.” He backed away, keeping his eyes on her as he vanished into the crowd.
Kira immediately slouched and let out an exaggerated sigh that droned on for longer than necessary.
Ginger opened her mouth to speak, but Kira shot her a look that said, ‘I don’t want to hear it.’
That’s when Max’s voice spilled on to the house line in mid-guffaw, as if he had started laughing before raising his ring.
Ginger raised her ring to her mouth. “Okay, I think someone has some explaining to do. Since when can Kira dance?”
“Wait, so it went well?” Kegan asked from somewhere hidden in the palace.
“Oh nothing,” Ginger answered, “just Kira putting everyone to shame on the floor. I mean, screw using me as bait for this thing. I think you just stepped on to center stage.”
“Yeah, cause that’s something I wanted.” Kira snatched a cocktail sausage off a stray plate and began walking toward the exit.
“Okay, spill it. Where did you learn that?” the Coin prodded.
Max answered for her, “She took a semester of ballroom dancing in college.”
“It wasn’t by choice,” Kira added, crossing her arms.
“So, you were forced into becoming a dancer?” Ginger snorted.
Kira blew out a sigh. “Okay, what happened was the school’s computer screwed up and dumped my whole course load senior year, and I had to re-register for all my classes.”
“So?” Ginger continued to probe.
“So, I needed one gym credit to graduate, and almost all of the classes were full by that point. It was either ballroom dancing or pay for another semester, and I didn’t exactly want to increase my student debt.”
“That sounds like the plot of an eighties movie,” Kegan chimed in. “Were you also a nerd that discovered you were beautiful all along?”
Kira ignored the question as they headed through the doors back through the entryway. The others were surprisingly silent, as is if her explanation actually made sense. Then Ginger caught on to one small hole in her story.
“Wait a sec. You’re a guy out in the real world. If that was what happened, shouldn’t you only know how to lead?”
“Yes, Kira, why don’t you tell us all that,” Max urged, looking smug as he appeared at the stairs with Farn to meet them.
“Because,” she fidgeted with her dress for a second, “I wasn’t the only student it happened to, and it just worked out that most of the class were dudes. Since I am relatively slender, the instructor made me learn the other side.” She spoke as fast as she could, hoping that they might let it pass.
They did not.
The house line filled with laughter. Even Piper and Corvin could be heard in the mix with a few chuckles each. About the only one that seemed to leave it be was Farn, who looked sympathetic as she greeted her friend with a comforting smile at the door on the way out. From there, it wasn’t long before they were back aboard the Cloudbreaker.
Kira threw herself into the back and folded her arms.
Farn settled in beside her. “I thought you were amazing out there. I don’t care what the others say.”
Kira chuckled. “Meh, it was kinda funny, and I kind of deserve it considering how much I antagonize Max and everyone else.” She rested her head on the fur trim of the Shield’s cape. “Thanks for not making fun of me.”
Farn nudged her arm. “Why would I? That took more courage than I have. You really were amazing out there.”
Kira smiled, appreciating that someone could see past the opportunity to embarrass an easy target. “I was, wasn’t I?” She let a hint of pride into her voice.
Farn sunk into her seat. “Sorry Berwyn was all over you.”
Kira shrugged. “It’s okay. He didn’t seem that bad.”
Farn’s face shifted to a frown that bordered on a scowl. “Maybe, but I don’t trust that guy.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mack_the_Ripper climbed the stairs to Berwyn’s study. The fingertips of his clawed gauntlet dragged along the railing as he moved. He wasn’t sure what his Lord needed a Shield for in the palace library, but he was the First Knight of the House of Serpents. He wasn’t about to question Berwyn’s requests. At least, not after everything the man had done for him.
It had only been a year since his Lord had found him and elevated him from Noctem’s PVP scene and given him a purpose. Up until then he had spent his nights taking the lives of every player that crossed his path. It had been fulfilling for a time, but after a while, it wasn’t enough. Killing in the name of something, on the ot
her hand, gave him more. He could actually feel something again, knowing that his openings could lose more than just experience points. It still wasn’t real, but there was something satisfying about taking away a player’s throne.
Life should be about consequences.
At least, that was what he’d told his friends last weekend when he refused to go out to the woods for beers. His parents would never let him get online if he got caught, and the Serpents needed him. He couldn’t take that chance. It wasn’t like he liked any of his friends always. They were a bunch of sheep, just doing whatever the rest of his school thought was cool.
“Ah, Ripper, there you are.” Dartmouth, the Archmage, met him at the landing.
Ripper walked past the elf without slowing. It wasn’t that he hated the guy, just that he didn’t respect him. The elf was useless in a fight. He just happened to be a good assistant and therefore held his position simply by being a convent choice.
Dartmouth let out a huff. “Oh, we all get it. You’re mysterious and anti-social. So brooding.” The elf stepped forward to block his path.
“What do you want, Mouth?” Ripper grumbled.
“I don’t want anything,” the elf pouted, “but Berwyn wanted me to tell you there is a man waiting in the study. His name is Holiday, and Berwyn wanted you to keep an eye on him. He requested for you to be vaguely intimidating.”
Ripper glowered at the elf. “Sure.”
Dartmouth patted his arm. “Yes, just like that. Now, go play nice with our guest.”
Ripper shook his head and kept walking toward the door.
The study was full of books, so full in fact, that it took up two floors with a spiral staircase connecting them. Rich, mahogany shelves and brass railings lined both. Only one wall was left bare to house a wide floor-to-ceiling window made up of hundreds of diamond-shaped panes of glass. Through it, Ripper could see the entire city of Reliqua. Below, the guests from Berwyn’s party strolled back to their ships out on the dock.
Ripper didn’t care for the event, but he had never been forced to participate, so there was nothing to complain about. He turned away from the window.
A blond man sat, tapping his fingers on the arm of a leather padded chair across from a desk.
That must be Holiday.
Ripper said nothing to the man, opting for imposing silence as he paced the shelves near the desk. A few books marked with the crest of the House of Serpents sat in a neat pile on top. Probably Reliqua’s ledgers, the ones that Berwyn used to assign the city’s hard to bounties or to replenish farming areas. They didn’t look like they had been touched recently. It made sense since Berwyn had been ignoring all that in favor of his conquest.
Ripper passed behind Holiday, making the man flinch when he got close. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow. Ripper smiled, then dragged the clawed tips of his gauntlet along one of the shelves, creating an unnerving, scraping noise.
Suddenly, the door swung open.
Holiday stood immediately to greet the Lord of the Palace but was struck dumb when his eyes fell on Nix.
The unkempt reynard girl carried a tray piled high with an assortment of food from the party. It looked like she had scavenged the leftovers of multiple trays into one. Her ears flipped back and forth.
“Oh, Ripper, you’re not who I was looking for.”
He crossed his arms and spoke without looking at her. “Berwyn is on his way up.”
She swayed a little, counteracting the weight of the tray. “That’s nice, but I was really just looking for Aawil. We were going to patrol the palace to make sure everyone gets the hell out before logging.”
“Well, she’s not here.” Ripper tilted his head to gesture to the room around them.
“Yes, I can see that,” Nix said sharply, making it clear that she didn’t appreciate his tone but that she wasn’t looking to start anything about it. She held the tray out as a peace offering. “You want some?”
“No thanks,” he responded, making nice for the sake of his Lord who had hired the idiot and her partner. Honestly, he understood why Berwyn kept Dartmouth around. The elf was at least useful, but why the Lord of Serpents wasted good hard on the pair of useless mercenaries was beyond him. He had only seen Nix fight once during the siege of Torn, and that had been nothing more than a sneak attack. It hadn’t even been one on one. No, mostly, he just saw the irritating fox girl lounging around the palace like a freeloader.
Ripper didn’t mind her partner Aawil; she, at least, kept quiet and didn’t bother him. Nix, on the other hand, was a pain in the ass, always seeming to be where she shouldn’t be and never where she should. If he had a plate of hard for every time he’d seen her drop her gun, he would have enough to start his own empire.
Nix finally pulled the tray away and held it out toward Holiday, making a humming sound that suggested an offer.
He declined.
That was when Berwyn appeared in the doorway behind her. “I’ll take one.”
She immediately stepped into the room further to let him through before holding the tray in his direction.
He leaned over, placed a finger on his chin, and hummed in an exaggerated manner.
Holiday stood awkwardly like he was unsure of what to do as he waited for his host to finish.
Eventually, Berwyn grabbed a spring roll and popped it in his mouth. Still chewing, he wandered over to a globe near his desk and flipped it open, revealing a set of tumblers and a bottle of brown liquid. He grabbed the tumblers and set them on the desk, pouring a couple drinks and handing one to Holiday without asking if he wanted one.
The man didn’t argue, taking the glass in both hands.
Berwyn leaned on the front of his desk and swallowed a mouthful of spring roll. He took a sip from his tumbler. “Ahh, I realize the system is just pulling a memory of bourbon from my mind to recreate it, but I have to say, it really nails the flavor.”
Holiday tipped his glass back. “I guess so.”
Berwyn shifted his view back to Nix. “Thank you for the snack, Nix. You know, I think I saw a tray of chocolate covered strawberries downstairs that you and Aawil might like.”
Nix sighed. “Why is it that men think that all women want is chocolate? Like I’m gonna run my ass down there and load up.”
Berwyn didn’t respond. Instead, he just stared at her until she finally got the hint.
“Oh, you meant that I should leave so that you can talk business. Gotcha, nice to know where I stand on the totem pole.” She started to leave but spun back around, the tray wobbling in her hand. “You know what, I am going to go down there and load up on those strawberries. In fact, I’m gonna eat all the chocolate I can find in this place. And do you know why?”
Berwyn rubbed his eyes with his fingers. “Why?”
She placed one hand on her hip while holding her tray like a waitress in the other. “Because I’m lactose intolerant, and in the real world, eating that much chocolate would send me on a one-way trip to diarrhea island.”
Holiday snorted his bourbon, coughing as he inhaled wrong. The idiot fox girl looked pretty damn proud of herself as she marched out of the room. Ripper slammed the door behind her.
Good riddance.
He couldn’t help but feel superior about the fact that he was allowed to stay. He took up a position directly behind Holiday to reaffirm his intimidating presence.
Berwyn gave his attention back to Holiday as he struggled to recover from a brief coughing fit. “Sorry about her. She’s a bit unorthodox, but she is a good mercenary. Wouldn’t have been able to take down shield surrounding Torn’s palace without sending her and Aawil in first.”
Ripper had his doubts about that, but he wasn’t going to question the claim.
“But that’s enough about Noctem.” The Lord of Serpents paused to take a sip. “Our business concerns the real world.” He set his glass down and placed his hands together, pointing at the man with his fingers. “You, sir, owe me a lot of money.”
Ripper’
s jaw fell open. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Berwyn had always been secretive about any details of his real life, but now, he was actually letting Ripper in.
“Yes, I know.” Holiday looked relieved, like he had been dreading the conversation all night and was glad to get it over with. “Ever since we lost that shipment, we have been trying our best to recover. I just need a couple more–”
“I’m well aware of your little mishap in Boston. You’ve been using it as an excuse for a while now.” Berwyn picked up his glass and swirled the bourbon around in it. “It’s been two years, you know?”
Holiday winced. “Ah, yes, I know, but we’re back on track now. I should have the funds together in a couple days.”
“Well that’s good.” Berwyn sounded pleased. “However, there is a problem. You missed the deadline.”
“I did. Obviously, I’m very sorry about that, and I understand if you need to adjust the payment to compensate.” Holiday lowered his gaze to the floor. “It’s a lot of money already, but your organization is the best, so I’m happy to accommodate any request in favor of keeping a good relationship.”
Berwyn nodded. “That would help. I’ve had to keep your shipment in storage longer than anticipated. And obviously, due to the nature of your purchase, that does increase the risk of my end of the exchange.”
“I certainly understand that.” Holiday’s shoulders relaxed a little.
“Oh, you know what?” Berwyn suddenly slapped a hand against his thigh. “That would still leave me with a problem.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure–” Holiday started to say but was quickly cut off.
“You have to understand; I’ve been doing this a long time, and I have other clients. Clients that pay on time and don’t leave me stuck holding a shipping container full of… contraband. If I let you get away with this now, what stops–”
“Cline, I have the money,” Holiday interrupted. He immediately cringed the second the words left his mouth.