The Beast of Begmire

by Duane Gundrum

early twenties, if that, and her hair was jet black and long. Unlike the other women around her, she dressed in the robes of a sword-for-hire, but there didn't appear to be any sword hanging from her side. She also appeared to be exhausted, the wear of days of travel on her face, and the hint of so much more that wasn’t being said.

  "Young woman who calls herself Evina of Westland, the real Evina of Westland fought alongside Sarbonn and Chandlin in the Eastern Wars. That was over one hundred years ago. You don't look a day over twenty. Explain that."

  The woman made no attempt to back down from her words. "Continue to harrass this convoy, and you will get your explanation sooner than you expect."

  "A threat?" he said with a laugh. The sword came out all the way this time. "After I kill your man, I will show you what the might of a sword can do."

  As the Guardian moved forward, the sword came from Helm's scabbard and swung through the air, meeting the Guardian's in mid flight. The Guardian turned to the swordsman in surprise, not actually expecting to see another sword come out against him.

  No one dared to raise a sword against a Guardian of Begmire.

  The Guardian looked around him, realizing that there was a crowd gathering from within the gates of Begmire. Citizens were wondering what he was going to do now that he was provoked. As his code of service required, he was now going to have to face down Helm for the crime of locking swords with him. "That is your death, swordsman," said the Guardian. "It is against the Laws of Begmire to touch the sword of a Guardian."

  Helm smiled at him, his sword still locked in place against the Guardian's. "The law is invalid as we are not in Begmire. We are outside the gate."

  The Guardian glanced behind him, realizing that he had left his post to confront the woman, leaving Begmire in the process. A smile came to his face. "By all rights, you are correct." He pulled his sword back from the locked position, realizing there was a chance that he would get out of this situation without having to report it to the Baron. After all, there was nothing the Baron hated more than sword play at the gates. "To show my embarrassment, you are permitted to enter."

  "The whole convoy?" said Helm.

  The Guardian sighed. "The whole convoy may pass." He stepped back and motioned for one of his assistants to open the gate. The whole procession began entering the city.

  Helm and Evina started to move by the Guardian. "Not so soon," said the Guardian to the two of them.

  "Is our fight not over?" said Helm.

  "Of course it is," he said. "I was in error when I attacked you outside of the city limits. You reminded me of my honor; for that, I am grateful. However, there are still some questions that must be answered."

  The whole convoy was within the city when the assistants shut the gates again, taking their positions with bows in case there was an unannounced attack.

  "Who are you really?" said the Guardian.

  "We gave you our real identities," said Evina. "It is now up to you to believe or doubt us."

  The Guardian turned to Helm. "Shut your woman up. I wish only to speak to the one in charge of the two of you, not the subordinate."

  A smile came to Helm's face. "Then you must speak to Evina. I serve her."

  The Guardian's eyes opened wide. "A woman? That is preposterous."

  "If she is who she stated she was, it is not that preposterous."

  The Guardian sighed and turned to Evina. "How can you be Evina of Westland? She would be dead by now."

  "Not everything is as you believe, Guardian."

  The Guardian thought for a moment. "Are you one with the Dark One?"

  "Of course not," she said. "I have told you who I am. If you know the stories about me, you know I cannot possibly be aligned with the Dark One."

  "Then how can you be alive?"

  Helm spoke up this time. "Guardian, much more cannot be explained to you. We were on a mission for the Guild in Fireme when it was attacked. We must be on our way so that we may continue that mission."

  "Very well," he said. "There is an inn on the other side of town. The owner is Milton. Tell him I sent you, and he will give you decent hospitality."

  "Why are you being nice to us?" said Helm.

  "Let's just say that I want to know where you are staying when I report this information to the Baron. He is probably going to want to speak to you after he is briefed."

  "Very well," said Evina. "We will seek out your friend and stay in his inn."

  Dinner was served in the inn shortly after they arrived and haggled over the price for a room. While Milton was willing to give them a room on the name of the Guardian, that didn’t mean he was about to give them one for free. After all, he was a businessman, and few favors were conducted without at least a little bit of the coin changing hands.

  As Helm continued to pick over his dinner, Evina stared at him from across the table. "Do you realize that the other guests here all wonder who we are?"

  Helm looked up from his overpicked meat at the people who were watching the two of them from other tables. "And manners appear to be lacking, too," he added. "I have a fresh mind to pull my sword and run the lot of them in."

  Evina smiled. "And what has that ever got you?"

  He went back to his meat again. "It has saved your pretty hide from time to time."

  "And how many times has this pretty hide of mine saved that ugly hide of yours?"

  He said nothing, obviously a bit embarrassed to face her with the answer to that one. "What is with this city, anyway?"

  "What do you mean?" she said.

  "Why did we flee from Fireme? I thought you had work to do there."

  She looked around to insure no one else was listening to their conversation. "There is work I must do there, but the Dark One is there now. I suspect he may be on the same quest that I am on. It is sometimes very difficult to determine what it is he’s truly after. His tendrils stretch in more places than ever. As a matter of fact, even Begmire is not beyond his influence."

  He stood up from his seat. "He is here?"

  Several people glanced over at them. "Sit down," she said to him quickly. He nodded and sat. "He knows I am in the area. It is because of me that he is here."

  "But I have not sensed him. I have always sensed him in the past."

  "He is not here as himself," she said. "He has sent one of his servants."

  A smile came to Helm's face. "Then my sword will send his servant back to its grave."

  She shook her head no. "Do not underestimate the Dark One's powers. Even his servants are very powerful."

  "But you would have little trouble against any of his servants," said Helm. "You even faced down the Dark One himself."

  "Yes," she said, "but to face down one of his servants would alert him to my presence. I am too weak to face him without serious rest first."

  "Then rest here," said Helm. "This inn should suit your purposes."

  She smiled. "My friend, that is not the kind of rest that I seek. While a rest for you is a night of immobile sleep, rest for me is weeks of control of the mind. I am afraid that I do not have the time."

  "But why not? We are safe here. Surely the Dark One has not found you yet. He still thinks you are in Fireme with the survivors. You should have a couple of weeks before he gets wise to you. And if he does get wise sooner, there is always my sword to protect you."

  Evina wanted to tell Helm about the dreams, but then realized it would just worry him. Right now, she needed him alert and focused. A paranoid warrior-lover wouldn’t serve their needs at all.

  Her smile grew deeper. "If only your power was as strong as your boasts. I am afraid that I will have to get as much rest as possible, but I cannot tell exactly how much that will require."

  Helm nodded. "I will be here to protect you. I promise that."

  "That is why I love you so much," she said. "Without you, I would surely be alone."

  Helm smiled. "Without
you, I would surely be dead."

  Helm paid Milton a full week's worth of rent, and for the first couple of days, Evina spent most of her time in their room asleep or in deep meditation. Sometimes, realizing that Evina was not going to be conscious for the day, Helm went down to the bar to imbibe and listen to the local tales of Begmire. As he listened, he became more and more interested in what was going on in the large city.

  The first conversation brought him much humor. Apparently, two old blacksmiths were at odds over a particular footnote in history.

  “There’s no ways I tell ya,” said the larger man. “Tytus would have kicked Magnus’s behind from Cherekin to Kantan.”

  His friend shook his head and slammed his drink mug down on the sooden table. “Nonsense! King Magnus was probably the greatest warrior in the land. He destroyed Larsus and then managed to unite the entire kingdom under his rule. Tytus was nothing but his shadow and did nothing great himself unless it was in service to his king.”

  “But the years after King Magnus are what made the difference,” said the first man again. “Magnus might have been an influence on the future, but Tytus destroyed his enemies often within moments of meeting him in battle. The legends of his exploits before becoming Magnus’s champion talk about the wars he fought and the great many men he killed. Magnus was basically a statesman. Great for his time, but not the kind of leader Tytus was.”

  The second man was about to retort but then noticed Helm staring at them. “And you have an opinion, friend?” he said to Helm.

  Helm just smiled and raised his mug. “To both Magnus and