by Reece Dinn
Five guys sat around the fire, eating meat off the bone, fatty juices dripping from their food onto the floor. One of them was a yegeyor, except his, or her, bone fins had been broken off, making the yegeyor appear weaker. Awon suspected he or she was far more dangerous though. The guy sat next to the yegeyor was even bigger. There was no question it was Big Red. The guy's huge face was scarred all over, his big nose looked like it'd been broken several times. His muscles bulged out of the thin red shirt and black trousers he wore. It looked like he could break a man in half with ease. A true fighter.
Big Red spread his arms wide when he saw Awon's father. 'Tenemu,' he boomed. 'Surprised ter hear you were at my gates. What yer doin' here? Payin' what yer owe, finally?'
The other guys around the fire laughed at that. The girl with the crooked teeth walked past Awon and sat down beside two of the other guys around the fire.
'I'm here because of him.' Awon's father pointed to his son.
Red frowned when his eyes fell on Awon. 'What yer done now?' he asked with a half smile.
Awon stepped forward. 'Dealin' with shit.'
'He punched Paten's son,' said his father.
Red was up on his feet in a flash. 'What?'
'This one,' Awon's father grabbed Ten by the shirt and dragged him forward, 'was fooling around with Paten son's girl, and he caught them. They ran to my shop and Paten's son, along with some others, chased them. My son confronted them, along with the yegeyor,' he pointed to Norox, as if no one would have noticed him before now. 'In the argument my idiot son punched Paten's lad. They left, but I imagine they'll be back.'
'You know how ter cause trouble, don't you, lad?' said Red, his full glare resting on Awon now. 'Startin' fights on a daily fuckin' basis.'
'He shouldn't 'ave come lookin' fer a fight, should he?' said Awon, taking a step forward.
'I like yer, lad. Yer a fearless cunt. Handy in a fight. But we ain't fightin' now. I need ter keep the fuckin' peace. Can' 'ave yer punchin' the sons of Drowner men an' risk startin' another war. Cutter will carve out my throat. Yours too.'
'We understand,' said Awon's father. 'This is all just a misunderstanding. A personal grievance.'
'Personal grievance?' snorted Red. 'Yer a lawyer now?'
Several of the others around the fire laughed. One of the guys held a chain that was attached to an iron ball that rested against his foot. It looked like it'd be good in a fight.
Awon's father looked embarrassed. 'I mean it's nothing to do with the gangs. Just a fight between two lads.'
'Two stupid fuckin' lads, an' a little shit who can't keep it in his trousers.' Red eyed the yegeyor. 'Yer quiet. Don' look like the type ter start fights. Yet this is the second time I've seen yer fightin' 'longside this stupid fuck.' Red shot Awon a dark look, then his eyes returned to Norox. 'Lookin' ter join my crew? Could do with someone like you.' He pointed to his yegeyor companion across the fire. 'Someone with actual fins.'
'Fuck you,' said the fin-less yegeyor.
'No thank you,' said Norox, making a quiet whining noise.
Red sneered. 'What yer fightin' Drowners for then?'
'Awon was in trouble.'
'Friends, eh? Bastards aren't they?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Sir? I ain't a Socrae, lad.'
'Sorry.'
Red laughed, smacking his stomach with his big hands. 'What ter do? What ter do?'
Awon' father shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
'Yer goin' to 'ave ter make this right, lad,' Red said to Awon. 'I hate ter do it to yer, but yer'll have ter apologise to Paten's son.'
'Apologise?' Awon spat. 'Fuck that.'
'If Paten's son starts comin' around 'ere hittin' people and burnin' things I ain't gonna 'ave much choice but ter hit back. Cutter ain't gonna like that. No, yer need ter settle this now.' Red pointed to Ten. 'You need to let this one fight his own fights.'
'Not happenin',' said Awon.
'Listen, stupid fuck, 'fore I punch yer teeth in. Yer gonna apologise. Tonight. 'fore this goes any further.'
'I ain't apologisin' ter that jenni.'
Big Red glared at him. 'Yer'll do as I say, boy.'
'No.'
Red burst forward, grabbed Awon by the neck, and heaved him off the ground, squeezing his big fingers tight into his skin.
'Try it. I'll open yer throat,' wheezed Awon.
Red's eyes widened, then he burst into laughter, releasing Awon. Awon fell into Red and the huge man shoved him back sending him crashing down onto his rear. 'You make me laugh yer stupid, crazy, bastard,' he said. 'Yer fear no one, do you?'
Awon shrugged, straightening his vest as he puled himself back to his feet. 'I ain't apologisin'.'
Red looked to Awon's father. 'Talk sense into yer lad, Tenemu. If this ain't resolved by tomorrow, yer shop is mine. Understand?'
'Yes,' said Tenemu.
Red looked back to Awon. 'You and yer three friends will go over to Paten's bakery, two districts over, an' sort this out. No fightin'. Make peace. Yer hear?'
'I ain't apologisin',' said Awon, and he walked away.
'Talk to yer son,' he heard Red tell his father as he walked back across the warehouse, into the darkness.
'Please, Awon,' Awon's father pleaded. 'You don't have to apologise. Just make peace.'
Awon kicked a stool across the room, grabbing a cleaver. 'I'll open his stomach.'
Norox grabbed him by the shoulders. 'Awon, listen. Big Red isn't one to cross. He said we need to go.'
'I'll open his too.'
'You're not a killer. Don't pretend you are.'
'Get off me,' snapped Awon, wriggling out of Norox's grip.
'Awon, please,' said his father. 'Think of the shop. Our shop. Big Red'll take it. Burn it. Or sell it to that bastard Homan two streets over.'
Awon put down the cleaver. 'I ain't apologisin'.'
'No one's asking you to. Ten is the one that needs to apologise.'
'What?' said Ten, shrinking away to the back of the room.
'You started this, boy. You and that dick of yours. This is your mess.'
Ten looked to the ground. 'He don't deserve her.'
'And what happens when you get bored of this girl?' said Norox, cracking his neck. 'Like you always do. You'll ditch her, like the others, and go off with someone else.'
'We should smash up that pretty face of yours, then there won't be any more trouble,' said Awon's father.
'Lay a finger on him, fat man, and it'll be the last thing yer do,' said Awon.
'Awon, we need to fix this,' said Norox. 'If we don't a lot of people could get hurt.'
Awon scratched his head, then punched the wall. 'Fine. Fine. We'll go. But I ain't apologisin'.'
'Thank you, son.' His father grabbed one of his arms. 'It's the mature thing to do.'
'Get off me, fat man.'
His father sank his bulk onto one of the stools. 'The bakery is not far from the Nuchai district gate. It shouldn't be hard to find.'
'I know where it is,' said Norox.
'I'm sure Ten does too,' sniggered Awon.
Ten glared at Awon.
'What about the girl?' asked Norox.
'The girl stays,' said Awon. 'She's with Ten now.'
'And if this Tombu asks for her back?'
'Then he'll have ter fight us fer her.'
'Awon,' pleaded his father, again.
'I ain't apologisin'. If he wants to be reasonable, I'll make peace. But Ten ain't givin' the girl back. She obviously doesn't want to be with this Tombu.'
'Okay, okay,' said his father. 'The girl stays. Please, go. Make it right before Big Red gets mad.'
'Fuckin' jennis.'
They walked along the main road. The evening grew darker by the minute, Lorelai, the green moon, and Renoma, the red moon, where high in the sky, shining brightly, their combined light casting the evening in a brown hue, the white rock of the road looking like mud.
'You ran all this way?' Norox asked Ten, whistling.
The short lad was struggling to keep up with his two friends. 'It didn't seem so far when we were runnin'.'
'You ran two whole districts. I'm impressed.'
'You can run like yer arse is on fire when lads with knives are at yer back, eh?' Awon scoffed.
Ten lowered his head, embarrassed. 'Yes.'
The gate to Nuchai district lay up ahead, the city wall appearing bigger in the dark.
'It's quite close to the gate on the other side. Just far enough away from the Konar, but close enough that if there's trouble they'll be there quick,' said Norox.
'Don't care 'bout fuckin' Konar,' said Awon.
'You should. They have guns. And burmas. You're not beating them.'
'So?'
Norox shook his head.
'What if Tombu won't make peace?' asked Ten.
'We'll make him make peace,' said Awon.
Norox groaned, making Awon laugh from the vibrations passing through his stomach. 'He'll want to make peace too,' said Norox. 'I'm sure his father has been having the same conversation with him as yours had with us. Paten probably took him to see the Drowner himself, or something.'
'Does the Drowner have blue skin, like the stories say?' asked Ten. 'Is he a Wenodan pure blood?'
'How would I know?'
'Bet he's strong,' said Awon. 'Good in a fight.'
'Let's hope we never have to find out,' said Norox.
They reached the gate. To their surprise it was still open. As they passed through the two Konar on duty gave them dark looks, or at least it seemed to Awon like they did. Konar always looked suspiciously at him.
'This way,' said Norox, when they reached the second right turning off the main road. The side street was narrow, cobbled, and deserted. A torch burned below a sign up ahead. 'Paten and Son, the Bakers' it read.
All the buildings on the street where wooden, clearly a poor area. They approached the bakery. All its windows were illuminated by candles burning inside, the only building on the street that looked like there was life in it. The smell of baked bread hung in the air, growing stronger the closer they got.
'Do we just knock?' asked Norox, doing his best to keep his voice quiet, but it was still loud.
Awon stepped up to the door, glancing up at the sign, then at the torch burning beneath it. He smiled to himself.
'Awon,' whispered Norox, creeping towards him.
'I ain't apologisin',' said Awon. He grabbed the torch from the wall and flung it through the open window above him. Within seconds flames and smoke billowed out of it.
'Woo. Must 'ave 'it somethin' flammable,' he cried.
'What have you done?' cried Norox.
'The jenni deserves it.'
'Run,' shouted Ten, already running back down the street.
Norox grabbed Awon by the shoulders. 'You stupid, stupid shit. We're going to be killed.'
Awon shoved Norox back. 'Don't be a jenni.'
The yegeyor bleated and raced away.
Awon stepped back, admiring the smoke and flames quickly consuming the bakery.
Norox came back, his huge feet pounding on the cobblestones, and grabbed Awon by the wrist. 'Come on,' he bellowed, dragging him away. The bakery became ablaze, smoke and flames rising up into the evening sky.
'I told 'em I ain't apologisin',' he muttered.
Chapter Five
It was times like these that Koma wished that she could just slit her wrists and be done with everything.
The Monster lay curled up on her bed, tearfully listening to a little grebbin reciting some verse or another, the furry blue creature's every word an irritating squeak. They speak clearly, but why these 'people' prefer to listen to them recite scripture instead of just reading it themselves I'll never know. Grebbins could memorize whole books and recite them from memory. The flaw was that they could only recite in the order that they'd memorized the text in. You couldn't skip ahead even a paragraph, the stupid creatures had to start over if interrupted. The whole idea was absurd to Koma, the City Archives were more a grebbin farm than an archive. Rows and rows of them stood on shelves, silently waiting to be picked, staring blankly at the one on the opposite shelf. It was very eerie walking through that place.
Koma shifted uncomfortably on the chair, her rear numb from sitting for too long. It's been an hour, she's listened to these poems twice over. Gods, kill me now. The grebbin's squeaking was giving her a headache, the flickering candlelight not helping either.
The Monster seemed to find some comfort in poetry. From what Koma could understand the savages' poems were about love, but she had difficulty listening to the grebbin for longer than a minute to be able to remember a single line. She instead drifted off into her own thoughts.
She thought of her mother and sisters, and of the small wooden shack that they'd lived in by the riverbank back home. In the morning time the light glistened on the water's surface. Small ludwif would jump out the water to catch flies buzzing overhead, their blue scales shimmering in the sun. Do they still live there? It'd been six years since she'd been taken from her family by Holi, the Dragon Shadow. He'd told her that if she did her duty the Shadows would take care of her family, that they'd no longer be poor, living in squalor by the river. He'd promised her that they'd have a house in a richer area, and enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Her sisters could become actresses, dancers, singers. Have a nice life. As long as I do my duty. Unfortunately that meant not killing the person she hated most.
'Water,' the Monster snapped, clicking the fingers of her good hand.
I'm sure they'd be fine. The Shadows won't know I've done it if I make it look like an accident. Koma poured her mistress a glass of water, stood up, her legs and rear tingling, carried it over to the bed, and placed it in her hand. The Monster took a swig from the glass without even looking up, or thanking her. One minute she's whining about something ridiculous, the next she's a complete bitch.
'Sabu, I think you should let the grebbin rest for a while. It's been talking for an hour straight,' said Koma.
'I like listening to it,' said the Monster, placing the glass on the stand by her bed and curling up into an even tighter ball.
'At least let it drink.'
The furry thing didn't seem the least bit tired, but while it drank it wouldn't be talking. You might not need a rest, but my ears do. The Archivists trained the grebbins to be able to talk for hours without stopping. Koma wasn't entirely sure where they even got the little creatures. Somewhere in the Broken Kingdoms perhaps? That's where anything weird came from these days.
The Monster rolled onto her back. 'Fine. Pour it some water.'
Koma gladly poured the grebbin a glass. She clicked her fingers in front of its single eye and it stopped speaking, then placed the glass of water in front of it. A long tongue weaved out of its mouth, and it leaned forward to lap up the water. Koma breathed a sigh of relief.
'Do you need anything else from me tonight, Sabu?' asked Koma. 'If not I can..'
'You must believe me now, surely,' The Monster interrupted.
'Believe what?'
'My mother and him. They killed my father.'
Koma sat back down on her chair, anticipating another long talk. 'It's obvious to every one that they've been having an affair, and that they can finally be together now that your mother is a widow. But murder? I still don't think it's likely.'
The Monster rolled onto her front and smacked the bed with her good hand. 'It's true. I know it. I'll make them pay.'
'You need proof, Sabu. Remember?'
'Forget proof. When I'm Saban I'll order them to be executed for treason.'
I actually approve of that. 'You'll be Saban, not an dictator. You have to obey the law.' And you're definitely not a god.
The Monster eyed her sceptically. 'I do?'
'Yes.'
She kicked her pillow in frustration.
The grebbin finished its glass of water, its tongue licking the bottom of the glass. Koma
got up and retrieved the glass. The creature leaned back, returning to its normal, dormant state, staring at the wall across the room.
Koma sat back down.
'I can't believe he's gone,' said the Monster, and she burst into tears.
Not again. Koma tried her best to hide her irritation, remembering the cold mask that Holi had taught her. Relax the muscles in your face. Keep them loose. Tension reveals emotion. She found breathing slowly helped too. I'm not touching her again.
'They took him from me,' she sobbed. 'He was all I had. I'm all alone now. There's no one.'
'You have your mother,' said Koma, covering her mouth to hide her smirk.
'She's a monster and a murderer. I hate her.'
Someone knocked on the door.
The Monster grabbed her pillow and buried her face in it, crying harder.
Koma got up to answer. She opened the door slightly and poked her head through the gap.
It was Lerama. She was alone, surprisingly.
'Doma,' Koma pushed the door open wide.
'I need to speak with my daughter,' said Lerama. She brushed past Koma, her white robe shimmering in the candlelight. 'Leave us.'
'Yes, Doma.' Koma stiffly bowed, then closed the door behind her as she left. Bowing to a savage. I hate my life. She glanced down the hall to see if anyone was around. Only the eyes of the former Saban in the paintings were watching. There was a small store cupboard next door to the Monster's room. She opened it and crept inside, carefully closing the door behind her. It was pitch black, but she couldn't risk a light. Very slowly she crept up to the hole she'd made in the wall behind where her chair always was, by the night stand. She'd had to creep through the palace late at night, like a Shadow, just to make it.
She knocked something over, a broom or a mop, she wasn't sure, but thankfully it made little noise as it hit the floor. Kneeling down, she pressed her ear to the small hole in the wall.
'...from now I'll be made Saban,' said Lerama. 'Until you are of age.'
'I'm of age now,' the Monster cried.
'Not for another year you aren't.'
'I'm ready.'