The Mercenary's Bounty

by Kristen Banet

  She nodded and silently made her way onto the ramp and walked down it. The moment her foot touched the pier, she felt like she could breathe easy. She’d done it. She made it to another continent. Olost, home of the Free Cities.

  Her legs wobbled as they walked down the pier. Something seemed off, and Bryn was the one who noticed.

  “Aye, ya still usin’ yer sea legs. Don’t worry, that’ll wear off by the end of the day.”

  “Is that what’s wrong?” she asked, wondering why her balance was off.

  “Yeah. Your body adjusted while we were at sea. We’re all going to be a bit off for a couple of hours, I bet.” Matesh chuckled. “You get used to it.”

  “As long as it’s not permanent,” she mumbled, shaking her head. She didn’t like the sensation.

  They split off from Luykas and Alchan quickly. Mave took the time to walk a little slower than she normally did. She wanted to take in this new place.

  Namur, one of the city states of Olost, one of those legendary free cities she had heard about. It smelled like the sea and fish, something she was used to now. Colors exploded everywhere, from the rich colors of people’s clothing to the tarps of market stalls lining the streets. The cobble beneath her feet was even a pretty shade of blue and the buildings were clashing different colors of stones. It wasn’t as tall as Elliar, but it had some size to it, going up a hill away from the coast, like it was growing over her.

  It was the most different city she could probably see from what she knew. For all the white of Elliar, there was none here. Everything had color and it stood out. It was chaotic and beautiful.

  Someone grabbed her elbow and shocked her.

  “Mave, you need to keep up,” Mat said to her, smiling. “Enjoying the sights?”

  “I am,” she answered. “It’s really pretty here.”

  “It’s very different than most places, that’s for sure. It’s considered the pirate city and with it, there’s a lot of different cultures here, coming together to create what Namur is. They also say fashion is born here, thanks to the crazy creative people that are drawn to the wildness of the city.”

  “You pay attention to those types of things?” She couldn’t believe it.

  “Mave…I’ve been passing through Namur for a thousand years. Maybe it’s because you’ve been stuck in one place, but yeah, I pay attention. Every Andinna does, especially those of us that travel. This city was very different a millennium ago. I’ve gotten to witness it blossom into this.”

  “What was it like? A thousand years ago, what did Namur look like?”

  “It was a dreary port city that did mostly fishing. It’s come a long way.” Matesh grinned. “Come on. Bryn’s already decided on the inn he wants us to stay in for the night. We just need to get there and get settled in.”

  “Aye, yeah, and we need to hurry. They might not have rooms and if they don’t, we’ll need to check other places.” Bryn was ahead of both of them. Mave realized they were towering over everyone else. Humans went to her chin, for the most part, and the two males she was with? They towered over everyone like dark specters.

  She walked faster for them, still trying to drink in the city. They were only going to be there for the night. She wanted to experience as much of it as possible. She even had to resist stopping and looking in shop windows at rich gowns so different from the ones she had seen in Elliar.

  When they arrived at the inn, Mave stopped a moment to read the sign before being pulled inside. Hornbuckle Inn and Tavern, in Common. There was another language underneath she didn’t understand. It wasn’t Elvasi, Common, or Andinna. Inside, there were fires going, even though it was summer. People sat at tables and behind the bar in the back was a dwarf. She wasn’t expecting that.

  “Togi!” Bryn called out. “Have space for the Company tonight?”

  The dwarf looked over the three of them and gave them a grin. “Always! You know I love when y’all drop by! What do you need?” He looked over her the longest. “A female.” There was an awe to his last word. She remembered what Luykas had said about females never traveling now. It sank home in that moment.

  “New member of the Company, Togi,” Matesh explained. “Mave, meet Togi. The Hornbuckle family, dwarves that once lived in Anden, are big supporters of ours. They’re all over Olost now and run one of these places in each city. They will always welcome you if you need a place to lay your head.”

  “Nice to meet you,” she greeted the male.

  Togi extended a hand. She didn’t have much experience with dwarves. The only one she had known was another slave, convicted to life in slavery for murdering his wife. She had never gotten along with him. She trusted Matesh and Bryn, though. She took the hand and shook with the dwarf, firm and steady.

  “Nice to meet you as well!” he replied brightly, already having shaken off his shock at her appearance. “Now, Bryn, you know the entire Company is going to cost you…”

  “Aye! Let’s work out the details.” Bryn chuckled and sat down at the bar. She watched him pull out a few pieces of paper and begin talking and pointing to different things with Togi. While they did business, she looked out at the other patrons. Many of them watched her back, some with wide eyes.

  “There’s a lot of people staring at me. It’s because I’m female, isn’t it?” She hoped it wasn’t.

  “It is. You’ll get that a lot. I’m sorry. The Company tends to draw the eye already, since we’re the biggest roaming group of Andinna around, but having a female is going to make it worse.” Matesh sighed. “Leni, can we get drinks and settled in a booth while Bryn and Togi work things out?”

  A female dwarf quickly agreed, nodding without a word, and Mat led her to a large booth that was obviously fit to handle wings and tails. It was made for Andinna. The table was even taller than others.

  Drinks slid in front of them and she sipped hers carefully. She didn’t think it would be poisoned, thanks to what Matesh said. No, she just had no idea what was in the cup.

  “What is this?” She wasn’t sure she liked the thick alcohol taste.

  “Ale. It’s standard fare for the dwarves and most taverns. Mead is more common for us Andinna to drink, but it can be seasonal, and wine is pretty expensive.” Matesh took a long swallow of his drink. “You get used to it. It’ll ease the nerves.”

  “And get me drunk,” she reminded him.

  “Yeah, well…how do you think it eases the nerves?” He grinned, showing off his canines. She chuckled, only sipping from her drink with care. She hadn’t gotten drunk before and she wasn’t sure she wanted to experience it yet.

  She listened to the conversations around her, or tried to. Music was playing from a man with a violin. Others were chatting about the food or the weather. Nothing important or interesting, but it was all things she had never once talked about with someone, not in such an aimless way. The closest she had gotten to talking about aimless things in the pits was the time she defended the slop from Rain’s criticism.

  Of all the things I enjoyed. The slop.

  She huffed at the thought. The spicy jerky and endless fish on the ship was better than it, and even the males had been complaining by halfway through the trip. She was told to expect even better food on land, and that excited her.

  “Hey, we have rooms now,” Bryn said, walking over and peeking into the booth. “Come on. Leni will show ya to yer room. I got ya two the biggest one.”

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Mat replied, standing up with a stretch.

  “I did. Gift to Mave. Enjoy it. It’s got that Elvasi internal pipe stuff.” Bryn grinned.

  Mave wasn’t sure what her response should be, so she just smiled back. “Thank you.”

  The female dwarf, Leni, silently led them up some stairs in the back of the tavern area of the inn. They went to the top floor, three flights of stairs up, and she handed Mat a key before walking away.

  “Is she always so quiet?” Mave asked, hoping it wasn’t because of her.

  “
Leni? Yeah.” Matesh sighed, unlocking the door. “She doesn’t have a tongue, just so you know. Should have warned you.”

  “Oh!” Mave gasped. “That’s awful.”

  “Isn’t it? It was eight hundred years ago. Leni is a great lady. Togi’s wife, by the way.” Mat opened the door. “Come on. Go check out the place Bryn probably blew half his money on.”

  Mave tentatively entered the room and sucked in a breath. It was luxury personified, with rich fabrics in deep, saturated colors and thick rugs underneath the furniture in some sections. The floor was a deep red wood that was warm and inviting.

  It was beautiful.

  And in the middle? A huge bed, big enough for three Andinna or more, she was certain of it.

  “He really was trying to give you something nice,” Mat commented. She could notice the very small bite to it. “Go take a bath and test all of that out. Getting clean is going to be everyone’s first priority.”

  “Don’t care to join me?” she asked softly, turning back to him.

  “Tell me if there’s enough space and I absolutely will,” he answered, grinning again. That had knocked the edge off him, like she had hoped.

  She wandered into the other room, admiring the large tub and the strange faucets. She fiddled with them, curious. Water began to pour out and she looked under the tub, realizing she could open a vent and heat would come from a fireplace down below. It all seemed very ingenious and advanced.

  Almost too much, really. She didn’t really care about hot water or anything, just as long as she could bathe.

  Then she saw all the bottles near the tub. Those she could figure out a bit easier. She had once been Shadra’s slave handmaiden. Soaps and perfumes for the body. Shampoos and other liquids for the hair. She had never used any herself, but there had been a time when she helped Shadra with all of these things.

  It should have been wonderful, to be a female playing with all of these items, she guessed. Honestly, they left a somewhat bad taste in her mouth. They only reminded her of that distant time in slavery before she was thrown to the pits. Where she went from struggling young female to hardened and dangerous warrior.

  So long ago.

  When the tub had enough water, she stepped in, grabbing a cloth to begin cleaning herself. Weeks of grime needed to go. It was the longest she had gone without bathing in centuries, that was certain.

  The door opened and she saw Matesh standing in it, nude, waiting for her invitation.

  “I think there’s enough space, if we both stand,” she murmured, gesturing for him to come closer.

  He did, stepping in next to her. There was enough space. The tub was bigger than her old bathing pool. He didn’t start cleaning himself, though. He grabbed another cloth and a bar of soap, lathering it up. She shivered when the washcloth ran over the inside of her right wing.

  “Is this a thing too?” she asked, enjoying the feeling of him washing her wings.

  “It is,” he answered, kissing a clean area. “And when you’re done, I’ll finish up. Would you like to help with my wings? I would appreciate it, but you don’t have to.”

  She chuckled, letting him continue to scrub her wings. “Yes, I’ll help you with your wings,” she told him with a smile.

  She used a fancy little bucket to scoop some water and begin on her hair, pouring it over her. She relented on using the shampoo for it when she realized just what sort of state her hair was in. How did Mat ever find her attractive on the ship?

  She glanced back at him and saw why. I didn’t realize how dirty we both were. He’s just as bad.

  They bathed slowly and with care. When she was done, she helped him get all the sea salt off his wings, watching how he got shivers as well from the touch.

  There was an intimacy to it all, bathing like this with someone else. She enjoyed it, hoping they would get to do it again, and soon. Especially with the way Mat looked at her as they stepped out of the tub.

  Heat simmered between them.

  They didn’t make it to the bed. Not the first time.

  14

  Alchan

  Alchan walked quietly with Luykas, trying to enjoy being on solid land again. He couldn’t find the excitement, but then, he never really could. Soon, he would be back with the other Andinna and all the problems he wanted to avoid would come back. All the responsibility and all the weight of it, threatening to crush him.

  His brother knew why he was in a mood. Luykas didn’t have the same problem, thanks to his Elvasi half.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Luykas asked softly as they stepped into the Namur bank, or one of them. There were a few around the city, all regulated by the city’s government.

  “I’m going to get laid, and that might help,” he answered honestly. “You know I don’t like being…home.”

  “Yeah, I know, but even you need to put your feet up sometimes. You can’t run yourself into the ground working.” Luykas patted his back with brotherly affection.

  I wish I could. It would be easier than dealing with everything else.

  Alchan felt childish and bitter for the thought, but he was thrust into a terrible position at only eight hundred years old. At eighteen hundred, nothing was easier. He wasn’t any better at the job, and he feared he never would be. The only thing he could really be grateful for in his life was the Company, the males who didn’t treat him any differently. They respected him, most of the time, and they were his friends, also most of the time.

  “How much are we pulling out of our savings?” he asked, wondering what he and Bryn had come up with.

  “More than we really should, but this mission was hard and it didn’t earn us anything. Things are going to be a little lean for us this winter, even with the raid.”

  Alchan sighed. They went through phases of too much money and not enough. Something would always happen that drained their finances, and it would take a few years to rebuild their savings in the different cities.

  “Just Namur, right?” He didn’t want them going broke in all the cities of Olost. Each city ran a self-contained banking system. They talked to each other, and you could withdraw coin from a different from a bank in Namur, but it was iffy business. Anything could go wrong. It was safer to keep savings evenly distributed between the cities and use what was available in each one.

  “Yeah, just Namur, so it’s not that bad. We could always take a quick trip to another city to get more if we need it.” Luykas gave him an easy smile, and he took it as a good sign.

  “If you sirs could come with me,” a human said politely to them. Alchan almost smirked. Humans tended to serve them quickly and get them out of the bank as soon as possible. Maybe it was the fact that they were all probably twice the size of all of them, or that Andinna were very good at killing.

  Luykas took the lead, while he trailed behind. He didn’t like dealing with the banks or the money. He would rather be out there, planning an attack or an escape, getting into a fight and proving he was the best warrior in Olost. He wasn’t, but he knew his Company was the best group of warriors the Andinna could offer. Their numbers used to be higher. A few retirements, several deaths, a couple of captures they couldn’t save in time.

  But they were still the best warriors on this continent, and he enjoyed testing their limits, making sure his males were still sharp.

  And female. Let’s not forget that new addition. I can’t - she’s never going to let me forget she’s there. I just hope we make it out of this city without any incidents.

  He wanted to hate her, he really did. A female who challenged him constantly, who called him out on his behavior. It was like he had one of the bitches from the villages with him all the time now.

  She was right to do that, though. I was an intolerable prick when I first laid eyes on her. I’ve never been that rude to a female, even when I’ve wanted to be.

  And now she knew what he was. That helped him, he guessed. She didn’t seem to want to strangle him as bad and she hadn’t back-talked his order t
o stay hidden while she only had Matesh. She quickly fell in line with his reasoning.

  He was ignoring Luykas and the banker, only tuning in to the conversation when they told him to sign something. He ended up signing more pieces of paper than he wanted.

  “Do you need to make a personal withdrawal?” Luykas asked him. “For…”

  “Yes. I’ll need fifty gold suns. Give me two hundred silver moons as well.”

  The banker jumped up, wide-eyed. Fifty gold suns was an amazing amount of money. Most humans, unless they were filthy rich merchants or politicians, would never see that sort of money.

  “Don’t blow it all in one place,” Luykas teased with a huff, knowing full well Alchan intended to. Probably getting blown in the deal. “The silver?”

  “I just wanted some pocket money as well.” Alchan shrugged. “The gold goes to…you know, but I wanted some change in case I wanted to grab a bite to eat or anything.”

  “Copper would be better,” his brother reminded him.

  “Copper makes people think I’m poor.” Alchan raised an eyebrow. He was the wealthiest person in the Company, though it wasn’t because of his money management. “It would be dishonest.”

  “You are such a-”

  “Your withdrawals, sirs,” the banker interrupted, holding three large bags. Behind him, two others carried a small chest. “Fifty gold suns and two hundred silver moons for you, sir.” He placed two bags in front of Alchan. “And…three hundred gold suns and four hundred silver moons in the chest.”

  “The last bag?” Alchan asked, frowning.

  “You need to pay attention,” his brother mumbled. “It’s for…It’s for Mave. She needs certain things. I’m not going to tell her I got this out for her, but you know if we go to the village without…”

  “Yeah…” Alchan groaned. Females. He knew Mave probably didn’t care about anything Luykas was thinking of, but the females back home? They would notice the absence and question the reason. “How much are you considering spending on her?”