Also please note I have changed the name of the other species in this story from laoi to watu. For reasons of translation and personal preference. I'll get around to editing it in my previous two chapters eventually, so until then bear with me, please.
Chapter 3
In Which a Clandestine Meeting is Held
A
particular traveler came into the common room of the inn and sat without making
any more fuss or attracting more attention than any of the other customers ever
did. He ordered a pint of beer, but no food, and did not show any intention of
renting a room for the night. Though the town was big enough that the townsfolk
did not all know one another, the man stood out as being an outsider by his
hair. He had dark orangy-red hair, not so bold as Zija, the young man who was
always hitting on the women, nor so bright as that of the sassy tavern wench
who had gone missing during the watu attack, poor girl, but somewhere in
between. The townsfolk all had normal black hair, nothing so exotic even as a
brown color. That was what had made Shula and Zija such attractions, but after
the watu’s attack, it only made this new man’s every action dubious.
The
red headed man sat quietly, drinking his beer with the men from the town who were
just coming in to sit down to lunch watching him out of the corners of their
eyes. The man just sat and watched the room, looking at nothing in particular,
though his eyes lingered longest on the flock of young women fluttering around
Zija. He watched as Seok burst into the room with a group of other boisterous
young men and ordered food, and saw Cain and Larkin consider the crowd at
Zija’s table, then limp over to an empty table in the corner for their own
lunches.
Most
of the men left the inn not too long after to return to work, but Seok, instead
of leaving again went to brave the women around Zija and parked himself with a
deck of cards and dice set in the seat across from his friend. Zija muttered
something that made the women around him laugh, and several turned to follow
the men out of the inn. A casual glance after their departing figures left Zija’s
eyes to settle on the red headed traveler over Seok’s shoulder. His eyes
widened slightly in surprise, but otherwise no emotion played over his face.
The red headed man jerked his head to the side, indicating the hallway leading
to the courtyard behind the inn before Zija looked away. He then went back to
nursing the rest of his beer.
Zija
looked back to the cards Seok was dealing him and made no sign that he had
seen, but when the man got up from the table and left through the back Zija
finished his hand and made up an excuse to give Seok for leaving. He walked off
down the hallway and into the bright light outside. Pausing to let his eyes
adjust, he looked around and found the man who had beckoned him standing under
the eaves of the stable.
“Kiume,”
he stated by way of greeting. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“That’s
a crappy way to greet someone you haven’t seen in years, Ndugu.”
“Just
answer the question and stop calling me by that shitty kid’s name. Call me my
own name.”
“If
your name is really that shitty why do you want to be called by it?” Zija
crossed his arms over his chest, waiting. “You know perfectly well why I won’t
call you Zisizohaja, or any other shortened, bastard version of it either, so
you might as well not complain.”
“That
still doesn’t tell me why you’re here.” Zija’s voice showcased his annoyance. “After a bunch of watu tried to
kill me the other day an ass hole like you is the last person I want to see.”
“I’m
glad I’m so well loved by my little ndugu, who I actually came to help out,”
Kiume smirked as he said it.
“Yeah,
well that little present the other day was about as helpful as shit, I’ll tell
you.”
Kiume
lost his joking attitude then. “I didn’t have anything to do with that. Trust
me. That group has been running wild around the base of Taka Mountain for more
than a year. This place just happened to be targeted while you were here.”
“And
I’m sure your daddy is fully behind their actions, as per usual.” Zija’s disgusted
sarcasm was not lost on the other man.
“I
don’t even know if he knows about them, but the army’s behind them one hundred
percent. You’d better prepare for more attacks like that one though. That’s
what I came to tell you about.”
“Explain.”
The other man sighed exaggeratedly and looked around the courtyard. “Kiume, if
you came here to tell me, for crap’s sake tell me already!”
“Ndugu,
you never did learn to hold in your temper.” He reached into the pocket on his
vest and pulled out a ragged piece of paper. Unfolding it he handed it to Zija
and stared talking. “The guy on the first page there is wanted for a mass
murder in a border town about three years ago.” He indicated the inked in drawing
on the first page. It was a face Zija recognized instantly: Larkin. “So that’s
what happened,” he muttered.
Kiume’s
ears perked in curiosity. “I had herd you two were living together in Central
on the human side. He waited in hope of a reply, when none was forthcoming he
continued. “Since word’s gotten out that this guy’s out here near the border
you’ll be in for a lot of trouble. The reward’s pretty high, enough that small
groups will be up for hunting him down and splitting the money up. I think you’ll
know the guy on the next page too.” Zija flipped the paper over to see the
other picture. “Since he’s a priest hunting him’ll be dangerous and the more
pious of us won’t be going after him at all. That leaves the strong, the brave,
and the stupid to come after you since you’ll all be traveling together.”
“You think Cain stole something from the emperor?” He looked
skeptically at Kiume.
“No
I think that Mfalme wants something your priest has. Saying it was stolen in
the first place is just so he can seem right to be taking it back.”
“They’re
all pieces of crap.”
“Can’t
say I don’t agree, but I can’t do anything about it just yet. Mfalme hasn’t
been very healthy lately though, so I’ve been getting a lot more work. I can’t
tell you too much about all that though: politics is shit. Anyway this is all
the help I can give you now. Anyway I’ve gotta go before someone finds out
where I’ve been.”
“I don’t need your damn help!” Kiume only nodded
his farewell and started walking away without another word. “Thanks,”
Zija muttered grudgingly, without turning around to watch him leave. Kiume
heard him though, of that he had no doubt. The man’s ears had always been too
good for Zija’s liking. What was he doing all the way out here in some tiny
border town anyway? He was good and fed up with being babied by Kiume.
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