by Tim Paulson
The little goliath doll stood up, brushing dirt from himself. “I am Vex. I wish to speak to the female who leads you,” he said.
Seena nodded to the other female to her right who ran off into the dark of the warehouse.
“Good, good,” Vex said, striding forward. “I haven't seen this many of you together in quite some time. The little one here tells me you're thieves. Is that the case?”
Seena snarled. “What of it demon?”
“I just think that's funny given you were made to enforce the law,” Vex said.
“Liar!” Seena snapped. “We were made by no man, nor demon. Dakod the lawgiver created us in his own image. He decreed that we shall be the most powerful of the dierlijt, destined to rule by the strength of our jaws.”
Vex sighed, smiling. “Dakod was an idiot who had a habit of gambling. Got him in a great deal of trouble if I remember correctly. At least that's what we learned from the teachers when I was a boy. He'd been killed thirteen times by various debt collectors before he finally gave up the ghost. If there was anyone I'd choose to revere as a god, it wouldn't be him,” Vex said. “I suppose it makes sense that you're thieves now. The line between those who enforce the law and those who break it has always been thin. Now... enough chattering, where is your leader?”
“I'm here,” Risha replied, striding forward from the dark. Her chest was puffed up and out, her arms wide, claws flexed, as threatening as she could be. Kev found himself cowering by reflex, sliding backward. He was amazed that the little doll acted as if he hadn't even noticed.
“Oh good. I need information,” Vex said.
Risha snarled, flexing her chest, her forearms and claws. Spittle flew from her gnashing maw like flies from a carcass.
“Yes, you are very fierce. Unfortunately, I really don't have time for playing around. The boy here says you did something to the girl named Celia. I need to know where you've taken her.”
Risha would listen to no more, she vaulted forward and slashed at the doll with her right hand, batting him into the air. The tiny form spun off into the dark.
Seena seized the moment to advance on Kev. Her right hand snatched the fur on the back of his neck. Claws dug in. “I told you we should have killed him when he was born. The small ones are always trouble!”
Risha was shaking with rage. “How dare you bring a demon here? How dare you defile our clen with your stupidity? Kill him! Tear him apart and feed him to the rats!”
There was a cracking sound to their left. All ears flicked in that direction. Kev looked as well. It was dark there, but he could see something moving in the distance, something large.
“No! It can't be!” Risha said.
Others of the clen were whimpering in fear, two spontaneously urinated themselves as they began to shake and back away as the thing emerged from the dark.
It was a monstrosity of bloody bones. The clen's larder, where bones were stored for later feasting in the leanest months of winter, had been used as raw material for the creation of a sort of beast. It crawled forward, reaching for the nearest of them with arms tipped with claws of broken bone shards. On the top of its head, formed of the broken skull of a small whale, stood Vex, hands on his hips.
The clen members fought to escape it, pushing each other out of the way. Even Seena dropped Kev like a sack of dirt and ran for the nearest exit. Only Risha stood fast and tall, brandishing a thick spiked club.
She raised the club and screamed, rushing at the massive creature before her. Vex held out one of his tiny hands and she froze as if gripped by unseen fingers. The club dropped from her hand as the creature moved in on her. One of its three arms reached ahead and wrapped around Risha's body. The cracking of bones as it did caused Kev to wince for he couldn't tell if it was the creature's hands or Risha's ribs. Finally, the monster paused and brought the struggling Risha, face to face with Vex.
“What do you want with her? She's nothing. Just a thief, a weakling human thief,” Risha said, through her teeth. Kev could tell, above all, Risha hated being forced to do anything.
“I see you are addicted to being in control.” Vex replied. “Even now, when I could have my servant crush your body into a shredded bloody meal, you ask questions you've no right to ask. Next, you'll try to bargain with me.” Vex shook his head. “Tell me where she is.”
Risha grimaced, looking away. Her eyes caught sight of Kev and the look of hatred she sent at him made his hair stand on end. He could never return here, never.
“We gave the girl to the magistrate. She had no kin, they will put her on the wagons.”
Kev cocked his head. The wagons?
“Where can I find her?” Vex asked, his tone was lower, less patient.
The creature squeezed Risha's body causing her to groan with the pain until her right leg snapped with an audible crack and she cried out. Though he could not see them, Kev knew she was being watched from the dark. Being lame meant it would be virtually impossible to remain clen leader.
“The girl is at the Westpoort holding jail. My sister trailed her there,” Seena said, reappearing from the dark, trying to show her mettle before the whole clen.
Vex looked down at Kev. “Do you know where that is?”
“Yes,” he replied.
The bone creature released Risha who fell to the ground with a pathetic groan.
“Come and get me,” Vex said.
Kev had to steel himself to do so. The bone monster was so hideous, so grotesque, like a nightmare made real. As a cub who'd been starving since his first day, dreams where his food tried to eat him were the absolute worst. Still, he made it close enough for the creature to lower its head and Vex jumped down onto his shoulder.
“After we are gone... my servant will remain. If we are followed, if we are harassed in any way. He will kill all of you. Do you understand?” Vex asked.
Seena nodded, as did those who'd gathered behind her.
“Kev, let's go,” Vex said.
Kev nodded. “Yes!”
* * *
Thira sat in her booth and sipped her kanip tea, savoring the spicy flavor. It reminded her of home, of simpler days when she was but a cub with stars in her eyes, hungry to take a bite from the world itself. She could almost smell the Teenari Plains. After the first rain of the season they had a certain scent to them that had lodged in her mind and never let go. The next morning the winds would pick up and spread the scent of millions of budding grasses, all striving to be the first to flower after their long dormancy. Even now, if she closed her eyes, she could imagine it.
“Problem in room four,” Shima, the keralti owner, said flatly.
Thira opened her eyes, lifting an eyebrow.
“He won't pay I think.”
Thira nodded, sliding her tea forward as she extracted herself from the booth. Though primarily dierlijt lived here now, the district had previously been inhabited by humans. So the furniture, like a lot of things, had been made with humans in mind, not taller, stronger leothans like herself. It was always a challenge to get out of the booths. If she ever had to do so quickly, it would probably snap in half.
Room four.
A hand gripped her arm. “Is he alright?” It was Shima, looking concerned.
Thira paused. “What do you mean?”
“He was yelling for a pitcher earlier. Then that human girl came. I haven't heard from him since.”
“I don't know,” she replied, which was true. Perhaps he'd become even more depressed. That wouldn't be surprising after his behavior over the last few months.
To Thira's ears, the commotion was increasing upstairs. There was some shouting going on. A human man was gathering his clothes and making a fuss but he sounded rushed, likely aware of what was coming.
“I'd better go.”
“Good... and check on him would you?” Shima asked.
Thira nodded again. She was up the stairs in four long steps. The door four was only two steps away. She arrived just as it opened, greeting a fat human ma
n with a red face as he was putting a large hat with two purple feathers on top of his balding head.
“Is there a problem?” Thira asked, barring his way by putting her right arm against the doorway.
“I'm leaving. Now please get out of my way!” the man said.
Behind him Thira could see Cerana, her arms crossed. “He refused to pay me,” she said, her round ears flicking with annoyance.
The red-faced man pushed against Thira's arms. “Move, you flea-bitten piece of trash. I have important work to do for the republic.”
Thira snarled at him. “You will pay or I will break your legs like toothpicks.”
The man's eyes widened. “You can't! I'm one of the few who still stand up for your kind. Do you have any idea what risk I take to do that? This place ought to be free for me!”
Thira sighed. Why did it always come down to something like this? Why did they always try to bargain?
“Are you without the money? Is that the reason?” Thira asked.
The man sputtered even more. “How dare you! I'm a very rich man... extremely.”
Thira grabbed the man by his embroidered jacket, lifting him up with one arm, and shook him. Notably absent was the jingle of a coin purse. She turned her head, looking down at Shima.
“No funds. What should I do?”
Shima nodded upward, indicating it was Cerana's decision.
Thira turned back. “Cerana... What do you think?”
The keralti stood, her eyes narrowing as she inspected the fat man. “His jacket, hat, and boots.”
“That's preposterous! They're worth ten times what you asked.”
Cerana pursed her lips. “I'll be lucky to get anything from them in trade. Not much market for fluffery in this part of the city.”
“I... I...”
“Take them off, now, or I will tear them from you with my claws,” Thira said, putting him down.
“I'll never come back here! You hear me! Expect a visit from the authorities regarding this matter,” he said but did as he was told, leaving his black leather boots, embroidered waistcoat, and feathered hat on the ground behind him.
Thira let him pass without a word. Though she did watch him carefully as he left before turning back to Cerana. “You are well?”
She shrugged. “At least I'll get something from that one. Thank you.”
Thira nodded and walked down to the other door. The one that her work here earned. She knocked.
There was no response, so she entered.
Though it had been more than two hours, Wilhelm still sat exactly where he had before, legs splayed, staring into space. Had he hit his head? Had the woman done something to him? If so, Thira would tear the rest of her limbs from her body and toss her over the dike like a rotten fish.
“You've returned,” Wilhelm said.
At least he was speaking. That was a start. “Yes,” she replied, closing the door behind her. “Are you well?”
Wilhelm grimaced, looking to the side, but said nothing.
“Was it Giselle?” she asked, stepping further into the room. She took the chair from the small desk, brought it next to the bed and sat, staring at him, her arms crossed.
Still, he would not answer.
She stared, waiting.
“Dios mio... speak to her you idiot,” said the woman from the bed.
Thira raised an eyebrow. “You're still here?” Usually, his women left early the next morning. This one was even more lazy than usual.
The woman's dark eyes narrowed. “Yes, I am.” An ugly scar wound its way from her left ear, down her neck to her shoulder, but that was nothing when compared to the missing leg.
“I haven't seen you before,” Thira said. “Most women he brings here are only broken on the inside.”
“Leave her alone,” Wilhelm said.
“It's fine. I can fight my own battles. What is with this cat woman? Why does she act like your mother?”
Thira snarled. “I am not his mother.”
“Oh?” the woman replied. “Because you act like it, always cleaning up after him, checking on him, like he's your little kitten.”
“Enough!” Wilhelm said. “Why are you here Thira?”
Thira shrugged. “Shima asked me to check on you. She said you hadn't come out again yelling for ale. She is concerned.”
“Shima is,” the woman on the bed said, shaking her head, “Sure.”
“I've been thinking,” Wilhelm said.
Thira nodded her head, waiting for the rest.
“Giselle was right. I've had my head up my own ass...” He sighed. “I'm not sure what to do now. I don't want to go back to the way things were.” he looked at his own hands, young and smooth. “I've been given another chance. I don't want to waste it doing what I did last time, especially if the people here don't want me around.”
“What did you do?” the woman asked, sitting up on the bed. “When you were drunk last night you said you were the king. I've heard men boast before, but that was... brazen, perhaps foolish given what some say about Faustland's king. In truth now, did you work for him?”
Wilhelm chuckled. “Yeah... You could say that.”
“Are you his son?”
Thira shook her head. This woman did not need to know the truth, not that most humans would believe it. They did not have the senses of the dierlijt, senses that could smell the difference between one man and another.
Wilhelm turned around, raising an eyebrow. “You're Pyrolian aren't you?”
She smiled, nodding. “I don't work for the queen, if that's what you're asking.”
“Well, who do you work for?” Wilhelm asked her.
“No one at the moment,” she replied, looking distant.
“Not good enough!” Thira said leaning forward.
“Relax Thira... I doubt she's here to kill me. Besides everyone knows Wilhelm Casimir had no children. He had poor luck when it came to heirs,” Wilhelm said.
The woman nodded. “You're right, everyone knows that's true. But given all the vipers here who were so ready to jump into an assembly the moment Faustland's king died, it's no wonder that, if he did have a son, he'd keep it a secret, yes?”
Wilhelm nodded. “That does sound plausible.”
“You're intelligent for a whore,” Thira said.
“For the last time, I am not a whore. My name is Rosa Rios Molina Hermanera. I'm a graduate of the military academy at Calinova, a technician strategist. If you call me a whore once more, by God I'll beat your furry head in with my wooden leg!”
Thira bared her teeth. “Please, try it.”
Wilhelm laughed. “You're a pyrolian technician? What the devil are you doing in the dierlijt quarter of Valendam?”
“The same thing you are I'd guess, hiding.”
Wilhelm looked down. “Well... I've only been hiding from my responsibility. Nobody's looking for me.”
“Because nobody knows you're the king's son,” Rosa said.
Wilhelm made a face. “Well... about that.”
Thira's eyes widened. “Wilhelm no!”
He looked at her. “Why Thira? We might as well tell the truth. The worst she can say is I'm crazy.”
Rosa's eyebrows went up, waiting.
Wilhelm took a deep breath. “I am the king,” he said.
Rosa rolled her eyes. “I was expecting something serious.”
“I am being serious!” he replied. “It's the truth. Tell her Thira.”
Thira shook her head. She would not be adding to this stupidity.
Wilhelm frowned at her.
“The king is... or was... sixty-five years old. On top of that he recently died at his own hand,” Rosa said. “No less than hundreds of witnesses attested to it. The print sheets exploded with it across the entire continent and beyond.”
Wilhelm held up a finger. “That actually is wrong... I held the pistol... I put it to my chin... but I thought better of it. She pulled the trigger.”
Thira made a hissing noise. That woman
.
“She? Do you mean the queen? Who cried for days after Wilhelm died?”
Wilhelm grumbled. “Yeah, I read those stories too. Bullshit, all of it. That woman never showed me a moment of kindness for a single day of our marriage. I was too in love with her to even notice. I was a foolish old man.”
Thira couldn't help but agree. “I told you about her... I tried to.”
“I know. I know,” he said.
“You're right. You are crazy, both of you,” Rosa said as she swung out of the bed, pulling on her clothes. “I think it's time I left... before your madness escalates any further.”
Wilhelm smiled “Sure... go right ahead. You won't be the first woman to leave me, nor likely the last.”
Rosa shook her head, muttering to herself in pyrolian as she reattached the wooden leg before pulling on her striped breeches.
“You said Hermanera right?” Wilhelm asked.
Rosa glanced at him. “Yes, so what?”
He pursed his lips. “I knew your grandfather.”
She paused.
“Gregorio,” Wilhelm said. “We used to play polo together. He beat me, not all the time, but most.”
Her eyes widened. “No... No es posible.”
“He was a bit of an ass about it if I'm being honest,” Wilhelm said. “I was saddened to hear he died in New Pyrolia. The fever I think. I miss him. How is... Isabella? Yes. His wife, gorgeous woman. She had an amazing as-”
“That's mi abuela! Stop it! Stop it!” Rosa shouted.
“Alright,” he said, smiling. “Look I understand if you're here working for Pyrolia. They used to run Valendam before the Empire, it's only natural they keep an eye on things here as they develop, looking for an opening.”
She shook her head. “I was working for a mercenary company, the Redshanks.”
“What happened? They fire you? Why are you hiding out?” he asked.
Thira was interested in this also. The girl was fairly clumsy with that wooden leg. She hadn't had it for long.
Rosa shook her head. “I've been trying to forget about it for the past two months. It was... a nightmare.”
“Oh?” Wilhelm asked. “Enlighten me.”