by HP Mallory
Although I definitely appreciated Saxon’s healthy body, I was primarily more of a face girl … and there, too, Saxon didn’t disappoint. However, I had to admit his newly grown, scraggly beard, which was long enough to cover his neck, didn’t exactly send me. But, despite having Rasputin’s facial hair, Saxon possessed a boyish sort of charm as evidenced by his sly smile and his tousled, dark brown hair, which always appeared to be needing a haircut. His large, brown eyes were nicely complemented by the fullness of his lips. They were the kind of lips meant for kissing. Or maybe, owing to Tallis’s and my recent activities, I just had kissing on the brain …
“Why were ye followin’ oos?” Tallis demanded of the smaller man. He eyed him pointedly as he asked the question.
“Well, my good sir, if you would kindly allow me to remove my pack, I would happily answer any and all of your questions,” Saxon responded with another tolerant smile as he attempted to shrug off his burden.
Tallis studied him for a few more seconds before he, like me, determined Saxon wasn’t any threat. Tallis dropped his sword and took a step back. Saxon’s grin deepened and he offered Tallis a nod of gratitude as he finally freed one of his shoulders from the backpack. He dropped it to the ground and quickly unzipped it.
As soon as it was open, Tallis approached Saxon again. He examined the backpack, using the end of his sword to fish through the contents, apparently to make sure there wasn’t anything dangerous in it. After a few seconds, he returned to my side.
“Am I good to get something from it?” Saxon asked, and Tallis just nodded his affirmative reply.
Saxon turned to the pack again and rifled through it for a few seconds. Then he pulled out a canvas bag, about the size of a grocery store bag, and handed it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked as I reached for it, but Tallis intercepted me.
He grabbed the bag and opened it, examining the contents before handing it back to me. I frowned to let him know I didn’t appreciate his need to constantly protect me. In the past few months, I’d definitely proven myself a woman quite capable of defending herself. Not that I even needed to look after myself where Saxon was concerned; but anyhoo …
When I looked inside the canvas bag, I saw an ancient-looking skeleton key, a vial of something blue, a whistle, a box of what looked like chocolate truffles, and a cell phone, which was still wrapped inside its box.
“It’s from Alaire,” Saxon announced as I glanced back up at him in surprise.
“Why the bludy hell is Alaire sendin’ Lily gifts?” Tallis inquired as he eyed Saxon narrowly. “An’ why are ye the one tae deliver them?”
“Hey, buddy, don’t kill the messenger,” Saxon responded, holding his hands up in front of him as he took a few steps back.
“How did you get this?” I asked him as my eyebrows nearly collided in the center of my forehead in obvious puzzlement.
“I was on my way out of the Underground City,” Saxon started before his eyes fastened on our dying fire. “May I?” he asked as he nodded toward it.
“Aye, boot once yer story is told, ye be oan yer way,” Tallis stipulated.
“Deal,” Saxon said. He approached the fire and dropped his backpack beside it before kneeling down and warming his hands above the faintly glowing embers. Then he glanced up at me again. “So, as I was saying, I was on my way back after saving a soul.”
“From which level?” Tallis demanded, still scrutinizing poor Saxon.
“The morgue,” Saxon replied before he fell silent. His expression suggested he was patiently awaiting more inquiries.
As soon as he answered, I thought of a question of my own. “Saxon,” I started, my eyebrows knitting together even closer. “I remember the last time we spoke, and you mentioned the Toy Shop was your least favorite of all the levels in the Underground?”
“That it is,” he answered with a quick and winning smile.
I shook my head because it didn’t make any sense to me. The Toy Store turned out to be the only level in the Underground City where I didn’t feel my life was in danger. Maybe that was because it was owned and operated by one of Tallis’s friends … “Why?” I asked.
“Well, for starters, those crazy broads nearly killed me,” Saxon started, widening his eyes. “I nearly didn’t make it out.” He took a deep breath and smiled at me again. “That was the closest call I’ve ever had.”
Saxon’s impression of the Toy Store contradicted everything I’d experienced there. I’m sure Bill would have agreed with me too since the only thing he’d walked away with was an orgy. I glanced over at Tallis, but his expression gave nothing away, and he didn’t bother to look back at me. He just continued to examine Saxon.
“Back tae the soobject,” Tallis stated, his hawklike eyes trained on our visitor.
Saxon nodded as he faced me again. “As I was on my way out, I got waylaid by the Watchers,” he explained. The Watchers were merely Alaire’s informants. Even though their appearances could easily give you nightmares for the rest of your life, they didn’t pose any threat. On the contrary, they abhorred confrontations since their only purpose was to report any suspicious goings on in the Underground City to Alaire.
“What happened?” I asked.
“They ambushed me and took me to Alaire’s headquarters. They actually escorted me into his office like I was some sort of ambassador or something.” Saxon cocked his head to the side before shaking it. “It was really weird, to say the least.”
“Hey, can’t you talkin’ heads keep it the hell down?” Bill’s sleep-heavy voice loudly interjected as he stretched before yawning as widely as a hippopotamus. “Can’t a freakin’ angel get some flippin’ shut-eye, for freak’s sake?” He rubbed his eyes a few times as he focused on Saxon. “Who the hell are you?”
“This is Saxon, Bill; don’t you remember him?” I asked, smiling apologetically at Saxon who just shook his head with a big grin, letting me know he wasn’t offended. “We met him at Ael’s gym, and then again at the tavern, remember?”
“Oh, yeah, ya mean when freakin’ Tido up an’ left us there like the royal douche bag that he was?” Bill replied. I just nodded because, regardless of Tallis’s reasons, that’s exactly what happened. Bill glanced back at Saxon for the space of a few seconds before recognition dawned and he started to nod. “How’s it goin,’ dude?” he asked as he rolled over onto his hands and knees. He performed a sort of bizarre stretch whereby he arched his back up as if he were an angry cat. Then he dropped it down again, only to push his stomach out so far that it nearly made contact with the ground.
“What are you doing?” I asked while frowning at him.
“Cat cow,” he answered, without sparing me a glance. “Yoga, nips. It’s all about my spinal health,” he answered. Then he nearly tripped while attempting to go from his frightened-cat-stance to his feet. Once he regained his balance, he walked over to us. Well, that is, right after he lifted his leg like he was peeing on a fire hydrant and released a huge fart.
“Hashtag: boom!” he exclaimed over a fit of laughter.
“Bill, really?” I asked in exasperation. Exhaling audibly, I threw my hands onto my hips to indicate I wasn’t amused. Truthfully? I was embarrassed for him.
“Hashtag: buzzkill,” he muttered at me before returning his attention to Saxon or, more pointedly, Saxon’s facial hair. “By the way, Moses called an’ wants his beard back.”
“Bill!” I yelled at him, but he disregarded my reaction.
“Pardon?” Saxon asked with a hesitant smile.
“Ignore him,” I interjected. “He’s just being rude.”
Bill studied Saxon for a few seconds, his eyebrows bunching as he stared at Saxon’s beard. “Not meanin’ to be rude,” he started as he glared at me, apparently since I was the one who pointed out his lack of manners in the first place. Then he turned his attention to Saxon again. “But, dude! What’s up with the face fro … yo?”
Saxon immediately began stroking his ridiculous, unkempt bea
rd. “I don’t know. I guess I just like it.”
“Hate to break it to ya, dude, but you got a serious case o’ beard goggles,” Bill said, shaking his head.
“Okay, Bill, that’s enough,” I announced, scowling to let him know I was serious. I figured we needed to get back to the topic, also known as, beware-of-Alaire-bearing-gifts. I turned to face Saxon again with another apologetic smile. “Can we return to our discussion about Alaire please?”
“Right,” Saxon said, growing silent for a few seconds as he tried to remember where he’d left off.
“You were being escorted to Alaire’s office by the Watchers,” I prompted him.
“Right,” he repeated before nodding and taking a deep breath. “So you could imagine my concern about being personally delivered to the Master of the Underground City …”
“Aye, git tae the point,” Tallis interrupted. He speared Saxon with his piercing eyes and an unimpressed frown, then crossed his sinewy arms over his mammoth chest.
“Frickin’ Tido’s en fuego!” Bill whispered to me with a big smile, but I ignored him. The truth was that he was annoying me and I wished he’d stayed asleep.
“To make a long story short,” Saxon continued. “Alaire told me you all just left the City and I wasn’t far behind you. He asked me to hand deliver that bag to you, Lily,” he said, indicating the canvas bag I was holding in my hands. “He also told me to tell you that he respectfully hopes you will make a speedy recovery.” He took a breath as he studied me. “As to whatever he was talking about, I hope you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” I answered dismissively before changing the subject to the canvas bag and its contents. “This is all very strange,” I admitted, mostly to myself, as I glanced down into the bag again.
“Fuck, yeah! It is!” Bill agreed, nodding his head like a bobble doll. “All this time, I figured Alaire was a narcissexual, but now I’m thinkin’ he’s got a heart-on for nerdlet, over here.”
“A what?” Saxon asked with a faint chuckle.
“A heart-on,” Bill repeated with a shrug. “It’s like a hard-on, but with more feelings an’ shit.”
“Well, whatever it is,” Saxon started as he faced me again, “Alaire asked me to deliver the bag to you. That’s what I did, and now my job here is done,” he finished before zipping his backpack up again. He threw it over his shoulder as he stood up.
“Whit was in it fer ye?” Tallis demanded.
Saxon faced the much larger man and his smile instantly vanished. “Alaire promised me credit for retrieving two souls.” Then he shrugged as he turned to face me. “We’ll see if he holds true to his word or not.” He grew quiet for a second or two before he seemed to remember something else. “Oh, I almost forgot. Alaire also said you should turn your phone on, and he will text you with an explanation about what each item is.”
“Ye willnae keep any of it,” Tallis ordered as he reached for the bag, but I turned away, refusing to let him to take it from me.
“It could be important, Tallis,” I argued.
“Nae,” he announced with a firm shake of his head. “’Tis generally good practice not tae accept anythin’ frae Alaire.”
“Be that as it may,” I replied as I exhaled deeply, “I want to hear why he gave me these things in the first place before I decide whether or not they could be useful.”
“And on that note, I’m going to bid you all good-bye and good luck for the remainder of your trip home,” Saxon announced, smiling at each of us in turn.
“Later, dude,” Bill replied with a quick wave.
“Thanks, Saxon,” I said. He nodded as he approached me to envelop me in a very large and very close hug. I immediately glanced over at Tallis and saw his eyes narrowing. He made no motion to approach us, but I could tell he was fuming, all the same.
“You take care of yourself, Lils,” Saxon whispered as he pulled away from me. I didn’t miss his blatantly flirtatious smile. “And I hope you still have my number in case you ever need my help.”
“I do, and thanks,” I said, dropping my attention to the ground. I felt suddenly very uncomfortable beneath Tallis’s scrutiny.
Saxon didn’t say anything more, and with a quick nod to Tallis, he soon disappeared into the darkness and hulled-out remains of the long dead trees.
“Whit did he say tae ye?” Tallis asked as soon as he approached me. His body language strove for casualness, but I knew better. In truth, he was hanging on my every word.
I shrugged, trying to pretend like my conversation with Saxon wasn’t a big deal, since I sensed Tallis was about to make it exactly that. “He said that I should take care of myself,” I began before I lost my nerve.
“Aye; an’ whit else?” Tallis demanded.
“Well, um, he also asked if I, uh, if I still had his … phone number.” My feeble attempt at appearing cool and confident suddenly tripped and landed right on its face.
“Ifraen Fola!” Tallis yelled. Apparently, my reply made him so upset that he couldn’t even speak English. “Why dae ye still have his phone noomber, Besom?”
“Um, because he gave it to me?” I answered. Frowning, and feeling very unsure what else to say to the enraged Titan to calm him down, I was temporarily frozen.
“Ah dinnae like him one wee bit,” Tallis announced. “Ah dinnae troost him an’ neither should ye, lass.”
“Saxon never did anything to either one of us; what makes you dislike him so much?” I asked. I tilted my nose in the air slightly to let him know his little tantrum couldn’t sway me. “The only thing he’s done is try to help me.”
“I gotta side here with honey mounds, Conan. Ya need to take a chill pill,” Bill piped up although neither one of us paid him any attention.
“Saxon is ah liar,” Tallis declared.
“A liar?” I scoffed, my jaw dropping. I was shocked he would take it this far. “And what leads you to believe he lied to us about anything?”
Tallis took another step closer to me, his eyes narrowing until they seemed deadly. “He said he was in the Oonderground, savin’ ah soul,” he started.
“I heard him,” I replied as I crossed my arms over my chest and returned Tallis’s scowl.
“An’ yet when Ah looked in his pack, there was nary ah soul tae speak o’,” Tallis answered.
“There was no glass vial?” I asked, my inner doubt audible in my tone. Soul Retrievers were required to transport the souls we rescued from the Underground City by enclosing them in small glass vials. Then we dropped the vial into a river, which was located at the mouth of the Dark Wood. I wasn’t sure where the river took the souls, nor did I really care. The only thing that mattered to me was that I got credit for them. And so far, so good.
“Nae glass vial,” Tallis reaffirmed.
“And it wasn’t as though Saxon already reached the river since we still haven’t reached it yet,” I added, shaking my head since none of it made any sense.
“Aye,” Tallis agreed. “There was nae vial ’cause there was nae soul tae begin with.”
“Maybe he just failed to locate the soul?” I suggested, looking up at Tallis. I wasn’t yet ready to castigate Saxon on pure suspicion when none of us had any of the details. “Or maybe Alaire took the soul from him?”
Tallis immediately shook his head. “Alaire wouldnae have any interest in takin’ the soul from him, lass,” Tallis answered. “An’ as tae Saxon failin’ tae apprehend the soul … Ah believe he has been ah Soul Retriever far longer than ye have?” I just nodded because it was the truth, so Tallis continued. “An’ ye have yet tae fail tae retrieve ah soul oan one o’ yer missions.”
That was another good point. There was no reason why Saxon couldn’t have retrieved the soul; it was just another walk in a very familiar park. But I still wasn’t ready to accuse him of lying to us.
“So what if he didn’t come back with the soul?” I asked, throwing my hands on my hips. “That still doesn’t prove anything.”
“Ah was payin’ strict atte
ntion tae his choice o’ words; an’ he said he was oan his way from ‘savin’ ah soul,’ nae losin’ one or havin’ one abducted from him,” Tallis explained as further evidence. Apparently, he was still hell-bent on proving that Saxon lied to us.
I nodded as I exhaled a pent-up breath. “I still don’t think that makes him guilty of anything,” I replied as I faced Tallis again. “And just what are you accusing him of?”
“Ah amnae tryin’ tae accuse him o’ anythin’,” he announced. “Ah jist dinnae troost him an’ Ah dinnae like ah man who lies tae meh.”
“Don’t forget, He-Man, you lied to us too!” Bill piped up. Tallis glanced at him, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he just turned back to me again.
“An’ Ah find it verra coincidental that Saxon managed tae catch oop with oos as quickly as he did,” he continued, nodding as though that point was still resonating with him. “The Dark Wood is vast. ’Tis nae an easy feat tae locate anyone,” he said with authority. “An’ yet, he managed tae locate oos as easy as ye please.”
“Maybe he’s just a good tracker?” I suggested with a shrug. And that could very well have been the case. It wasn’t like we spent any time covering up our tracks.
“Aye, mayhap,” Tallis said with a nod before growing silent for a few seconds. “Boot none o’ this explains why he would be travelin’ in the Dark Wood with nae sword, an’ nae means o’ defendin’ himself.”
I swallowed hard. Tallis was dead right; Saxon hadn’t been carrying anything except his backpack. Regardless of whether or not he’d saved the soul, the Dark Wood was hostile territory to everyone. Any Soul Retriever would have known that it wasn’t a happy place for unarmed travelers.
“You’re sure he didn’t have a gun in his backpack? Or a knife? Or something?” I asked Tallis.
“Naethin’ o’ the sort,” he answered as he shook his head. “An’ the only reason Saxon wouldnae have ah means o’ defendin’ hisself is because he didnae need one.”
