Haldred Chronicles: Alyssa (8 page)

“Well, don't
worry.” he began, his expression thoughtful.  “I mean, I didn't order much so
I'm sure I can give you a hand with...”

His
encouragement was cut short when a plate of cooked goose was set in front of
him with a dull thud.  Complete with extra potatoes and veg.  This instead of
the small order of chicken wings he had expected.

Now they both
stared with mute shock.

“Well.” Malak remarked. 
“We're just proper blessed tonight aren't we?”

Victoria nodded
again solemnly.  With a distinct lack of confidence she picked up her knife and
fork.

“Good luck” she
said.

They both dug
in, not knowing whether they would survive the experience.

* * * * *

“Alright.” said
Gretna.  “We'll wait until they're finished, then you two can head over an'
explain yourselves.”

Alyssa, Katy and
Gretna's heads were each peering out one above the other, through the kitchen
door, observing Rodney delivering the larger-than-expected plates of food to
the two Council of Peace representatives.

“Gretna, you're
either a genius or one of the most cruel people I know.” said Alyssa, not
believing what she was seeing.

“Or both.” said
the dwarf with an evil smile.

“Sorry to play
the dumb blonde,” said the blonde haired Katy, her pigtails bobbing as she
cocked her head to one side in confusion,  “but I don't understand.  Why is
stuffing them going to help Alyssa's innocence?”

“Simple.” said
Gretna.  “You'll have an easier time convincing them of your innocence when
they're too stuffed to care.”

Katy shrugged. 
Fair enough.  It was still a weird way of doing it, but then she wasn't a
dwarf.

Alyssa meantime
was grateful for the help, and this little operation had cemented Katy's
position in the team.  She was hired, particularly after Gretna had seen how
good she was in the kitchen.  Number one on the check list for the night was done. 
Katy had a job!  Number two had still to show up.  Alyssa gazed out over the
dining area.  Still no sign of James.  Well maybe that wasn't such a bad thing
this time round, after all there were two vampire hunters in the room.

She'd get them
out of the way first, then worry about James later.  She really hoped he'd
still come down though.  She really did.

* * * * *

It took twenty
five minutes for the two of them to admit defeat.

“Oh I give up.” 

Victoria dropped
her knife and fork on the table and leaned back, letting out a breath of
exhaustion.  She had managed to get through around three quarters of the meal
but a large chunk of meat still sat on the plate staring at her, daring her to
continue.  However, the far larger amount of meat currently in her stomach was
making a good argument for
not
continuing.

I can't.  I'm
too full.  Politeness be damned, I'd rather not die of meat poisoning.

She felt her
jaw, aching from the constant chewing.

“You ok Malak?”
she said, glancing over at him.

He had his fist
to his mouth, stifling a belch.

“I'm done.” he
managed, waving his hand.  His own meal was only half finished.  “And I have a
request.”

“Go ahead.” she
replied.

“We don't come
back here again.  Ever.  Free drinks I can stand, but this...this is pure
killing with kindness.”

“Agreed.”
Victoria felt her stomach, heavy with meat. She was having doubts as to whether
she would be able to get up from her seat. 

Her brain was
utterly fried.  There was no way she would be able to complete any reports
tonight let alone make any accurate conclusions about their discoveries (or
lack thereof) from the day.  They would have to leave it till tomorrow.

“We'll complete
things tomorrow Malak.” she said.

The relief on
Malak’s face was obvious.

“Thank the Gods
for that at least.”

She waved over
to the waiting barmaids. 

They were pretty
much the last people left in the tavern.  Most of the other customers were
gone, with only a few drunks by the bar top and the barmaids, leaning up
against the bar, watching.

Obviously waiting
for us to finish
thought Victoria. 
Or give up.

“Thank you.”
said the female dwarf who approached them first, taking a plate in either
hand. 

“Oh also, I
thinks a couple of my staff want to have a word.” she said, nodding over at two
young girls still waiting by the bar.

“Oh?” managed
Victoria, halfway to standing and then thinking better of it.

“Aye.  Think
it's a tad private mind.”

Victoria and
Malak exchanged confused expressions.

“Well, we are
kind of...”  (Full beyond our means she wanted to say)  “...busy” she managed,
without belching out the word.

“It'll only take
a sec, don't want to keep ya."

Victoria
reluctantly nodded.  She was too full to care and slumped back down, trying her
best not to slouch in her seat.

The dwarf
signalled to the two girls and they hurried over.  They both seemed quite shy,
their eyes darting about as they approached.  There was a blonde one, looking
like she was around sixteen and had one of those stupidly cutesy pigtail
hairstyles.  The other one appeared somewhat older with short black hair and
glasses.  They both shuffled nervously once they were by the table.

“Your friend
said you wanted to talk?” said Victoria, not having any clue what this was
about but finding herself forced to see what was going on.  If it was Council
of Peace business she needed to hear it.  Even if she doubted she'd remember
it, not in her current state.

“I'm sorry
miss.” said the older looking girl, taking a step forward.  She curtsied
awkwardly, an unnecessary gesture but Victoria didn't bother reprimanding the
girl for it.

Victoria felt an
oddness pass over her as the girl approached.  She shuddered involuntarily, a
shiver creeping up her spine for a moment.  The girl seemed to notice.

“It's just I
overheard you talking.  About a dead man?”

Victoria's eyes
shot up, staring straight into the girl's.

“What?”

“I'm sorry
miss.” the girl avoided her glare, her head down and hands fiddling with her
glasses.  “It's just, your description.  He sounded very much like the man me
and Katy encountered.”

Ok, now you
have my attention
thought Victoria.

“Go on.”  The
oddness remained, almost like a pressure around her.  Victoria was putting it
down to the meal she had just had and trying to ignore it.  Maybe it was just a
result of feeling this ill?  This was the first time she had attempted to
devour what was effectively an entire cow.  She had already made the important
decision of never attempting said act again.

“Well, we...”
the girl looked over at the other girl, obviously 'Katy', and the blonde girl
took up the tale.

“I was attacked
by a fat man last night.  Alyssa here came and saved me.  She knocked him out
and we left him for the militia to find in an alley off Holt Street.”

“And you think
he's the same man we were talking about?” said Victoria.

The two girls
nodded in unison.

“Ok.” Victoria
nodded.  “Well, thank you.”

“Um.  There's
more.” said Katy, looking over at the other one again.

Katy seemed to
be waiting for the older girl to talk but she didn't, shaking her head
vigorously and fidgeting with her glasses again.  The girl called Katy seemed
to get the message and continued.

“Alyssa heard
you mentioning about...” she glanced around before she leaned in close,
dropping her voice.  “...something about hunting a vampire.”

Victoria closed
her eyes.

Damn it, I
knew we shouldn't have talked shop in this place.

“She's worried
that because she beat up the fat man, that you might, you know...”

She nodded her
head toward Alyssa.

“...think she
was a vampire?”

Victoria opened
her eyes.  She allowed a slight smile (only slight) to appear, making even
Malak take notice.

“I don't think
there's any danger of that.” she assured them.

The older girl
looked instantly relieved. 

“Oh thank you.”
she said, visible relaxing.  “I was so worried.”

“Yes, well.” Victoria
nodded.  “You did the right thing clearing that up.  I'll need you both to put
it in writing though.”

“Already done.”
said a voice.

Victoria looked
round to find the dwarf woman holding up a parchment beside her.

She blinked,
raising an eyebrow.

“Sorry.” said
the dwarf, though she didn't sound like she meant it.  “Me husband’s a member
of the militia.  I remember him telling me how these things go.  What the girls
have just told you is all here and both their signatures.  Separate
statements.”

She set the
parchment before Victoria.

Well, this is
all very convenient.

Procedure
dictated that she check the statements of course.  She grimaced as she felt her
painfully stretched stomach groan.

Oh to hell
with it.

“Thank you.” she
said, deciding escape was preferable.  “I think that's all we'll need then.  I
don't think either of you need have worried, it's probably not even the same
guy.”

She caught the
three barmaids exchanging smiles.

“That's great.”
said the dwarf.  “Was worried ya would be carting me best maid off to jail!”

“No chance.”
Victoria reassured her.

Definitely
not now anyway.  I'm going to sleep well tonight.  Or die.

“I have one
request though." said Victoria

“Go ahead.”
replied the dwarf.

“Could you
summon a coach please?  I think we're going to need it.”

She caught Malak
mouthing 'thank you' to her from across the table before lying on his crossed
arms again.  With everything straightened out the maids returned to the bar,
leaving Victoria and Malak.  Victoria felt the oddness from earlier disappear
thankfully.  She had been concerned she was going to throw up during the girl’s
explanation.

Thank the
Gods that's over.

* * * * *

“You are never
choosing the tavern again.”

It didn't take
long for a coach to be summoned for the two of them and thankfully it was one
with cushions for both of them to rest their exhausted bodies on.  Victoria was
steadying herself on the railing on the inside of the coach as it rattled
through the night, allowing her to absorb some of the bumps in the road.

“Point taken.”
Malak managed.  He was doing the same, trying to roll with the potholes without
throwing up.

“I've never
eaten so much in my life.” gasped Victoria, her other hand on her stomach.

“Same here.”
replied Malak.  “That was a bloody big bird.”

“I think mine
was a
whole
cow.”

“You know what I
think?” he said next, looking over at her.

“What?”

“We need to stop
doing such a good job,” he said with a slightly cheeky smile.  “cause if this
is the reward...”

“Very funny.”

“Still.”
Victoria mused, looking out the coach window as the night time lanterns flashed
past.  “I learned one thing.”

“What's that?”

“Skipping
breakfast is a bad idea.”

            * * * * *

Alyssa and Katy
watched out of the tavern's front shutter windows as the coach disappeared into
the night.  Only when it was completely gone did they both breathe a sigh of
relief.

“Thank the Gods
that's over.” breathed Alyssa, slumping down on a nearby chair, hand on her
head.

“I kind of feel
sorry for them.” said Katy, casting Alyssa a look.  “They didn't look well.”

“Me too
actually,”  Alyssa's own over-drinking episode was still fresh in her memory. 
“but at least they won't be back.”

“They gone
then?” said Gretna, approaching the girls with her arms crossed. 

“Yes.” said
Alyssa.  She gave Gretna a relieved smile.  “I could kiss you Gretna.”

“Ya would regret
that” replied the dwarf, though not with malice.  “But I'll accept repayment of
another kind.”