For those of you who were disappointed that Kirya was tamed, don't worry. She's back, fullout, extreme Kiyra. You'll love this chapter. It was spontanous and wicked fun to write. It's shorter than I used to write, but the chapters will get longer.
Chapter 13
A sleek figure cut through the darkness. The figure, which had a feminine figure barely visible through the loose black breeches and cotton shirt, climbed from roof to roof in the Lower City.
A man was waiting on one of the roofs. "Did you get it?"
The figure deposited a small bag in his hand. She kept her hand out, palm up.
The man chuckled. "Always the greedy one, eh?" He gave her a gold noble.
"Not 'nuff." The figure hissed. The man shrugged. The figure pocketed the coin. "You owe me. Got anything else you need done?"
"Man of the Rogue needs to be silenced. Name of Ribald. Can you take care of it for me?"
"Thin man, bald, looks and acts like a rat?" The figure confirmed. "He'll be dead afore morning. Money first."
The man laughed. "Come to me when the job's done."
The figure nodded and jumped off the roof to a balcony that she knew was there. The figure climbed down a sturdy rose trellis to a iron ladder and descended
Rye stirred from his sleep. "Kiyra?"
Kiyra jumped away from the door. "I didn't see you there."
Rye got to his feet. "Sneaking out again?"
"I wasn't sneaking." Kiyra protested. "I wanted a breath of fresh air."
"What's in the bag?" Rye pointed to the bag that she casually held.
"Stuff. Surprise for Geoff." Kiyra said vaguely.
"Kiyra," Rye pulled her down. "I'm not sure what you're doing, and I don't want to know. But I'm not the only one who's been noticing the strange stuff you've been doing lately. I'm going away soon and I can't look after you any more. So be careful."
Kiyra ruffled his hair. "I will. You don't have to look after me, Rye."
"Aw, Geoff made us promise to." Rye laughed. "Me, Finn, Merci, Lars, and Tyrell. Hashim, too. We're to protect you."
Kiyra kept her face smooth. "Do you follow me?"
"Nothing like that." Rye said. "We just keep our Goat necklaces close, in case something happens."
"Thanks." Kiyra hugged him. "Guess I don't need that fresh air after all. I'm going back to bad. Don't stay up."
"Night." Rye lay back down under the table on a pile of blankets.
Kiyra quietly sneaked into the room she shared with Geoff, and often Demi. She slid her bag under the bed and unbuttoned her dress. She hung it up in the wardrobe and pushed aside her skirts and dresses. On a hook in the back of the wardrobe hung her Goat necklace. She pulled it over her neck and snuggled up to Geoff .
"Where were you?"
Kiyra jumped. "Geoff? Sorry if I woke you. I was going to get fresh air, but I was talking to Rye."
"No." Geoff sat up. "I mean for the past hour. Where were you?"
Kiyra was speechless.
"Kiyra, you need to be careful. There's talk going around, of men killed or valuable things stolen. Rumor is that there's a new assassin. Especially with what happened with Demi last month, we can't risk you out at night."
"Geoff, I was wearing my necklace." Kiyra lied. She kissed him softly, trying to ignore the guilt that ran through her body. "I wasn't in any danger, you'd have known."
Geoff put an arm around her. "The necklace isn't enough. True, it would warn me and show me where you were, but that might not be enough. I don't know what I'd do, Kiy, if I lost you. What any of us would do..."
"I'm fine. I'm safe." Kiyra curled up against him and yawned.
Kiyra stayed awake with the guilt festering against her conscience.
"Kiyra?" Geoff whispered.
She pretended to be asleep so that she didn't have to face him again. Geoff sighed and rolled over. Kiyra fought back tears and softly rubbed her stomach
"Hey, give us a round o'er here!" Kiyra slurred as she tossed a coin to the serving girl.
Luth buried his head in his arms. "She's drunk. My sister is drunk." His voice was muffled through his sleeves.
Cart guffawed loudly as he swigged from his mug. "Thanks for the round, friend. You and me, we go way back, don't we?"
"Forget it, I'm not doin' you." Kiyra teased.
Cart laughed loudly, waving his drink and splashing them all in the process.
"Even though," Kiyra paused to reflect. "I'm drunk. I'm stinking rotton ape-scratching drunk. And men look better. All men look better. I should be drunk more often. I like looking at other men."
"Shut up, Kiyra." Emma covered Kiyra's mouth. "Geoff's coming over."
Dann stole a sip from Kiyra's mug. "Where's Demi?"
"I took him to Julie's." Emma said. "He shouldn't have to see his ma this way. No one should have to see Kiyra this way."
"Public eyesore." Luth complained.
"Are you drunk?" Geoff raised his eyebrow at his wife.
"Maybe a bit." Kiyra held up two fingers and squinted to see how small the space between them could get.
"It's his fault." Luth pointed to Cart. "He gave her the first round."
Geoff jokingly socked Cart in the shoulder. "Bloody scum, trying to get my wife drunk so he can bed her."
"Why not? She's pretty enough." Cart laughed. "And like men, women look better when you're drunk."
Geoff snorted at the implications of his friend's words. "So you like men now?"
Cart shoved a mug towards Geoff. "Not like that, yer Majesty."
Kiyra perched on Geoff's leg and began placing kisses on his neck.
"That's distracting, love." Geoff planted a kiss on her lips.
Kiyra sat astride Geoff and wrapped her arms around his neck. Cart hooted.
"Scarred for life." Luth lamented. "My eyes are bleeding."
Emma snatched Kiyra's drink away from her and handed it off to another man who sat at the next table over.
A popular lady of the Rogue started to sing a bawdy drinking song. All the Rodue in the Dove joined in the chorus. Kiyra shouting at the top of her lungs, with a wide grin on her face.
Luth pulled Emma and Dann up on the table with him and started to dance a lively jig. The other two caught on fast and soon, all three were kicking up their heels to the fast beat of the song. Cheers reverberated throughout the rafters for the young dancers.
"Geoff, I've something to tell you!" Kiyra shouted into his ear, above the noise of the tavern.
"Yah?" Geoff tickled her face with the stubble of his beard. She shoved his face away.
"That's distracting." She sighed. "I'm with child, Geoff. Don't hurt me."
Geoff stared at her in surprise. "You're kidding, right? You're just drunk?"
"If only, right?" Kiyra snorted. "I admit, I am very drunk," She grabbed a mug from a dancing man and chugged down the last of the liquid. "But, it's no lie. I'm with child. Four months along, I'll bet."
Kiyra heaved into a bucket. "Aw, Black God, take me now." She moaned.
"Don't tempt him." Lalasa lightly slapped Kiyra's head and she winced. "You brought it on yourself, drinking that much."
"It's good that Geoff brought you here, or you'd be lying dead under a table somewhere." Julie giggled and offered Kiyra a cup of water.
"Thanks for the sympathy." Kiyra laid back on the floor with her head on Julie's lap. "Next time you've got a hangover..."
"I don't drink." Julie pointed out. "Neither does Lalasa, so your threat is worn out already."
"I don't drink anymore either." Kiyra rubbed her temples.
"You shouldn't have been drinking anyway." Lalasa scolded. "As far along as you are, you need to protect this child. Drinking half the ale at the Dove wasn't smart."
"It was stupid." Julie added. "Really stupid."
"If I drank half the ale, Cart drank the other half." Kiyra grinned. "I noticed Geoff didn't drag him home."
"Yah, well," Julie shrugged it off. "Cart's a grown man, he'll do what he wants."
"I'm a grown woman." Kiyra jerked off Julie's lap and retched into the bucket.
"Grown in body, maybe." Lalasa held Kiyra's hair away from her face. "You're still a reckless, thoughtless, immature fifteen year old."
Kiyra spat into the bucket, trying to rid her mouth of the acidic taste. "Thanks for that."
"What an example you set." Lalasa continued. "All the children look up to you, especially your own brother and your son. What image is this supposed to portray? Drinking is alright, as long as you get thoroughly drunk?"
"They'd drink anyway." Kiyra lay back down on Julie. "First time I took Luth to a bar, he tried to down a whole pint."
"With you encouraging him, all the way." Lalasa guessed.
"No!" Kiyra defended. "Well, I gave him the pint, but only to take a sip! He's the one who...I took it away!"
"Kiyra," Lalasa wiped at Kiyra's mouth with a cloth. "You are irresponsible. Very irresponsible."
"I know, I know." Kiyra slumped. "A little pity would be nice."
Julie and Lalasa exchanged a look.
"What about the baby?" Julie changed the subject. "Why didn't you tell Geoff sooner?"
"It isn't exactly convenient right now." Kiyra explained. "I was drunk when I told him."
"Convenient?" Lalasa raised her eyebrows. "If you're expecting a baby to be convenient, you are going to have another thing coming."
"I don't want it, okay?" Kiyra raised her voice. "Geoff wants a baby, but I don't!"
"Remember when you thought the Childlose plant was wrong?" Julie asked. "It wasn't that long ago."
"I still do, it's just...I can't do this. I can't raise a kid."
"You're doing fine with Demi." Lalasa encouraged. "It will be hard, raising a baby, but it gets easier."
"We can help." Julie hugged her friend. "Be happy. There's nothing you can do now. Geoff would never speak to you again if you purposely lost this child."
"Good point." Kiyra felt tears start to form in her eyes. "I don't want it though. I don't want the responsibility. I don't want to grow fat and ugly and huge. I don't want to have to stay home, a crying, snot nosed brat on my hip."
"That's the hangover talking." Julie told Lalasa. "She'll get over it soon."
"I hope so." Lalasa rubbed her younger friend's back. "She's going to love being a mother."
"If she can stop the drinking and going out late at night to the Dove." Julie agreed.
"Has she ever changed a diaper?" Lalasa wondered.
Julie frowned suddenly. "I don't think so. Emma's always been the one to volunteer."
"Can you stop talking about me as if I'm not here?" Kiyra begged.
Julie and Lalasa ignored her. Lalasa thought hard. "You must be right. We'll have to teach her. Doesn't Cole give you some pretty messy diapers?"
Kiyra wrinkled up her nose. "I'll have plenty of time to learn. Five months long to wait. Five blissful months full of joy and comfort."
"You get awful sarcastic when you've got a hangover." Julie remarked.
The door slammed open loudly and Geoff rushed in. "Kiyra, can we talk? Privately?"
Kiyra moaned. "I need them. They're my moral support."
"Unless you're ready to hold her hair back as she gags, we should stay." Julie stroked Kiyra's forehead.
"Alright." Geoff peered in the bucket and made a face. "One of my closest friends warned me last night. He warned me of the assassin that I've heard tales about. It's a woman and she's extremely dangerous."
"Oh?" Kiyra feigned worry. "Is she after you?"
"I don't know." Geoff shook his head. "He said that this woman could be a threat to my throne."
Kiyra struggled to figure that out. "Wait, this assassin is going to kill you?"
"Not if I've anything to do about it." Geoff knelt and cupped her cheek with his hand. "i don't want you to worry about me, just worry about yourself and our child."
Geoff smiled at Kiyra and left. She sighed.
"How am I supposed to tell him how I feel?" Kiyra wailed quietly. "He's a perfect guy, perfect. He's happy about this baby and I can't tell him how I feel. He wouldn't understand."
"You're hiding something." Lalasa accused, eyes narrowing.
Kiyra felt her cheeks turning red, hoping that it wouldn't show.
"She is!" Julie realized, seeing Kiyra blush.
"What have you done?" Lalasa questioned. "I know you too well. Sometimes I wish I didn't. What have you done?"
"Nothing." Kiyra bit her lip. "I've got a secret."
"What is it?" Julie poked Kiyra's ribs.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret."
"I'm hoping it doesn't have anything at all to do with what Geoff just told you about the assassin." Lalasa said warningly.
"Course not!" Kiyra sat straight up. "Oh right, Lalasa, I'm the assassin, by the way. I'm planning on killing Geoff and taking over the Rogue!" Kiyra struck a pose, causing her friends to laugh.
"Guess it does sound pretty stupid." Lalasa smiled ruefully.
"I love Geoff. I wouldn't do anything to hurt him." Kiyra met the eyes of her friends.
"Well," Lalasa concluded. "You're always in trouble. Just don't dig yourself any deeper, alright?"
Hoped you liked it. Please, please review. It was a good update, wasn't it? I'll definately be inclined to update faster if I get good reviews.