by Noah Layton
‘You had better watch out,’ the fatter of the three goons said. ‘Our master might find something displeasing about your business in the future.’
‘I’ll be waiting for him when he does,’ the bartender said dryly.
The short man shoved a middle finger up at the bartender, then led the other two into the street. I thought we had seen the last of them when he turned to look at me, slowing to a stop as he looked past me at Santana.
‘What a fine maiden you have there,’ the short man said. ‘You feel like renting her ass out?’
‘What the fuck did you just say?’ I replied, leaving Santana on the porch with the bartender and heading out into the street.
I had forgotten all about keeping my head down. This guy had just insulted my wife.
‘Did you not hear me the first time?’
‘No,’ I said sharply, stepping up to him and looking down at him. ‘I just need more than one reason to beat the shit out of you.’
‘There’s three of us and one of you, dickhead.’
‘Yeah, there are. So I guess I’ll be beating you down, then him’ – I pointed to the fat goon – ‘and then him’ – I pointed to the tall one.
The man stared at me, his lip curling in a snarl. Then, suddenly, his expression transformed into a smile, then a laugh.
He turned to look at his companions, who also started to laugh for no particular reason.
Out of nowhere he went for a sucker punch, raising his arm and thrusting it towards me.
I had trained plenty with my sword so far, but this was a time for fighting with fists, something I had done more than my fair share of over my life.
I blocked his punch, jabbing it to the side so that it only skimmed the edge of my arm.
I sharply clenched my fist, drew back my arm and jabbed him straight in the nose.
Crunch.
I felt his nose break against my knuckles, heard the snap of bone. He staggered back into his pals, who caught him, almost falling over themselves.
I took a few steps back, and a moment later he shook his head and got a hold of himself.
‘Get back here, motherfucker! I’ll take you down right here!’
Despite calling his companions stupid back in the tunnels, they both had the good sense to grab him and hold him back.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ the big guy said, then turned to point at me. ‘You should watch yourself, civilian.’
‘Should I?’ I smiled. ‘I’d keep an eye on your buddy if I were you.’
He finally stopped wrestling against his companions halfway down the street. I watched them go, then returned to the porch.
‘Sorry about that,’ I said to Santana, ‘I didn’t mean to make a scene, I just don’t like seeing my wives being insulted. By anybody.’
‘Don’t be sorry,’ she smiled, grabbing my arm and running other hand up to my chest. ‘I might be able to fight but I like it when you stand up for me.’
There were plenty of things in this world that could kill me, but one thing I loved about it was that there were no repercussions for settling a dispute with fists. If a fight broke out, there were no cops to come and put me or the other guy in handcuffs. I could fight for my beautiful wife’s honor, and that was all.
To my surprise, the bartender was still standing in the doorway.
‘We’re not barred, are we?’ I asked him, raising an eyebrow. ‘I know that wasn’t exactly a great first impression, but I’m not usually like that.’
‘On the contrary,’ the bartender said. ‘I think I owe you a drink. You and your wife. I deal with those assholes every week. Same empty threats all the fucking time. Come on in.’
In sharp contrast to the worn and well-used town outside, The Iron Temple possessed a cosiness to it that I hadn’t even found at The Drunken Steed. There were fewer spirits on the shelves behind the bar which our new host moved to, but a much wider range of ales on offer.
Six booths lined the wall on the right side, while the centre was filled with round tables that were scattered with day drinkers engaged in conversation. Most were human, their skin spattered with coal dust, although I had to do a double-take when I realized that several possessed what resembled goat’s legs, at the end of which were hooves.
‘Satyrs,’ I smiled to myself quietly. I had seen plenty of beings in Agraria that I had only ever heard about in fairy tales, but some still blew my mind. I had only ever seen a small group of them before at Ichabod’s Cove.
The cosiness of the tavern wasn’t surprising once I thought about it, though. Bars in working towns were always filled at lunchtime, and even more popular in the evenings. They were a place of solace to escape the brutal manual labour that a lot of people had to put themselves through.
They were sacred places, and I could tell that this was exactly the same.
We crossed to the bar.
‘What’ll it be?’ The elderly bartender asked.
‘I don’t know anything about drinking. What do you think I should have?’ Santana said, running a hand up my back and looking over my shoulder.
‘That depends. What flavours do you like? Something bitter, something sweet, something strong?’
‘Something sweet.’
‘Something sweet,’ I repeated, looking at the limited array of spirits before eyeing a red bottle. ‘What’s that?’
The bartender fetched the bottle and examined it, looking like he didn’t know himself. I thought back to Alorion and the bottle of Corinthians at the cove.
‘Strawberry schnapps.’
‘Still good?’
‘I should think so, sir.’
I ordered one, and a pint of the house ale for myself.
‘On the house,’ the bartender said.
‘No, please,’ I replied, pulling up a trading window. ‘I don’t need repaying for that. He deserved an ass-kicking either way.’
‘If you say so, sir.’
I paid the man. Our drinks were served up, and we both took a sip.
I watched Santana’s face. She tasted the red liquid, thought for a moment, then blinked wildly.
‘By the gods… It’s sweet, but there’s something else to it.’
‘That something else is the thing that makes you drunk.’
‘I have never been drunk before.’
‘Don’t worry,’ I said, sticking out my arm. She smiled and linked into it. ‘I’ve got you.’
She laughed lightly and we crossed to a nearby booth.
For a little while we just sat there together, people-watching, and for the shortest amount of time I felt like a regular guy. I was back home in a regular bar on a regular date with a beautiful girl snuggled up to my side, her hands switching between taking occasional sips from her drink and sliding over my body.
And it was peaceful. After everything that had happened so far, I could relax, if even for just a few minutes.
‘How’s the drink?’
‘I’m getting used to it,’ Santana nodded. ‘My head feels a little heavy.’
‘Take it easy. Have some water.’
She took out her canteen and had a few sips while I scanned the bar from one side to the other.
As my eyes reached the door, three people entered. The size of the first person set my nerves on edge – for a second I thought that it could have been the gang that we had narrowly avoided in the mines showing up again, but once my eyes focused, I saw that it was a girl.
She was in her mid to late twenties, sporting short hair and a vest with an oversized green jacket that fell down around her legs, which were covered by a pair of well-worn pants, leading down to boots caked in dried dirt.
My attention didn’t stay with her for long, though. Following her into the bar were two of the biggest guys that I had ever seen. No, it was the same guy twice – a pair of looming, beefy identical twins that stood at least six feet-ten, and weighing no less than 300lbs each, and that was a conservative estimate.
They were masses of muscle and
fat. For a second I thought that they were pacing after the girl considering how quickly they followed her, but as the girl reached the bar she turned to the two men, pointed at them with her index and middle-finger and then pointed to the bar stools.
Without hesitation they both took their seats. I could hear the creaking from the straining wood of the stools all the way from the other side of the room.
‘No, no,’ the elderly man said. ‘Not again, Cass. Your tab’s big enough as it is. I’m cutting you off.’
‘We’ve got another job right around the corner. They’ll let us in any day now.’
‘Yeah, yeah, you’ve told me. You told me that yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, all the way back to when you and the twins first started drinking in here. There comes a time when it’s gone too far. Get some coin together first.’
‘How about a performance? Something entertaining?’
In the space before the bar the girl suddenly executed a perfect backflip, her petite body tucking into the air, then another onto her hands before landing deftly on her feet.
I raised my eyebrows, impressed with her act, but the bartender and all of the patrons hardly paid attention – they had probably seen it a thousand times before.
‘Are you kidding me around, Cass?’
‘But-’
‘Look around, Cass. This bar’s the last bastion of happiness in this town, and that’s saying something. Mine’s closing, and soon the only asshole left around here will be Mr Alder in that ugly old house on the hill. Get out while you still can. You could head to one of the ports and go downriver, find a new town. Now, I can give you some water, but that’s it. You’ve gotta be on your way after.’
Santana and I both watched the entire time. It was intrusive, and I didn’t believe in getting involved in other people’s business, but there was something about the girl and her brothers – she needed help, and that was enough justification.
‘Hang on a second,’ I said to Santana. I stood and crossed to the bar, leaning against it in between the twins and the girl.
‘What are you drinking?’ I asked her. ‘It’s on me.’
She turned in my direction, shooting me a suspicious look.
‘Oh, no,’ she said. ‘I don’t take drinks in return for favours, especially the one that’s on your mind. I mean, you’re not bad-looking, but I’m not interested.’
It took a second for me to realize what she was getting at.
‘Do you really think I would try anything with these guys at your back?’ I turned to the twins and waved back at them. ‘Afternoon, gentlemen.’
One nodded back at me simply, while the other offered a simple and deep ‘Hello.’
‘I just want to buy you guys a drink,’ I continued.
‘What do you want in return?’
‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘I’m serious.
But then a thought came to mind.
‘How about you come talk to me and my companion?’
I nodded over to our booth. The girl shot a look over to where Santana was sitting.
‘What a pretty young lady,’ the girl remarked.
‘She and I are… Exploring. So what’s it going to be?’
The girl stared back at me, then managed a smile.
I ordered three pints of ale for them. While the twins remained at the bar, the girl headed over to our booth.
‘I’m Jack,’ I said. ‘This is Santana, my wife.’
‘Your wife,’ she said slowly. ‘That makes much more sense. Sorry for presuming anything back there. There are enough assholes in this town to make a girl think twice, even when I’ve got a pair of brothers that look like that. I’m Cass.’
We all shook hands.
‘Those are your brothers?’
‘Aden and Oden. I know, we don’t exactly look alike. You would probably be even more shocked to find out that they’re my younger brothers.’
I took a long drink from my mug of ale.
‘Mm. Killed my mother giving birth to them. My father blamed them, treated them like shit their whole lives, never let them forget it… Then one day he turned around and realized they were gigantic. It also happened to be the day that they became sick of his shit. I’ve never seen them hurt anybody since then, but they did a damn fine job of getting rid of him.’
‘You’re just telling me this? What if you get caught?’
‘By who? The only law in this land is the one you create for yourself. One of them hardly talks, the other doesn’t talk at all. They’re not slow, just… Quiet. I do the talking for them. So what’s your story?’
‘Do you want the long version or the short one?’
‘I have time. This ale will need to last me till the night.’
I decided to keep it short, regardless of her desire. I was a tribe master, and I was building my tribe.
‘Is that so? I cannot say that I’ve heard of many tribes in the area.’
‘So you’ve heard of some?’
‘Pardon?’
‘You said you haven’t heard of many. Are there some that you have heard of?’
Cass smiled widely.
‘You’ve got quite the ear on you.’ She turned to Santana. ‘Is he always that smart?’
‘Only when he has his wits about him. Fortunately, I know how to get past his wits.’
‘The kind of girl I like,’ Cass laughed. ‘There is a tribe somewhere close by. They’re several miles north-west of here. Not too large, but as of late they have been moving ore back and forth through the area.’
‘Right… Do you know anything else about them?’
‘Not much. They’re a small caravan. They keep to themselves. Are you worried about running into them?’
‘Not really,’ I lied. ‘They seem to be a reasonable distance from us.’
‘Which is where exactly?’
‘Do you really think I’m going to give up that information?’
Cass smiled again.
‘Very well, I will stop trying to catch you out.’
‘So how come you can’t pay for your drinks?’
Cass wiped her mouth and looked aside for a moment.
‘This is a mining town, or at least it used to be. Most people worked in it, including me and my brothers. Only problem is that the resources have started to dry up. We’ve hollowed out the earth and hit bedrock. There’s little left down there, and whatever is left is being hoarded by that old bastard Alder.’
‘Who is he?’ Santana asked. ‘Your boss?’
‘Did you see that big house when you rode into town? The one upon the hill? He owns it, and he owns the mine. Anybody is free to work down there, providing they give 80% of the haul to his goons at the end of the day. My brothers and I have been keeping ourselves going on it for years, but now that it is drained we have lost our way of life. There are not many options left for us here.’
‘Where does all of the ore go?’
‘It is shipped out across the land. Tribes, ports, larger communities, private buyers. There’s never enough, much like everything in this world.’
‘Ain’t that the truth… And what about this Alder guy? He must be rich if he’s been taking such a huge share of the mine’s haul for so long.’
‘Oh, he is.’
‘So what does he do with all the gold?’
‘He collects.’
‘Collects what exactly?’
‘Everything. Weapons, collectible items, peculiar objects, strange ores, valuables, magical items, recipes for everything you can imagine…’
‘Recipes? What for?’
‘Everything, like I said.’
‘Potions?’
‘Indeed.’
‘And I’m guessing he’s not interested in trading any of this.’
‘You would guess correctly. The mine may be empty, but his pockets are not. We would usually end each day with just enough to stay alive, while he took a bigger share from everyone, which he now sits on. His house is surrounded by g
uards, and he keeps a careful inventory of everything in his house. Most of his wealth is hidden across the land, but some of the more obscure and precious items are hidden in there. That’s what the rumors say, anyway. I’ve never of anybody who has actually stepped inside that castle.’
‘Right…’ I said, taking another drink. A plan was forming in my mind. I shot a wink at Santana. ‘Okay…’ I continued, turning to Cass. ‘Would you like to hear a proposition?’
‘Go on.’
‘You and your brothers need an out, and it looks like you need it now. Join my tribe and, as long as you work and help contribute to our group, I promise you’ll be fed every day, as much as you need.’
Cass gave me the suspicious glare again.
‘There was no catch when you purchased these drinks for I and my brothers, but now I feel that there is one.’
‘There is. I’m looking for a potion recipe called Essence of the River. It’s very important to me. Now, I’ve been told it’s pretty obscure, and I’ve got no idea where to find it, but if this Alder guy is as much of a hoarder as you’ve told me, I’m hoping he’s got a copy of it.’
‘I told you, he doesn’t trade. He won’t give away a single thing inside that house of his.’
‘Well, I guess we’re going to need to figure out a way to get it.’
Cass raised her eyebrows at me and took a long swig of her drink. She looked around to check that nobody was listening, then leaned in to speak quietly.
‘You mean stealing it, don’t you?’
‘Come on, I’ve seen how flexible you are. That little show up there? Surely there must be a way inside.’
‘It’s possible, but every side of the house is guarded by his men.’
‘What about the inside?’
‘He lives there alone. He left town yesterday with a group of guards to make a deal I the north, so the inside should be empty.’
‘That’s ideal for us. You can get in, find this thing and get out.’
‘But once I was inside, I would still need to find this recipe you speak of. It could be anywhere.’
‘There’s something in this for both of us,’ I said, leaning close to her and speaking quietly.
