Deepwoods (Book 1)

by Honor Raconteur

  Rune accepted the seal she handed out to him with both hands, eyes wide with surprise. “I’m…a member of yer guild?”

  “Officially, as of…” she glanced at the clock on the wall, “about two hours ago. Welcome! I’ll tell everyone else about it as I see them. Now, make sure not to lose this. They’re ridiculously expensive to replace.”

  He flipped open the top of the badge so he could look at the seal. The Deepwoods crest wasn’t anything fancy. Siobhan had been stuck for a name and symbol to use for the guild when she’d created it nearly a decade ago, and so had chosen a name that she and Grae had used for their secret hideout as children. The “D” with its stem and leaf design had been done by Beirly, the only person in the guild who had any artistic talent. They could probably afford to have a better version done now, but they were so established with that name and symbol, Siobhan felt it better to leave things be.

  Rune certainly didn’t seem to mind that the crest had so little flair to it. He flipped it closed again and turned it over in his hand, looking at the back.

  Then he froze.

  When the silence stretched to an uncomfortable length, she cleared her throat and offered, “I hope you don’t mind?”

  “It…says…”

  “Rune Maley,” she confirmed.

  If a feather had landed on his shoulder at that moment, the ex-assassin would have fallen straight to the floor. He didn’t even seem to breathe.

  Siobhan watched his expression carefully, trying to gauge if he was upset with what she had done or not. But he seemed so stunned that he didn’t know how to react at all.

  “Maley,” he whispered in a hoarse tone. “Isn’t that…yer last name?”

  “Yes, so it is,” she responded carefully. “When I went to register you a member of my guild, and get your crest made, they told me you had to have a full name to do any of that. I figured, I half-named you already. I might as well finish the job.”

  His eyes finally rose to meet hers. In those clear blue eyes were all the wonder, joy, and life that a child would reflect after receiving a lifelong wish. She could see it all in that moment—he had never expected her to do anything like this for him.

  “The Maley family is from Widstoe,” she told him with a soft smile. “We’re an old family, usually made up of carpenters and weavers. I’m the odd one in the bunch, with my habit of traveling. It’s a good name, with a good reputation.” Reaching up, she cupped the back of his head and mussed his hair in an affectionate way. “So take care of it.”

  “I—” he had to clear his throat and try again. “I will.”

  “Good.”

  ӜӜӜ

  “You want me to do what?”

  Rune’s impish grin widened a notch. “Learn ta skulk.”

  So she had heard him right. Siobhan closed the book in her hands and leaned forward in the chair. She’d squirreled herself into a corner of the common room, enjoying a moment of peace, and the last thing she’d expected was this random invitation from Rune. It was, in fact, the first thing he’d ever asked her to do and showed tremendous progress on his part. Seeing the enthusiasm in his eyes, she didn’t have the heart to tell him that crawling around in spider-infested rafters was the last thing she wanted to do. “Well, alright, why not?”

  “Excellent. This way.” He grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her easily to her feet.

  Somewhat bemused by this odd turn of events, she followed him down the hallway and into a narrow access that he opened to get into the roof. He had to boost her up, actually, as she didn’t have the necessary upper body strength to haul herself inside.

  Siobhan sat near the opening and looked around. It was dim, with barely any light to see by, which could be a mercy. Not seeing how many spiders were up here was a blessing. The dust was so strong her nose kept twitching, threatening to sneeze.

  Rune boosted himself up with a simple heave before replacing the ceiling board. In a low tone, he told her, “Yer eyes will get used ta it up here, no worries.”

  “Right.” How in the world had she gotten talked into this?

  As he led the way, he explained in a whisper, “The best part of skulki’n is spyi’n on people. It’s fun ta watch.”

  “Hence why you’re always up here?”

  He just chuckled mischievously, like a boy that had been handed an unexpected present.

  “How in the world do you know where you’re going?” she asked in true curiosity. She’d never thought to question that before, but now that she was up here, it was just a huge expanse of open, dark space. There wasn’t anything to signify what rooms were below her, except the odd chimney here and there.

  Rune tapped a finger to his temple. “Got the place memorized. Did that first day. First lesson: ya got ta know the layout of the buildi’n otherwise ya get lost quick-like.”

  She could certainly see why. The space up here was barely tall enough for them to walk at a stooped level. “Second question: why aren’t you hunched like an old man by now? You can’t walk properly up here.”

  Rune shrugged, not concerned about this. He was apparently used to it after all these years.

  “So where are we now?”

  “Just above the common room, headi’n toward the main dini’n room.” Rune paused and half turned to see her face. “I saw Wolf, Tran and Markl headi’n that direction.”

  “Ah, hence your desire to spy on them?”

  He gave a sage nod which belied the devilry in his eyes. “Don’t ya want ta know what they do when yer not watchi’n?”

  “I know what they do, trust me,” she responded dryly. “Because I usually have to pay for it.”

  Rune gave a shrug of agreement but didn’t stop leading her. Then he paused and sank down onto his haunches, pointing downward. Siobhan knelt next to him and saw that there was a small knothole that allowed her to see the center of the room, or at least part of it. A table, some chairs, and a small patch of floor were visible but not much else. Siobhan opened her mouth to ask if he was sure that those three were coming here when she heard Wolf speak.

  “It’s cha-po, not chapo.”

  “It’s a word from my native tongue, Wolf,” Tran responded in exasperation. “I should know how to say it!”

  “No, it can’t be,” Wolf denied. “I hear it used in Robarge all the time.”

  “That’s ‘cause people adopted it. It didn’t come from there.”

  Rune glanced up at her and whispered in a barely audible tone, “Is that all they do? Argue?”

  “That and eat,” she replied sourly. “When they need to, they partner up and fight together seamlessly. But when there’s no one to fight, they fight each other.”

  He gave her an odd look. “And ya let ‘em?”

  “I stop them when I see it, but they’re two grown men. I’m not going to mother them.”

  For some reason, Rune found that even stranger. Had in-fighting been completely outlawed in his previous guild? No, Jarnsmor had said that Silent Order had regular fights that killed off its own members. Perhaps Rune expected her to stop such nonsense and found her unwillingness to dictate Wolf and Tran’s every action odd.

  “I’ve never traveled to Teherani,” Markl said in a cautious tone. “And I’m barely familiar with Tran’s language. I can’t begin to offer an opinion.”

  “But cha-po is something you hear in Robarge, yes?” Wolf pressed.

  “Oh, constantly.”

  “It’s chapo, you lughead,” Tran snapped. “At least say it right!”

  A chair abruptly scraped back in a screeching sound. “I am saying it right, you ham-handed fool!”

  Siobhan let out a weary sigh. “I give it five seconds before the first fist flies.”

  Rune cocked his head. “They don’t fight every time they argue.”

  “Trust me, that’s a fight waiting to happen.” Seeing that he didn’t believe her, she asked, “Want to bet?”

  “Terms?”

  “We always wager the same thing,” Siobhan
explained. “It’s traditional in the guild now. Whoever loses buys the other person’s next meal. Or snack, if that’s preferred.”

  Rune gave a silent ‘ahh’ of understanding. Then he held out a hand. “Bet taken.”

  She solemnly shook to seal the deal. Siobhan cocked her ear toward the hole, listening to the argument escalate.

  “Is not!” Wolf thundered.

  “Is too!” Tran snapped back.

  “Is not!”

  “Five…” she muttered under her breath.

  “Markl, who’s right?!”

  “Four…”

  “I told you, I don’t know enough to be sure—”

  “Three…”

  “You’ve got brains the size of a bird’s, who’d believe you!”

  “Two…”

  A meaty thunk sounded below, a familiar sound that she knew well. Someone’s fist had rammed into someone else’s face. Hopefully it wasn’t Wolf’s iron fist, as the last time he’d used that against a face, he’d broken the man’s jaw.

  Rune leaned down and put his eye directly against the knothole. “Ya even have it timed,” he said in amazement.

  “It’s just experience. Live with them for another five years, and you can do the same thing.” She shook her head in exasperation. “Is Markl fighting too? Can you see them?”

  “Sure is.”

  “Poor man. I forgot to warn him. If another man is nearby when those two start fighting, he’s inevitably drawn into it somehow. Keep that in mind.” Rising to her feet, she asked, “Where’s the quickest way down?”

  “I thought ya didn’t stop them.”

  “I said I didn’t mother them. I stop them when I see them fighting. Besides, if I don’t stop this quick, they’re going to damage Jarnsmor’s furniture, and I’d rather that not happen. He’s been a perfectly good host so far.”

  Rune’s open hand said she had a good point. He rose to his feet and gestured her to follow, leading her about ten steps away before he knelt again and opened another ceiling panel. If he hadn’t led her to it, she’d have never known it was there. Lifting the board free, he eyed the distance to the ground. “How good are ya at jumping?”

  “About as good as climbing.”

  “Ah. In that case, me first. I’ll catch ya.”

  She blinked at him in surprise. “You and I are about the same size. You sure you can catch me?”

  He gave her a long look, as if indignant she questioned such a thing.

  Holding up her hands in surrender, she didn’t press the point. After all, if he was sure, he was sure. If he was wrong, he’d just end up squashed under her.

  Rune hopped through the hole and landed as easily as a cat, not at all bothered by the eight foot drop. With a breath for courage, she maneuvered her legs through the hole first then pushed off, dropping the rest of the way. Proving he was right, Rune caught her easily under the arms and set her to her feet without any noticeable strain on his part. Great winds, he was stronger than he looked! She’d met few men that had the strength to do what he’d just done.

  Smiling, she patted him on the shoulder in silent thanks before pushing away and looking around. They were in the hallway just outside the dining room door. Oh good. She was close. Pushing through the door, she drew air into her lungs and yelled, “STOP!”

  The tableau froze.

  Wolf had one fist drawn back, ready to strike. Tran had a hand up to block the strike, the other around the arm Markl had around his neck. Markl was apparently trying to draw Tran away from the fight, but against the bigger man, he wasn’t having much of an effect. When she stepped inside, all three of them looked at her cautiously.

  “Markl,” she said kindly, “I know you’re not at fault in this so you’re not in trouble. Be forewarned, however, that this usually happens if you are around these two. If they start arguing, just walk away. Otherwise you’ll get drawn into the fight.”

  “Ahhh…” he slowly released Tran and stepped back. “Right.”

  Still with that sweet smile on her face, she turned to the other two. “Now. It’s clear to me that if you have the energy to fight over how to pronounce a word, then you need something to do.”

  “How did you know what we were fighting about?” Tran questioned slowly, eyes suspicious.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a self-righteous look. “I was learning the finer art of skulking. I overheard you.”

  All three men gave her an incredulous look before their eyes darted to the ceiling.

  Rune popped up behind her and waggled his fingers in a little wave at them.

  “Ah,” Wolf grunted. “I should have guessed. He’s corrupting you.”

  “Corrupti’n’s an awful word,” Rune mourned with mock-innocence. “I’m teachi’n her!”

  Wolf rolled his eyes.

  Siobhan cleared her throat to get their attention back. “Regardless of how I learned it, the matter stands. We are not going to cause our hosts trouble, we are not going to destroy their furniture, and I will not stand for further fighting on these grounds. Clear? Good. Now, Wolf and Tran, you need to find something to do that doesn’t involve each other’s company.”

  With nods and sighs, they complied and filed out of the room, going in different directions once they hit the hallway. Hopefully they stayed away from each other for the rest of the day.

  Siobhan had to admit that this skulking thing had advantages. “Rune, let’s go back up.”

  He brightened perceptibly. “It’s fun, ain’t it?”

  Yes, it surprisingly was.

  While Iron Dragain had a very nice complex, and the members here went out of their way to be hospitable, Siobhan could hardly stay on their grounds day in and day out without risking her sanity. What she had left of it, anyway. She tried to find other things to do, but packing for the trip hadn’t taken more than a few minutes. After picking up and setting down the same book three times, sharpening her swords, and picking at a mid-morning snack, she finally gave up. Maybe a good stroll around the city would help.

  Walking around and doing some sightseeing appealed to her, but she knew good and well that this place was a labyrinth. She in no way wanted to stay lost for the rest of the day, or worse, wander into the wrong part of town alone. No, better to have a guide.

  Leaning back in her chair, she called to the ceiling, “Rune?”

  No answer.

  Hmm, now that was strange. Since Fei had taken Rune under his wing, Rune had been up in the rafters nearly nonstop. Perhaps he was spying on someone else instead of her for a change? Come to think of it, she didn’t know how much time he spent on any one person before moving on. He seemed to know what everyone was up to, but he couldn’t possibly do that without splitting his time among them.

  With a scrape of the chair, she left the table and walked out into the hallway, calling to the ceiling as she went. “Rune? Rune! How strange, where did he get off to? Sound carries up there quite well, he usually hears me. Rune!”

  Two women passing by gave her strange looks. Siobhan managed an embarrassed smile and rubbed at the back of her neck. Oh, right. This would look strange to anyone else, her calling a person’s name to a blank ceiling. Come to think of it, should she be advertising that Rune spent his time up above everyone’s heads? Hmmm.

  At that moment, Sylvie rounded the corner at a dead run, spied her, and relief washed over her face. “Siobhan! Oh thank the stars, quick, come stop them!”

  “Stop who?” she demanded, reflex kicking in so that she automatically ran forward.

  “Rune and a few men from Iron Dragain,” Sylvie explained quickly.

  “Rune? Why?”

  “I don’t know!” Sylvie practically wailed. “I was just walking by and saw one of Iron Dragain’s men—Kark? Kirk? Something like that—take a swing at Rune. Of course, Rune dodged it, but right now he’s up against three of them!”

  No matter how good a fighter he was, those were steep odds. “Where?”

  “Dead ahea
d, take two lefts, it will dump you into the right courtyard,” Sylvie rapidly instructed.

  Siobhan lengthened her stride, quickly leaving Sylvie behind, as the other woman wasn’t a particularly fast runner. She followed the directions to the letter and skidded to a halt just inside the doorway that led out into the courtyard.

  If she hadn’t stopped, she’d have lost her head.

  She took in the sight with open dismay and a sick sensation twisting her gut. Hadn’t Sylvie said three?! She counted a good half-dozen men in there now, all trying to tear a strip off of Rune’s hide. The former assassin was dodging and weaving, focusing so totally on defense that he barely got any strikes in himself. She could tell from the controlled way his fists moved that he was taking care to not seriously injure anyone.

  Great thunder and rain, just what was she supposed to do to stop this? Three men might listen to her, but six guildmembers of Iron Dragain would not heed the words of a Robargean guildmaster. At the same time, she didn’t want to go hunt down one of the officers of the guild, either, for fear that the situation would abruptly become worse the moment her eyes left them.

  From another doorway, on the left side of the courtyard, Wolf and Fei appeared. They took in the scene with its grunts, curses, and flash of weapons with open surprise, but then a devilish smile came over Wolf’s face. He said something to Fei, which made Fei shake his head in resignation, before Wolf jumped off the porch and onto the paving stones. With a whoop, he punched the nearest man, sending him flying, then dodged and weaved until he came to Rune’s back.

  Siobhan, all set to protest this, stopped mid-step at the look on Rune’s face. He was…not just amazed that Wolf had come to fight at his side, but touched by it as well. For the first time that she had known him, he gave a genuine smile. Then with a whoop of his own, he started fighting in earnest and actually doing damage to people.