Heart of Fire (10 page)

Jessalyne barged after him, wanting
to snap back but didn’t know what to say. You look like the woman I
work for. She was nothing but business to him.

The stink of sour ale and smoke
mixed with unwashed flesh stung her nose. A tumult of languages
filled her ears. A sordid mix of creatures packed the dim tavern.
They crowded around tables, drinking ale and telling tales. She
moved closer to Ertemis. Better the beast she knew than those she
didn’t.

From the shadowy recesses, a
bristled figure emerged. Dressed in a fine loose linen shirt and
brushed cotton trousers, he stood a head taller than Ertemis and
twice as wide. Flexing fists the size of hams, the creature headed
toward them.

Ertemis pushed his hood back. A soft
murmur swept the crowd.

“Saladan’s strumpet mum,” the
creature growled. “Who let this muddled blood lowlife into my fine
establishment?”

Tiny pointed teeth filled the
brute’s mouth, but it was his ears that drew her gaze. Little
shells of skin, they sported dangling gold hoops. His ears were too
small by half. Even faeries had bigger ears than he did.

Ertemis snarled right back. “Fine
establishment? This dunghill? How fine could it be if it’s run by a
troll?”

Jessalyne looked back at the door.
If any chance for escape remained before the bludgeoning began, it
was most likely now.

The two scowled at one another,
gazes locked, fists clenched. Not a single creature in the alehouse
moved. Jessalyne expected blows any moment.

They lunged and Jessalyne shut her
eyes.

“Ertemis!”

“Valduuk!”

She peeked. They were pounding each
other on the back in friendly sort of way. Childish oafs. The rest
of the patrons, bored with the lack of bloodshed, went back to
their carousing. Ertemis and Valduuk cuffed each other a few more
times.

“How does the day find you, my
friend?” Valduuk’s voice resounded low and gravely.

“Well, and you?” Ertemis stood,
hands on hips, his back to Jessalyne. She crept closer.

“I am the most contented troll in
all of Warren on the Wick. What’s taken you so long? I’ve not seen
you in ages.” The troll leaned close, his voice soft, “Have you
finally paid your bond?”

“I have no excuse other than too
many battles to be won and too much coin to be collected. As for my
bond, let’s just say I’m working on that.”

Arms crossed, Jessalyne cleared her
throat.

“Ah...Valduuk, please meet my
current employer, Lady Jessalyne of Fairleigh Grove.” Ertemis
mocked a courtly bow in her direction.

Valduuk extended one enormous hand,
catching Jessalyne off guard. She reached her hand out, not sure
what else to do. He took her fingers and lightly brushed his thick
lips across the back of her hand.

Jessalyne blinked at him,
dumbfounded.

“Best manners I have ever seen in a
troll.” Ertemis shook his head, adding, “At least when there is a
fair-faced skirt involved.”

Valduuk ignored the elf and offered
a crooked arm to Jessalyne. “My Lady, if you would care to join me
in my quarters, I’ll have my staff prepare whatever eatables you
desire.” He glanced at Ertemis. “Don’t mind the elf, he’s always
been jealous of my good social graces.”

Jessalyne reached up to take his
arm, suddenly tickled by the gentleman troll. “Thank you, kind
sir.” She rested her palm on Valduuk’s arm, surprised by the
softness of his pelted skin.

“What? No arm for me?” Ertemis
followed the odd pair through a private entrance at the rear of the
tavern.

Valduuk’s quarters were as
paradoxical as the troll himself. Instead of duplicating the
rough-hewn scheme of the tavern proper, his chambers were
luxuriously appointed.

“Since when did you become exiled
nobility?” Ertemis asked as he surveyed his friend’s
dwelling.

Thick Ulvian carpets covered finely
waxed wood floors. The furniture, sized to match Valduuk, was
exquisitely crafted. Upholstered chairs sported plush fabrics,
antique tapestries hung from the walls and yards of diaphanous
silks draped the windows.

“Oh my. Your home is lovely. I’ve
never seen such beautiful things.” Jessalyne wanted to touch
everything.

“Thank you,” Valduuk tipped his head
toward Ertemis. “How is it that such a fair lass as yourself has
ended up in the company of the Black Death?”

“The company of the what?” Jessalyne
wasn’t sure she heard Valduuk correctly.

“Valduuk.” Sinking into one of the
overstuffed chairs, Ertemis shot the troll a look. “There will be
time for tales when we eat. Our mounts need tending.”

Valduuk made short work of ordering
food then sent someone to feed and water the animals. He led his
guests into the dining room, where they seated themselves around a
spacious table in wide, high backed chairs.

After her time on Petal, Jessalyne
lounged happily on the well-padded seat. “What was that name you
called him?” she asked Valduuk.

“The Black Death?” He glanced at
Ertemis, who was shaking his head back and forth. “Nothing, just a
little ribbing between old friends.”

Ertemis regaled Valduuk with the
events leading up to his joining company with Jessalyne, and
Valduuk kept their goblets full of honeyed wine. Before long,
tavern staff began setting heavy platters of food before
them.

Valduuk pulled one of the workers
aside and whispered something to him. The man nodded and
left.

Jessalyne looked out over the table
and beheld foodstuffs the likes of which she had not known existed.
Smoked eels stuffed with garlic and leeks, capons wrapped in bacon,
fresh and cured sausages, cabbage stewed with onions and tansy,
rice soup with spinach and walnuts, blue-veined cheeses, thick
brown bread, crocks of fruited butters. The last plate brought in
was a footed dish holding small shiny brown cakes decorated with
flower petals. It must take a vast quantity of food to satisfy
Valduuk.

As they feasted, she exclaimed her
love for everything she tried, which caused Ertemis to roll his
eyes and Valduuk to smile with extreme pleasure. She ignored
Ertemis as best she could. She sipped her wine before speaking.
“So, Valduuk, how do you know Ertemis?”

Valduuk wiped his mouth with a
square of linen and sat back in his chair. “We met many years ago.
We were youngsters then, conscripted to the Legion for different
reasons. It wasn’t an easy life, but we learned. We grew up
quickly.”

She could only imagine what that
life must have been like.

Valduuk hesitated, eyes trained
somewhere in the past. “None of our squad wanted to spar with a
troll or a half breed, fearsome creatures that we be. So we sparred
with each other.” He chuckled. “Truth be told, it was for the best.
We outsized and out-muscled the others by a fair
measure.”

“Well, you certainly did,” Ertemis
interjected.

“As I am in the presence of a lady,
I’ll ignore your remarks until such time as I may deal with them
properly.”

Ertemis snorted and returned to his
meal.

Valduuk’s attention belonged to
Jessalyne’s once again and he continued. “We fought together in
many campaigns. But as I grew older, I tired of Legion life. I had
enough money saved to pay my bond and purchase my freedom. I took
what was left and bought this tavern. And here I am.” He stretched
his arms out toward his surroundings. “I am content with my life.
What it lacks in excitement, it makes up for in stability, unlike
my brother here who has no stability but plenty of
excitement.”

“Stability is overrated.” Ertemis
pushed back from the table. “It’s good to see you again, Valduuk.
I’m glad the years have been kind to you.”

“They have indeed. And I insist you
stay the night. The least I can do is give you a soft bed,” Valduuk
said.

Ertemis lifted his hands. “I’d as
soon press on, but I’m only the hired help.”

Hired help. Must he constantly
remind her of their arrangement? He had said yes, after all. Why
make such a point of it?

Valduuk turned to her. “I know you
must be anxious to continue your journey but lastlight comes soon.
Surely, you’d prefer a feathered pallet to a bedroll on the hard
ground?”

“A feather bed sounds wonderful. We
don’t need to travel at night. Besides, we still have a saddle to
purchase.”

Ertemis stood and shoved his chair
in with more force than she thought necessary. “I’ll see to the
bags and the beasts.”

“No need,” Valduuk beamed. “Your
bags are already in your rooms and your mounts in my stable. I set
my staff about it before dinner. Lady Jessalyne, if you wish, I’ll
have a hot bath sent up. Ertemis and I can purchase the
saddle.”

“A bath sounds even better than the
feather bed. You’re a marvelous host, Valduuk.” Jessalyne smiled at
the gentleman troll. Too bad Ertemis wasn’t more like his
friend.

Ertemis sat back down as Valduuk
rang for his valet to escort her to her chambers. She bid the men
good evening and headed off to the promise of a hot
soak.

* * *

Watching his friend’s face as
Jessalyne left, Ertemis suspected Valduuk had fallen under her
spell as well. “She isn’t hard to look at, is she?”

“Aye. A definite step above your
regular paramours,” Valduuk said.

“She’s not my paramour. Far from it.
I doubt she knows much of what passes between a man and a woman.
Anyway, she’s not my taste.”

“Then perhaps you should hide the
heat in your eyes when you look at her, my friend.” Valduuk
chuckled. “A blind man could see you want her.”

“Pah.”

“Then why deny what you’re called?
She hired you, she must know who you are.”

“She doesn’t. Not really. I just
don’t want her frightened of me for no reason. It’s been more years
than I can count since I’ve met a woman who doesn’t run from me in
fear or wish to bed me just to tell the tale.”

Valduuk smiled. “She has the look of
the high born light fey, don’t you think?”

Ertemis nodded. “Her father
certainly carried no elven blood and if her mother had, she’d look
like me.”

Valduuk stood. “Let’s go get that
saddle. You can explain what in Saladan’s name made you desert the
Legions.”

Ertemis rose to his feet, raising an
eyebrow as he slipped his hood over his head.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? This
was one of the first places they came looking. For the price on
your head, I could have a tavern in every city in Shaldar.” Valduuk
tossed his voluminous cloak about his shoulders. “Fortunately for
you, one is all I can handle.”

* * *

“Fynna!” Sryka screamed for the
girl.

Fynna scrambled into the room, her
head already ducked as she anticipated Sryka’s predilection toward
ear cuffing.

“Worthless pixie, never around when
there is work to be done,” she muttered.

“J-just washing the mixing pots,
mistress.” She peered at Sryka, trying to determine the magewoman’s
mood.

“Get word to Prince Erebus I require
an audience with him immediately. I have very important news. And
be quick about it! No dallying with the stable boys or you will be
sorry.” Sryka stared at her.

“You are such a mess, Fynna.” She
sighed. “Be gone.”

Fynna scampered off, taking the
stone steps in little hops. She thought of her wings, locked away
in Sryka’s closet. With them she could have flown down the steps in
no time.

She smiled anyway, for any task that
took her out of Sryka’s immediate range was a task worth doing.
Fynna detested the old crone but was debt bound to serve
her.

If only Sryka had not saved the life
of Queen Menna. No, no, she must not think such things. The pixie
queen was not to blame. It was Sryka who had demanded bond service
of the next born female child in payment. Such is my luck to be
that child.

When she reached the great hall, she
looked about for Prince Erebus’ valet. Most likely, they were all
out in the yard, playing at swords or hand-to-hand in front of a
crowd of giggling females. She wandered in the direction of the
yard.

She was torn between wishing the
King would name one of the Prince’s foolish women as the Blessed
Bride and hoping that Erebus never took the throne at all. Prince
Erebus filled her with as much dread as Sryka did. She could not
imagine him as king. If only King Maelthorn was not sick abed. Poor
man. He was the only compassionate soul left in the
kingdom.

Fynna located the Prince’s valet and
gave him Sryka’s message. She exited the courtyard as quickly as
possible but not before some of the Prince’s tootsies got a few
jeers in. They didn’t speak to her. Rather, they spoke about her
and always loud enough to be heard.

“Pixies are a rather homely breed,
are they not?”

“I hear they eat pixies in some
kingdoms.”