The Fire Maiden's Desire

by Jr Steven Sterup

  “I’m up!” Jack said as he shot to his feet. His eyes looked glossy and he swayed back and forth, but he was up.

  “Oh just go lay by the fire. I don’t want to wake up and find you dead.” Rachel turned and started back to the fire but Jack caught her arm.

  “I wasn’t kidding, you’re really hot. I met this waitress…” Jack started and Rachel pulled her arm out of his hand.

  “I don’t want to hear about you fucking some waitress. Go sleep it off!” She turned and stomped back to the fire. She glared at Chuck and Dave. “Don’t touch my stuff.” Then she plopped down and sat on her bedroll. Despite Jack being a complete and total ass, she couldn’t let him freeze. He liked his waitresses, it made her frustrated and sad at the same time. If only things could be different.

  Jack rushed over to the tree line and everyone heard the horrible wrenching sound as all the ale came back up.

  “I’m fine!” he yelled, still bent over as he raised his hand.

  “Cover that shit up. It stinks,” Rachel scowled.

  Jack shot straight up and looked at Rachel confused.

  “It’s not shit. I just puked.” The sincerity on his face made it even funnier. Even Rachel couldn’t keep from laughing. She got up and put her arm around his waist then led him to his bedroll.

  “Night beautiful. I really gotta tell you the story about the waitress.” Jack said then fell on his bed roll and passed out.

  “Night, doofus.” Rachel bent down, kissed him on the forehead then went back to her own bedroll.

  Chapter 3

  In the morning Rachel was woken by the sound of the three men groaning and stumbling around. Since they had been kind enough to wake her so early she thought she’d return the favor by making greasy bacon and eggs. She sat by the morning fire and sort of enjoyed her breakfast as Jack and Chuck complained, trying to hold down whatever was left in their stomachs. Dave wasn’t such a lightweight. He eagerly took his share of the food straight from the pan and ate beside her in silence.

  “So,” Rachel started, realizing that although Dave wasn’t a lightweight, he was fairly shy. “What’s this job that is going to make us twenty silver?”

  Jack grumbled near the edge of the camp, the smell of breakfast turning his stomach.

  “We just have to go kill a bear,” Jack replied and then caught a whiff of the food as a breeze blew through the camp. He put a hand over his mouth and took a few steps to the right, out of the path of the stench.

  “Just a bear?” Rachel looked at him confused. Who would pay twenty silver for a bear? The pelt was worth five silver and the meat wasn’t something you ate unless you had to. Bear’s didn’t disturb farms and they mostly kept to themselves. This seemed a little too easy.

  “A drool bear,” Chuck added and then pinched his nose as the smell of breakfast turned his stomach.

  Rachel’s eyes widened and Jack caught her expression.

  “What’s that look for?” Jack asked then took another few steps to the right. The wind picked up and he was pleasantly surprised that the stench didn’t hit him again.

  “You sure they didn’t say Drahlbeere?” Rachel asked apprehensively.

  “That’s what it was,” Dave finally spoke.

  “You moron!” Rachel shot a condescending look at Jack. “We get ten silver each and we have to risk our lives killing a Drahlbeere?”

  “What is this drawl bear thing?” Jack asked as he sat down. He was clear of the breeze now. He could sit and cradle his head in peace.

  “Drahlbeere, it’s pronounced drawl beer,” she said enunciating every syllable.

  “What’s a Drahlbeere?” Jack asked. Chuck now was blasted as the breeze picked up. He rushed to the tree line but came back as the urge subsided.

  “Think giant badger with poisonous spines on its back. They dig themselves into the dirt, leaving only their two inch spines above the ground while they rest.” Rachel scraped the rest of her food into the pan. She wasn’t very fond of greasy food. It had been more to tease the men than for her appetite. She preferred fresh fruit and some oatmeal for breakfast but where was the fun in that?

  “How giant we talking here?” Jack asked, looking at her full of curiosity.

  “Eight to ten feet long. Taller than a man when it stands on its hind feet to defend itself. All that is nothing compared to the badger like hands with three inch claws. They’re designed to dig so they are as strong as a sword blade.” Rachel walked to the creek that was only a few feet from the camp and rinsed her plate and fork.

  “Oh shit, what did I get us into?” Jack cradled his head and rocked back and forth. When would the spinning stop? And the pounding. Why did it feel like a horse had trampled his skull?

  “You know the best remedy for a hangover?” Rachel asked with a self-satisfied grin as she put the plate back with her belongings. Her and Jack had their own plates. She watched Dave pick at the food in the pan with his fingers and almost felt sorry for him. That was, until she remembered that he was also responsible for her current predicament and Jack’s hangover.

  “Tell me. Anything that can make this pounding stop,” Jack begged with both hands on his temples.

  “Don’t drink so much,” Rachel laughed.

  “Ha, ha, very clever,” Jack sneered.

  “She has a point. Either that or learn to hold your liquor,” Dave laughed with her.

  Rachel found new respect for Dave and handed him her fork.

  “Make sure to clean it up when you’re finished,” she pointed at the stream.

  Dave got to his feet and did a half bow.

  “Yes, ma’am and thank you for this wonderful breakfast,” Dave said then sat back down beside the pan.

  Rachel stared at the man with even more respect now. Why couldn’t Jack act like that once in a while? It was nice to be appreciated. All Jack ever did was complain about her breakfasts. ‘The oatmeal was too soggy.’ ‘What happened to the strawberries?’ This was nice, Dave was a gentleman.

  Jack caught Rachel’s expression and smile as Dave thanked her and guilt set in.

  “I’m sorry, Rachel. If I wasn’t so sick I’d try some. It does smell almost good,” he gagged as he said it. He was not about to be outdone by the new guy. He really needed to be nicer to Rachel. Jack wanted to be the one on the other end of that look.

  Rachel stared at him strangely. Had Jack hit his head or something? He never complimented her, not seriously. Everything was a joke or a jab at her. He teased her quite a lot and although it was cute most of the time, there were occasions when sincerity would be appreciated.

  “Anyone want any?” Dave stood up with the pan and aimed it at Chuck then Jack with a huge grin on his face. Both of them gagged and turned away.

  Out of the corner of Jack’s eye he saw the look on Rachel’s face again. Why didn’t she ever smile at him like that? He was starting to get a little jealous of Dave. If that scrawny, tree got what Jack had been working on for so long, he thought he might scream. Had he been going about this all wrong? He’d been in love with Rachel for over eight months. The first two months were simple infatuation, a crush. It wasn’t until she beat the shit out of him that he realized he loved her. Eight freakin months and Dave waltzes in here with a few kind words, pushing him aside without a second thought. He couldn’t tell Rachel, Rachel had to like him first. He’d tried it the other way around, sure he was drunk, but he had tried. No, it had to be her.

  That was it. Jack knew what he had to do. He had to follow Dave’s lead. If Dave could get looks like that then he had been going about this all wrong. He would act just like Dave and maybe then Rachel would finally see him.

  “So why do we need you two?” Rachel asked as Dave took the pan and her fork to the creek to wash them. “See that Jack? It’s nice when someone else cleans up for a change.” She glowered at Jack and he cringed a little more.

  “We got pinched for stealing. Only way we get to keep our hands is if we kill this Drahlbeere thing. We get the reward bu
t we’ll give it to you if you help us keep our hands.” It seemed like Chuck was begging and Rachel took pity on him.

  “Don’t worry, Chuck. Rachel here is the best fighter I’ve ever seen and that’s saying something. I’ve been to the pits and watched em kill each other. If I wasn’t so worried about them cheating I’d say she could win a ton of silver there.” Jack looked at Rachel, waiting, hoping and he wasn’t disappointed. Dave was onto something here. Rachel shot him a smile like he’d never gotten before. It was better than the one she gave Dave. He never thought of Rachel as the type who wanted compliments but she was. People liked to be reminded of how important they were. Why had it taken some random guy to make him see this? This was it. This was how he’d finally make Rachel see him.

  “I don’t know if I’m that good,” Rachel said, looking away to hide her embarrassment.

  “She’s that good,” Jack looked at Chuck confidently. “We can do this Rachel. We’ll each have ten silvers by the end of the day.”

  Jack mused for a moment. Why hadn’t he thought of this before? He spoke so highly of Rachel when she wasn’t around. Why couldn’t he do it to her face? Fear, it all boiled down to fear. He was afraid that Rachel would see through his compliments and leave him. She didn’t want some lovesick puppy following her around. Someday he’d have to thank Dave.

  Dave stood up and shook Rachel’s hand.

  “Davinious Throm, pleased to meet you.” He did another little bow and Rachel shot Jack a knowing look.

  “Jack and his nicknames. Everyone he meets gets a nickname. Well, except for me. What can you really do with Rachel?” She laughed.

  “El maybe Raych, how about Ray?” Chuck offered. Rachel looked at Jack curiously and his apprehension was apparent.

  “I like Rachel,” he replied almost angrily and started packing up his belongings.

  “What’s your name…Chuck,” she said with a laugh.

  “Charlemagne,” he replied. Rachel looked at Jack inquisitively.

  “That one’s a stretch,” she laughed. What was wrong with Jack this morning? The compliments and the strange behavior were starting to make her think that maybe Jack was sick, either that or still drunk. He often hit on her and spewed compliments when he got drunk. Not that they were unwelcome but she figured it was the alcohol talking.

  “We should get going soon,” Jack said, not looking at her. His face was beat red and he didn’t want her to see it. This was the problem with compliments. He wasn’t hard to embarrass, not when he was being serious.

  “Where is this Drahlbeere?” Rachel asked Dave.

  “It’s been spotted near a farm to the north. Just a few hours from here,” Dave said and started rolling up Rachel’s bedroll for her.

  She looked down and watched as Dave continued on and started putting out the fire. Chuck braved the stench of the greasy breakfast and started putting all her supplies in her bag.

  “It’s nice to have men around the camp for once,” she stuck out her tongue at Jack and he turned away. He looked upset. He really was acting strange today. “I’m kidding, Jack. We pick on each other. That’s what we do.” She watched him apprehensively but he still didn’t turn around. She hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings. They always teased each other, what was going on with him today?

  Jack finished packing up his things, fuming the whole time. He had been pushed aside by two random men. Perhaps it was how he looked. Even Chuck was a better choice than he was. Who was he kidding? Rachel was so far above his level that he couldn’t even see her level from where he stood. If attractiveness were a kingdom, she was on one end and he was on the other. That had to be the reason he was invisible, he just wasn’t worth her time.

  Jack moped along behind them as he listened to Rachel joke with her two new sidekicks. Most of it was them picking on Jack for how silly he’d acted last night then fear struck him as he heard Chuck start to talk about Mary.

  “You should have seen Mary’s face,” Chuck laughed.

  “Who’s Mary?” Rachel asked with a smile. These new guys were pretty amusing and the story about Jack was funny. She wished she’d been able to go with him. She liked to watch Jack make a fool of himself. It was almost as good as when he was trying to cheer her up.

  Jack ran up to Chuck and pushed himself between Chuck and Rachel.

  “She doesn’t want to hear about Mary. That was the waitress,” Jack looked at Rachel, his eyes begging for her to stop.

  “Yeah, we don’t discuss Jack’s conquests,” Rachel laughed and patted Jack on the back.

  “But…” Chuck started and Jack dropped his stuff and clapped his hands over Chuck’s mouth.

  “We don’t discuss those,” he looked at Chuck sternly and Dave got silent.

  “Chuck,” Dave started. “That’s none of our business.” Dave shot a knowing glance at Jack and fear gripped him again. Dave was far too smart. His only hope was that Dave could keep his secret. Dave smiled as he saw the fear wash over Jack’s face. “Don’t worry Jack. She doesn’t need to know about the waitress.” He was very, very smart. Jack secretly thanked fate for Dave being such an honorable guy. Chuck had no clue but to Dave his secret was as clear as day.

  Rachel felt like she was missing something and almost asked to be let in on the secret but Jack interrupted her before she could open her mouth.

  “So, how do we kill a Drahlbeere?” Jack asked. The strange look on his face made Rachel pause for a second but he quickly bent down and grabbed his stuff again. Then Jack started walking and they all had to catch up.

  “You can’t kill it by hitting it on the back. Under the spines is a thick hide. Its underbelly is soft but you need to watch the claws.” Rachel explained as they all walked on, the men listening intently to every word.

  “Are they fast?” Dave asked, clearly engrossed.

  Jack slowed and slid into place between Rachel and Chuck with Dave on Rachel’s other side.

  “I don’t know. I’ve only read about them. Never seen one up close. Whatever you do, don’t let the spines touch you. The poison is fast and we won’t have time to get you to a doctor before you’re dead.” She looked at each one of them making sure this point was clear.

  “I have gloves.” Jack looked in his pack and pulled out some gloves. “I only got one pair though. You should take mine,” Jack said to Rachel.

  “What will you do?” Rachel asked. Jack was acting strange. He was now offering her his gloves?

  “I’m fast, remember,” he said with a smile. “Besides, I’d…we’d be lost without you. I’m just a sidekick. You need the gloves.” Jack pulled out his cowhide jacket. “Here take this too. Just in case.”

  Rachel looked at Jack suspiciously and pulled his jacket over her own. He was big enough that it fit over her jacket. It was a nice gesture. Even the beast’s claws would have a hard time getting through two layers of cowhide.

  “So, I’ll sharpen some sticks,” Jack got out his knife and twirled it through his fingers. “Chuck and I will poke it to force it your way. Dave,” he looked across Rachel. “Your job will be to watch Rachel’s back.”

  “You sure you trust me with that?” Dave gave Jack a knowing glance.

  “I trust you, Dave. You would never let anything hurt Rachel, would you? Not even words that might hurt her feelings, right Dave?” Jack gave him a knowing glance in return, it was tempered with a bit of contempt.

  “Nope, not a single word,” Dave smiled.

  Again, Rachel thought she was missing out on some secret but decided it must be a man thing and quickly pushed it aside. She had bigger things to worry about. They were counting on her to be the one to kill this beast. She wished she had a sword right about now. She’d trained with swords but had to sell hers to buy food. Last winter had been very bad. She smiled as she thought of last winter. As bad as it had been, Jack was there to keep her company. Huddling together to keep warm brought back fond memories. If only she wasn’t cursed. Jack was very handsome. There were other ways to keep wa
rm…she pushed the thought aside. Not for her there weren’t. She returned her thoughts to the task at hand and the smile faded to worry.

  Dave caught Rachel’s worried expression.

  “What’s on your mind?” he asked.

  “Just trying to figure out how I’m going to kill that thing without a sword,” she replied, still deep in thought.

  “Ah ha, I can help with that,” Chuck offered, clearly excited that he could contribute.

  “How?” Rachel asked.

  “My house is just a little ways ahead. My dad makes swords,” Chuck answered.

  “Nice,” Rachel replied.

  In a few minutes they saw a dirty, run-down house with a forge beside it. Chuck raced ahead and greeted his portly mother. Jack had been wrong about Chuck, he wasn’t a butcher’s son. He was a smith’s son and smiths made even more coin than butchers. A large, burly, heavily bearded man walked around the house and up to the forge. He wore a smith’s apron over his clothes. They heard him grunt a few times as Chuck explained everything. He looked ominous and huge. His smile was a shock as they finally walked up to the forge.