Haldred Chronicles: Alyssa (14 page)

“Suppose”
lamented Malak.  He looked at Victoria.

“You really
think it's going to be bad tonight?”

Victoria nodded
solemnly.

“What's our plan
then?”

Victoria looked
over at him.

“We do our job.”

At that moment,
the sandwiches arrived, the young girl setting down a wooden plate of brown
bread, packed with what appeared to be proper corned beef, lettuce and a sweet
smelling sauce.

“Thank you” said
Victoria.

The girl
curtsied.

“And for the
gentlemen?” she queried next, smiling over at Malak.

Victoria
answered for both of them.

“Two Jamies
Black Water.  Straight.”

The girl
blinked.

“We'll need the
courage.”

* * * * *

* * * * *

“Thank you for
walking me to work.”

James and Alyssa
were at the kitchen entrance to the Elk’s Horn.  James had indeed walked her to
work, meeting as arranged outside her house just an hour and a half
beforehand.  It didn't take an hour and half to walk to the Elk’s Horn from
Alyssa's house, but they made it take an hour and a half.

“Working late
again?” she asked next.  It was a pity that both of them where ham-strung by
their working commitments; kind of.  Even if she wasn't a night shift maid it
wasn't like she could go out in the daytime now was it?

“Yes,” he said,
sadness in his voice. “but I was thinking.”

Uh oh.

“Maybe I should
take some time off.  Meet with you during the day sometime?”

She'd known that
was coming, and prepared herself for the disappointment her answer would bring.

“I'll have to
see what Gretna says.  We are pretty busy.”

That wasn't a
lie, not really.  She would have to check with Gretna, and they were busy,
although they did now have extra staff in the form of Katy.  Alyssa's good deed
of getting Katy onto the Tavern team was overshadowed by the unfortunate issue
of there now being something of a staff surplus.

“We'll sort
something.” she reassured him, flashing that particular smile that she had
found melted him each and every time.  She was not disappointed.

“Yeh” he said,
grinning, then seeming to recover.

“Yeh” he
repeated, trying to pretend he hadn't just completely fallen for her.

You really
are a first timer at this aren't you?

“When you two
are quite finished?” said a voice.

The couple
turned in unison to find Katy with her hands on her hips, her headed cocked to
one side and a slight smile on her face.

“Some of us have
work to do tonight.” she said next, her tone slightly teasing.

Alyssa and James
moved to one side of the door, having only just realised that they were
blocking the entrance.

“I'd best get
started.” Alyssa said to him.  She leaned in, giving him a peck on the lips. 
Then another, just to be sure and another for good luck.  Then one more, longer
this time.

And then...

Alyssa became
aware of Katy shaking her head at them, pink ribbons flickering in the
moonlight.  Alyssa broke off the kiss but extremely reluctantly.

“Bye.  See you
tomorrow.” she said.

“Yes.” James
agreed, still a little dazed from the barrage of kisses.  Indeed the two girls
left him swaying slightly as they entered together.

“He really is
new to this isn't he?” Said Katy as she and Alyssa hung up their cloaks.

“Oh yeah.”
agreed Alyssa, checking her apron and feeling particularly relieved that
tonight, she wasn't wearing a corset.

“But I'm
teaching him.” she added with a smile.

Katy, again,
shook her head.

“Remind me which
of us is older again?”

Alyssa started
her shift.  Only now did Vlad put in his opinion.

EXCELLENT!

Ok.  That was
unexpected.

YOUR POWERS
OF SEDUCTION HAVE IMPROVED CHILD!  SOON HE WILL BE UNDER YOUR SWAY!

You never
change do you?

* * * * *

Victoria peered
round the corner.  Down the street lay the Elk’s Horn; business was, as usual,
in full flow.   Its lights were bright, the tavern busy with customers.

I'm right
she concluded.
 This is
going to be a disaster.

Why Horna and
his Darnhun minions had decided that hitting the tavern well before closing
time was a good idea was, quite frankly, beyond her.  There would be a lot of
people.  A lot of potential hostages, a lot of potential casualties and a lot
of potential repercussions for the Council of Peace.

This is not a
good idea.

“Place is bloody
busy.” muttered Malak.  For a change, their opinions on this particular
situation were the same.

They were both
standing down the street from the tavern, awaiting the arrival of the Darnhun
mercenaries and Horna.  Their coach was parked up nearby, out of sight like
them.  They had been ordered to keep an eye on the tavern until 'his' men
arrived.  The night wasn't all that cold, snow was expected but not yet
falling, so Victoria had dispensed with her usual cloak and was just in her
tunic and leggings.  Complete with weapons obviously.  Malak had his usual
weapons with him and was his usual armour festooned self, his K-12 locked and
loaded on a sling over his shoulder.

They heard them,
a low rumble in the distance, long before they saw them.  The noise made by
heavily laden horse-drawn carts.

“Here they
come.” warned Malak, taking a step into the relatively safety of the nearby wall. 

Victoria did the
same; the Darnhun after all, liked to make an entrance. 

Two huge horses
rounded the corner of the street entrance, both in full plate armour, the metal
jet black in the moonlit night.  Behind them, four more horses appeared in the
same armour plate.  They pulled a huge armour plated war carriage, jet black
like the horses and of a spiked, evil appearance.  An identical horse drawn
carriage pulled up beside the first, its horses snorting in the moonlight,
their breath misting.  The thundering hooves came to a halt near to where
Victoria and Malak stood.

Just as both
carriages halted, the Darnhun emerged from the doors.

They were tall,
heavily armoured warriors, clad in jagged looking scale mail and thick rounded
shoulder pads of boiled leather.  Their armour was jet black like the carriages
that bore them.  Their belts and chest harnesses were festooned with small
cubes, known as thunderboxes, as well as crossbow bolts and daggers.  Each man
had a short sword secured in a sheath hanging from one hip and a flintlock
pistol on the other.

Their helms
though, were by far the most distinctive feature of these formidable looking
fighters.  Short nosed pointed things, with two small red eye lenses that
glowed inwardly and mouth grills that gave a menacing air to an already
frightening appearance.  They were almost insect-like in appearance.  That was
the point, Victoria assumed.

Each man
brandished as his main weapon a uniquely Darnhun invention.  They were known as
Bolt spitters, ugly spiked repeater crossbows.  They were short, no longer than
a man's outstretched arm, with fat boxes of bolts slung underneath them and
short daggers attached to the fore grips.  Unlike Malak's more ranged K-12,
these things were built for close up fighting; able to shred apart anyone they
fought.

Amongst the
Darnhun was Horna Gladwell himself.  He was clad in layers of thick fur over
his council robes, despite the relative warmth of the night.  He looked at ease
amongst the formidable warriors around him.  He peered over at Victoria and
Malak in surprise, but his expression quickly changed, as if remembering why
they were there.

“Ha” he said,
nodding curtly as he approached the two of them.  “There you are.  Anything to
report?”

“Nothing.” said
Victoria, deliberately shifting her gaze from Horna to the Darnhun troops
behind him.  “What's your plan?”

“Simple.” he
said, as if the question was indeed a simple one.  “We will enter the tavern,
and arrest her.”

“A lot of people
about,” said Victoria.  “might make things difficult.”

“I doubt it.” he
replied with a touch of malice.  “Anyone stupid enough to get in their way...”
he nodded back at the assembled Darnhun.  “...will regret it.”

“What of our
reputation sir?” said Victoria next, now casting her boss a very suspicious
look.

“Have no fear.”
he assured them
.
  “They may not look it, but they can be discreet.”

Balls to
that.

“Now,” he said
next in a distinct tone of arrogant authority.  “you two are no longer
required.  You are dismissed for the night.”

Victoria and Malak
exchanged perplexed looks.

“No backup?”
queried Malak

“We won't need
it.” he assured them.  “I have more than enough men.”

“Sir.” put in
Victoria.  “We don't know what this girl is fully capable of.”

“Yes we do.  It
was in your report.”

“We've only observed
her for a day,” Victoria countered, her frown and suspicions deepening,  “only
the Gods know what else she can do.”

He raised his
hand in an uninterested, nonchalant way.  “It matters not.  By the end of
tonight, she will be in custody and this will all be concluded.”

“Now.” he said,
interrupting Victoria before she could speak again.  “You may go.”

“With respect
sir,” Victoria said, not really displaying any kind of respect in her voice. 
“I think we'll stick around.  See this through.”

Horna frowned,
but only briefly.

“Very well.  You
may watch.  Silently I might add.  Do not get involved.  Understood?”

Malak and
Victoria nodded, and Horna turned on his heel, walking back over to the
prepared Darnhun.  Victoria stalked back to the coach, angry at Horna's lack of
respect, and swung herself up with a visible degree of aggression.  Malak,
sensible man that he was, kept a respectable distance.

“Harcan!”
Victoria barked once they were both aboard.  “Move this crate round so we have
a good look at the back door.”

“You think
she'll do a runner?” asked Malak as he sat opposite her.

Victoria gave
him that uniquely sarcastic look she had mastered.

“That,” she said
“or we'll get to watch a few of those idiots fly through the wall.”

This is not
going to be a good night
she concluded.

* *
* * *

Tonight's
going really well
thought Alyssa.

The Tavern
business was good, with just the right amount of customers not to overwhelm the
bar staff but at the same time, not leaving them looking for stuff to do. 
Vlad, thankfully, was quieter than usual, keeping his comments to a minimum and
relieving Alyssa of the need to put him in his box again.  She still got the
occasional '
THEY WOULD MAKE A GOOD THRALL'
from time to time, but at
least he wasn't pushing his luck.  She was out on the floor, where she had the
most fun and Katy was alongside her, learning some of the ropes.

“That's
Christopher.” Alyssa was saying, nodding over to a blonde-haired young man
seated in the corner.  “Single, he's training to be an actor.  One of our
regulars.”

Katy raised an
accusing eyebrow.  “Are you trying to set me up?”

Alyssa's eyes
betrayed her.  “No...no just...introducing regulars.”

“Who happen to
be the same age as me?  And single?”

Alyssa fumbled
her words, not yet used to Katy's rather sharp wits “Ah, well.”

“Enough mouthing
you two.” grunted Gretna, coming upon the two girls by the bar.  “Double order
for table three.  Medium steak with extra greens.  Looks like someone got a
raise down the docklands.”

Katy and Alyssa
took the trays handed to them.

They turned
toward the tables, just in time to see the front door explode.

The door
disintegrated with a thunderous boom, raining sawdust and chipped wood over
those nearby and blowing a couple of the other barmaids off their feet.  Many
patrons, particularly the ex-military ones, dived to the floor.

Through the
debris, the perpetrators of this act entered at speed.

“Everyone on the
floor now!” bellowed the first tall heavily armoured man to enter, in a loud
demanding voice, chipped with a foreign accent.  He wore jagged leather armour
and brandished a wicked looking crossbow, the lenses in his pointed helmet
glinting a daemonic red in the candlelight.  Everyone with any sense did
exactly as told, those not already on the floor diving for it, spilling drinks
and screaming as a total of six warriors entered, all dressed identically to
the first and carrying the same ugly weapons.

Darnhun!

Alyssa knew the
stories.  Of men-things such as these who showed no pity, no mercy and no
remorse; men with reputations as ugly as their weapons.

Katy, Alyssa and
Gretna were the only ones who remained standing.  Alyssa and Katy due to the
fact that diving to the floor when you're carrying huge trays of food was kind
of difficult, and Gretna because she was just plain stubborn.