by Bri Sailor
“Here.” He smiled softly.
Atreyis cautiously reached out. “What is it?”
“My own herbal blend. It helps with the pain.”
The brunette looked back and forth between the wooden pipe and the man. He gestured for her to try it. She closed her eyes and took a drag. The hot dry air hit her throat and lungs and she immediately started coughing. Her eyes watered. The smoke was an odd mixture of sweet and bitter. The man chuckled. She tried it again, forcing herself not to cough. Slowly, she began to calm down. As the princess relaxed the tattooed man picked up an extremely fine-tipped brush and dipped it ever so slightly in the ink.
“Just relax.” He said. “I’m just going to draw the design.”
Atreyis nodded and braced herself. He started gently drawing the design on her back. She shivered at the wet, cold, feathery touch of the brush. The slight tickling sensation distracted her from what was to come next. She looked over her shoulder and watched nervously as the tattooed man carefully and methodically used the knife to cut the fresh bamboo sticks and create sharp needle-like points. She took another drag as her stomach twitched again. With the needles finished he dipped the first stick in the black ink.
“Ready?” he asked.
The princess clenched her jaw and gripped the pipe tightly. She nodded. The man positioned himself over her back.
“Take a slow, deep breath and concentrate on your breathing.” He instructed.
She did as she was told. The man’s hand moved with expert precision and speed as the needles rapidly punctured her skin. Atreyis gripped the table hard to keep herself from flinching and moving away from the pain. She felt the stabbing pain of each individual needle as it pierced her skin. After a few minutes as he continued along the design a trail of burning was left in the wake of the penetrating needles. She gritted her teeth as the minutes passed. She took another puff and tried not to cough. The herbs were helping, but just barely. In an attempt to lessen the pain she forced herself to relax her facial muscles and her back.
“This is what you wanted.” She whispered to herself. “This is what you wanted.”
The princess tried to distract herself by thinking about the palace. Their best chance in seemed to be if they posed as guards. They could try and go through the front gate pretending to be the next changing of the guard. But what if they are asked what their assigned detail is? One wrong word and they would be caught. She chewed her lip. From what she saw anything short of catapulting over the wall wasn’t a viable option. There had to be a way in. Maybe Ky knew of a secret passage or something. It didn’t make any sense to only have one way in or out.
A new wave of pain brought her back in the moment. The man was working near her spine and sensitive nerve endings. She clenched her jaw and tried to focus on her breathing. The pain remained but time slowly began to fade as the herbs from the pipe finally began to kick in. Hours later, after what felt like years of torture, the pinpricks and burning subsided. The tattooed man blew out a satisfied breath.
“Finished.”
He dipped a clean cloth in cool water and gently cleaned her back. Then using a small vial of oil and medicinal herbs, rubbed the soothing tincture over her burning skin. Atreyis moved slowly to a sitting position on the side of the table, clenching her shirt to her chest. The sun-burnt feeling still remained but was fading into a dull ache.
“There’s a mirror in the corner so you can see it.” Said the tattooed man as he began to clean up.
Atreyis nodded and sat a moment more. Slowly, she stood up. All of the blood drained from her head and she saw stars. Her head was swimming. She planted her feet and waited for the dizziness to subside. Her stomach was doing flips and that didn’t help. The spots in her vision diminished and she walked slowly to the tall mirror. On a stand next to it was a small handheld mirror. With a shaky arm she reached for it and turned her back. Her jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The intricate black design of her wings was like nothing she had seen before. The harsh and jagged dragon-like design was interlaced with beautiful flowing curves and twists of intricate patterns.
“There’s no way that’s real!” she exclaimed. “How did you do that?”
The man laughed. “I hear that one a lot and usually joke about having a magical touch that I learned from some traveling monks. I take it you like it?”
Atreyis smiled. The more she looked at her tattoo the more if felt like it had always belonged there. Like it had been beneath the surface of her skin her whole life and was just waiting for the right time to show itself. The whole thing still felt so surreal. The princess still felt outside looking in. With every heartbeat pure excitement pounded through her veins. She could hardly contain herself. Even as she put her shirt back on she hardly felt her aching, stretching skin. She walked up to the man.
“Thank you.” she bowed slightly. “For everything. I mean it. I never imagined…just, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Smiled the man as he re-lit his pipe.
“How much?” she asked eagerly.
He took a drag. “You pay whatever you think is fair.”
Atreyis dug into her pocket and pulled out her coin purse. She happily counted twenty-five silver coins and dropped them in his hand.
He bowed deeply at the gracious payment. “Thank you.”
The man smiled warmly. Atreyis strode confidently out into the street. The bright sun blinded her but she didn’t care. Her whole being was bubbling over with excitement. Never had she felt so in control over her life. The late evening sun felt especially hot on her tender back but that just made her smile more. A reminder that what had just transpired was actually real and not a dream. She walked the entire way back to The Huntress with her head held high, tickled to no end. For a brief second she even imagined her grandmother smiling at her, proud that she was taking her life into her own hands, finally.
Chapter 9
Ky burst through the door to the inn. The tavern was completely empty and bracing itself for the late afternoon drunks. The warrior raced up the stairs to the room. She slammed the door shut and threw her burlap parcel on the ground before kicking the bed and cracking the frame.
“Dammit!” she yelled in frustration.
Iyara was in the dungeon, Horgath knew they were here, and now she could add two more to her body count. She dropped to the bed and angrily unwrapped her hand, discarding the blood soaked silk. Her hand had mostly stopped bleeding and the wound wasn’t as deep as she initially thought. The warrior picked at the torn skin a moment before angrily rushing down the stairs to the tavern. She didn’t even wait for the barkeep and just slipped behind the bar and filled several tankards to the brim with ale and lined them up on the bar. One by one she slugged them down and filled them up for the second time. An hour later she had polished each and every one off. She sat on a chair staring into the fire, swirling the last swallow of ale in her tankard. Pulling a dagger out of her boot she poured the last bit of ale along the blade before throwing it into the fire. The dagger buried itself in a partially burned log. The drunken warrior stared into the flames mesmerized by their flickering movements and tongues licking at the wood. After a few minutes she stumbled back to the bar and grabbed a wet rag. Only barely singeing the hairs on her arms she used the rag to grab the red-hot handle of the dagger. She didn’t even blink before placing the hot blade on the laceration. Skin sizzled against the heat and she gritted her teeth. Half a second was long enough. She drove the dagger into the wooden mantel and inspected her hand. The bleeding had stopped and the wound was sealed shut. She staggered back to the bar for another round but was stopped by the barkeep Markis.
“You’ve had enough I think.” He stood and crossed his arms.
A wobbly Ky stared him down. “You would be wise to stand down.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Do you forget who I am?” she slurred.
With the warrior so inebriated Markis actually felt safe and so he stoo
d his ground.
“I know who you are and I don’t care. You have already drank half of my ale and got a head start on my mead stores. Out of respect for Iyara I won’t throw you and your friends out. But watch yourself, you aren’t as untouchable as you think.”
Ky merely blinked in response. She stumbled backwards from behind the bar and dug into her pockets. Ten silver coins. Taking her riches, she staggered out into the street. The world was swimming and her hand was throbbing. Using the wall of the tavern to brace herself she tried to turn her world right-side up. The spinning world won and she fell over in an alcohol soaked heap. The hot sun of the early afternoon beat down on her with no mercy. Hours later she was woken up by the wet tongue of a stray dog licking her face. She sat up and tried to get her bearings. Dirt and sweat covered every inch of her. The world had stopped spinning but she still felt like she was on the rough seas. Her tongue felt rough and dry in her mouth and her head pounded. Cracking open an eye she spotted a water trough across the street. Her muscles ached and her hand throbbed as she half-crawled over to it. Without a care in the world, as curious eyes watched on, she plunged face-first into the cool water. After a few seconds the onlookers were starting to wonder whether or not the drunk woman was going to resurface, but Ky came up gasping for air. Immediately, she began scooping up as much water as she could fill her belly with. The cool water began to revive her some. She sat up against the trough to catch her breath. How in the hell was she going to get into the palace and get Iyara? There was only one way in, the main gate.
Waves of guilt resurfaced and came crashing down on her. She stood up on shaky legs and started down the street on her original mission. Eventually she found herself in a small familiar market. A ramshackle dwelling off to the side was her end destination. The inside was dimly lit and every square inch was covered by barrels of various wines, meads, and ales. She marched up to the store owner and slammed her ten silver coins on the counter, the scent of alcohol on her breath was strong.
“Give me the biggest cask of your strongest stuff.”
The older man quietly looked her over and arched an eyebrow.
“We have a fine red wine grown right here outside of the city.”
Ky shook her head. “No. Something stronger.”
The man stroked his long white beard. “Well, we did just get a delivery of a rather stout Khennán draught—’’
Ky didn’t even let him finish. “I’ll take what I can get!”
The man grinned and waddled over to a decent sized cask. “Where would you like it delivered?”
The blonde didn’t even miss a beat. In one swift motion she hefted the keg onto her shoulder and walked out of the shop, leaving the man to marvel at the strength of a professional drunk. In no time she was back at the inn. Once more she kicked open the door.
“By the gods woman!” shouted Markis. “If you do that again I’ll make you pay for a new door!”
Ky ignored him and sat down by the fire again. Taking the dagger out of the mantle she used it to pull out the cork of her keg. She picked up one of the tankards she had left on the floor and somehow managed to fill it without hardly spilling a drop. She carefully put the keg down. The dark beer swirled in her mug and Ky found herself lost in the foamy head. Memories of home came roaring back to life. Her mother, her grandmother, Vex, and her glory days leading every sword the Khenná had to offer. Just as she thought she couldn’t take anymore, images of Iyara’s penetrating emerald green eyes appeared in her mind. The general pushed back the tears that threatened to break free and took a huge drink of beer. The hours passed and the tavern began to fill up. Ky’s world had started spinning again. On top of it, Iyara’s greens eyes had turned a sapphire blue and the warrior swore she could smell lavender amidst the heavy smells of wet straw, stale ale, sweaty drunks, and a smoky fire.
“What little respect I had for you is gone now.” Said a disappointed male voice from behind her.
“Do you really think I care?” slurred Ky.
The angry visage of the prince stood in front of her. He kicked her feet off of the mantle and she nearly fell over.
“We risk everything coming here, and instead of trying to find the crystal I find you still here in the tavern, a stinking drunk!” bit Ehren through clenched teeth. “I can’t believe I thought that you actually cared about the well-being of my sister, and the rest of us for that matter. Has losing your precious status bruised your ego so much that you must resort to drink now? Or have you lost faith in our endeavor to stop Lusha?”
Ky sloppily poured herself another drink. “You have no idea why I drink. And I think it best if you walk away before either one of us does something that one or both may or may not live t’ regret.”
“What?” asked Ehren. He stepped closer.
Ky took a swig and spit it at the prince. “I tol’ you to back off! Leave m’be.”
Ehren jumped back out of the way. His eyes flashed blue and he kicked the legs of Ky’s chair, splintering them and sending her to the ground. She landed with a hard thud on her back.
“Do you even care about your own life? Do you care that Horgath could be putting together a small army to come and flatten this place with us in it?” the prince was incredulous.
Ky rolled around on the dirt floor trying to get her bearings. Her feet refused to cooperate and the world wouldn’t stop moving.
“Whaddo you mean by that?” she slurred. “There’s no way that slimy, gutless worm would ever try coming after me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Said a small voice from the doorway.
Ehren and Ky turned to see a tearful Atreyis illuminated by the setting sun. Ky’s heart stopped as she tried to focus on the etheric beauty before her. The princess stepped inside.
“From what I saw at the palace there were more guards going in than coming out. And from the looks of it we won’t be able to get in anywhere.”
Ehren glared at Ky. “I told you!”
Ky spat at the ground near his feet. She somehow managed to stand up. Atreyis suddenly stormed up to the warrior and shoved her so hard that she fell back down.
“How could you do this?” yelled the distraught princess at the top of her lungs. The entire tavern fell silent.
Ky looked around the room and then pointed at herself. “Me? Whaddid I do?”
“You know how I feel about this…this stuff!” she kicked the barrel of beer, destroying it in the process. “How can you do this to me? After everything I told you about Gerald! The drinking. Not to mention the women and how he would beat me! How could you go back on your promise so easily?”
Ehren looked blankly at his sister. He put a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off.
“What are you talking about, Atreyis?” he asked with deep concern.
She spun around and yelled at him. “You want to know why I broke off the engagement? Why I locked myself away from the world? I’ll tell you! Every night Gerald would go out into the city in disguise and drink every tavern and inn dry. His father paid off people so we wouldn’t know and he could secure the throne. When I tried to confront him on multiple occasions he reminded me that I was weak!”
Her brother’s eyes grew wide in shock. “What…you never…he better not have—’’
Atreyis turned and lifted up the left side of her shirt just enough to reveal a thin scar near the small of her back. Ehren’s jaw dropped and he traced the scar.
“I finally found my voice and decided to confront him about his little problem. He let his empty tankard do the talking. That was the night I found out just how strong I truly am.”
“Atreyis…I…how could I have not known? Not seen? I was told that he ran away with some common trash.” Ehren felt heartbroken for his sister.
The princess tugged her shirt down. “He was a master of disguise and manipulation with a slick tongue and honeyed words. Mother and father don’t even know the whole story. They only know the same you were told.”
Ky tried to pr
ocess the princess’ words as her world continued to spin. Very foggy, distant memories began to take shape. She vaguely remembered a night under the stars and the princess talking about how much she hated drinking. Bits and pieces about the princess tearing up as she talked about her former fiancé. The warrior suddenly sobered up. The guilt of her actions hit her hard in the gut.
Atreyis turned to the warrior, a single tear rolled down her cheek. “I thought you were different, but you haven’t changed, you’re just like him.”
The warrior’s heart stopped. Those were the same words Iyara uttered before she had left the city, leaving the tavern-owner behind. Atreyis started to cry and ran up the stairs to the room with Ehren close behind her. Ky simply turned her head and emptied the entire contents of her stomach on the floor before passing out cold.
Cold water and the feeling of drowning brought Ky back to life some time later. The warrior jumped up in surprise, gasping for air, and fell into the street. Taryn had taken it upon herself to clean up the pathetic heap that had once been a highly decorated general. The Aznurro guard smiled to herself for making such an astute use of the water trough across the street. The panting, sopping wet warrior managed to get to her feet.
