by Isaac Hooke
They returned to the tavern.
“You know grout is weak beer, right?” Gwen asked as they approached the entrance.
“Well that’s perfect for someone like you, who can’t hold her liquor,” Malem said.
She flashed him an annoyed smile.
Malem entered.
11
His senses were blasted by the odor of mead, the din of improvised music and chatter, and the sights of so many people crowded around the many tables.
Two strongmen on either side the door got up from their stools.
“All right, that’s far enough, monks,” one of the men said. “Raise your arms.”
The strongmen proceeded to search them. When the man looked into Gwen’s hood, he blinked, surprised by her skin color. But he recovered quickly enough, then leaned forward and whispered something into her ear. Malem didn’t like the hungry look in the man’s eyes.
Gwen smiled flirtatiously, and whispered something back; the man grinned widely, and let her through.
“What did he say to you?” Malem asked afterward. He had to raise his voice and lean into her so that she could hear above the raucous banter.
“He asked me if I wanted to be drilled by the biggest sword I’d ever seen,” Gwen said. “I replied that if such a sword ever touched me, it would be promptly separated from its hilt, broken into a thousand pieces, and fed back to its owner.”
“Nice one.”
All three kept their hoods low as they navigated the crowd. They did get a few strange looks from the patrons, but for the most part people didn’t really care.
Before Malem took a seat, he called one of his owls to stand guard atop the tavern roof, near the entrance, to keep an eye on the street just below. That would leave the rear approach to their inn unwatched, so he instructed the remaining owl to occasionally reposition between the front and back sides of The Rutting Cat to minimize the risk.
They shared a booth with two drunken travelers—a portly man with a red face and his wife, of equal girth and cheerful temperament—who welcomed the “visiting monks.”
After seating, a scantily dressed serving woman came by, and Abigail ordered a repast of fried chicken and potatoes for the three of them. Along with two jugs of the tavern’s signature grout.
“Are you really monks?” the serving woman asked Malem flirtatiously. He had pushed his hood back slightly after sitting at the table, enough to reveal his face anyway. Apparently, she liked what she saw.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Malem said. “I’ve sworn a vow of celibacy.”
“Oh, but vows are meant to be broken!” the woman said.
“I suppose so,” Malem said. “What are you doing later?”
She giggled. “You’re funny!”
Under the table, Abigail kicked Malem in the shin, hard.
As the serving woman left, a teen at the opposite table pinched her butt, and the woman screeched, giving the boy a hateful glare.
Malem shot out his hand in a blur and snatched the teen by the wrist before he could withdraw his arm. “How would you like it if someone pinched your ass when you were trying to do your job?”
“Oh, so you’re a white knight!” the kid hissed.
“No,” Malem said. “But I’m the only one who’s allowed to pinch her ass around here. Think on that, before you touch her the next time.”
“Yeah, okay,” the kid said. He tugged. “Can you let go now?”
Malem set him free and then sat back in his seat.
The server walked away, mouthing “thank you” his way.
“I can’t believe she was thanking you for essentially claiming her as your property,” Abigail said.
Malem shrugged.
The food arrived, and they ate. The traveling couple left early, leaving the table to Malem and the two women.
Once Abigail finished eating, she poured herself two big mugs of grout from the jugs, and knocked them back in two long gulps. After she slammed down the second mug, her head dipped sharply.
Malem held out an arm to catch her, but she pushed him away.
“I’m fine.” She swayed. “Whoa. The stuff seems pretty weak at first… but it packs a hard punch once you get it all down!”
Malem smiled at Gwen. “She’s the one who can’t hold her liquor.”
But Gwen surprised him by coming to her defense. “Maybe she just got a particularly strong batch.”
“That’s right,” Abigail said, her voice close to slurring.
He wasn’t sure how good of an idea it was to have a drunk fire mage in their company.
Malem grabbed the jug Abigail had poured from, and swilled it down in its entirety. He waited a few moments, but only felt a moment of lightheadedness.
He shrugged. “Seems fine to me. But I’m fairly sure I’m going to have to take an urgent piss soon.”
“On that note, I have to use the lady’s room.” Abigail shoved him, and he got up so that she could rise.
Malem offered her a hand. “Are you going to be all right?”
She waved his hand away. “Fine.”
She made her wobbly way through the crowd, toward the toilets. She excused herself every few steps when she knocked into someone.
“You think she’ll be all right?” Gwen asked.
“She can take care of herself, don’t worry,” Malem replied. But he kept a surreptitious eye on her until she reached the lady’s room.
“She’s not so bad, when she lowers that haughty facade of hers,” Gwen said.
She suddenly got up and sat beside him, squeezing close against him, ostensibly so she could hear him better. He was very conscious of the press of her robed thigh against his. He wished those fabrics weren’t in the way.
She lowered her hood slightly so he could see her face better, but she kept her head angled away from the rest of the tavern so that no one else would notice her green skin.
“So, how are you holding up?” Malem asked.
Gwen’s face suddenly saddened, and she bowed her chin. She pulled her leg away from him.
Way to go and ruin the mood.
Malem wrapped an arm around her back and gave her an impromptu hug. “I’m sorry. I won’t bring it up again for the night. Let’s talk about happier things.”
He broke free, and she wiped a tear from her eye. Then she smiled sadly. “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Malem said.
“No, but I could have done something more,” she said. “I should have.”
“None of us ever live up to our high expectations of ourselves,” he said. “We try. And usually fail. But that comes with being human.”
“You forget, I’m not entirely human,” she said.
“None of us really are,” he told her.
That made her smile. “Oh, really?”
“Uh huh,” he said.
She became serious again. “You think he’s here, in this city?”
“Who?”
“The Black Sword who hunts her,” she explained.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Maybe.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “The man responsible for the destruction of my village is going to pay, when I find him.”
“Might not be a he,” Malem commented.
“He or she, they will pay,” she promised.
The serving woman came by again, smiling flirtatiously, but Malem dismissed her quickly, to the woman’s disappointment. And Gwen’s delight.
“So tell me, Breaker,” Gwen said, pressing her thigh against his once more. “You could have your choice of any animals in the world for your companions, why these two?”
“You mean Abigail and yourself?” Malem joked.
She flashed him an irked smiled. “Funny.”
“So Felipe and Bounder,” he said. “There are some interesting stories behind the two of them. I rescued Bounder from an animal auction, and Felipe I got from a traveling menagerie. As to why I kept them? Well, I nee
ded a mount, and iguanids are particularly sturdy. They’re fast, and relatively quiet, and they can look quite menacing on the road, though that doesn’t always stop the highwaymen, as I’ve learned.”
She smiled. “Go on. Why keep the monkey?”
“Felipe is quite handy when I’m running short on cash,” he said. “Not only can he steal small foods like apples and other fruits, he’s a great companion in gambling. Specifically, card games.”
“He signals you?” she asked.
He poured himself another mug of the grout. “Not exactly. I just have to position him on the far side of the room, and I can see the cards through his eyes.”
“I’ve never heard of Breakers doing something like that,” she said.
He took a long quaff and wiped his lips. “Nor have I. Felipe also makes a great companion in the wilderness. When I camp, I can have him keep watch from the trees. Though lately he’s been too tired for that... he usually keeps later hours than me, but I’ve been keeping him up during the day with all this traveling.” He refilled his mug. “I left out the most important reason of all. The two of them are my friends. It’s as simple as that.”
She nodded. “I can understand. The bond I have with Neeme is nothing short of friendship. So what else can you do that other Breakers can’t?”
Normally he wasn’t one to brag about his abilities, but he couldn’t help it in this case. He wanted to impress her. Especially for a chance to see that toned body of hers without any clothes again.
“Well, I can transfer stamina to my animals, and grant them my night vision,” he said.
“You have night vision?” she asked. “So do I. But it’s weak, probably because I’m a half-breed. But it does make me wonder, maybe you’re a half-breed like me?”
“It’s possible,” he said. “Though my night vision is fairly strong. And I have no idea what my other half would be. I never knew my parents. They died when I was very young.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “Though I guess that makes us both orphans. Us orphan types have to stick together.”
“Here’s to that,” Malem said, raising his mug. She clinked her own with his and drank.
“If I were a Breaker, I’d surround myself with animals,” she said. “I’d walk around with armies of bears, snakes, and tigers. I wouldn’t limit myself to only two.”
“I would if I could,” he said. “Two is the most I can control at the same time. I can release Bounder and Felipe while they sleep, or even when they’re awake sometimes, since they’re fairly well trained by now. When I do that, I can temporarily control another two, but that’s about it.”
She took another long sip of her drink and when she set down the mug she rubbed her finger along the wet rim. It was somehow sensual, that motion.
The rest of the tavern fell away, became distant. She focused on him, and he returned her gaze, knowing that the two of them had fallen into their own isolated, romantic bubble in that moment.
“I’ve seen a couple of Breakers before in my life,” she said. “On the road, and in this city when I visited. I seem to recall they all had at least four to seven animals under their direct control.”
He shrugged. “And there you’ve hit upon where I’m different from other Breakers once again. It’s a fair trade off, I suppose, given the other abilities I have. Such as seducing women.”
She raised an eyebrow and gave him an amused smile. “Oh? You really think you’re the Bright One’s gift to womanhood, don’t you?” Her dismissive words were at odds to her body, which continued to show interest. She probably wasn’t even consciously aware that she was pressing her robed thigh against his, nor that she was still swirling her finger around the rim of her mug.
“I’m the Bright One’s gift and more,” he told her plainly, not breaking eye contact. He was imagining all the things he was going to do to her later.
“You remember what I told the guy at the front of the bar, don’t you?” she asked sweetly.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of using mere words to seduce you, like that moron,” he said, lowering his voice, and pronouncing each word slowly, succinctly. He kept his gaze upon hers. “Ninety percent of all seduction is done by the body and tone of voice.”
She swallowed visibly as she stared into his eyes. Her pupils suddenly dilated. “Oh really.” Her voice sounded hoarse.
“I’ve learned that every moment is precious,” he said. “That it could be our last. So I act without any restraint when it comes to my free time. And my pleasures. I enjoy life while I can. Because tomorrow, I might not be around anymore. We have to make the most of our time here, and not let any of it go to waste.”
Her nostrils flared and she stopped rubbing her finger along the rim of her mug. She pressed her leg even more firmly against his.
“We all should act this way,” she murmured. She licked her lips, and slowly tilted her head toward his.
And then some other woman sat down across from them.
Gwen tore her gaze from him and slid away so that their legs no longer touched.
The bubble had popped.
12
Malem turned toward the woman and was about to cuss her out when he realized she looked vaguely familiar. That, and she was cute as hell. She had a leather corset wrapped tightly around her torso, the kind women wore to enhance their physique: it squeezed her sides to emphasize the figure-eight formed by her hips and upper body, while at the same time shoving her breasts upward so that they bulged from the cleavage. It could make a woman with smaller breasts look like she had a huge bosom. He definitely approved of the outfit.
“I thought I recognized you,” she said. “Despite the fake monk robes.”
Malem pulled down the fringe of his hood to hide more of his face. He didn’t like the condescending tone she was using. “Who the fuck are you?”
The intruder gave Gwen the once-over. “And hanging out with a monster girl now. Truly, your stock in the world keeps rising.”
He gave her a fake smile. “I ask again, who— are— you?”
She kept her eyes on Gwen. “Did he tell you about the dark demon that stalks him? That when it comes, the demon will devour everything that gets between itself and him, including you?”
Gwen glanced at him. “What’s she talking about?”
“The mad ravings of a lunatic,” he said. He was about to give the intruder another verbal lashing, when he suddenly placed her. “You.”
“Ah, so the Breaker comes up for air, finally,” she commented.
“I barely recognized you, all cleaned up,” he said.
“You know her?” Gwen asked in amazement.
“She’s a bandit,” he said. “She and her merry band of highwaymen waylaid me on the road.”
“Yes, and he escaped with the help of the demon I told you about,” the woman said. “And then we had sex.” She said the latter with disdain, as if it bored her.
Feeling his cheeks growing hot, he turned angrily on her. “What are you doing in Redbridge?”
The bandit shrugged. “Assassination mission.”
“You, an assassin?” He laughed. “You’re the one who’s moving up in the world.”
“I’m not sure that’s moving up...” Gwen commented.
“For a bandit, it is,” he told her.
The highwaywoman swirled her hair with one finger. “I found the job thanks to you, actually. See, after you abandoned me in the forest without a ride, I hooked up with a fat merchant I seduced on the road. He hired me to erase his former business partner.”
Malem shook his head. “I’m surprised they didn’t arrest you at the gates.”
The woman smirked. “It’s called a bribe.”
Gwen glanced across the tavern, toward the restroom area. “She’s certainly taking a long time. I’m going to go check on her.” She returned her attention to the table. “This has certainly been a fascinating conversation. Have fun with your friend.”
“Gwen, wait—”
<
br /> Before he could stop her, Gwen got up and walked away, leaving him with the woman bandit.
“Finally, alone at last.” She leaned forward, and rested a hand atop of his.
He looked at her hand uncertainly.
“So, want to do it?” she asked. “Let’s go to the restroom.”
“I never did get your name,” he told her.
“You can call me Xaxia,” she said.
“Xaxia?”
“Uh huh.” She squeezed his hand slightly. “So?”
“What kind of a name is Xaxia?” he pressed.
She slid her hand away. “You’re no fun.”
“Yeah, well, maybe I’m kind of pissed about what you just did,” he complained.
She frowned. “You seriously prefer that monster woman to me?” When he didn’t answer, she said: “You do, don’t you? That’s sick.”
“Oh really,” he said. “Fine, you want to get some? Let’s go.”
He stood up, grabbed her hand, and tried to drag her from the booth.
She snatched her hand back. “I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve changed my mind.” She grabbed one of the grout jugs. “I’ll have a drink though.”
She held it to her lips and downed the whole thing while he stood watching with his mouth agape.
“Ah.” She wiped her lips and set the jug down. “Sure hits the spot. A bit weak for my tastes, though.” She stood up. “Nice seeing you again. Maybe next time we cross paths you’ll be more fun.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “I’ll be more fun?”
She winked, and turned to go. After only a few steps she paused to say over her shoulder. “Thanks for the drink.”
She walked through the crowded aisles and in moments was gone.
“Unbelievable,” he said.
Two guys tried to sit at his table and he promptly shooed them away before sitting back down.