by AC Cobble
Rishram whipped back to give a killing blow but Ben had seen his chance. He slammed into Rishram’s back with his entire body weight pushing them both onto Ferguson and sending all three men crashing to the ground. Ben landed on Rishram who landed on Ferguson.
Before Rishram could recover, Ben stripped his knife from his hand and scrambled to his feet. The little man didn’t follow. He lay still on top of a heavily breathing and profusely bleeding Ferguson.
By now, Renfro had recovered and was back up with his cobblestone in hand and the girls were cautiously moving around to put Ben between them and Rishram. There was no reason to fear though, Ben knew. In an eerie similarity to Meredith’s death, Ben bent down and pulled Rishram’s body off of Ferguson, and off of the wounded arm that still had the knife lodged in it. As Rishram’s body rolled off, they could see where the knife in Ferguson’s arm stabbed into Rishram’s chest. Ben’s body weight on top of the little man had sunk the knife deep into his heart.
“Shit. That hurt,” grunted Ferguson before his eyes rolled up and his head thumped down on the paving stones.
The Curve Inn that evening was a bustling hive of activity. Kirksbane was a decent sized place with it’s share of rough characters but it wasn’t every day that a group of strangers fought to the death in the middle of town during broad daylight. Locals and visitors alike packed the common room and were whispering to each other and staring. Ben felt like livestock at an auction. This must have been what Amelie and the others felt like in Farview.
Ferguson had been rushed near death to the local physician and Lady Towaal had gone to see if she could assist. The rest of the group clustered in the common room under the watchful eyes of Saala and Rhys. They had plenty of bumps and bruises but thanks to Ferguson, none of the young people had suffered any serious injuries.
The Constable spent half a bell questioning the companions before Amelie cut him off. Once he realized she was the daughter of Lord Gregor of Issen, he backed away from the investigation. As several witnesses could confirm, she’d been attacked and the attacker had been killed. She was satisfied that the man was dead so no further action from the Constable was needed or wanted. When it came to high born, the Constable had a policy learned over the years. He stayed out of it.
Shortly after the Constable left, a tired looking Lady Towaal cut through the crowd to their table.
“He’ll live, but it was a near thing. I expended all of the energy I was willing to which was enough to save his life. He will be under the physician’s care for weeks.” She glanced at Rhys, “the body?”
“Nothing, his knives were decent quality but he could have picked them up at any major city in Alcott. The clothes were in the style of Sineook Valley and he had no identifying marks.”
“The room?”
“Same story. All locally sourced provisions. No significant stock of money and no artifacts.”
“Of course, he would have known he was travelling with a Mage before we left Eastside. How did you miss it, is he not known to you?”
Rhys grimaced, “he’s not a member of any guilds I know and he didn’t have any of the customary signs. He threw me off with his pitiful bow work. I thought he was just some hack who’d managed to impress Foley and get on the payroll.”
“Do you think Foley would have…?” Towaal glanced between Rhys and Amelie.
“No,” answered Rhys quickly. “It’s too obvious - Rishram leads directly back to him. He would never risk blowback from Argren, The City and Issen with something so stupid. I’m sure it wasn’t Foley but I have no idea who could have hired the man.”
“If I didn’t have experience with your work, I’d think you were slacking off,” snapped Lady Towaal.
Rhys shrugged angrily, his frustration at himself was evident.
Towaal continued with a hiss, “so we don’t even know who he was working for. Not Lord Foley certainly, but who else has the pull in the Valley to direct something like this?”
“This is my fault,” sighed Saala. “I am here to protect Lady Amelie and I let my guard down. We must be more diligent.”
“Hold on!” broke in Amelie. “We all travelled with that man for three weeks and none of us suspected a thing. You all protected me well for three weeks and the first time you weren’t around, he struck. Let’s stop the blame and focus on what we need to do next. Keep in mind, none of you failed. I’m still alive and aside from a sore tailbone, I’m uninjured.”
She smiled attempting to break the tension and continued, “before we figure out what’s next though, when a Lady is assaulted, it’s customary for her to thank her hero.” Amelie leaned over a planted a kiss on Ben’s cheek.
Ben flushed at the sensation of her soft lips on his skin.
“A Lady and a Hero is it?” breathed the barmaid Ilyena. She was flushed from the excitement going on in the inn that evening and breathing heavily. Ben couldn’t help but notice the effect the deep breaths had on her full chest. “I’m sure Master Taber will agree,” she crooned, “drinks on the house tonight for you folks. I’ll be back with some ale.”
“Now when did she show up?” muttered Amelie.
“I, ah, noticed her just before you started kissing Ben,” said Rhys.
“Oh, you noticed her did you!” quipped Amelie.
They all laughed and the rest of the tension faded away. The concern over who hired Rishram and what motivated his attack was still there, but they knew they could trust the people left in the group. With nothing to do until morning when Reinhold’s sloop left, it was time to celebrate the fact that they were all still alive and uninjured.
Later that evening, the ale was flowing and the entire room seemed to be in on the celebration. Just like the first night, a band started playing raucous tunes and they pushed back the tables and chairs to make an open dance floor in the middle of the room.
Ben, Amelie, Meghan and Renfro all paired up again and were soon swinging and skipping to the beat. A tipsy Rhys and smooth as silk Saala joined the fun and only Lady Towaal remained seated. The ale kept flowing and Ben felt himself becoming quite drunk.
Two bells after nightfall the dances changed from partner dances to circle dances. The entire dance floor spun around in two giant circles, women on the inside and men outside. They rotated around to different partners in an endless progression of smiling, laughing faces. The faces and lights began to blur around the edges but Ben was having the time of his life.
After several rotations, Ben found himself across from Ilyena the barmaid. She was beaming up at him but he found it hard to keep eye contact. As they held hands and danced she bounced mesmerizingly with the steady beat of the music. He was entranced by her movement and when he did pull up his eyes to meet her’s, instead of the expected accusatory glare, he saw she was enjoying the attention. They danced around the room in a circle and his gaze kept falling down to her body. He had to force himself to look back up at her face. Her full rose colored lips were parted slightly and her heavy breathing was somehow worse than concentrating on the rest of her.
As they neared their starting point, where the inside circle would rotate and they would change partners, Ben wasn’t sure if he should pull her close to kiss her or turn and run.
She made the decision for him. She caught him staring again then pulled him close and whispered in his ear, “how about I give you a better look, hero?”
Her hot breath on his ear sent tingles down his spine and he found himself not resisting when she pushed him out of the circle and into a narrow hallway in the direction of the kitchen.
“Here,” she said and tugged him into a dark storage room then closed the ill-fitting door. “No one will come in here this late.”
Ilyena pulled him close. Her tongue fought past his lips and she curled her hands in his hair. They kissed hungrily and Ben felt his body responding to her warmth. She reached down below his belt with her free hand.
“Good,” she whispered, “I’ve been waiting for this since I saw you prac
ticing the sword in the willows earlier today. I was so worried you’d bed that Lady you saved tonight. But you’re all mine now and I can’t wait any longer.”
She shoved him back and he flopped down on pile of burlap sacks. Must be beans was the only coherent thought his mind could process. In the dim light, he watched her strip off her top, exposing her smooth skin. Without another word, she yanked down his pants and hiked up her heavy skirts before straddling him. She settled down and his mind swirled with sensations he’d never felt before.
“Oh…” he stuttered and his entire body tensed. He shuddered over and over again as she rocked back and forth on him, sucking and biting at his lips and tongue. Time froze until finally, the shudders stopped, his muscles turned to jelly and he fell back on the sacks, utterly drained.
Ilyena broke the passionate kiss, hand still grasping his hair and whispered in his ear, “what was that? Your first time?”
“I, uh…”
“Don’t worry, the second time is much better.” She wiggled off of him and dropped down to her knees. As she worked her lips and tongue, he found he wasn’t quite as drained as he thought. And she was right, the second time was even better.
The loud clatter of pots and pans in the nearby kitchen startled Ben awake. As his senses slowly caught up, the unfamiliar surroundings came into focus.
The smell of baking bread and the sharp sounds of metal on metal meant he was near the kitchen. Light streaming under the door meant it was morning. The scratchy, lumpy bed was a pile of sacks filled with dried beans. The pleasurable, soft warmth beside him was the barmaid Ilyena. He could feel her smooth skin wrapped around him.
His stirring woke her and her eyes popped open. In the dim light of the storage room he could see a smile break out of on her face. She tilted her head and kissed his jawline sending a shiver throughout this body. He felt himself start to respond to her nakedness.
“Good morning, My Lord,” she whispered.
“I, uh, good morning,” he mumbled barely coherent.
She slid her hand across his bare chest and said, “I’m not scheduled until lunch shift.” Her hand started to drift lower towards his stomach. “I’ve heard that Lords are not early risers, but you seem like you could, mmm, get up, this early.”
“Lords, early risers?” asked a bewildered Ben. He knew it was rude, but her perfect body was distracting and he could barely focus on what she was saying.
“Don’t be offended my sweet.” She kissed his neck and her hand continued to rub lower down his torso. “That’s what I’ve heard from friends who’ve been in bed with high born. No need for you to get up when a servant will bring everything to you. I can only imagine how wonderful that must be.”
Ben’s mind was foggy from the drink the night before and the sensations he was feeling. “Yeah, I guess Lords don’t need to be early risers. I’ve never really thought about it.”
Her hand was resting on Ben’s belly button and he fought to keep from grabbing it and pulling her to where he wanted. He involuntarily shifted his hips towards her and felt her snuggle closer in response.
In his ear she whispered, “I know this isn’t a Lord’s bed, but I like it just fine. Maybe we should stay awhile. You don’t think your Lady friends will be mad, do you? I saw the way the pretty dark haired one looks at you. She isn’t your betrothed is she? You seem like such a good man. You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”
“The pretty one? You mean Amelie.” Ben had no interest in talking but he didn’t want to upset her. “No, of course she’s not my betrothed. I’m certain she’ll marry some Lord someday.”
“Marry a Lord. Aren’t you a Lord?” she had stopped moving abruptly and Ben’s need was becoming irresistible. He had never wanted anything more than to stop this conversation and start what they had been doing the night before.
“No, I’m not a Lord. Didn’t I tell you when we first met? I’m a brewer.”
She bolted upright and he couldn’t help but stare at her pert breasts that bounced with the sudden motion. “Not a Lord? What do you mean? I thought brewing is a high born hobby. I’ve seen Taber work and no one else has time for that. This Amelie is a Lady, right? You fought for her and I saw her kiss you. I saw you practice the sword with a Blademaster. Do not tell me you’re not a Lord!”
“Ilyena…” Ben’s mind raced but all he could think about was getting his hands on her soft skin again. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to lead you on. Really, I didn’t even know you thought that. I’m not a Lord but I’m still a good man, a better man probably. That doesn’t change what we did last night, does it?”
“That doesn’t change last night,” she fumed, “but it changes what we’re going to do this morning.” She snatched up her clothes, spun around and stormed out of the storage room door, naked as the day she was born.
Ben sighed and laid back on the lumpy burlap sacks of dried beans. He could only manage to pull up his pants and give a small wave when one of the cook’s assistants peered curiously through the open doorway.
Venmoor
Lord Reinhold’s river sloop pulled smoothly away from Kirksbane’s dock and Ben leaned against the gunwales staring morosely into the murky water below. He felt awful.
“I heard there was a bit of commotion this morning,” drawled Rhys. He hitched his sword belt and looked back at Saala and Renfro who were clustered on the other side of the ship. “I’ve been asked to talk to you about it. Give you a shoulder to cry on or something. I feel like I should be buying you a beer. I’m not sure why you’re being such a pussy about this.”
Ben sighed. “I don’t need to cry Rhys, and I’m so, so glad you’re the one they sent over.”
“Despite his silky smooth and bald charms, the Blademaster isn’t as experienced with women as you’d think. Spends a lot of time with his sword. And Renfro, well, I think he messes his pants every time he even talks to a woman. So, you’re stuck with me. Now, what the hell is the problem? You got laid by a beautiful woman. Enjoy it. That doesn’t happen every day.”
“She thought I was a Lord, Rhys. That’s the only reason she did it, because she thought I was someone else.”
Rhys snorted, “that’s the way it works mate. Perception is the reality when it comes to how other people see us. You got lucky and it worked out for you last night, even if you didn’t mean it to happen that way. Think about this, you weren’t trying to deceive her. She got whatever impression she did because of what she saw. The person she saw acted like the kind hearted, heroic, high born Lord that she wanted to share her bed and probably a lot more with. Is what she saw, your actions, is that a better reflection of who you are than whether or not you were born into a family with a Title?”
“I see what you’re saying, but what she wanted isn’t what she got. She wants the Title and the gold and lifestyle that come with it.”
“Ah,” Rhys gripped Ben’s shoulder, “and that’s where you’re really lucky. With a woman like that, you got what you wanted last night and now you’re better off leaving on this ship, without her. Enjoy the memories, but you don’t want a woman like that in your life worrying you. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of worry from the women who are in your life now. Once they hear about this at least.”
Ben groaned and his head slumped down to his folded arms on the gunwale. He hadn’t thought about that yet.
The river sloop, true to Lord Reinhold and Captain Fishbone’s word, practically flew down the river. They darted around the slower moving barge traffic with Fisheye, the first mate on the vessel, deftly handling the tiller and steering sweeping turns around the slower moving obstacles.
Towaal, Amelie, Lord Reinhold and Captain Fishbone had been shuttered in Reinhold’s cabin all morning and Ben had barely seen them as they’d breezed out of the inn to depart. By lunch, they emerged onto the deck which was the most pleasant place to sit on the vessel. The speed they were moving kept a steady breeze and the tall sails provided shade.
Ben, Renfro and Rhys
were sharing a loaf of hard bread and jerked meat. Rhys nodded to Ben saying, “watch it, here she comes.”
Ben turned to see Amelie striding across the deck with a look of determination on her face. “Do you have a minute, Ben?” she asked then beckoned for him to follow her across to the other side of the ship.
“Yesterday in Kirksbane made me realize something,” she started. Ben grimaced, he had hoped this conversation wouldn’t happen and when he imagined how it would go if it did happen, it was never good. “I need to be able to defend myself. Saala, Rhys and you have been there to watch over me, but you can’t be there all of the time. I may not be able to become a Blademaster but I can learn enough to help. I can do something.”
“Wait,” responded Ben, “you want to learn the sword? I thought you were…”
“Going to ask about Ilyena?” she finished for him with a harsh look.
Ben blushed, “yes. That’s what I thought you wanted to talk about.”
“What is there to say?” she said bluntly. “I am high born and you are not. It’s nice to think otherwise but those are the facts. I should have listened to Tomas when he… well, when I heard this morning I was reminded that we come from different worlds. You have the freedom to choose who you love and I do not. I don’t understand why you wanted to be with that awful slut, but that is your choice. Maybe it was for the best.”
Her eyes glistened and Ben swallowed hard.
“Amelie, it wasn’t like that. I was drunk and…”
“I know Ben,” she sighed. “Let’s not talk about this now, Ok? With going to the Sanctuary, Meredith’s death, the attack by Rishram, there is just a lot going on. I’m not myself and I’m not thinking clearly. I can’t add another thing to my list of worries. I need a friend Ben and despite last night I know I can trust you. I’d like you to be that friend.”