Chapter Four
Darkness enveloped him as he worked his way across the village square and that suited him just fine. The market area was now deserted, the stalls empty but for a few animals locked in their pens. He could hear the muffled conversations of tavern patrons huddled in small groups outside the bar, their mounts tied to the handrail near them. The animal's lazy grunts mixed with the raucous human laughter making him chuckle under his breath. Music, or what he thought must pass for music, came from the nearest tavern. It had taken him most of the early evening to cover the southern, eastern and northern sections of the square. There were only two places left for her to hide, both on the west side of town.
O'Connell pushed the door to Tafrin's open with a bit more frustration than was advisable for someone trying to go unnoticed. He was, without a doubt, growing increasingly more aggravated with her ability to elude him. This was what she did. This was her strength. Which was why they had made such a good team! She could sum up a city then meld in, disappear or hide in shadows until their mark practically fell into their laps. Scanning the tavern's patrons he felt pretty certain she had chosen to hide here. Her mop of blonde hair was nowhere to be seen at the moment, but the place oozed normal. And Ashe loved looking normal.
Taking in the assortment of farmers and fools filling the tables, he doubted that any of them would have seen her or remembered her even if they had. When Ashe didn't want someone to notice her, they didn't. She was that good. Still, it might be best to grab a bench and chat up the wenches. They saw everything and he could still charm the bodices off them. 'Literally', he thought smiling to himself, remembering Miriums.
He worked his way to the bar, his most charming smile at the ready. An elderly drunk had passed out at the counter, his head lying on the wooden top, drool dripping from his mouth. O'Connell gently pushed the man's hands away from the empty stool to his right and picking up the drunk's mottled hat from the bar, placed it over the man's face, blocking his slack expression from view. As he took his seat his elbow accidentally hit the back of a young woman who stood near the bar. The girl was obviously attempting to use her 'magic' on a tradesman who looked much too old and definitely too drunk to be able to pay for her services tonight.
Gesturing to the barkeep, he tried not to laugh as the girl turned to him, annoyed. It took her only a second to take in his youth, armor and weapon. The grin she turned on him was stunning, his attributes having forced a quick reassessment of his potential.
The barkeep approached him slowly and he took a moment to appreciate the woman's beauty. She didn't so much move towards him as flow, like cool water over a river stone. She had black hair that curled in profusion around her angular face and blue eyes that were frank and open, intelligence written clearly in them. She was physically fit, the outfit she wore caressing her in all the right places and the smile she gave him was welcoming. However when she turned to the girl next to him her eyes grew still, her expression neutral as she watched the girl gently disentangled herself from the tradesman and focus in on him.
She turned back to him and her smile was warm as she asked, "What can I get you darlin'?"
"Tankard of your finest miss…?" He let the question hang in the air.
The barkeep gave him a long, weary perusal and then smiled. "Gynni." She grabbed a tankard off the back shelf and began to pour from a rather large and well used spout.
O'Connell took the tankard from her, grinning devilishly. "Gynni." He smiled and bowed his head to her, then took a long swallow. The beer was surprisingly good.
"Don't you want to know my name?" the young wench next to him asked, pouting.
He turned and smiled his most charming smile. "Absolutely my love! I can't call you beauty all night now can I?"
"Well you could," she giggled. "I wouldn't mind, as long as you buy me a drink."
He almost choked on his beer. Young, yet straight to business. He motioned to Gynni who poured the young girl a straight shot. She drank it down in one swift motion, slamming the glass onto the bar. "Hmmm. That's the stuff!"
"Tessa," Gynni placed a tray on the bar and added two pints and a bowl of stew. "Take this to Ruck's table for me. Bessy is swamped."
Tessa's expression grew petulant. "That's not my job. I don't serve drinks!"
Gynni sighed and then leaned toward Tessa gently patting the girl's hand as it lay on the bar. "Tessa. Take this to Ruck's table." She spoke quietly, if anything O'Connell could have sworn there was no expression in her voice at all.
Tessa lowered her eyes and gulped audibly. "Yes Gynni." She turned toward O'Connell. "Sorry sir, I… I…"
O'Connell shrugged. "Its fine, Tessa."
She grabbed the tray and left, somehow traversing between tables with her head bowed.
"Sorry." Gynni watched the girl leave. "She is too young and too stupid to be working here."
O'Connell laughed. "I would have thought she was an asset. She's certainly a pretty young thing."
Gynni nodded. "True. However her parents are farmers. From Farout. Decent people, good friends. I took her in as a favor. She's been desperate her entire life to come to the big city. I guess they figured this was the only way to keep her from running away. They also thought I'd keep her safe."
O'Connell grinned. "How's that going?"
Gynni sighed and shook her head. "Trying to keep her safe from herself is a full-time job. Serving wasn't enough for her, oh no. She has to try wenchin'! Figure that, eh? Serving is beneath her, but buck naked under a man for money is glamorous?"
He almost spit out his beer. "Well, when you put it that way…"
Gynni smiled at him. "Why you here, handsome?"
O'Connell gave her points for directness and then put on his most innocent smile. "Just taking a time out on my travels."
She sighed and patted his hand as it lay on the bar. "Why are you here, handsome?" she asked again, this time emphasizing each word.
O'Connell gulped as a wave of warmth washed over him. It started where she touched his hand and then raced through is body like wildfire. Damn! He suddenly felt the urge to serve something to Ruck! He toyed with the idea of continuing with his cover story and then shrugged. It wouldn't fly with her anyway. "I am looking for a friend. Blonde, yeah high? She might have stopped in here tonight. Might have booked a room."
Gynni took his tankard from him and slowly filled it again. She placed it on the bar in front of him, watching his face the entire time. "Why you looking for this friend?"
O'Connell considered lying again and decided to trust this woman. There was something about her. "She took something from me. I just want it back, that's all."
She watched his face as he spoke. Reaching out she placed her hand on his cheek, feeling the set of his jaw with her fingertips, tracing the muscles beneath the skin. He stared at her, mesmerized by her touch.
The man who still lay passed out next to him snorted. The noise made her laugh and then she pulled her hand away. O'Connell felt a moment of loss which he couldn't explain.
"I believe you, stranger. I don't believe you mean this woman harm." O'Connell glanced down at the bartop, suddenly ashamed of his murdering fantasies. "However…"
O'Connell glanced up at her hesitation and saw her focusing on someone across the room. He glanced in that direction and saw the blonde kid from this morning. The one who had looted the merchant's caravan. The kid was frantically searching the tavern for something or someone. O'Connell's eyes shrank to tiny slits. He was pretty sure he knew who the kid was looking for.
Gynni caught the kid's eye and motioned for him to come over. The kid practically flew across the room. Jumping onto a nearby stool he leaned close to Gynni. "What is it?" she asked.
"She's gone! I went to the roof like she asked. But she's gone! And her room… I think they grabbed her in the room G! I can't find her anywhere!"
O'Connell continued to glare at the boy. "Who is gone?" he asked slowly, his voice dangerously low.
The boy turned to him, a scathing response on his tongue, and then he saw O'Connell and cried out, "Dung it! You took 'er, didn' you!" The kid tried to lunge at him but Gynni put her hand on the boy and he immediately calmed.
"Someone took her? From my house?" Gynni appeared on the verge of raising her voice. The kid's eyes grew wide with either fear or wonder, O'Connell couldn't tell. Gynni obviously did not lose her temper often.
"The… the room's a mess G. I waited on the roof like she asked. I waited and waited," the kid looked like he might burst into tears, "but she didn't come. So I went to 'er room. I did what she asked. Honest. I didn't rat 'er out. I don't know why she got took. I swear! I didn't rat 'er out! She gave me bread, G. She gave me her suppa… I didn't rat her out…" The last bit was garbled as the tears the kid had tried to hide began to spill over.
Gynni poured a shot of something dark red and handed it to the kid. "Drink this, darlin', you'll feel better." The kid took the drink and tried to sip it between his hiccups. She turned to O'Connell, concern and anger in her eyes. "We need to talk."
O'Connell nodded.
"Bess," she gestured to the serving girl who appeared at her side almost magically. "You have the bar. Tessa is serving. And for god's sake make sure she doesn't scowl the entire time!"
"Got it, Gynni." Bess seemed almost thrilled at the prospect of reaming Tessa.
Gynni gestured to a door to the right of the bar. "Rooms are back here. Maluk? You betta' now hon? You should come with us."
Maluk nodded and downed the last of his red sweetwater in one gulp.
Gynni pushed open the door, exposing a dimly light passage. Two doors led off the south wall, but she ushered them to the large staircase in the back. "Rooms are upstairs. Hers is on the third floor. She wanted one with a balcony. The only one I had faces the alley. I thought that strange at first. But I have had stranger requests." She moved swiftly, her steps forceful as they climbed the stairs. Her words were punctuated with what O'Connell could only assume was anger.
"It was the roof G. We was meetin' on the roof." Maluk raced up the stairs, one minute ahead, one minute behind.
'This kid's as annoying as hell,' O'Connell groaned.
"Yes. I see that now, darlin'."
They were quiet as they moved down the hall passing three other rooms on their way. Gynni tried the door handle but it was locked. She reached in her pocket and took out her collection of keys. Locating the right one she slid it into the keyhole. The door opened about a foot and then caught on something. The room was dark, so she reached her hand to the side of the door, but where the lamp should be sitting there was only empty air. "Damn it!" she growled.
O'Connell moved past her, pushed open the door and stepped into the room. He held his M-9 at the ready, but he was fairly certain no one had stayed behind. Letting his eyes adjust to the dim moonlight, he spotted a lamp across the room and switched it on.
Signs of a struggle were evident. The smashed lamp by the bed. Carpet crumpled. The bed had a slight indentation in it. There was a depression in covers near the edge. He moved toward the balcony. The doors to the balcony were open, as if she might be waiting outside. The balcony itself was small two feet wide, three feet long. He glanced over the edge and judged the distance to the ground at thirty feet. Certainly close enough to lower a well bound and unconscious woman to the ground. He ran his hand over the banister along its length. He could feel, on the back edge of a section, a recent rough abrasion and his heart sank. He searched the walls around the balcony, hoping to find a sign that she had escaped. But with a sinking heart, he knew he would find none.
He moved back inside the room. "Four men. Two there," he pointed to a spot in the room, "one there and one behind the door. They jumped her, probably drugged her with something quickly, over her mouth. Kept her quiet." O'Connell felt fear creeping into his voice and he doubled his efforts to focus on his anger. "She elbowed one of them. Hopefully in the groin. He knocked over the lamp. Then they wrapped her up quick and tight. After she lost consciousness they put her on the bed while they attached the rope and readied the drop. Then they lowered her over the balcony to the alley."
Maluk turned to Gynni. "Why? Why did 'e take her? She didn't know nobody. 'Cept him! She just wanted to stay away from him!" Maluk pointed accusingly at O'Connell.
"Hush, Maluk." She placed her arm around the boy's shoulders to comfort him and then sighed in annoyance. "Get your hand out of my pocket, Maluk or I will cut it off."
Maluk turned his face into her skirts, slowly removing his hand from beneath her apron.
"Kid. You said you 'did what she asked'. What did you do?" O'Connell asked, his voice harsh, his tone cold. He had a sinking sensation that whatever errand she had sent the kid on had brought unwanted attention to herself. If he found out that the kid's clumsiness had anything to do with Ashe's abduction, he'd happily kill the kid.
Maluk glared at him from behind Gynni's apron. "I bought stuff."
O'Connell took a step toward him, thinking he might just shake the truth out of the boy.
Gynni squatted down and turned the boy so he was looking right at her. "What sort of things did she ask you to buy, hon'?"
Maluk calmed as she spoke to him. "I bought stuff from Nick's shop. Coffee, some cream, toilet paper. And some bolts from Tiarn. Oh… and a hydro seal. Bought the best one Tiarn had!"
O'Connell's forward motion came to an abrupt stop.
"Where did you take these things after you bought them?" Gynni's voice continued to be soothing and Maluk couldn't help but respond.
"Took most of 'em out to a ship, out past the gully. Gave 'em to a guy named Guun. He was nice, gave me a silva!"
O'Connell felt shame creeping into his emotional maelstrom. He had been so busy drinking ale and chatting up the local girls in his search for Ashe he had completely forgotten about Guun. Ashe hadn't. 'Damn it girl! Where the hell are you?' he growled softly.
"Then what did you do Maluk?"
"I came back 'ere, G. Went to the roof and waited. That's where she wanted to meet. On the roof. I don't know why she wanted to meet there. She just said to meet 'er on the roof. Honest!" His voice began to crack again. "I didn't say nuthin' to anyone I swear. Why did 'e take her, G? I like 'er!" he gulped and then offered, "Besides, she still owes me money."
"That's lovely, Maluk." Gynni shook her head and stood up.
"Who the hell is this he that the kid keeps referring to?" O'Connell asked angrily.
"I am afraid your friend may have been taken by our local, ruffian. Well," she scowled, "he likes to call himself a Privateer. But that is just a glamorous name for a thug or gangster."
"Privateer?" O'Connell suddenly had trouble breathing.
"Yes. He usually works over local girls. If their parents are poor. Deals in girls, drugs, land, livestock." Gynni's expression was apologetic. "I have to admit I have no explanation for this. Your friend was very quiet, unobtrusive. Other than being a stranger, she made every effort to appear to be no one special. Plus he never sends boys to my tavern. My father will have his head for this."
"His name?" O'Connell was still having trouble breathing.
"Name? Oh, Marcus K'rier. He's wealthy, mind you. Being a thief and a soulless bastard has worked well for him."
O'Connell turned his back on them both and tried to stop the racing of his heart. 'Holy shit, holy shit,' was all his brain could manage to repeat.
Gynni watched his back, the sag of his shoulders; the way he kept running his hand threw his hair. "Honey… have you met Marcus?"
He nodded, trying to form a plan, any plan to stop his brain from screaming the truth at him.
"You have a run in with him, darlin'? You think he might be holding a grudge against you? Bad enough to find a way to get at you?" Gynni's tone was at once both gentle and yet filled with comprehension.
O'Connell kept his back to her, afraid to look into her eyes, and nodded again.
Maluk let out a growl. "You! You did this! This is all your fault!" He lunged at O'Connell, his fists small but strong.
O'Connell focused on the pain in his lower back and hip. Damn the kid had a punch! He had a sudden flashback to the look the kid had given him at the bar. He turned and grabbed the kid by the shirt front, lifting him into the air. "I have one problem with this," his voice was low, tense, angry. Maluk dropped his hands to his side. "How did that asshole connect Ashe and me? You are the only person on this planet, besides her and I, who knew there was a connection. You knew me when you saw me. What did you do?" O'Connell had started to growl.
"I did nuthin'! I didn't tell no one!" Maluk was angry too. Then his expression grew surprised, followed quickly by heartbroken. "Weren't just me…" he whispered.
O'Connell, furious with the boy, shook him for being too slow with his information.
"Hey! She told me to get some guys to help. Two on each end'a town. We split up later. Two followed you, I bought that stuff and Jer'a went… went..." His face went blank.
"Went where?" O'Connell made as if to shake him again and Maluk shrieked.
"I don't know! Last I saw him was outside Pandora's! I swear!" Maluk's eyes were wide, his fear of being shaken again evident.
Gynni stepped toward them both and gently removed Maluk from O'Connell's grasp. "It seems you are both responsible in some way for your friend's abduction."
O'Connell glared at her for a moment, then sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."
"Then perhaps we can devise a way for you to get your friend back." She paused as she watched his features. "If you still want to that is. Marcus, for all his greed and perverseness, is actually quite intelligent. If, as I suspect, he did not take your friend to sell her on the slave market…"
O'Connell's head snapped up at this. "I'll fraggin' kill him, I swear…"
"Yes well, much as I might rejoice in that," Gynni continued, "I don't think he wants her for that. I think he took her to get to you. You must have seriously pissed him off."
He shook his head and sighed. "It's what I do. I piss people off. Royally."
Gynni grinned. "Well let's decide how to free your friend, over a cuppa. I have to inform my father that Marcus has broken an Unwritten Law. And Maluk, you need to find out if anyone has seen Jer'a this evening."
"On it!" The boy squirmed out of her hands and raced from the room.
O'Connell frowned. "You think that's wise?"
Gynni gave a slight smile. "Obviously or I would not have done it."
O'Connell shook his head, trying to get the image of Ashe struggling against her captors out of his head. He felt Gynni's hand on his and immediately felt calmer.
"Come. A cuppa, some stew and a good plan. We will find your friend before you know it." She led him out of the room toward the stairs.
Even with her calming touch he could feel his hatred of Marcus K'rier roil his guts. His response to her was low and guttural, "Find her and eviscerate Master K'rier."
Gynni grinned. "Yes well if that happens, so much the better!"
A harsh bark of laughter escaped him and he had to admit, he really liked this woman.