Chapter 6: Deals

Chapter 6: Deals

Reya’s heart raced in her chest. She could feel the dagger in its sheath at her side like a hot coal. Even though nobody could tell what it was while it was hidden, she couldn’t help but feel like every single eye in the darkness was watching her every move.

This is the most incredible weapon I’ve ever seen in my life, and he just... gave it to me? For free? Who in the Nine Underlands did I find?

A shiver ran down Reya’s back. Arwin terrified her, but for all the wrong reasons. She would have taken him to be an adventurer if she’d run into him on the street, but his eyes burned with an intensity that Reya had never seen before.

Whenever he locked eyes with her, it felt like she was trying to stare down a volcano that was just waiting to erupt. The casual ease he’d handled the Brothers Six made it absolutely clear that Arwin didn’t belong in Milten.

Reya didn’t know where he’d come from or what his goals were – and she didn’t care. She’d lived on the streets for long enough to know that attaching herself to someone strong was the best way to stay alive.

Unfortunately, she’d had pretty poor luck with that in the past. Her lips pressed thin and she shook her head. Arwin cared so little about her that she didn’t suspect she even properly registered in his eyes, and that was just fine with her.

So long as he keeps his space and I keep mine, I might be able to actually sit around and gather a little wealth for myself. I’m fed up with getting robbed every single time I gather up enough coin to get out of this shithole.

The thought of coin sent a tiny sliver of guilt through Reya. Distributed across her body in a dozen small pouches was well over a hundred gold – all the savings she’d managed to keep over the years.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

It was a pittance in comparison to all the gold that had been stolen from her, but it was still everything she had. Arwin had been under the impression that she was broke, which was exactly what she expected. The less interesting she was to his eyes, the better.

What she hadn’t expected was for Arwin to offer to pay for her meal. Nine gold was far too much for two portions, but he’d tossed it to her like it was nothing. Reya squished the guilt down.

The way he treats money and magical items means he’s got to be pretty damn rich. I’m not going to steal from him, but there’s obviously no need for me to waste my coin when he’s offering to feed me.

That didn’t make the guilt sting any less. Reya’s stomach rumbled again, the dull, gnawing pain in it reminding her that it had been far too long since she’d last eaten. Her eyes flitted around the street.

There really wasn’t much in the way of food in the area. Nothing that wasn’t dead rats, anyway. Reya grimaced. She would have loved nothing more than to head into the city proper and get a real meal, but that was a fantastic way to get herself killed. This street might have been haunted, but at least that meant it was abandoned.

She’d made a few too many enemies among the guards and criminal underground alike. The Brothers Six had been assholes, but everyone had hated them and they’d been strong enough to maintain control over their territory.

Oh well. No use crying over spilled milk. I’ll just head to one of the taverns at the edge of the slums. They’re dangerous, but no more dangerous than pissing Arwin off. If I’m in and out fast enough, I doubt anyone will recognize me.

Reya set off, but she barely managed to make it more than ten feet before a woman called out to her.

“Hey! You there!”

Reya turned toward the voice. A tall woman with dark, bordering on purple skin waved to her. A ropey scar ran down one of the woman’s eyes and her dark hair stuck out against the splattered apron she wore. She might have been attractive if she wasn’t covered with dirt and grime. Her hands dripped with a dark red substance, and the stains on her apron were a matching color.

It was the woman who had insisted she was starting a tavern.

“Yes?” Reya asked, putting a hand on the hilt of her dagger and turning her back to a wall. She wasn’t about to get ambushed by some madwoman trying to stuff her into a stew.

“You look hungry,” the woman said, coming to a stop on the other side of the street.

“How does someone look hungry?” Reya asked. “I’m just wandering around.”

“Right,” the woman said, her voice so dry that it could have grated wood. “Sure you are. I smell the hunger on your breath.”

“Look, I don’t know what you’re selling, but I’m not interested,” Reya said with a shake of her head. “And I’m not–”

Reya’s stomach rumbled, and the woman sent her a pointed glance.

She’s definitely off her rocker. Or really, really drunk. I don’t smell any alcohol on her breath, though.

“Right. Logically,” Reya said with a small laugh. She grabbed the bowl by its makeshift handle and lifted it back.

Her eyes widened. Sitting on the plate were several drumsticks. From what bird, Reya wasn’t sure. They were pretty large, and while they barely looked seasoned, they had salt and pepper on them.

She licked her lips. As far as food here went, she was practically staring down a feast. Reya pulled out the coins that Arwin had given her and handed Lillia a gold coin, taking the tray from her. “You have change for that?”

Lillia took the coin, eyeing it hungrily. She glanced back to her, then reddened. “Uh... no. You’re my first customer.”

Figures.

Reya scrunched her nose and took one of the drumsticks, taking a bite out of it. Juice dripped down her chin as she chewed and swallowed, her eyes widening. It wasn’t the greatest meal she’d ever had in her life, but it wasn’t bad at all.

“Whoa. This isn’t bad.”

“Thanks.” Lillia beamed. “It’s my fourth serving today. The others didn’t go nearly as well.”

“Why not?” Reya asked through a mouthful of meat.

“Well, the feathers were really scratchy on the first one,” Lillia said, ticking a finger off on her hand. “I removed them on the second bird, but its beak was kind of sharp. Also, I burnt that one black. Burnt the third one too. This one turned out great, though!”

“So it did. What was the secret?”

“I killed it before putting it in the oven.”

Reya nearly choked, but she managed to keep the food in her mouth. She’d gone hungry too many times to waste it over anything like that. It was impossible to tell if Lillia was joking, but the woman looked dead serious.

“Oh. Well... uh, congratulations,” Reya said. She took the other drumsticks from the plate and handed it back to Lillia. “How about this? You give me five more meals like this, and you can keep the gold.”

Lillia’s mouth split into a wide, hungry smile. A chill ran down Reya’s spine as an ill feeling gripped her. It felt like a shadow had fallen over her shoulders. She spun, but there was nobody behind her.

When Reya turned back, the feeling was gone.

“It sounds like we’ve got a deal,” Lillia said with a nod. “Could you tell anyone else you meet about my tavern as well? I’m trying to build up some business.”

Reya did her best not to send a pointed glance around the abandoned street. She just nodded. “Okay. I will.”

“Great,” Lillia said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

With that, she turned and strode back into the darkness of her tavern. Reya squinted at it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t see into the darkness covering the windows.

Tavern my ass. More like a dungeon.

Shaking her head, Reya turned and headed back toward Arwin’s smithy. At least she’d managed to get them food for a fairly decent price, assuming Lillia hadn’t scammed her. Another shiver ran down her spine and she glanced over her shoulder.

I just got a pretty good deal. Why does it feel like I just made a huge mistake?