This explanation was half-complaint, half-tolerant affection. He finally had a good explanation for why this very independent woman put up with Wolfinsky’s overbearing attitude. She had taken a wounded soul and was slowly, patiently, healing him. What she was doing was not in any sense an easy path to take. Still, no matter how much she struggled with her giant enforcer some days, no matter how much aggravation he caused her, Siobhan’s love for him was strong enough to pull him through and bring him to a better place than he was.
In that moment Fei felt a deep and abiding respect for this woman. It was because of this, perhaps, that an old saying from home came out unbidden. “Storms make oaks take deeper root.”
Siobhan stopped dead and looked at him quizzically. “I’m not sure I follow, Fei.”
“He weathered a great storm and it lingers still, but because of it, his roots have grown very deep. Be patient with him, Maley-zhi, for a little while longer. The storm will pass on its own in time. When it has, you will not find a man of his equal.”
Her expression was unreadable, smooth but not hard. “You’re one of those, aren’t you? The type that sees everything and only speaks when they feel like they have to.”
“I do not see everything,” he denied easily. The other half was accurate though.
“Uh-huh.” Siobhan’s tone stated succinctly that she didn’t buy that for one moment. “What else have you seen that you just haven’t commented on?”
Should he say…? Well, why not. “I do understand why Kierkegaard-gui and Masson-zhi chose you to be guildmaster now.”
Siobhan snorted and resumed walking for the main gate. “And why is that?”
“Because you do not pursue happiness,” he responded, smiling. “You create it.”
That threw her so, she almost missed a step. “Man Fei Lei, you do indeed have good observational skills when it comes to people. Those two rascals gave me all sorts of reasons why I had to be the guildmaster in the beginning, but I finally realized that in the end, that’s what it boiled down to. I knew how to create and maintain a guild.”
No. She knew how to create and maintain a family. That was why the guild was successful. After staying with them for a night, Fei had seen the truth of that with his own eyes.
They reached the gate and ushered their caravan to the right inn. Due to lack of space in the inn’s yard, the wagons themselves were stored in a separate space, dedicated to travelers. People quickly off-loaded and tended to animals before grabbing up personal bags and hoofing it to the inn. Fei took one party, as some people were done before others, letting Deepwoods take the rest of the stragglers. He managed to get his group to the inn before the sky burst open. The rain sounded like a wardrum on top of the roof.
Knowing what would happen next, Fei had a quiet word with Gramms and had hot baths drawn and ready.
The rest of the caravan came in completely soaked. Beirly was already sneezing as he entered. “What is with that storm? It’s raining cats and dogs out there.”
“More like tigers and wolves,” Grae complained, looking at his dripping shirt sleeves. “I knew it was going to be bad, but…”
Jacobs had come in with the first group, and he eyed the storm over people’s shoulders as they shuffled in. “Master Grae, is this storm going to affect tide?”
“It might,” Grae admitted. “If it rains hard enough. If this was the northern section that we were talking about, I’d say no, as the channel is wide enough to handle a large downpour. But we’re heading for the Teherani side, and that channel can’t. If this storm doesn’t let up by the wee hours of the morning, I’d say we’re facing a two day delay until the waters recede enough that we can use the bridge.”
Jacobs had a few choice words to say about that as he grumbled and grumped his way back to his dinner.
Fei stepped in and offered, “There are hot baths drawn and waiting.”
“Praise heaven.” Siobhan headed straight for the bathing chambers, pack under her arm. Not even going to get her room first, eh?
Most of the people followed her example but Wolfinsky lingered uncertainly.
“I am dry,” Fei pointed out to him patiently. “You are not.”
Wolfinsky grinned at him. “It’s like you can read me, I swear. Alright, then, I’ll go in but I’ll be quick.”
“Do not,” Fei dissuaded him, although his tone was playful. “I wish to enjoy a leisurely dinner.”
“Oh? In that case, I’ll take my time.” Humming to himself, Wolfinsky followed after the rest.
Fei’s dinner came and he ate with considerable pleasure, it being the first hot meal of the day. As he ate, he saw another group come in and ask for rooms, and Gramm’s response that he only had the large attic room left. The travelers must have been desperate, as they took it. It was smart of Siobhan to come in earlier and put a deposit down on rooms. Otherwise they might have been in the same situation.
There were other patrons that came in, mostly for dinner or alcohol, and left again when they were done. Fei tracked everyone with only half his attention, the other half on the quite delicious food he’d been served.
“—saw that redhead earlier going upstairs. Wolfinsky’s gotta be here too.”
Catching these words, Fei’s ears pricked in the direction of the group behind him. They were the attic-room takers, weren’t they? What connection did they have with Wolfinsky?
“Perfect,” one man growled menacingly. “It’s past time we pay what’s due there.”
Fei turned just enough in his chair that he could get a better look at the group. Five men in total, all of them enforcers by the look of them, still a little damp from being in the storm earlier. Siobhan and Beirly both had mentioned to him that Wolfinsky often attracted trouble because he looked like a fun opponent to fight. These men seemed to hold a grudge from a previous encounter of some kind.
Fei envisioned what would happen if Wolfinsky exited the baths and met this group spoiling for a fight. The furniture would not likely survive the experience. Making a snap decision, he left his chair entirely and turned. “Forgive me, you are acquaintances of Erik Wolfinsky?”
That stopped the table dead and won him everyone’s attention. “Wouldn’t call it that,” the man with the deep growl responded, clearly the leader of the group. “And who are you?”
“Man Fei Lei. I am a friend of his.”
“Man Fe…whatever, we don’t care if you’re a friend of his.”
“I care,” Fei returned mildly. “But I will set that aside. Would you like to make a wager?”
Leader wasn’t interested in this but another man, tawny colored and thinner than his companions, spoke up. “What’s in it for us?”
“A simple challenge, and if I win, you will not challenge Wolfinsky during our stay on the island. If I lose, I will not impede you.” Seeing that didn’t make any dent, he tacked on, “And of course I will pay for your dinners.”
That finally got leader’s interest. “Dinners and rooms. Make it worth my time, squirt. I’m not interested in any challenge of yours.”
“Dinners and rooms,” Fei agreed, silently breathing a sigh of relief. “And it is a simple challenge. Arm wrestling.”
Leader still didn’t look interested but with dinner and rooms on the line, was willing to play along. The other men were more inclined to go along as they were bored and looking for anything to break up the tedium of a quiet inn on a stormy night.
Fei gestured them back toward his own table, as it had more clear space, and planted his elbow on the surface. “You may choose your contender.”
They argued back and forth for a moment, trying to choose the strongest, and Fei kept his face as bland as possible. It truly didn’t matter to him who they chose as it was obvious that the outcome wouldn’t change. If these men, combined, couldn’t beat Wolfinsky then they certainly didn’t have the strength to win against Fei single-handedly.
Finally one of them sat down, locked grips with Fei, and grinned. “On three. On
e, two, three.”
Deciding in the last second it would be wise to spare the man’s pride, he didn’t just slam the back of the hand against the table. It was, in fact, harder to make it seem like an effort to win. Were these men truly enforcers or just laborers that looked the part? Fei was starting to wonder.
Giving it another three seconds, he finally had enough and put his opponent’s hand to the table. The five groaned and threw their hands into the air, stating loudly that they should have done it instead. Fei did not smile, as he did not want to either win a grudge against himself or encourage them to think that they could try again. He’d rather not repeat the farce.
Leader glared at Fei. “You knew you’d win.”
“I spar with Wolfinsky regularly,” Fei responded with a slight shrug. “He cannot beat me. I cannot beat him. If you could not win against him, the odds were in my favor.”
“Che.” Spitting on the floor in disgust, perhaps in a little humiliation, he turned and resumed his seat. His crowd of friends did the same, quieter now, but no longer in the mood to start trouble.
Fei gave it a few minutes to make sure that they would really play fair and not try to ambush him. When he was sure, he sat again as well, although he did not take the same chair as he did not think it wise to leave his back to that group. As he sat, Grae took the seat next to his, a plate of hot food in his hands.
“You’re good at pre-empting fights,” the Pathmaker observed. “It’s a strange talent for an enforcer to have.”
Tsking him gently, Fei corrected, “A good enforcer knows how to stop a fight before it becomes one.”
“Teach Wolf that skill,” Grae pleaded. “He seriously doesn’t know how to do that.”
Chuckling, Fei promised, “I shall try.”
Chapter Eight
Grae’s dire prediction fortunately did not come true. The storm was indeed a terrible one but at midnight it abruptly stopped except for a few sputtering raindrops. Then it abated completely. The water level was indeed higher than normal, but by the time they made it the length of Island Pass and to the Grey Bridge, it had receded enough to make travel to Teherani safe again.
It took them a full day to reach Dykes, the first city on Teherani soil. Like Quigg, or Converse, it had an eclectic population of every possible race and people. It collected travelers the way most trade cities did, and the architecture was as varied as its people. Fei had been through here many times and enjoyed the place more than most cities, as it had a certain freedom to explore that most places did not. Security was taken very, very seriously in Dykes. The enforcers here had no sense of humor, not even about the smallest of crimes, and it was one of the few places in Teherani (or any of the four continents, for that matter) that a woman could walk about unescorted without any fear.
This would be the one city that Fei felt it safe to let his guard down a little. He couldn’t, of course—that wasn’t part of his job. At least, not until the caravan was squared away for the evening he couldn’t. Still, he didn’t have to keep a sharp lookout in all directions either.
Jacobs was beyond happy to get in as early as they did, as it gave him two full hours in the market before it closed for the day. He was quick to offload some of his wares and start bargaining. It fell more to Deepwoods to get the rest of the caravans actually settled at an inn. Fei followed the wagons themselves while Siobhan dealt with the drivers, making sure that everything was tucked away securely for the night. Retrieving his own bag, he headed into the inn. It was a popular one for caravans to use because of its large stableyard, so he had been here multiple times before. It was clean and spacious with the wonderful aroma of dinner preparations wafting from the kitchen.
Fei looked around, trying to spot someone from the guild. Beirly and Grae were settled at a table near the door, and there was only a tankard in both man’s hands, suggesting that they weren’t settled on staying in for the evening but were intending to go out. Perhaps they had plans to sightsee or do a little trading of their own?
He headed for them, intending to ask their plans, when he realized that both men kept casting nervous looks toward the ceiling. Strange behavior. Drawing out a chair, he sat next to Grae and asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Wolf’s in for it.” Beirly didn’t so much as glance at Fei, eyes glued on the ceiling as if he could see through it.
That did and didn’t answer his question.
Fortunately, Grae elaborated. “He got into one of his overprotective moods. Siobhan’s temper snapped.”
“Overprotective,” Fei repeated in confusion. “But it’s Dykes.”
“That’s exactly why Shi’s temper snapped,” Beirly responded sourly. “Only half the time is it the place that sets Wolf off. The other half, we don’t know what it is that gets him acting like this. Could be a bad dream for all we know. But he chose the wrong way to approach her, and now her back’s up. She’s dragged him onto the roof so that she can yell at him.”
Oh so that was why they were both staring at the ceiling. Although this was the main floor, there were two floors in between them and the roof, so why they thought they would be able to hear anything—
A loud roar shook the timbers. Fei actually flinched in surprise. Just how loud could Wolfinsky yell?!
Another, equally loud burst of words shook the building and all of the patrons looked around as if wondering what force of nature was impacting the inn so. Fei was torn. Did he need to go up there and try to mediate? Would it be better to wait until they broke apart on their own accord and then speak to them individually?
Grae folded down his fingers into his palm in a noticeable countdown. “Five seconds. Ten.”
“Oh that’s not good.” Beirly winced. “Yelling is bad, but silence is worse.”
There was a loud thumping from the staircase, sounding like an elephant descending. Wolfinsky appeared with an attitude so black it was like he heralded a mother storm. He spotted them and went straight for their table, dropping into a chair so hard that it creaked alarmingly. Fei half expected for the man to be dumped straight to the floor. Without a word, Beirly slid his own tankard toward Wolfinsky, and it was accepted and drained in one long pull.
The drink did not noticeably help Wolfinsky gain his temper. Neither Beirly nor Grae seemed to have either the words or courage to try and speak to him. In fact, Grae was doing his best impersonation of thin air.
Mentally sighing, Fei found the best way to approach the matter, and spoke calmly, “She is being stubborn, I take it.”
Wolfinsky let out a growl like an injured wolf. “Always stubborn.”
Fei had to bite down on the words, ‘Look who’s talking.’ It would be exactly the wrong thing to say in this moment. “She wishes to go out?”
“Something at the market that she wants.” She doesn’t want me going with her was implied by his tone and the blowout argument that had just ended on the roof.
It might be a pretext to give herself a little space from the rest of the guild. One could only be in another’s personal space day in and day out without wanting a break from it all. “As it happens, I wish to pick up a few essential while we are here.”
Drawn out of his dark glower at the empty tankard, Wolfinsky finally looked up. “You think you can finagle it so you can go with her?”
Fei just smiled.
“I’d feel better about it if you did.”
“Then I will.” Fei put words to actions and stood, heading for the roof. It took a little searching to find the second staircase that led the way to the very top, as before the argument took place, Fei wasn’t aware that the patrons could actually access the roof of the inn. But he did find it, and when he came outside, found that it was nothing more than a clear space with four benches set on either side and a railing that went around the top. Siobhan was prone on one of the benches with an arm flung across her eyes. Her breathing was still quick, what he could see of her face flushed, so she hadn’t regained her temper yet.
Pausin
g in the doorway, he knocked against the frame to get her attention. “Maley-zhi?”
With a deep, cleansing breath she sat up and looked at him. Anger still smoldered in her eyes but she responded calmly enough, “Yes, Fei?”
Fei had a mother, sisters, and more cousins than he could count. He knew how to phrase this to not set Siobhan off again. “I am going into the market to pick up a few things. Is there anything that you need? I can get them for you if you wish.”
“There are a few things I want to buy, but I need to pick them up myself.”
“Ah, I see. You are welcome to accompany me, if that’s the case.”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Wolf asked you to go with me.”
“He did not,” Fei answered truthfully. “I did not ask because I thought you needed the protection. Shopping is more enjoyable with a friend, is all.”
“Is that right.” Siobhan didn’t believe him—she was unaccountably sharp, this woman—but she smiled and he knew that even though she didn’t buy his story, she would pretend that she did. “Then let’s go shopping before we lose daylight.”
ӜӜӜ
They made it to Wade without further incident. As Fei’s contract with Jacob ended there, he was officially at loose ends, but Beirly reminded him that they still had an agreement considering a hand in place. Fei was delighted when the whole guild informed him that he was to come back to Goldschmidt with them and stay for as long as he cared to. The return trip was done much faster, as they only had one cart and five people to transport. They returned in two and a half days, a fraction of the time.
Fei and Beirly started working on the hand the morning after their arrival, picking up where they left off. This time, Fei tried to keep his notes on hand, but it turned out to be largely useless, as he was so wrapped up in the physical learning that he forgot he even had notes at times. Beirly laughed and assured him he’d help him write it all down over dinner, so Fei gave up and trusted the man would do just that.
Origins: A Deepwoods Book - a Collection of Deepwoods Short Stories (Deepwoods Series 0) Page 15