by Shannah Jay
His bullies chuckled and one made an obscene gesture with his hand.
Karialla shook her head. ‘No, I won’t serve you. Not tonight and not ever.’ She was proud of how calm and steady she kept her voice.
Gerrell’s smile faded. The shuffling of stools and benches started again. ‘I said: keep still!’ he yelled at the other customers. ‘The next one to move won’t remember what hit him. You’ll sit there tonight and watch how I bring a woman to heel, and then maybe you’ll remember how it’s done. The women in this town are getting too uppity. They need a few lessons in how to treat their menfolk.’
His hand was on his knife and madness was glowing in the depths of his eyes. People slumped down in their seats trying not to catch his attention again. The whole inn was filled with a silence that seemed to pulse in the air, as if noise was throbbing to escape from invisible restraints.
Gerrell swaggered slowly across the big room, clearly enjoying being the centre of attention. ‘We’re going to have a few changes around this town from now on,’ he declared, banging his clenched fist on a table as he passed. As those sitting there flinched away, he threw back his head and laughed. ‘That’s right. If you learn to jump when I tell you, you just might stay alive.’
He paused and looked around again, then said slowly and clearly, as if speaking to idiots, ‘I’ve started a new fighting faction, Gerrell’s Raiders. Nice name, isn’t it?’ He stared at the man nearest him, as if expecting some response.
Someone nudged the man and he said quickly, ‘Yes. Nice name.’
Gerrell nodded and moved slowly on again.
The man sagged down on his bench again, his face bloodless.
Gerrell had obviously prepared his speech in advance. ‘I’ve started my own faction, but I’m not like Farran. I’m gonna protect Tenebrak for you folk from now on, protect it from other raiders and from anyone else who comes along. For that I’ll expect the town and all the people in it to be grateful.’ He paused again, then added, ‘Very grateful.’
Swinging round with a suddenness that had everyone nearby shrinking back, he pointed one finger at Karialla. ‘And the first thing you need to know is: I’ve marked that little girlie over there for my own. You hear me, all of you? She’s mine.’
The people at the nearest table nodded hastily.
He kicked a chair out of the way. ‘I’m taking that girlie back home with me tonight. Is there anyone who’d care to argue about that?’
It was as if they were all holding their breath. Evril, still held back by a dagger at his chest, was looking sick and helpless, and Peto was glaring out of the corners of his eyes at the man holding the shining edge of a blade to his throat.
Gerrell turned towards Karialla and smiled. ‘Come here now, girlie!’
She shook her head and let the anger that was surging up fuel her defiance. ‘No. I’m not your girlie. I belong to nobody but myself! And I won’t willingly come near you. Ever.’
Gerrell gaped at her in shock, his smile fading.
Before he could recover, she crashed the tray she was carrying down on the nearest table, then swung back to face him, hands hanging loosely by her sides, body carefully balanced to move either way as Peto had taught her. ‘I’ll never obey a man like you. Never. You’re sick, Gerrell. The Age of Discord is over now, and so are the days of fighting factions. People obey the laws again here in Tenebrak.’
He threw back his head and roared with laughter. ‘You don’t know these wet-arses if you think that, girlie! You don’t know them at all!’ He stared round and everyone avoided his eyes. ‘See. They aren’t rushin’ to stop me, are they?
An’ they won’t try to help you, either.’
As she looked round, everyone did indeed avoid her eyes, but that made her even angrier, even more determined not to give in to this madman. ‘Then I must help myself.’
‘I make the rules here from now on, as you’ll find out, girlie. I’m the one who’s going to be telling everyone in Tenebrak what to do for a long time to come. And that includes you.’
‘No, it doesn’t.’ Karialla had her dagger in her hand now, its hilt familiar to her touch and comforting. ‘I’ll die first.’
Shannah Jay TENEBRAK31
Gerrell just grinned. ‘No, you won’t, because I won’t let you. An’ put that away. You might cut yourself.’ He roared at this feeble joke but only his bullies joined in. As the thin echoes of their laughter died away, he glared at Karialla. ‘If you’re real good to me an’ treat me right, I might forgive you for this. You ent used to me yet. But you will be.’
She shook her head. ‘Never.’
‘Oh, yes, you will, girlie. But you don’t need to worry. I’ll let you go again one day. I’m no Farran. I don’t hate healers, as long as they mind their manners and do as I tell them. Why, I reckon you’ll come in useful sometimes. I don’t want a permanent woman, just a few home comforts for a while. I’ve had one wife an’ one’s more than enough for anyone with sense. I was glad when she died, real glad.’
He stopped speaking and his eyes ran down Karialla’s body. ‘Come here!’ His voice was a harsh whisper, but it penetrated to every corner of the room. ‘Now.’
‘No!’ She hefted her knife. Had she learned enough from Peto to defend herself? He said she had exceptionally fast reflexes, but would that be enough to keep her out of this brute’s clutches? She could only hope so. Perhaps if she could distract the other men’s attention, Peto could get free and help her. Perhaps if she showed everyone that Gerrell couldn’t treat her like that, some of the other customers would help her.
Or perhaps she would just die trying.
If that happened, so be it. She would not bow her head to Discord madness.
She let Gerrell come within two paces of her, then whirled round, slashing as she went. Even though it sickened her to hurt other people, she was grateful now for her experiences on the way to Tenebrak. If he did catch her alive, well, he would never be safe as long as she had the strength to grasp a piece of rock and hit him over the head with it.
Gerrell sucked his bleeding hand. ‘I’m gettin’ angry now.’ He scooped up a heavy wooden platter from a table and skimmed it at her, following it in quick succession by any other article that came to hand. She ducked them easily enough, though one caught her a glancing blow on the left elbow which sent pain shooting up her arm. She ignored it and kept an eye to the rear as Peto had taught her. Bullies, he said, liked to work in pairs, with one often attacking the victim from behind.
Sure enough, another man started moving round to take her from the rear. She risked a glance at the clumps of customers pressed against the wall or huddled in their seats. ‘Will no one help me?’ she pleaded. ‘Peace won’t return to Tenebrak of its own accord. You’ll have to fight for it. Are such as Gerrell to continue unchecked? Do you really want another faction making your lives miserable?’ She let the words sink in for a moment, then added, ‘There are far more of you than of them.’
Gerrell and his bully had her pinned against the wall behind a table, but she took them by surprise, leaping on to a stool and over the table with all the agility of a rock nerid. As she landed lightly on the ground she followed their example, picking up a wooden platter and skimming it left-handedly at Gerrell’s companion. Luck was with her and its edge hit him on the forehead, sending blood trickling into his eyes. He roared in rage and pain, pawing at the wound and cursing her fluently as he pulled a little throwing knife from his pouch.
‘No, Danno!’ shouted Gerrell. ‘I told you! She’s not to be harmed. You hurt her an’ I’ll kill you.’
The man spat another curse and put the knife away again, but his eyes promised retribution one day.
Karialla didn’t know how she long she could keep this up. None of the customers had made the slightest effort to help her and all the exits were blocked. Peto was still held by the two men at dagger’s point and Evril was cringing back from another man’s naked blade.
‘They’ll turn on
you, next!’ she shouted desperately to the roomful of people. ‘If you let them get away with this, you’re making a scourge for your own backs. Will you allow rape and murder to return to your streets and homes?’
Peto suddenly made his move, bowling the nearest bully over by a desperate rush but not able to turn in time to sidestep a blow from yet another man, who had stayed hidden by the door. He fell to the ground, stunned.
‘You aren’t the only one as was trained to fight, big man,’ taunted the bully, kicking him in the ribs. ‘You move once more, you so much as twitch, an’ I’ll slice your throat open.’
At that moment Karialla gave up hope of winning, though she still had no intention of submitting.
For a few moments there was dead silence in the long room, then Loral astonished everyone, herself included, by entering the fray. ‘No!’ she screeched, picking up the large iron frying pan she’d dumped on the counter and scattering food from it in all directions. ‘I’m not having violence in my inn! I’m not bringing my child into a city ruled by Discord.’
There was a concerted gasp from the customers and Evril moaned in his throat.
Hefting the frying pan in her hand Loral said slowly and distinctly, ‘I knew there’d be trouble when she came to work here.’
Karialla’s heart sank still further.
‘But dang me,’ Loral went on, ‘if she’s not right! Come on, you creeping cowards! There are only a few of them and there are thirty of us. Do you want your children murdered in the streets again? Do you want your wives raped? Are you really going to let a new faction take over our town?’
Shannah Jay TENEBRAK32
There was an even louder muttering noise from the crowd.
‘What she means is, do you want to get yourselves killed?’ taunted Gerrell, kicking another stool out of his way.
‘It’s you who’ll be killed, Gerrell,’ shouted Loral, eyes blazing. ‘We’ve done with Discord here. No more fighting factions!’ Bang went the frying pan. ‘No more attacks!’ Another crash sent an eating fork spinning across the floor.
‘That crazy Farran’s dead and he’s staying dead!’
She didn’t even wait to see whether she had her customers’ support. She began to move towards the nearest bully brandishing the frying pan. ‘This is real heavy,’ she said and smashed it down hard on a table, sending more dishes flying. She risked a quick sideways glance at Evril, then she focused on the bully. ‘I’m going to smack your face with my frying pan. It’ll make a nice dent in your head. Cause trouble in my inn, would you? Attack my customers, would you?’
The pan crashed down to emphasise each sentence.
Evril took a chance and while his assailant was still gaping at Loral, dodged away from the knife and moved quickly behind a table. From there he started throwing things at the bullies nearest to him. ‘I’m with you, Loral!’ he yelled.
Gerrell sneered. ‘We’re terrified, little man!’
One or two of his followers sniggered.
Then an older man limped forward from the crowd, picked up a heavy pewter water jug off a table and brandished it threateningly. There was a concerted sucking-in of breath and a muttering in the crowd.
Astonished to meet resistance at this late stage, the bullies didn’t seem to know what to do. One or two of them threw indignant glances towards their leader, as if accusing him of misleading them.
‘He’s only an old man!’ jeered Gerrell. ‘Are you frightened of old men and fat ugly women now?’
‘I may be old, but I’m right with you, Loral, lass,’ the old man said, ‘even if I die for it. I can remember the peaceful times and I want them back. I lost my only son in the Wars, killed by such as these. I owe somebody for that. We’ve had more than enough violence in Tenebrak. Time we did something about bullies like these!’ He brandished the jug again and yelled to the other customers, ‘Are you goin’ to be shamed by an old man? Are you goin’ to stand by an’ let
‘em kill me?’
A young woman leaped to her feet, waving a dagger in her hand. ‘I was beaten and raped two years agone.’ Her voice was as shrill as a ghost crake on the wing. ‘Maybe it was you lot as did it. I swore I’d cut the balls off anyone else as tried to rape me an’ I will, too. That healer woman don’t deserve to be raped, neither. What are we comin’ to in Tenebrak, if we stand by an’ let these things happen? Who’ll stop these bullies if we don’t?’
Peto had been inching back across the floor while everyone’s attention was distracted. He suddenly rolled out of reach of the man who’d knocked him down and whirled back to face him with a table knife and wooden platter in his hand.
As if that was a signal, people started grabbing anything they could to use as a weapon. An angry growl hummed round the room, gathering volume as people found objects to defend themselves with.
When the customers began moving forward in a mass behind Loral and the old man, the bullies looked at each other and started edging backwards. Gerrell cursed and moved over to join them. ‘I’ll be back, girlie!’ he yelled as he edged towards the door. ‘One dark night you’ll turn round and find me behind you.’
‘I’ll be waiting for you with my knife sharpened,’ Karialla shouted back.
Within minutes the bullies had been driven out of the tavern, all without a real blow being struck. They were herded along the street by the mass of angry Tenebrani, who were joined by other people coming out of their houses to see what was happening.
At the edge of the town the crowd stopped. Peto picked up a stone and threw it at the nearest bully, who skittered sideways to avoid it. ‘Don’t come back!’ he yelled and the cry was taken up by the rest of the crowd, who started throwing anything that came to hand.
‘Don’t come back!’
‘Keep out of Tenebrak!’
‘We’re not having any more factions here.’
‘Get out and stay out!’
Stones flew, daggers flashed and anger was a continuous rumble underneath the shouts. In the end, Gerrell’s men had no choice but to run off down the road. Once they were out of sight everyone returned to the inn, except for the guards whom Evril, as a town Elder, insisted on posting. And there were plenty of volunteers for that job.
Inside, in the cheerful light and warmth of the common room at the inn, the crowd of Tenebrani grinned and thumped each other on the back, congratulating themselves on their bravery.
Carried away, Evril offered everyone a free drink. ‘We’ll toast the return of law and order!’ he shouted, to loud cheers.
Loral made him suffer for that generosity for days, but for the moment she shrugged as she watched him draw some jugs of ale from the barrel. ‘Men!’ She tossed her head, making no attempt to help him.
Shannah Jay TENEBRAK33
Karialla hadn’t followed the others. When they chased Gerrell and the bullies out of the inn, she sagged against a table, dizzy with relief. She saw a smear of Gerrell’s blood on her knife, shuddered and wiped it off, then sat down hastily on the nearest stool as her legs began to tremble with reaction. She leaned her head on her hands and didn’t move for a moment.
When people tramped back into the inn, she jerked to her feet in panic, then groaned in relief as she saw it was the townsfolk. No one seemed to be injured, thank goodness.
The other customers nodded awkwardly and left her in the corner to recover on her own.
When Loral spoke right next to her, Karialla nearly jumped out of her skin.
‘You all right, lass?’
‘Yes. Yes, I am now. And Loral—thank you.’ She shivered but straightened her shoulders. ‘If you hadn’t spoken up .
. . ’
‘Don’t know what came over me,’ Loral admitted. ‘I’m not usually brave. It isn’t good for business. But them bullies just got right up my nose, somehow. Behaving like that in my inn. You’re right. And Evril’s right, too, though I shan’t tell him so or he’ll get over-full of himself. We have to stop this violence once and for all.’ She was still
holding the frying pan and looked down at it with a grin. ‘Never thought I’d use my Ma’s old pan as a weapon. Waste of a good fry-up, that was, though.’
She started picking up the food from the floor, puffing as she bent down, not throwing it away but wiping off the dust and putting it in a basket she kept by the door. ‘The poorfolk will feed well tonight.’
When she’d finished, she stared round her as if she’d never seen her own common room before and repeated,
‘Don’t know what got into me to do that, I surely don’t.’
You did it because you don’t want your child born into violence,’ said Karialla softly. ‘I’ve seen it before. Mothers can be very brave.’
Loral gaped at her. ‘How did you know about the child? Only me and Evril know about that yet.’
‘I’m a healer. I can always tell when a woman is carrying a child.’
Loral let out her breath in a whoosh. ‘Well, maybe bein’ a mother makes folk braver, but I was real glad when the others joined in to help us get rid of those bullies, I can tell you.’ She frowned around at the noisy celebrations and then patted Karialla’s shoulder. ‘Look, lass, why don’t you come and have a glass of wine with me in my back kitchen? You still look white and wambly. Nothing like my glowberry wine when you’ve had a shock. I don’t waste it on the customers, just save it for my friends. My grannie’s recipe, an’ no better to be found anywhere, I promise you.’
‘Thank you. I’d like that.’ Karialla was indeed feeling shaky still.
Loral swallowed and looked uncomfortable. ‘I reckon I was a mite down on you at first when Evril took you on.
Worked you a bit hard.’
Karialla smiled. ‘Just a little.’
‘Well,’ another quite audible swallow, ‘I’m sorry about that. You get frightened for your living when there’s Discord around. Me an’ my Evril, we had a little inn just outside town before. We was burnt out of there when another faction attacked Farran’s lot.
Later on, Farran killed the innkeeper here and after that no one else wanted to take over, so we took our chance.
