Rod of the Heart

by Cebelius

  Wind rose and blew away from the caster, visible in that the ash on the ground in front of her circulated up and toward the flames, which arced away.

  "Shy! Bless my tits! Wha' are you doin' 'ere?"

  Mamma Moo stood up and put her hands on the railing, leaning over it apparently unmindful of the alarming creak of protest that came from the much abused wood. She was perhaps five and a half feet tall and ... curvy. Her hide was white with black blotches, and she wore a tavern-keeper's apron. Black hair was piled high on top of her head and spilled down around her shoulders in rich curls, and her eyes were blue and bright. She also had an arbalest leaning against the wall just behind her chair, and Shy had to remind herself that this woman was much more than a simple tavern keep. She had a strong coastal accent, which made her stand out because the nearest coastal city was hundreds of miles distant.

  "Where's Laina? Where's Terry?" the minotress asked.

  "Both are safe at the keep, Mamma. I see you have things well in hand."

  The minotress blew a raspberry and waved a hand at the fire as she said, "This? 'Appens once ever' few years. Sansun 'ere don' do much, but when she does work she's worth ever' golden quarter I pay 'er. Come on wit' ya! You must be fryin' out there!"

  Shy stepped up onto the porch, and the moment she passed through the wind barrier Sansun had erected with her magic the temperature dropped twenty degrees. It was still hot this close to the flames, but Sansun was obviously very skilled.

  "Now," the minotress said, glancing at the arcing green lightning coming from the top of Shy's staff, "Wha' brings you out 'ere in the middle o' riots an' such? Come to tell me 'bout my favorite template?"

  Shy smirked and said, "Tee is fine."

  Before she got another word in Mamma Moo said, "Still on for t' fight 'e promised me I 'ope? I'd never suspect 'im o' skippin', but then again 'e's been back for days an 'asn't stopped by. 'As me feeling a mite left out. Not to mention I'm 'earing all sorts o' nasty rumors. Vicereine dead, dragons, such-like. Why don' you come in, 'ave a beer on the 'ouse, and tell Mamma all abou' it?"

  "I can certainly do that, Mamma, but first, are the Kolenkos here?"

  Mamma Moo straightened and turned her back as she stepped through the saloon doors — both of which were missing slats — letting her prodigious bust lead the way as she said, "Oh aye an' that big lug Marcus too. Shall I call 'em in so's we kin all 'ave a chat?"

  If I'm going to get information from her, perhaps the best way to do it would be giving some in return.

  "That would be efficient," Shy said. "There is much to tell."

  "Aye, that's fine."

  The bar room was packed to the gills with sailors, merchants, and sundry who were either too poor to leave or had never intended to flee in the first place. Several were obviously crying in their cups over lost goods, but the atmosphere overall was raucous and lively. Mamma Moo raised her voice and her bellow effortlessly carried over the din.

  "Marcus! Marcus, you great lump! Get yer cats an' up t' stairs wi' ye! Got ourselves a visitor! Penny! Come mind the front an' get Sansun anythin' she needs."

  "Yes, Mamma!"

  A young, shapely otter-kin woman slipped through the crowds as though they weren't there and passed through the saloon doors as Shy spotted Marcus rising from a table near the middle of the room. Though she'd never met the minotaur, she was sure this was him.

  He was a minotaur and barrel-chested, wearing a worn but well-cared-for chainmaille hauberk and a thick leather belt from which hung an impressive war mace. Two tigerfolk — one male and one female — flanked him as they too stood up. The woman wore a cream-colored robe edged in red, and carried a staff as unlike Shy's as possible. An emerald the size of a fist was captured by gnarled roots that coiled down into the body of a smooth, dark wooden staff. She smirked and her tail flickered in amusement at the scowl on the face of her brother.

  While Mila Kolenko demonstrated an even temperament, her brother Yuri seemed much less amused at being called a 'cat.' He also probably didn't take kindly to being ignored as the de facto leader of the three, but showed surprising restraint in letting the digs pass.

  Yuri wore a breastplate that wasn't the least bit fancy, but it had clearly done its job and — just like Marcus' equipment — looked well-cared for. A short sword was hung from his hip, and another much longer greatsword was slung in a baldric over his shoulder. Terry had spoken in glowing terms of both his martial skill and his tactical mind.

  So these are the three responsible for Terry's successful journey through the Monsoon complex.

  The three of them were monster hunters — adventurers who made their living plumbing the depths of the world's dungeons — and Terry had told of them as he'd been led in to face the Vicereine. It was Shy's first meeting with them, but they were instantly recognizable from his description.

  Mamma Moo shooed the three of them ahead of her up the stairs to the second floor, and without any prodding from her they moved to a door that Shy presumed to belong to the room they were renting from Mamma.

  All five filed in, and Shy gently closed the door and turned to face the group as she dipped her head and said, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mila, Yuri, and Marcus."

  "You must be Shy," Mila said, smiling, ears forward and friendly. "So good to meet you! Terry spoke of you often."

  "He did," Yuri said, stepping forward and reaching out. Shy clasped his hand and smiled warmly at the warrior, then turned her luminous green eyes to Marcus, who simply dipped his head and said nothing at all.

  Terry mentioned he didn't talk much.

  A smaller table with three chairs was centered in the room, but Marcus simply leaned against the far wall and Mamma Moo plopped down without ceremony on the bed, leaving the seats for the siblings and Shy.

  "So!" Mamma was all business. "Tell us abou' Terry!"

  Shy thought for a moment, trying to think of how to get what she wanted before she gave too much away for free.

  "He's fine. The rumors are true. The Vicereine is dead. She tried to take Tee for herself, and he killed her."

  "You mean the Madsee killed her," Yuri put in.

  Mila cast a sharp glance at her brother, who caught it and spread his hands as he said, "What? That is what happened?"

  Mamma Moo's eyes widened. "Madsee?"

  She narrowed her eyes at the Kolenkos and jabbed a finger at them as she said, "T' three of ya been 'oldin' out on Mamma! I 'eard nothing o' this from you when I asked!"

  "It wasn't our place to tell," Mila grated, scathing eyes still locked on her brother.

  Shy nodded and said, "Not to put too fine a point on it, but yes. Albrecht Ross was given control of the garrison, and now commands. All of the more senior people in Volai's court were dealt with, and have fallen in line. For the moment, Tee is safe, but I came here to ask the three of you to return with me to the keep. It will be safer there, but more to the point Tee was keen to return the gear he took from Laina."

  "That all?" Yuri asked. "He did not say anything about our arrangement?"

  "He still intends to honor your agreement with him," Shy said, offering the tiger man a smile.

  "An' wi' me?" Mamma Moo asked.

  "And his agreement with you," Shy quickly added. "My man keeps his promises, but there are some other things he'd like to know, and since it is dangerous for him to leave the keep right now, he sent me to ask on his behalf. Perhaps you'd be willing to help, Mamma?"

  "Well now, tha' jus' depends," Mamma leaned back on her hands and the bed creaked as she kicked her feet out. "I like my business right where it is, and 'e's already gone an' risked my establishment with' 'is 'ero nonsense."

  Shy nodded cautiously and said, "As you no doubt have heard, a dragon has come for him."

  Mamma nodded and said, "Asturial. Folk round here usually jus' call 'er Astur — them that knows 'er anyhow. She already ge'a piece o' tasty template meat?"

  She smiled as she said it, eyes glimmering, and Shy's smile
broadened slightly as she shook her head. "We were attacked by her first proxy and Tee killed it. Her second attempt is somewhere out in Florence right now, making restitution for a death caused in her first assault."

  "Really?"

  Mamma Moo drew out the word in a tone that told Shy her mind was working the information over for opportunities. "An' then what?"

  "And then we are where we are now," Shy said firmly. "I am looking for information on Astur. Where she lairs, whether or not she has servants who come to Florence. Anything that may be of use."

  The minotress gave Shy a speculative look which the dryad evenly returned, making it clear that she wasn't about to give up all of what she knew until she got something worthwhile in return.

  "Astur don' frequent t'docks, though she 'as been to Florence a time'r two," Mamma Moo said, starting slow as she gathered her thoughts. "I 'appen to know she's a tithing arrangement with t' Vicereine, an' that she's servants in town often t' buy and trade for 'er trove. As to precisely where 'er lair is, thaaat's a ticklish question, an' one I'd have to search abou' a bit to find t' answer to."

  In other words, neither free nor cheap information.

  "If you know the identity or location of her servants, perhaps I can ask them personally?" Shy asked. She knew before she asked the question that Mamma wouldn't answer, but she wanted to pin that down just in case it became relevant later.

  "Oh I'd 'ave to 'ave a looksee. I don' exactly keep all tha' stuff in me own 'ead. I've people for tha'. Still, I am a bit worried. 'Ow's Terry to fight f' me if 'e's taken by this dragon?"

  "He hasn't been taken. Astur is playing nice so far and hasn't tried to force anything since their initial encounter," Shy said, glancing from the minotress to the others. Marcus was inscrutable, scratching the rough stubble on his chin absently as he looked at nothing in particular. He might be ignoring what was being said entirely for all the dryad could tell. Mila looked concerned, and Yuri was intent.

  "I'll tell'e what," Mamma said. "You let me poke round a bit, and I'll come to t' keep me own self when this fire's out. I'll 'ave the information ye want, an' be able to see Terry to solidify plans for 'is first bout in the pits meself. Wins all around, aye? Can't very well let this dragon do for Terry until 'e's done for me, so I'll 'elp'e out in the sense of ... mutual interest."

  She paused and looked meaningfully at Shy as she added, "Provided 'e fights, there'll be no extra charge f' services rendered."

  "Did you have an opponent already in mind?" Shy asked cautiously.

  "Oh, I 'ave a few ideas knockin' about. It's not every day you get t' see a template bare 'is knuckles. Will have to see who's innerested. Whoever it is'll need to make good odds, so tha' narrows it down a bit. 'E left quite an impression 'is first fight."

  Yuri's ears folded back against his head and Shy caught the look of unease. She knew that he had been Tee's first fight, and it hadn't gone well for the tiger man. She also remembered how easily he'd beaten Laina, what he'd done to the Locutor, and then to Astur's first proxy — all bare-handed. She didn't know just how powerful he was now, but his actual martial prowess was beyond dispute. Rather than reassure her, it made Shy nervous when she considered the things Tee might have to face in order for it to be 'good odds.'

  "Can you be more specific?" Shy asked. "I'd really like to have some idea what he'll be facing."

  "You'll find out when 'e does, that's all I can say. Gotta keep things fair."

  "His opponent will know exactly what he's up against well in advance," Shy pointed out. "How is that fair?"

  Mamma Moo smiled and batted her eye at Shy's frown as she said, "Oh, don't look a'me like that. Terry 'imself 'as to agree to fight. I won't pick somethin' too rough or 'e'll jus' turn me down. Can't 'ave that. 'Sides. Migh' no' be a man. I'll wager there's more'n a few ladies round abou' be willin' t' pay good coin to step inna ring wi' 'im."

  "When will you come to the keep then?" Shy asked, feeling as though she'd been outmaneuvered.

  "A day, two a' most. Jus' leave it all t' Mamma," the minotress said as she hauled herself to her feet and batted her big blue eyes around the room.

  "Now if you lot'll excuse me, I've a tavern t' see to an' feelers to put out an' such-like. 'Ave a pleasant evenin'."

  She just told me she'd get me what I want ... so why do I get the feeling I've been had?

  Shy frowned and did her best to shake it off as she turned to Yuri. "Would you three be willing to come back to the keep with me?"

  He glanced at Marcus, who shrugged noncommittally, and then at Mila, who said, "I won't be able to shift some of the salvage from Monsoon down here anyway. Things will be calmer the closer we are to the keep. Suits me fine."

  The tiger woman tilted her head to look at Shy as she asked, "I presume rooms will be provided for us?"

  Shy nodded. "Count on it."

  She almost asked Mila about her staff, but refrained as she felt a touch of heat rise in her cheeks. She wasn't exactly prideful, but something about admitting weakness in front of Tee's adventuring companions didn't sit right. She'd find an opportunity to have a one on one with Mila later, and ask her favor then.

  'Like her help will matter. You're far too weak to be worth her time.'

  As though to accentuate the point, a tiny spark shot from the rod down to Shy's hand. It did no more than tickle but it was enough to draw Mila's attention. The tiger woman's green eyes flickered from the staff to Shy and back again, but whatever she thought she kept to herself.

  Neither of the men seemed to notice anything was amiss. Yuri stood and said, "Well, let us get moving. No sense being charged for a room we won't be using."

  Mila gave a throaty chuckle as she said, "You know better, brother. This is Mamma Moo we're talking about. We've already paid."

  Marcus let out a brief guffaw and moved to gather his pack. Less than three minutes later the four of them stepped out past Sansun and skirted the flames still burning in the bazaar on their way toward Florence Keep.

  The fires were still raging and diffuse smoke hung low in the cobblestone streets. It was the middle of the afternoon and though the sun was obscured by the haze, at street level the heat was sweltering. Shy didn't mind the temperature in and of itself, but it made the crackle of nearby flames all the more pressing.

  Those thoughts tilted as she heard a piercing scream a few streets ahead of them, followed by an unearthly roar that seemed to go on and on before finally trailing away.

  Shy stopped and glanced at Yuri, who'd been walking next to her.

  "What was that?" she asked.

  Yuri's ears were erect and he held himself still as he listened for a moment, then shook his head slightly as he said, "I ... am not sure. It sounded big though. Very big."

  More screams and shouts filtered through the haze: the unmistakable sounds of battle.

  Marcus lumbered past them and took the lead, pulling his war mace from the loop at his belt as he muttered, "Come."

  Shy followed, as did the Kolenkos. The dryad noticed Mila's staff brightening as she murmured under her breath, preparing and casting a spell Shy didn't recognize. The dryad glanced at her own staff, which crackled as though laughing at her. Its thought in her mind was succinct.

  'I long for the scent of charred flesh. Yours or that of another, it matters not.'

  She pressed her lips into a thin line and gathered her presence of mind. If she wanted to control the amount of power the Rod of Arcs put out, she needed to have her wits about her. Every time she used it, she felt like she was being drained beyond her ability to control.

  The four of them ran two blocks — passing several people fleeing in the other direction — and turned left as the screaming and the clash of arms grew louder, leading the way.

  Another turn, and fires raged a mere two buildings further up the street, but the sounds of battle had ceased, and Shy took in the sight before her with widening eyes.

  A single canine woman stood just outside a shop with a hanging pyrogra
ph depicting a sandal with ornate straps next to a hammer and nail. Arrayed before her in a rough half-circle were six bloody corpses.

  At first glance, she was a pretty woman. She had canine features and blond hair with a button nose and a well-formed body. A second look revealed increasingly disturbing details. She had long, slightly curved, almost needle-like claws on her hands and muscle corded her exposed skin. She wore a torn silk robe untied, and a black sarashi wrap around her chest. The robe was blood red, but it was obvious that there was more than dye giving it color now. Blood spattered her face, hands, and coated the tangled and matted blond fur that drooped from her forearms and lower legs, which ended in feet capped with impressive black talons.

  As she saw them, she tipped her head back and roared, and Shy gasped as she saw the flesh peel back from her face until it revealed blood-stained bone and eyes rolling wildly in their sockets. Even more bizarre than that, or perhaps just as, when she moved she left afterimages of herself that only gradually caught up, as though each time she shifted she left her soul behind, and it took a moment to return to her body.

  Shy heard Yuri mutter just loudly enough for them to hear over the roar and crackle of the flame, "Nooot good. That is a phase beast. Back away. Slowly."

  Shy had never seen a phase beast, but she had heard of them. They came from a heavily-forested area called Nightfall. It was said that the land itself was twisted, and those who lived there were more than a little touched by the haunted woods that gave them life.

  But Nightfall is thousands of miles away!

  The four of them began backing away. It was clear that those opposing the phase beast weren't in need of any help. They were all very, very dead.

  When her unnaturally loud roar ended her flesh sealed itself back up over her face, and she tilted her head as she looked curiously at the group. Her nose twitched, and her voice was forlorn and broken sounding as she asked, "Boss?"