/* Summary: Kylus recalls events after his abrupt departure from Ajoara. In
* the town of Treasnar he comes to the rescue of someone who would change
* his life significantly in the years to come.
*/
#ifdef COPYRIGHTED_STUFF
#define DISCLAIMER "DragonLance is owned by Wizards of the Coast, Margaret
Weis, and Tracy Hickman. RhyDin is owned by America
Online Incorporated. I don't claim to own any of these
settings or the characters within them. My character
just passed through. ;)"
#endif
/* Reviews would be appreciated...hint hint wink ;) */
Chapter III: Silver Lining?
"Two silvers, m'lord." I said to the burly fellow who clenched a silver
chain in his meaty hand. He raised an eyebrow and eyed me, then replied,
"I've seen better work around the necks 'o women in the redlight alleys!"
I paused then, fighting the smile that was attempting to sneak its way
upon my lips; I had felt the sickly itch dance across the backs of my
hands, the same way it had in my dealings with other fellows in the town
of Treasnar since I'd arrived days earlier. Ever since that night that I'd
dreamed--I think it was a dream--of the Great Dragon and the old wizard, it
had come to me: when people lie, my skin crawled. It was unnerving, and I
did not know why such an ability had been granted to me, but I was hardly
in a position to ponder it. I simply snatched the chain back from the man,
and looked at him slyly.
"Perhaps then, good Sir, you'll be buying one of those trinkets off the
fine ladies of the redlight district sometime this evening then, aye?" It
was a risky insult and I'd more than half expected to get my teeth knocked
in by the burly fellow for the insinuation. To my relief however, the
large man merely flushed crimson, glanced about from side to side to see
who might have heard, and then threw three silvers to me at once before
snatching the chain back.
"It's only two, Sir." I said, which earned me a scowl. "And one to help
you forget we ever talked!" he grumped before trodding away quickly. Once
he was out of sight, I let my relief and joy escape. I sat down and leaned
against the building I'd decided to peddle my wares outside of, and looked
at the three silvers in my palm and smiled. I could get a decent meal and
a place to sleep finally. It wouldn't be enough to get me to wherever it
was I was going--how I knew that was beyond me at the time, but I just had
a feeling--but it would do for now.
The sun at this point was turning in for the evening, and the shadows were
growing long upon the ground. I decided to pack what was left of my past
up and find rest for the night; part of me wanted to get South quickly,
but another part realized that the fast I sold the last of my Father's
work, the sooner I would have nothing left of him.
I slung my pack over my shoulder and made my way through Treasnar's main
square. The square served as a hub to four other squares--market, church,
craft, and poor. One can probably guess where I planned to stay the night;
three silvers made me feel rich as a king, but I planned to hoard it like
a squirrel does nuts in winter. I turned southwest and strolled down the
alleyways toward the 'economy' housing of the Poor Square.
I was lucky not to run into a wall or a signpost, so lost in thought I
was. A great many things were flowing through my head at that point: how
much money did I think I need? Why was this happening to me? What had I
done to deserve this fate? Thankfully, Someone must have heard all this
and got tired of listening.
"No! You can't! Please!!" I blinked and looked up from the stone I'd been
kicking to see a frantic, middle-aged woman being dragged behind a huge
burly fellow in a futile attempt to stop him from leaving. I looked at the
scene and grimaced as I felt my stomach tie itself in a knot--very similar
to what happened with I'd encountered Ajoara. The man was carrying
something like a sack of potatoes--only it was moving and speaking.
"You knew the deal.." the man grunted, "Y'don't pay the rent, yer girl
goes to RedLight and pays it for ya." I blinked then, trying to process
what I'd just heard, even as I looked at the girl being taken from her
mother. She could not have been more than 12 years old, and the look of
fear--something I'd grown to know well in the last few days--had stolen
her ability to fight or even speak. The woman was still fighting,
blubbering, begging, do anything in her power to stop this from occurring.
"She's just a child! Please! I beg you!! Give me a few more days...tell
Master Jeric I will have it or he can take me to pay...I--"
"An old woman? I don't think so." the enforcer cut her off, "Besides,
Master Jeric rather likes 'em young. Says they bring in a lot of money and
are good for a long ti--" he blinked then and found himself looking at me.
I blinked back, part of me answering his silence with more silence while
the greater part of me attempted to figure out when I'd walked over to
this fray, and why I was going to get involved.
Something would not let me pass it by.
"How much does she owe?" I heard myself ask.
"Near a platinum." He snapped back, "8 and 3 silver. What is it to you,
boyo?" I did not answer him, but dropped my pack and began shuffling in
it. I dropped the pouch of coin that my teacher had given me--about a
silver's worth--and all the other jewelery I still had in my
posession...even my father's sapphire ring. Finally, I dropped the three
silvers I'd just earned onto the pile, each *chink* as they hit the
ground tearing into my head and my heart. The brute scowled, the girl
stared, and the woman gaped as they watched me part with nearly
everything of value I owned.
"The jewelery is very fine, Sir." I forced calm, despite the revulsion
this fellow spewed from his person, "That will add up to your debt.
Consider it closed, and put that girl down." He put her down like a sack
of old potatoes, and she darted behind her mother, watching him, watching
me, and letting tears of fear begin to fall as the paralysis started to
wear off. The thug picked up my fortune--and my life--and eyed it before
turning his beady gaze on me.
"This stuff ain't worth the muck these two're living in." he snorted. My
senses chimed in again, the itch on the back of my hands flaring up. He
raised a hand to throw the work at me, and I simply narrowed my gaze,
causing him to give pause.
"You tell your master Jeric to have it appraised." I snapped, "He will
find it sufficient to pay the debt. Or shall I fetch a jeweler and the
town Watch to come and we shall have it done right now? Take your spoils
and leave this child alone." Of course, I was but a child myself in terms
of Elven time; but he did not have to know that, did he?
In retrospect, I am lucky to be alive after than altercation...but that is
another part of the tale to come. But for now, the sight of a skinny
half-elf lad challenging this monstrosity of a man is a memory that always
brings a bit of a smile to my face. Someone gave me courage that day...and
a bit of luck. But I ramble...
"Bah...have it yer way. If this stuff ain't what you say it is, Jeric'll
be after your hide next, boyo. This ain't over."
"You are right about that." I retorted, "That ring is my father's...you
can be assured that I will be coming back for it." he only snorted and
stomped off after a final glare to the woman and her child. There was a
long silence after he departed, the three of us watching him stalk through
the people and finally disappear into the rest of town.
I turned about then, gazing at the pair who I had just saved. They stared
back at me with a look of confused happiness I'm not sure I could describe
on paper. It was a very long silence that followed, as we both struggled
for words--I was at a loss to explain myself, and they were no better--to
break the ice and the terror that had just washed over us all.
"Why...?" the mother finally blurted out. I had no logical answer for her,
other than what I'd felt when I started.
"It was right.." I said feebly. Righteousness was quickly being
overshadowed by the realization that I would be sleeping in a doorstep
with an empty stomach. I gave a heavy sigh and hefted what was left of my
life over my shoulder, then turned to head toward Church Square, a
decidedly safer place to stay the night.
"...wait..." I heard the soft voice and felt equally soft hands grab mine
to hold me back. I looked down and found the girl staring up at me with a
grateful smile on her small face, and huge green eyes that peered up
through her brown hair and gazed at me as if I were the coming of one of
the Gods themselves. I could feel my face flushing in embarrassment and,
feeling a bit foolish, I asked, "What is it..?"
"..you gave him all your money." she said, "You don't live here. Where are
you going to go?" she looked back at her mother, who was still trying to
compose herself and deal with what had just happened.
"I'll think of something," I muttered, trying to tug my hands away from
her and feeling terribly self-conscious and foolish. It was then that I
saw the woman--her mother--rise and dust herself off. She cleared her
throat, giving me that stare that only a mother can invoke just right; the
one that causes children to stop their antics and pay attention. To my
chagrin then, I found myself doing just that, along with the little blond
girl. "Eh...yes madam?" I started politely.
"I'll have none of it, you hear?" She said matter-of-factly, "What you've
done for us, good sir, I can never repay you...but I can at least fill
your belly and put a roof over your head for the time you're here in
Treasnar."
"Madam I couldn't trouble--"
"You can and you will!" she huffed as she raised an arm and pointed to the
door of her house in a silent gesture of "inside now!" I swallowed hard,
and dared not struggle or fuss as the young girl tugged me into the house,
giggling a bit.
The thug from this "Master Jeric" fellow had nothing on a mother's ire.
***
The house was modest, but cozy enough for the two that had to live there.
I sat where I was told to sit, and after that the woman's demeanor became
much more pleasant. Her daughter set basin of water for me to wash on the
table in front of me, and I could already smell something over the cooking
fire that made my stomach rumble embarrassingly loud. The girl burst into
another fit of giggles, her previous fear apparently washed away in the
midst of my embarrassment. I felt myself flush again and grasped feebly for
conversation to distract her--and myself!--from my obvious hunger, "Thank
you again, madam; my name is Kylus. Kylus Dra--"
"Bah I won't have it." She interrupted me, "Like I said, young
man--Kylus--I can't ever repay you..we aren't worth thanking, as we just
cost you your livelihood. I'm still trying to figure you out, lad."
"That makes two of us.." I muttered, then said louder, "Like I said,
madam, it just seemed right." I heard another 'bah' and she turned back to
me and set a bowl of piping hot stew before me. A piece of crusty bread
followed along with a nice cool pitcher of water.
"Don't be madaming me....my name is Abelienne. And she--" she gestured
toward the girl who was cleaning up my wash bowl and still staring at
m, "--is my only daughter, Arylin." The girl curtsied as if I were some
lord to be bowed to, and I felt the embarrassment well up once more; had my
actions really been that out of place? If so, why was the world in such a
state that such acts were considered so noble?
"You eat your fill now, Kylus, and ask for more if you want it..." my
stomach rumbled, and I knew I could not protest that. I forced myself to
eat slowly though; I'd embarrassed myself enough before these two women.
The stew was filled with vegetables and a bit of meat, but very tasty. I
dunked the bread in it and soaked up the juice before downing that as
well. Once it was washed down with a gulp of water, I gave a sigh of
content. Arylin and her mother at this point had began to eat as well, and
we remained in silence until we three had finished our repast.
When it was done, the girl rose and cleared the bowls. It was at this
point that I decided to let my curiosity get the better of me.
"Mada--Abelienne," I corrected as I felt her glare well up once more, "who
is this Master Jeric that sent the man here."I heard a wooden bowl clatter
to the floor as it fell from Arylin's hands, and the girl fumbled to pick
it up as her mother just shook her head at me.
"She pegged you..you -aren't- from around these parts are ya?" I shook my
head, but did not offer anything further; I did not feel like relating the
last week of misery to this woman or her terrified girl, "Jeric is the
boss in the Redlight Square. He owns most of that area, and all the whores
in it. He also owns a lot of the houses like this one, on the edge of Poor
district. People who can't pay usually get sold to him as servants, but
women are forced out onto street corners..." she trailed off then,
glancing back at Arylin in the house's makeshift kitchen. The girl was
making a career of scrubbing the bowls clean, trying too hard to look like
she was not listening. I felt my stomach turn, the dinner suddenly feeling
quite heavy as I too looked over at Arylin. If I'd not happened by...
"You're a blessing from the Gods, Kylus, that you are." she said, "I'd
give you all I had in thanks, but as you can see, we don't got much worth
a copper around here---" I raised my hand and stopped her, "I don't want
anything...it was right to do...that's all I knew. But why doesn't anyone
stop this Jeric? Debt or not, what he was trying to do to--today--that
cannot be allowed by town law...can it?"
Abelienne gave a bit of a dry laugh at my words and shook her head, "In a
perfect world, lad, it wouldn't be. But here in reality, where the
magistrates and half the constables int he town are on his payroll,
anything Jeric wants, he gets. The last few members of the town Watch to
get in his way were mostly found a few days later."
"Mostly?"
"A piece here, a piece there." she said, and I couldn't help but
pale a bit. Just what I needed in my life at this point: a death mark.
Silently I cursed my overactive sense of justice, but it was half-hearted;
looking at the girl and her mother, I knew it would be worth it, should it
come to that.
"Bah don't you worry about that, Kylus. Jeric likes his business, but he
likes his money even more. Thanks to you, we'll be left in peace for a
time."
I nodded and fought a yawn, which ignored my attempts and came anyway.
Abelienne smiled knowingly and said, "Heroism has a cost I suppose. We
have a nice straw bed in the corner there for you, my young sir." Heroism
nothing; being up since dawn on my feet shouting "FINE JEWELERY" at the
top of my lungs had its cost. I wanted to protest but suddenly I was
feeling the weight of the day and its events crash upon me, and before I
knew it, I was in the bed, half asleep when I felt small hands spreading a
ragged wool blanket over me. I opened one eye to find a pair of large
green ones still smiling down at me.
"Thank you." she whispered, following it up with a peck on my cheek before
she crossed the hut and found her mother's arms on another straw palette.
Sleep was merciful to me, unlike previous nights; no old men, giant
dragons, or being awoken by hooligans this night. Instead the dawn came to
find me in the form of sunlight through cracks in the walls. I cracked my
eyes open and yawned, stretching quickly and getting the kinks out of my
back and neck.
I decided then that my welcome had been worn out and I'd been repaid
enough. Part of me did not want to hang around for Jeric's wrath to fall
upon me--I knew my wares would more than pay for this house's debt, but
something within me told me that the man would not like being confounded
as he was, especially if his henchman spoke the truth about his desire
for new girls...another part of me did not want to be a burden to these
people any longer, and a small part of me wanted to be on my way, money or
not, toward the south.
I rose and grabbed my pack from the corner of the house. It felt heavier
and I suspected that Abelienne had stuffed something like food into it. I
tiptoed with my boots off toward the door, but I heard breath catch
before I could get out. Turning my head over my shoulder I saw those same
green eyes peering at me, a bit of disappointment in them. I smiled back
at Arylin, nodded, and put a finger to my nose to quiet her. Then I
mouthed the words "Thank You" to her and was gone into the streets and out
of the square as fast as I could be. Treasnar would be a memory by midday,
and I hoped that Arylin and her mother would be well off, and left alone
by this Jeric.
I knew I would be back, of course; I'd made a promise to the boss'
servant...one day I'd come back for my father's ring.
***
"He left, Ary?" Abelienne asked quietly, feeling her daughter nod in the
crook of her arm. The mother wrapped her arm around her tightly, saying
"Don't you be getting thoughts to follow him. He's got another path, that
one. The Gods don't make them like that very often."
"Will I see him again?" the girl asked.
"If it's in the stars, Ary, then yes." the girl listened to her mother and
kept her gaze fixated on the door for a long moment before speaking once more.
"I will see him again, Mama..."
***
I did not know it at the time, but the Gods had given me a test in
Treasnar. A test of conviction, and a test of conscience. My reward was
poverty as I continued my journey south, but something more as well; I'd
encountered a person who would shape my heart and life many years into the
future. But of course I had no knowledge of this...all I could do was
stroll the southern road, nibbling cautiously at the rations a kind woman
gave me, and hoping I was not too far off of my destination, and my
future.
-- To Be Continued...
* the town of Treasnar he comes to the rescue of someone who would change
* his life significantly in the years to come.
*/
#ifdef COPYRIGHTED_STUFF
#define DISCLAIMER "DragonLance is owned by Wizards of the Coast, Margaret
Weis, and Tracy Hickman. RhyDin is owned by America
Online Incorporated. I don't claim to own any of these
settings or the characters within them. My character
just passed through. ;)"
#endif
/* Reviews would be appreciated...hint hint wink ;) */
Chapter III: Silver Lining?
"Two silvers, m'lord." I said to the burly fellow who clenched a silver
chain in his meaty hand. He raised an eyebrow and eyed me, then replied,
"I've seen better work around the necks 'o women in the redlight alleys!"
I paused then, fighting the smile that was attempting to sneak its way
upon my lips; I had felt the sickly itch dance across the backs of my
hands, the same way it had in my dealings with other fellows in the town
of Treasnar since I'd arrived days earlier. Ever since that night that I'd
dreamed--I think it was a dream--of the Great Dragon and the old wizard, it
had come to me: when people lie, my skin crawled. It was unnerving, and I
did not know why such an ability had been granted to me, but I was hardly
in a position to ponder it. I simply snatched the chain back from the man,
and looked at him slyly.
"Perhaps then, good Sir, you'll be buying one of those trinkets off the
fine ladies of the redlight district sometime this evening then, aye?" It
was a risky insult and I'd more than half expected to get my teeth knocked
in by the burly fellow for the insinuation. To my relief however, the
large man merely flushed crimson, glanced about from side to side to see
who might have heard, and then threw three silvers to me at once before
snatching the chain back.
"It's only two, Sir." I said, which earned me a scowl. "And one to help
you forget we ever talked!" he grumped before trodding away quickly. Once
he was out of sight, I let my relief and joy escape. I sat down and leaned
against the building I'd decided to peddle my wares outside of, and looked
at the three silvers in my palm and smiled. I could get a decent meal and
a place to sleep finally. It wouldn't be enough to get me to wherever it
was I was going--how I knew that was beyond me at the time, but I just had
a feeling--but it would do for now.
The sun at this point was turning in for the evening, and the shadows were
growing long upon the ground. I decided to pack what was left of my past
up and find rest for the night; part of me wanted to get South quickly,
but another part realized that the fast I sold the last of my Father's
work, the sooner I would have nothing left of him.
I slung my pack over my shoulder and made my way through Treasnar's main
square. The square served as a hub to four other squares--market, church,
craft, and poor. One can probably guess where I planned to stay the night;
three silvers made me feel rich as a king, but I planned to hoard it like
a squirrel does nuts in winter. I turned southwest and strolled down the
alleyways toward the 'economy' housing of the Poor Square.
I was lucky not to run into a wall or a signpost, so lost in thought I
was. A great many things were flowing through my head at that point: how
much money did I think I need? Why was this happening to me? What had I
done to deserve this fate? Thankfully, Someone must have heard all this
and got tired of listening.
"No! You can't! Please!!" I blinked and looked up from the stone I'd been
kicking to see a frantic, middle-aged woman being dragged behind a huge
burly fellow in a futile attempt to stop him from leaving. I looked at the
scene and grimaced as I felt my stomach tie itself in a knot--very similar
to what happened with I'd encountered Ajoara. The man was carrying
something like a sack of potatoes--only it was moving and speaking.
"You knew the deal.." the man grunted, "Y'don't pay the rent, yer girl
goes to RedLight and pays it for ya." I blinked then, trying to process
what I'd just heard, even as I looked at the girl being taken from her
mother. She could not have been more than 12 years old, and the look of
fear--something I'd grown to know well in the last few days--had stolen
her ability to fight or even speak. The woman was still fighting,
blubbering, begging, do anything in her power to stop this from occurring.
"She's just a child! Please! I beg you!! Give me a few more days...tell
Master Jeric I will have it or he can take me to pay...I--"
"An old woman? I don't think so." the enforcer cut her off, "Besides,
Master Jeric rather likes 'em young. Says they bring in a lot of money and
are good for a long ti--" he blinked then and found himself looking at me.
I blinked back, part of me answering his silence with more silence while
the greater part of me attempted to figure out when I'd walked over to
this fray, and why I was going to get involved.
Something would not let me pass it by.
"How much does she owe?" I heard myself ask.
"Near a platinum." He snapped back, "8 and 3 silver. What is it to you,
boyo?" I did not answer him, but dropped my pack and began shuffling in
it. I dropped the pouch of coin that my teacher had given me--about a
silver's worth--and all the other jewelery I still had in my
posession...even my father's sapphire ring. Finally, I dropped the three
silvers I'd just earned onto the pile, each *chink* as they hit the
ground tearing into my head and my heart. The brute scowled, the girl
stared, and the woman gaped as they watched me part with nearly
everything of value I owned.
"The jewelery is very fine, Sir." I forced calm, despite the revulsion
this fellow spewed from his person, "That will add up to your debt.
Consider it closed, and put that girl down." He put her down like a sack
of old potatoes, and she darted behind her mother, watching him, watching
me, and letting tears of fear begin to fall as the paralysis started to
wear off. The thug picked up my fortune--and my life--and eyed it before
turning his beady gaze on me.
"This stuff ain't worth the muck these two're living in." he snorted. My
senses chimed in again, the itch on the back of my hands flaring up. He
raised a hand to throw the work at me, and I simply narrowed my gaze,
causing him to give pause.
"You tell your master Jeric to have it appraised." I snapped, "He will
find it sufficient to pay the debt. Or shall I fetch a jeweler and the
town Watch to come and we shall have it done right now? Take your spoils
and leave this child alone." Of course, I was but a child myself in terms
of Elven time; but he did not have to know that, did he?
In retrospect, I am lucky to be alive after than altercation...but that is
another part of the tale to come. But for now, the sight of a skinny
half-elf lad challenging this monstrosity of a man is a memory that always
brings a bit of a smile to my face. Someone gave me courage that day...and
a bit of luck. But I ramble...
"Bah...have it yer way. If this stuff ain't what you say it is, Jeric'll
be after your hide next, boyo. This ain't over."
"You are right about that." I retorted, "That ring is my father's...you
can be assured that I will be coming back for it." he only snorted and
stomped off after a final glare to the woman and her child. There was a
long silence after he departed, the three of us watching him stalk through
the people and finally disappear into the rest of town.
I turned about then, gazing at the pair who I had just saved. They stared
back at me with a look of confused happiness I'm not sure I could describe
on paper. It was a very long silence that followed, as we both struggled
for words--I was at a loss to explain myself, and they were no better--to
break the ice and the terror that had just washed over us all.
"Why...?" the mother finally blurted out. I had no logical answer for her,
other than what I'd felt when I started.
"It was right.." I said feebly. Righteousness was quickly being
overshadowed by the realization that I would be sleeping in a doorstep
with an empty stomach. I gave a heavy sigh and hefted what was left of my
life over my shoulder, then turned to head toward Church Square, a
decidedly safer place to stay the night.
"...wait..." I heard the soft voice and felt equally soft hands grab mine
to hold me back. I looked down and found the girl staring up at me with a
grateful smile on her small face, and huge green eyes that peered up
through her brown hair and gazed at me as if I were the coming of one of
the Gods themselves. I could feel my face flushing in embarrassment and,
feeling a bit foolish, I asked, "What is it..?"
"..you gave him all your money." she said, "You don't live here. Where are
you going to go?" she looked back at her mother, who was still trying to
compose herself and deal with what had just happened.
"I'll think of something," I muttered, trying to tug my hands away from
her and feeling terribly self-conscious and foolish. It was then that I
saw the woman--her mother--rise and dust herself off. She cleared her
throat, giving me that stare that only a mother can invoke just right; the
one that causes children to stop their antics and pay attention. To my
chagrin then, I found myself doing just that, along with the little blond
girl. "Eh...yes madam?" I started politely.
"I'll have none of it, you hear?" She said matter-of-factly, "What you've
done for us, good sir, I can never repay you...but I can at least fill
your belly and put a roof over your head for the time you're here in
Treasnar."
"Madam I couldn't trouble--"
"You can and you will!" she huffed as she raised an arm and pointed to the
door of her house in a silent gesture of "inside now!" I swallowed hard,
and dared not struggle or fuss as the young girl tugged me into the house,
giggling a bit.
The thug from this "Master Jeric" fellow had nothing on a mother's ire.
***
The house was modest, but cozy enough for the two that had to live there.
I sat where I was told to sit, and after that the woman's demeanor became
much more pleasant. Her daughter set basin of water for me to wash on the
table in front of me, and I could already smell something over the cooking
fire that made my stomach rumble embarrassingly loud. The girl burst into
another fit of giggles, her previous fear apparently washed away in the
midst of my embarrassment. I felt myself flush again and grasped feebly for
conversation to distract her--and myself!--from my obvious hunger, "Thank
you again, madam; my name is Kylus. Kylus Dra--"
"Bah I won't have it." She interrupted me, "Like I said, young
man--Kylus--I can't ever repay you..we aren't worth thanking, as we just
cost you your livelihood. I'm still trying to figure you out, lad."
"That makes two of us.." I muttered, then said louder, "Like I said,
madam, it just seemed right." I heard another 'bah' and she turned back to
me and set a bowl of piping hot stew before me. A piece of crusty bread
followed along with a nice cool pitcher of water.
"Don't be madaming me....my name is Abelienne. And she--" she gestured
toward the girl who was cleaning up my wash bowl and still staring at
m, "--is my only daughter, Arylin." The girl curtsied as if I were some
lord to be bowed to, and I felt the embarrassment well up once more; had my
actions really been that out of place? If so, why was the world in such a
state that such acts were considered so noble?
"You eat your fill now, Kylus, and ask for more if you want it..." my
stomach rumbled, and I knew I could not protest that. I forced myself to
eat slowly though; I'd embarrassed myself enough before these two women.
The stew was filled with vegetables and a bit of meat, but very tasty. I
dunked the bread in it and soaked up the juice before downing that as
well. Once it was washed down with a gulp of water, I gave a sigh of
content. Arylin and her mother at this point had began to eat as well, and
we remained in silence until we three had finished our repast.
When it was done, the girl rose and cleared the bowls. It was at this
point that I decided to let my curiosity get the better of me.
"Mada--Abelienne," I corrected as I felt her glare well up once more, "who
is this Master Jeric that sent the man here."I heard a wooden bowl clatter
to the floor as it fell from Arylin's hands, and the girl fumbled to pick
it up as her mother just shook her head at me.
"She pegged you..you -aren't- from around these parts are ya?" I shook my
head, but did not offer anything further; I did not feel like relating the
last week of misery to this woman or her terrified girl, "Jeric is the
boss in the Redlight Square. He owns most of that area, and all the whores
in it. He also owns a lot of the houses like this one, on the edge of Poor
district. People who can't pay usually get sold to him as servants, but
women are forced out onto street corners..." she trailed off then,
glancing back at Arylin in the house's makeshift kitchen. The girl was
making a career of scrubbing the bowls clean, trying too hard to look like
she was not listening. I felt my stomach turn, the dinner suddenly feeling
quite heavy as I too looked over at Arylin. If I'd not happened by...
"You're a blessing from the Gods, Kylus, that you are." she said, "I'd
give you all I had in thanks, but as you can see, we don't got much worth
a copper around here---" I raised my hand and stopped her, "I don't want
anything...it was right to do...that's all I knew. But why doesn't anyone
stop this Jeric? Debt or not, what he was trying to do to--today--that
cannot be allowed by town law...can it?"
Abelienne gave a bit of a dry laugh at my words and shook her head, "In a
perfect world, lad, it wouldn't be. But here in reality, where the
magistrates and half the constables int he town are on his payroll,
anything Jeric wants, he gets. The last few members of the town Watch to
get in his way were mostly found a few days later."
"Mostly?"
"A piece here, a piece there." she said, and I couldn't help but
pale a bit. Just what I needed in my life at this point: a death mark.
Silently I cursed my overactive sense of justice, but it was half-hearted;
looking at the girl and her mother, I knew it would be worth it, should it
come to that.
"Bah don't you worry about that, Kylus. Jeric likes his business, but he
likes his money even more. Thanks to you, we'll be left in peace for a
time."
I nodded and fought a yawn, which ignored my attempts and came anyway.
Abelienne smiled knowingly and said, "Heroism has a cost I suppose. We
have a nice straw bed in the corner there for you, my young sir." Heroism
nothing; being up since dawn on my feet shouting "FINE JEWELERY" at the
top of my lungs had its cost. I wanted to protest but suddenly I was
feeling the weight of the day and its events crash upon me, and before I
knew it, I was in the bed, half asleep when I felt small hands spreading a
ragged wool blanket over me. I opened one eye to find a pair of large
green ones still smiling down at me.
"Thank you." she whispered, following it up with a peck on my cheek before
she crossed the hut and found her mother's arms on another straw palette.
Sleep was merciful to me, unlike previous nights; no old men, giant
dragons, or being awoken by hooligans this night. Instead the dawn came to
find me in the form of sunlight through cracks in the walls. I cracked my
eyes open and yawned, stretching quickly and getting the kinks out of my
back and neck.
I decided then that my welcome had been worn out and I'd been repaid
enough. Part of me did not want to hang around for Jeric's wrath to fall
upon me--I knew my wares would more than pay for this house's debt, but
something within me told me that the man would not like being confounded
as he was, especially if his henchman spoke the truth about his desire
for new girls...another part of me did not want to be a burden to these
people any longer, and a small part of me wanted to be on my way, money or
not, toward the south.
I rose and grabbed my pack from the corner of the house. It felt heavier
and I suspected that Abelienne had stuffed something like food into it. I
tiptoed with my boots off toward the door, but I heard breath catch
before I could get out. Turning my head over my shoulder I saw those same
green eyes peering at me, a bit of disappointment in them. I smiled back
at Arylin, nodded, and put a finger to my nose to quiet her. Then I
mouthed the words "Thank You" to her and was gone into the streets and out
of the square as fast as I could be. Treasnar would be a memory by midday,
and I hoped that Arylin and her mother would be well off, and left alone
by this Jeric.
I knew I would be back, of course; I'd made a promise to the boss'
servant...one day I'd come back for my father's ring.
***
"He left, Ary?" Abelienne asked quietly, feeling her daughter nod in the
crook of her arm. The mother wrapped her arm around her tightly, saying
"Don't you be getting thoughts to follow him. He's got another path, that
one. The Gods don't make them like that very often."
"Will I see him again?" the girl asked.
"If it's in the stars, Ary, then yes." the girl listened to her mother and
kept her gaze fixated on the door for a long moment before speaking once more.
"I will see him again, Mama..."
***
I did not know it at the time, but the Gods had given me a test in
Treasnar. A test of conviction, and a test of conscience. My reward was
poverty as I continued my journey south, but something more as well; I'd
encountered a person who would shape my heart and life many years into the
future. But of course I had no knowledge of this...all I could do was
stroll the southern road, nibbling cautiously at the rations a kind woman
gave me, and hoping I was not too far off of my destination, and my
future.
-- To Be Continued...