“I do not think you are stupid.” The girl continued to Tzadok, as if her knight hadn’t just fallen over in a fit of manic lunacy. “Which means you don’t want to fight my paladin.”
“Your ‘paladin’ looks to have bigger problems right now, Ella.” Kharash lamented, frowning at the unconscious man like he was searching for signs of life. “If he were a horse, we would have put the poor creature out of his misery by now.”
“He is fine, I assure you. He won’t die without my permission.” Ella insisted, before refocusing on Tzadok. “I think you believe I will side with you out of the goodness of my heart.” She took on a confused face. “It is both humbling and surprising that you’d think our relationship is so close that I’d allow you free reign to do as you like, against my own interests.” She arched an eyebrow. “Tell me, Salt Lord, when did we become such dear friends? I am at a loss, I truly am.” She held out her arms questioningly. “Why would I do that?”
Tzadok looked at Tandy for an answer and she whispered it to him.
“Because… because we weren’t bothering you.” Tzadok repeated to the girl. “That was the Coastal People. And if you side with us, the meeting is over. The matter is settled. No one will try to talk to you. And you can go back to whatever it is you’re writing in that book. Uninterrupted.”
Ella considered that silently for a long moment. “On second thought, I completely sympathize with the vexations you are dealing with, Saltling.” She nodded. “Very well.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Take your women and go in peace with them. May your daughters be smarter than their idiot fathers.” She turned to the Coastal People. “The Salt Lord was correct earlier, Aix. The Hardmen do agree with him. We remain allied with the Saltlings. I name them Oarsmen and Fellow Travelers of the Hardmen. Anyone who stands against them, stands against me.”
Hawser’s expression was one of pure rage. “At least they can stand.” He bit out at the girl.
One of the other Coastal People stepped forward, a particularly odious man named Waldman, who obviously felt like his clan’s dignity was being maligned. “I cannot wait until you find your Keeper of Heart, Queen of Ashes,” he threatened, “so that my clan may all sit around and discuss with you whether or not we will let you have him.”
Ella glanced at her knight, who was still sprawled out on the ground. “Sir Mouse?”
Nothing.
“Your mongrel is otherwise occupied, child.” The Coastal man sneered. “Too bad. Next time find someone who isn’t a complete fucking madman.” He sneered. “You might scare him, but to the rest of us, you’re just a crippled dying little girl.”
Ella opened her mouth to protest that, but instead, doubled over in a deep coughing fit, causing her to fall off her shield platform. Blood began to stain the handkerchief she was using to cover her mouth and she curled into a fetal position on the ground, continuing to hack and struggle to get a breath.
“Leave her alone.” Tzadok warned the Coastal man flatly, stepping forward.
“You won’t like what happens if you don’t.” Kobb agreed, but then put up his arm to stop Tzadok from moving closer. “Don’t.” He whispered. “It’s not safe.”
The Coastal man ignored them, advancing on the girl. “See?” He insisted, smiling as Ella’s coughing got worse. “Aw, poor ‘Cinderella.’ This world is made for men, little girl. Without him, you’re just…”
Mouse appeared as if from nowhere, clamping his hands down on either side of the man’s head and lifting him straight off the ground, exhibiting a shocking level of strength for his gangly build.
Waldman dangled there, feet kicking, as Mouse looked at him in mild curiosity.
“
Waldman began to make a panicked squealing sound, pinwheeling his legs in an effort to break free. He repeatedly slammed his fists into Mouse’s face, but the blows seemed to have no real effect aside from opening up a cut on Mouse’s forehead, which dripped blood down his face. Mouse completely ignored both the repeated attacks and the injury, effortlessly holding Waldman tight, which was impressive considering the man outweighed him by a great deal.
Ella finally stopped her coughing fit and righted herself, taking several ragged steadying breaths. “Let him go, Sir Mouse.” She commanded, sounding out of breath and wheezing. “I have made my point.”
Her knight didn’t appear to hear her or was too furious to care, his hands still clamped like an iron vise on either side of Waldman’s skull. “Shhh… It’s okay, it’s okay…” He soothed the man affectionately, holding his victim closer as if to comfort him. “Don’t bae scared, it’ll only hurt for a moment, Cherished…” Mouse whispered, kissing the man tenderly on the forehead. “Mouse will always love you, you know that, right?” He met the man’s terrified eyes sincerely, a tear of deep emotion tracing down his cheek. “Always.”
Bradley snorted in laughter at the man’s creepy insanity. “Better than the theater.” She reiterated. “What’d I tell you? Legend. Fucking legend.”
Ella crossed her arms over her chest, obviously preparing a tantrum over the fact her subordinate was ignoring her. “Don’t ya make me repeat meself, Sean!” She snapped, her accent growing thicker with anger. “You are astray! Get back here! Now!”
Mouse’s attention refocused on reality and he immediately bowed his head to his queen. “Aye, Chieftain. Was astray again, righto. ‘Pologies.” He unceremoniously threw his captive, sending the man sailing across the clearing and crashing into the trunk of a tree. “Go get gone, rabbit.”
One of the other Coastal People started forward in anger. “I’ve had enough of this, I Challenge! This is…”
Mouse absolutely demolished the man with a casual uppercut before he could finish the thought. The blow knocked the huge man off his feet and literally flipped him in the air, so that he landed face down on the ground, blood pooling around his head immediately.
Kobb gestured to the scene, looking at Tzadok as if it proved his earlier point about Mouse being an accomplished killer and not someone to anger.
Tzadok shrugged, reluctantly agreeing with his uncle. “I could still best him.” He decided.
Mouse looked down at the Coastal man laughing, blood from his cuts dripping down his face completely unnoticed but giving his gruesome mangled features an even more animalistic appearance. “I love doin’ good things for people.” He bizarrely confided to the dead man in a scary monotone. “…it’s the most beautiful river in the world and stretches for three hundred miles…” He whispered into the man’s ear, as if sharing a deep secret. “Have you no one to save you little one?” He asked in a soft and kind tone. Then just started screaming at the man’s body. It was a high-registered ear-piercing falsetto sound, stopping and starting seemingly at random, like some kind of animal screeching in the night.
The other Coastal People rushed forward to the campfire, preparing to fight.
Tzadok and Kobb formed a wall around Tandy and the dark-haired woman, ready for the battle.
Ella motioned with her scarred hand. “Sir Mouse? Get over here. Right now.” She commanded. “That type of behavior is unhelpful and needlessly enigmatic. We have talked about this before.”
Mouse instantly stopped screaming and calmly walked back to his leader, reaching down to take her hand. “’Pologies. Mouse donea get on with the Saltlins’, course.”
“Waldman and the other man are of the Coastal tribe.” The girl corrected, trying to get up off the ground and back onto her feet. She seemed to be having an unreasonable amount of difficulty standing though, her legs repeatedly buckling beneath her.
“No…” Mouse simply picked her up in his arms and placed her back on her shield platform, then frowned in confusion. “Mouse donea think so. Ya sure?”
The Coastal People started forward again, but Aix stopped them.
“
Bradley nodded, running a hand through her hair. “Nobody does something intelligent in The Wasteland and gets away with it. Not while noble Aix yet draws breath.”
Tzadok looked at Tandy for a translation of the Coastal leader’s words.
“More nonsense.” Tandy assured him. “You can probably guess what the pompous jerk has to say. Insults and threats.”
Tzadok nodded in understanding, then screamed out his reply to Aix.
She turned to Aix. “
“
“Mouse knows he bae on fire, just shut up about it!” Mouse roared at Kharash randomly. “He gets fookin’ distracted, s’all!”
Kharash shrugged helplessly, looking around at the group for assistance or explanation for why he was suddenly getting screamed at, especially since the topic of the campfire hadn’t been discussed in quite some time.
The Queen of Ashes held up her hand, stopping Mouse’s insanity. She locked eyes with Aix. “” The little girl declared in her small voice, somehow still making the words sound like a convincing threat. “
“The Hardmen are under the delusion that they can simply sail to any land and conquer it!” Hawser observed with a sneer. ”That there will never be a people with stronger warriors than theirs!”
“Well, it hasn’t happened yet.” Ella countered. “I am not one to boast, but a lot of people have tried to kill my paladin.” She shook her head. “Few have succeeded.”
Mouse chuckled in manic murderous glee, his own blood now staining his broken smile. “Mouse gonna take the Saltlins’ dancin’ with Aoibheann.” He vowed darkly, like that had some deeper meaning.
“The Coastal People.” Ella corrected distractedly. “Not the Saltmen.” She pointed at the two groups, as if to draw a distinction for the man. “They’re not the same. We’ve talked about this, Sir Mouse. They are two distinct groups of people, one of whom is our ally and one of whom we’re in the process of threatening.”
Mouse squinted at them in confusion and doubt. “You sure? All the Wastemens looks alike ta Mouse.” He frowned at the two clans and looked back and forth between them again. “Nah, they’re the same men… just disguised…” He drew the last word out in a creepy breathy way, which unnerved Tandy to no end. He held up his hand to his face and drew it down as if slowly ripping off his own skin. “It’s only their faces that bae different…”
Ella ignored that disturbing lunacy. “In either case, the Hardmen will gladly remain here for a few hours with our friends from the Coast, while the Saltlings journey home.” She met Aix’s eyes. “As your associate pointed out, I am just a girl. And as a girl, I would be so emotional if something untoward were to befall The Lord of Salt on the road, Aix.” She paused for a beat. “And when I get emotional…” she looked at Mouse, “my paladin… well…”
Mouse just stared at the Coastal People with his burning dead eyes, head tilted forward, breathing from his mouth, no doubt picturing the horrors he would do to them. He soon smiled his broken hungry smile, breathing faster, a stream of saliva and his own blood dripping from his scarred crooked lip onto the ground at his feet.
Tandy… Tandy had no idea how to translate that for Aix. So she decided to let him figure its meaning out for himself.
She turned back to Ella and bowed her head in a genuine expression of gratitude. “Thank you, Queen of Ashes.”
“Aw, bless your little heart.” The child said, then turned to her knight. “Good-hearted people make me positively sick and wicked, to be sure.” She confided to him, as if Tandy wasn’t standing in front of her. “I find their irresponsible cheer absolutely pitiable. Give me the company of a gloomy cannibal, any day.”
Mouse stopped his scary stare instantly, like a puppet suddenly in motion. “Mouse innit ah cannibal, Chieftain.” The Queen of Ash’s knight defended seriously, assuming she was speaking of him. He hefted up the girl’s shield dais and balanced it on his shoulder like a waiter and a food tray. It was a remarkable and casual display of strength, since he managed to perform the feat without dislodging the girl sitting upon it. “Was ah dare.”
“Yes, of course it was.” The child humored. “And what have I told you about taking bets from The Hag?”
The beautiful warrior woman who had formally been supporting Ella’s perch, rose back to her feet. “I didn’t think he’d actually do it.” She explained in obvious amazement. “How could I have known, my queen?”
Tzadok took Tandy’s arm and started pulling her from the scene. “Come on. We need to get out of here.” He walked backward from the clearing, keeping the Coastal People in view the entire time, just in case they attacked.
“Good luck to you.” The Queen of Ashes watched them leave, her expression even darker than usual. “You’re a fool, Tzadok.” She said softly. “We both know how this is going to end.”
“Tomorrow’s gonna come-a-callin’.” Mouse agreed ominously. “Today.”
Chapter Fifteen:
You Must Fear if You Hope to Understand
“You shouldn’t have come.” Tzadok reiterated, practically dragging her down the path as quickly as her feet could move on the uneven ground. “That was a mistake.”
“I just saved us!” She yelled back, pointing over her shoulder towards where the meeting had taken place. “I don’t know what Council meeting you were watching, but in this one, I managed t
o find a way to convince a gloomy twelve year old warlord to back us!” She sniffed in indignation. “I really think I more than pulled my own weight, thank you very much.”
The meeting had ended almost two hours before, but Tzadok still seemed worried for some reason. They’d basically been running since they left the clearing, which was very unusual. They’d even sent the horses down another path and proceeded westward on foot, rather than southward towards The Steppe and The Great Nothing beyond.
It was very confusing.
“You don’t think that’s the end of it, do you?” He asked in amazement. “That they’ll… what? Just forget this? Forget you?” He quickened his pace. “No. Take it from me, no one gives you up that easily.” His head whipped around to call back to Kobb, who was trailing after them, attention focused on the path they’d just come from. “Anything?”
Kobb shook his head. “Not yet.” He met his nephew’s gaze. “But they’re coming.”
“I know that!” Tzadok snapped in irritation. “What do you want me to do about it? There are two of us.”
Tandy yanked her arm free. “There are four of us.” She corrected.
Tzadok rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen your fighting abilities.” He reminded her. “I have the upmost faith in you in all other ways, but you are not a warrior.”
She opened her mouth to argue that point, but then recognized that it was the truth.
“We will head west, down the riverbed, then cut to the south and around the mountains. We’ll cross the rocks to the Glass Tower, take the Ervin Cutoff through the mountains at the westward border of The Great Nothing, then hook up with Xiphos.” Tzadok nodded, obviously trying to convince himself that it was a good idea. “It’ll work. It’ll work…”
“You’re acting like this is an entirely unforeseen set of circumstances.” She followed him up and over a pile of rocks which had fallen from the cliff to their left and blocked the rough game trail they were following. “Surely you must have anticipated what we would need to do after the meeting?”
Captive of a Fairytale Barbarian Page 32
