by Travis Kerr
"Don't worry," she said, putting a hand softly on his leg. "Silus has a bit of a crush on me, but he knows that I don't see him that way. He's like a big brother. John isn't concerned about who I spend time with. They keep me away from unwanted attention, but sometimes I like having a little attention. Not too often really, but every once in a while it's nice to have someone else around. It's never good to be lonely all the time. Regardless, they won't bother you unless I tell them to, and I don't have any reason to do that." She ran a finger softly up his thigh, and he nearly jumped from the electric contact. "I have to go check on my other customers, but I'll be back in a moment. Don't go anywhere." She gave him a bright smile and a wink before leaving for the other table.
"She really seems to have taken a shine to you," Malik commented. "And she did mention that she has her own room here. I guess you'll be meeting us in the morning then?"
"Maybe," Roland answered. "I feel like I'm taking advantage of her though, with everything that's happened to her. How could she really want me with everything she been through? Still, I might take her up on her offer. It would give you two a night alone at least. I'm sure you could use one. You haven't had any time alone since I joined you."
"You have the wrong idea about the two of us." Tara stated flatly. "We're friends and partners, nothing more. You don't have to worry about getting in the way of anything. As for the girl, she has been through some bad things, but what she does is her choice. You haven't been trying to push her into anything. If anything it's more the other way around. She will do what she wants, as long as you're willing. Obviously you're attracted to her, so I don't see any reason for you to turn her away."
Tammie returned a few minutes later, sitting next to Roland and placing an arm on his broad back. She ran her tiny fingers down the back of his tunic.
"Hm, your back feels so hairy. I like a man with hair." Tara had to stifle another laugh, but the girl seemed so engrossed in her conquest that she didn't notice. Roland nearly choked on his ale. Upending the mug, he drained its contents in one gulp.
"Could I get another ale?" he asked quickly.
"Sure hun, I'll right back. Anyone else need anything while I'm there?"
Malik asked for another drink as well, and reminded the girl to ask about the jerky. Trick would likely be hungry again as soon as they were back in the room, he knew. Something besides the fare they had with them would be much to the dragonling's liking. Roland didn't say a thing until the girl was completely out of sight.
"I've got a problem," he said once she had disappeared. "I can't do what she wants me to do with her."
"It's not really that difficult," Tara giggled.
"That's not what I mean. I can do that part, or would have been able to anyway. The problem is that she thinks I'm a human."
"So? Malik pinned down the wig you’re wearing, so you shouldn’t have to worry about her seeing your ears underneath. Just don’t let her run her fingers through your hair and you’ll be fine. You worry too much."
"That’s not the problem I’m thinking of, though now that you mention it that could be a problem too. The problem is, I didn’t shave or trim all of my body. I didn't think that I would be looked over that closely, so I didn't think I would have to."
"That shouldn't be an issue," Tara told him. "I've seen humans with hairy chests. Even some with hair on their backs. She already said that she likes hairy men. I'm sure you'll be fine."
"You don't understand. I'm a sorvinian. We have hair in places that humans don't. Private places that I never thought I would have reason to shave off. There's no way I'll pass for a human. Even if she doesn’t light a candle or a fire for light, she'll know the difference. She’ll feel the difference!" He dropped his head into his arms, burying his face in defeat.
"What do you....oh. Oh! Well, you could always shave that off too," Tara suggested, trying to hide her toothy grin behind her hand. “You’ll have to do that one yourself though. I’m certainly not going to shave that for you.”
"Trust me, even if I wanted to, which I really don't, that wouldn't work. I can't spend a night with this girl without her knowing that I'm not what I claimed to be. You've told me never to break cover for anything, and this will shatter my cover completely. What am I supposed to do about this? If I just turn her away now she'll think that she's done something wrong. She's a nice girl. I don't want her to think there's something wrong with her. She's been through enough already."
What did I get myself into?
"Alright, just relax," Malik said. "We'll tell her that I need you early tomorrow, and that you won't be able to spend time with her tonight. We're fresh from the road today, so we could get away with it. That will do for tonight anyway. We'll still have to come up with something for tomorrow night, unless you decide to shave between now and then. She seems like she could be worth it. You have all day tomorrow to think about it. It might hurt her feelings a little, but as long as she doesn't think it's anything she's done, she'll be fine."
It’s probably for the best, he thought, hoping she didn’t take the news too badly.
Of course she wouldn’t want me anyway if she knew who and what I really was. I’m surprised she took an interest in me to begin with.
"Hey Tammie," Malik said when the girl returned. "I'm afraid I have to apologize. I forgot to mention it to Roland earlier, but I'm going to need him early tomorrow. I'm meeting with a merchant that I don't trust all that much right after sunrise. I can see that the two of you are getting along quite well, and though I don't know what you had in mind for tonight, I can't let him go. Will you still be around tomorrow night by chance? I can spare him then. We don’t have to leave until the day after so we shouldn't be in a rush. I'm sorry again, but he won't be available tonight. We can stay for a while longer, so you can still spend more time with us here when you're not busy if you like."
"I can have him back before sunrise if you need him to be. I promise he won't be late."
Is she actually fighting to have me?
"Sorry but I can't take the risk. I can't be late for that meeting. I already don't trust the man I have to meet, and I don't want to give him any excuse to go back on our deal. I'm sure you understand. You can still have him tomorrow night. Surely one more night won't make a difference."
"I suppose not," she admitted reluctantly. "Just as long as I get to have him tomorrow night."
"He could always spend some time with you now," Malik suggested. "As long as he's back in our room before we lock the door for the night, I don't mind. I'm sure we won't have any trouble in your fine inn."
What was he thinking!? Roland's mind raced.
Malik and Tammie were bartering over him as if he was a piece of prize beef. Malik knew he couldn't be with the girl, and yet he just told her she could take him to her room right then! Had his assassin friend lost his mind!
"I can't do that," she said in answer.
Thank goodness!
"I have to be here on the floor until the bar closes. I can only get a few short breaks between now and then. Not nearly enough time for us to, um, get to know each other better."
"Then the two of you will have to wait until tomorrow night," Malik concluded. "I've heard that waiting makes most things that much sweeter. I'm sure that this is one of those times."
Tammie didn't appear even remotely convinced of that, but she seemed to buy the story enough not to argue the point further. Roland kept silent, realizing that Malik had already known the girl couldn't go with him and leave her work behind. He must have been counting on that when he suggested they go to her room right then. Once again Roland had to marvel at the man's skill at manipulating those around him, binding them entirely to his will. He seemed to take nearly everything into account.
For the rest of the night Tammie spent as much time as she could with the group, mostly flirting with Roland. Now that it had been established that he wouldn't be staying with her that night, she seemed to go out of her way to make certain that he w
anted to spend his last night in her bed. Roland spent the first portion of the night wondering what ulterior motive the girl might have for wanting to spend a night with him. He knew that he was not at all an attractive man.
Surely Malik would have been a better match for her, he thought, or nearly any other man for that matter.
In the end he had to conclude that she really didn't have one. Perhaps she might have thought that Malik and Tara were a couple; even Roland had suspected that. During the night, however, several more customers had come in for drinks, Many of them were humans, and all of them, in his own opinion anyway, were far better looking than he was. She waited on each one that took a table, but she didn't seem to have even the slightest interest in any of them.
Where doe her interest in me come from?
The bartender, Silus, came in for his shift at the bar shortly after they finished eating. He was a young human man, with a round face and wiry muscles under a sleeveless tunic. He glared at Roland whenever he saw sitting Tammie next to him, but didn’t say so much as a word to him. Roland glanced at the man from time to time, but though he tried he could not find a single thing wrong with him. He was certainly better looking than Roland could ever hope to be, yet she had already mentioned that she had turned him down.
"I have to ask, what is it you see in me that makes you have such an interest in me?" he blurted out finally after she returned to their table once again. "I know what I look like, and yet you still seem to want me. I know that most of the men in here are better looking than I am, yet you haven't given a single one of them a second look. You can't be looking for a husband. You know I won't be here long, and neither one of us know if or when I'll be back in this city. You can't plan on robbing me, since you know I don't have much to take. I don't think you're that type of person anyway, but even if you were you wouldn't want to rob a man who doesn't have anything. So I have to know, what is it?"
Tammie stared at him for nearly a full minute, abashed. She looked around the room for a moment, and Roland thought for a brief second that she might flee entirely.
He realized belatedly just how horrible what he had said sounded. He had not planned on it coming out so bad. He had not planned on saying it at all. Like a fool he had opened his mouth and spoke before thinking.
I’m such an idiot!
He only hoped that she didn't have him thrown out or sent up to his room. Instead the girl puffed up, squared her shoulders, and looked him square in the eye. Her green eyes darkened like a forest under a thunderous sky.
Oh boy.
“What would I want one of these tiny twigs who call themselves men when I could have a strong, burly man like you?" she spat viciously.
What!? I know that what I said and how I said it was a little blunt, but it wasn't bad enough to warrant this reaction! And did she just get angry at me and give me a compliment at the same time?
"My mother married a little man. I've had more than enough of them for the rest of my life! I thought you were sweet, and you're exactly what I look for in a man. Obviously I was wrong about you! I know I'm not that good looking, but you could at least have turned me down nicely, You didn't have to act like such a jerk! If I'm not good enough for you just say so! So what if it would only have lasted for a night or two. Even girls like me want our occasional fantasies, even if I'm not good enough for anyone to want to be with me for longer than that."
Now it was Roland's turn to be taken aback.
Nothing that Tammie just said makes any sense at all! She’s gorgeous! And yet she thinks that she isn't good enough for me! As if!
"Wait, I think you misunderstand. You're one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen! You could have any man you want! Certainly any man in this room! I thought that I wasn't good enough for you, not the other way around! You've got it all wrong! I've been laughed at all my life for being so ugly. I wasn't trying to be mean, I was trying to understand how a woman as incredibly breathtaking as you could ever see me as anything other than a disgusting animal."
Tammie opened her mouth to voice a planned retort or hurtle an insult, Roland wasn't sure which, but slammed it shut abruptly. For a moment she was rendered speechless. While it was true that from time to time one of the patrons, well into their cups, would make an awkward attempt at flirting with her, almost no one had ever referred to her as beautiful before. Certainly no one, not even Silus, had ever called her breathtaking. It was completely unexpected.
"Is everything alright here Tammie?" a menacing voice asked darkly from behind him. Roland turned to find Silus standing over him. It looked as if the man was hoping for a fight, and Roland was certain that, although he was not large, the bartender would be quite capable of handling himself in one.
"Everything's fine Silus," Tammie answered softly, finding her voice once more. "It was only a misunderstanding. I'll call you if I need you for anything."
"The two sailors at table two are ready for another drink," he mumbled. Roland suspected it was more to get her away from the table and the three companions sitting at it than anything else.
"Of course. I'll take care of it right away. I'll be back in a minute Roland. I know you and your employers are going to be going up to your room soon, but please stay here for a little bit longer if you can. I would like for the chance to talk to you for a while longer if that's alright." That said she turned back into the room and her waiting patrons.
"She's a sweet girl," Silus whispered in a deep, sinister voice. "Who she spends her time with is her own business, but you should know that if you do anything to hurt her, you're going to wish that you hadn't. I'll see to it that you wish you had never been born."
"You don't need to worry about that Silus," Roland answered. The bartender looked surprised to learn that Roland knew his name, even though Tammie had just used it. "She is a nice girl. I'm glad to know that she has someone who cares for her so much, and will protect her when she needs it."
"Silus, is there somewhere we can go to talk in private," Malik asked unexpectedly. "I don't mean you any harm. I'm unarmed. I only want to ask you a few quick questions."
"Why should I want to talk with you?"
"I met a man on the road the other day. He was a merchant; said his name was Carn. He suggested I should talk with you."
"I never heard of that name," Silus answered.
"I would have been surprised if you had," Malik said casually. "Still, whatever his business was, it has nothing to do with what I wanted to discuss with you. It will only take a moment of your time.”
Roland looked at his friend, but decided to stay silent. Nothing Malik had just said made even a little bit of sense. When Silus asked the reason he gave one a useless one, then turned right around and said that his answer had nothing to do with what he really had to discuss. He never actually gave any reason at all!
The bartender appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Fine," He said finally. "I can spare a few minutes. There's an office in the back where we can go and talk."
He turned and headed back toward the kitchens without another word.
"Be careful not to do anything to give yourself away if you talk to the girl before I get back Roland, and try not to stick your foot quite so far into your mouth. Just a suggestion." Malik cautioned, then followed Silus to disappear beyond the kitchen.
Malik followed Silus passed the kitchens to a small room just beyond it.
The kitchens are empty now, he realized. He hadn't noticed that the inn had stopped serving meals altogether and was now only serving drinks.
I will have to be quick. There are not many customers, but Silus will be missed if he’s gone for too long.
"So what is it that you thought was so important that you had to take me away from my work?" the bartender asked sourly. “I’m guessing that you don’t want your companions to know what you wanted to talk to me about. I hope you’re not planning on just wasting my time. I don’t have time to waste.”
Obviously not an overly pleasant man, Mali
k thought to himself.
"When Tammie was telling us about her past she mentioned that her mother remarried," he said, going right to the point. "I thought it strange that her mother didn't believe her when she told her what the man had done. Also she said that the authorities wouldn't do anything to help her. I can see that you care for the girl. I'm hoping you might be able to tell me a little more about it. Was she telling us the truth?"
"What does that have to do with some merchant you met on the road?" Silus asked, clearly annoyed.
There’s no distracting this guy.
"Nothing at all," Malik replied quickly. "I mentioned him so that the others wouldn't know what I really wanted to talk to you about. I have my own reasons for wanting to know about what happened to Tammie. So was she telling the truth? I mean, was she right about the authorities refusing to help her?"
“Why should I tell you anything?”
“I’m hoping that I might somehow be able to help,” Malik answered. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do mind you, but if I know the whole story there’s a chance I might be able to do something. I know a few influential people.”
Silus looked at him squarely, as if trying to decide if Malik was really telling the truth or not. Finally he sighed.
"Well, there’s no harm in telling you,” he decided at last. “You could find out most of it from a dozen other people anyway. It doesn’t matter who you know though, there’s nothing you can do to help her. She was telling you the truth, to the best of her knowledge at least. When she first came here I looked into it myself. Her mother did believe her, but she couldn't do anything about it. The man she married was Thorin Sloan. He's a mid-level mage who wouldn't be worth anything on his own, but he's the right hand man of Bloodheart, the mage that runs this city.
“More accurately, he does most of Bloodheart's dirty work, or that’s the rumor anyway. He could get away with anything, and anyone who tries to touch him will wind up in a prison cell, or worse. He would come after Tammie too, if he thought she was any sort of a threat. We thought he was going to send someone after her anyway, just for trying to get away from him.
