Lorik (The Lorik Trilogy) Page 4

  “What are you doing here, Vera?” he asked.

  “I heard what happened,” she said angrily. “You’re lucky to still be breathing.”

  “It had to happen sooner or later. There’s no way to live so close to outlaws and not step on someone’s toes sooner or later.”

  “Later would have been just fine with me, thank you,” she said, bringing over a basin to the small table in Lorik’s kitchen.

  The house had been his parents‘ and was small but solid. It had two bedrooms, a sitting room, and a kitchen. It was was luxurious by the standards of most people living in the Marshlands. There was a large stable on the property where Lorik kept his wagons and the big Shire horses that pulled them. There was also a corral, although it was small. The property was set back from the city proper, but close enough that Lorik could walk wherever he needed to go in Hassell Point.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Lorik said, sitting down at the table and propping his wounded arm on it.

  “I know that, but I can’t let you get blood poisoning and die,” she said in a mocking tone. “You’re my ride out of this place. I need you healthy.”

  She situated his arm across the basin and then poured clean water from a pitcher over the bandage. The water wasn’t hot, but it made the cut sting and burn. Vera then cut the bandage and slowly pulled it free from the wound. The cut was straight, and there was no sign of putrefaction. She sniffed it and then washed it with more water. The dried blood was slowly rinsed off and Vera repeated rinsing and dabbing at the wound with a clean cloth until fresh blood oozed. Then she packed the wound with salve she had brought with her in a small crock. Finally, she rewrapped his shoulder.

  The entire time she worked, Lorik sat with his eyes closed, feeling her soft hands as they skillfully helped him. He wanted to love Vera, and in a way he did. He certainly enjoyed making love to her, but their love was a warm, deep friendship. He knew he would do anything for her and he enjoyed being with her, but he did not love her, not the way she deserved. He would have married her, but it wouldn’t have made either of them happy; he knew that. The truth was, as wonderful as it felt to have Vera fuss over him, Lorik doubted that he would ever fall in love with a woman. He was too old, he told himself, too set in his ways.

  “You didn’t have to fight Grayson,” Vera said when she was finishing his bandage.

  “It wasn’t my idea,” Lorik said.

  “I just mean, you don’t always have to look out for me. I do just fine on my own, you know.”

  “I know,” he said truthfully. “I don’t worry about you, but I wasn’t going to let that popinjay think he could do whatever he pleased with you.”

  “Some men get possessive,” Vera said. “It comes with the job. He wasn’t the first, you know. In fact, you tend to get that way yourself.”

  “Well, I don’t mean to. I just want you to be happy.”

  “Who says I’m not happy?”

  “Me,” Lorik said. “I’ve known you too long. There have been very few times when I’ve seen you happy and for the last few years I haven’t.”

  She sat down across from him and looked at the table. He was used to seeing her in the tavern, all made up to entice the men who came to drink, or lying in bed with him, after she had taken care of his needs. Now, she looked older: the weight of hard living was beginning to show. She was still beautiful, but there were a few silver hairs sprinkled into her light brown hair. It was pulled back into a tight braid and tied with a simple, pink ribbon. She looked tired.

  “What can I do to make you happy?”

  “Nothing,” she said, and there was a note of resignation in her voice. “I can’t say why I’m unhappy, Lorik, but my life has grown dull. I don’t want to be an old lady, still wenching when no one wants me. I’m lucky in some ways,” she said. “I never had children.”

  “And that’s lucky?” he asked.

  “Children would have forced me to make decisions I didn’t want to make,” she explained. “And I’m not sure I could bear the thought of something happening to a child.”

  “You would make a great mother. It’s not too late, you know.”

  “If it was meant to be it would have happened by now. I’ve been careful, but I’m not perfect. I’m barren. I know it and I’m okay with it.”

  Lorik’s heart ached for her. She had compromised so many times and lost so much, each time doing whatever it took to make the best of a bad situation. Now, she would not even know the joys of motherhood.

  “So where are you planning to go?” he asked her.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ve got some coin saved up. Enough to let me find a place I like. I’ve never been outside of the Marshlands before. I want to see a bit of the world before I settle down.”

  “And what are you going to do? I mean, how will you make a living?”

  “I’ll get by,” she assured him. “I always do.”

  “I thought you were leaving this life behind.”

  “I am,” she said. “In fact, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep at it much longer.”

  “So stop,” Lorik pleaded. “You can move in here until you’re ready to leave Hassell Point. I have an extra room, you know. My parents would have wanted you to have it.”

  “No, I still need a little more money and I don’t want to leave Quaid in a pinch. He’s looking for a replacement, but it takes time.”

  “You always think of everyone but yourself,” he told her. “That’s why you’re unhappy.”

  “And being selfish would make me happy?”

  “No, not selfish, just human. Everyone needs to take care of themselves sometimes, otherwise they won’t be around to help others.”

  “That’s what I’m doing,” she said. “I’m leaving. I’m going to see a few things other than the shabby old harbor and the endless blue ocean. I want to see mountains and snow. Maybe even a dragon.”

  “A dragon?” Lorik scoffed. “You know that isn’t true. It’s just rumors. There are no such thing as dragons, not in Yelsia or anywhere else.”

  “Probably not,” she said, smiling. “But I like to think it’s possible.”

  “Anything is possible, I guess,” Lorik said. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind, about staying here I mean? There’s plenty of room and I won’t bother you, I promise.”

  “No, Lorik, I can’t. You’re a good friend for offering, though.”

  “You came here to take care of me and I’ve done nothing but tell you what you should do with your life. I don’t think that’s being a good friend.”

  She smiled, and for a moment she was so beautiful that Lorik’s heart ached. He would have liked to have made her smile like that all the time. He knew he would have done anything to make her smile, even if that meant cutting off his own legs. Perhaps the fact that being with him didn’t make her smile was how he knew they weren’t in love.

  “Come on,” she said, “walk me back home.”

  He stood up and tested his arm. It was still extremely sore, but the salve was helping already. It was a thick, greasy mixture and it kept the bandage from aggravating the wound.

  “I’ll just get my shirt and boots,” he said.

  After he dressed they walked back to the Boggy Peat. People smiled and waved when they saw them. Lorik couldn’t help but wonder what people would think when Vera left the Point. She was a vital part of the harbor town’s life and he knew he would miss her, miss their long conversations, and the way she made him feel at ease. There were other wenches, but no one could take Vera’s place. She was more than just a wench; she was his oldest and closest friend. He hated the thought of losing her.

  At the tavern she hurried back to her own rooms while Lorik sat and had a drink. He felt like getting drunk. He wanted to forget the melancholy that Vera’s decision to leave town had cast on him.

  He ordered saka and sipped it slowly. He watched as the light faded in the windows and the atmosphere in the tavern changed. It went from being a
lazy, quiet place in the late afternoon to being a lively, loud place once night fell. Lamps were lit on the tables and groups of people began to arrive. They laughed and talked, their voices rising louder with each round of mead.

  Lorik was hungry and was about to leave when Stone came into the tavern. He was alone again, but instead of approaching the bar he looked around the room until his eyes settled on Lorik. He made his way through the crowd, and Lorik felt his stomach tightening with tension. He had his axe, but he doubted he could match the stranger’s speed. Stone had suggested that no retaliation was needed from the Riders, since Grayson had challenged Lorik and the two had fought fairly. Still, it was not uncommon for the Riders to challenge new members to do something to prove their loyalty. Killing Lorik in retaliation was just the sort of deed that would cement his place in their gang.

  “Do you mind?” Stone asked, pointing at the seat across from Lorik.

  “No, I was just about to leave,” Lorik said.

  “Stay for a moment, if you can,” said the stranger. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

  “I prefer a straight fight,” Lorik said, steeling himself for the confrontation.

  He had to admit that fighting made him nervous, if not outright afraid, but he’d learned at a young age to master his fear. He could shove it down and do what he had to do. The images of the men he’d seen slaughtered the night before tried to rise up and embrace him in terror, but he shook the feelings off and pushed the memories out of his mind. They wouldn’t help him survive in a fight with the stranger and so he discarded them as quickly as they came.

  “I’m not here to fight you,” Stone said with a smile. “Why would I want to do that?”

  “I’ve no illusions that Marsdyn will let things slide after I killed Grayson.”

  “You didn’t kill Grayson, Mert did that.”

  “Marsdyn won’t see it that way.”

  “Maybe, maybe not, but I’m not here to fight you. I don’t do other people’s dirty work.”

  “What do you do?” Lorik asked.

  “Oh, a little of this, a little of that. I hear you are a teamster. You make runs through the marshes?”

  Through them, sometimes around them, it just depends on the weather and what people need.”

  “You do it alone?”

  “Yes,” Lorik said, his suspicions rising up again, “since my father died.”

  “Would you consider taking on a partner?”

  Lorik sat staring at Stone. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing and thought it must have been some sort of joke or con. He looked at the question from every angle, wondering just what the stranger meant.

  “Look,” said Stone. “I won’t lie to you. I’ve spent as much time on the wrong side of the King’s law as on the right side. I really only care about two things, a good blade and a fast horse. But I’m not a killer for hire. I don’t rob people, maybe the occasional lord, but that’s neither here nor there. I know horses. I can fight. If you’ll teach me, I’m sure I can learn the paths through these marshes. I just want something new, something I can be proud of.”

  “What about the Riders?” Lorik asked.

  “What about them?”

  “Marsdyn will want you to join them, you know that.”

  “Yes, I do. That’s one option, but like I said, I don’t do other people’s dirty work. I’m not a killer, like some of his men. If I stay with Marsdyn I’ll have to kill half of his gang just to keep them from slitting my throat while I sleep. That’s not the kind of life that I’m looking for.”

  Lorik sat back, thinking. Vera came out of her rooms and made her way around the room. She knew everyone and they knew her. She poured drinks, winking and smiling at the men who were potential companions for the night. Then she approached Lorik’s table, saw the look of consternation on his face and the stranger sitting across from him, and immediately put her hand on Lorik’s good shoulder.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked in a fierce voice.

  “Yes,” Lorik said.

  “Are you sure?” she said protectively.

  “Yes, we were just talking.”

  “About what?” she asked.

  “About a job,” the stranger said. “I’m called Stone,” he said.

  “A job? What kind of job?”

  “He wants to partner with me,” Lorik said.

  Vera’s hand tightened on his shoulder.

  “Everything is okay,” he told her. “We’re just taking about things. Why don’t you bring us some mead?”

  “You sure?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course I am,” he said, smiling up at her. “I don’t keep secrets from you.”

  She seemed a little reassured and went to fetch their drinks.

  “Is she your woman?” Stone asked.

  “No, just an old friend. We’ve known each other since we were children.”

  “Is she a wench? I mean, she looks like a wench, but I don’t mean to offend.”

  “No offense taken,” Lorik said, not sure what he wanted to say about Vera.

  “She’s very pretty,” Stone said, his voice thick.

  Lorik wasn’t sure if the stranger was trying to be nice or if he was as smitten with Vera as he seemed. Usually, the Riders kept to the younger wenches and Vera made her living with the locals, but Stone was watching Vera closely.

  “Yes, she is,” Lorik said. “And yes, she’s a wench.”

  Stone nodded.

  “I’m not sure what to say about your offer. You certainly have skill with those knives, maybe too much skill. Where did you learn to fight like that?”

  “Here and there,” Stone said. “I learned a lot from an old sword master when I was young. My father died when I was just a boy and I had to learn to take care of myself.”

  “And where did you learn about horses?”

  “I worked in a livery stable and even did some animal husbandry for a while. Apprentice work really, but I learned a lot.”

  “You ever drive a rig?”

  “A little,” Stone said as Vera walked back up to their table. “Never a long haul though.”

  Vera poured two mugs of mead and then gave Lorik a look that he recognized. He waited until she sauntered away from their table.

  “I’ll need to think about it,” Lorik said. “The main problem is that there isn’t much money. Having a partner won’t make my trips much shorter.”

  “But you could eventually haul twice the amount of cargo,” Stone said. “I’ve got coin; I wouldn’t approach you otherwise. I’m guessing you have a wagon that sits idle when you’re gone. I could purchase more horses and once I’ve learned enough, we could both drive wagons.”

  “That’s true enough,” Lorik said. “You’ll have to forgive me for being a little suspicious, but I really don’t know you at all.”

  “I understand,” said Stone. “Let me show you what I can do.”

  “What about Marsdyn?”

  “What about him?”

  “I doubt he’d just let you walk away. That’s not really his style.”

  “He doesn’t own me,” Stone said. “He helped me out in a pinch last night, but this is my call, not his.”

  Lorik nodded. He appreciated Stone’s honesty and his level head about the Riders. Still, Lorik didn’t trust that this wasn’t some elaborate scheme to get him to drop his guard. Reason told him that Stone didn’t need to con him if he was going to murder him. Stone was a skillful fighter, and while Lorik could hold his own against most men, he knew that Stone wouldn’t have much trouble killing him. Of course, Lorik didn’t put torture past the Riders; they might be setting him up so that they could take him alive to make his death slow and painful. But Lorik didn’t sense any dishonesty in Stone. He seemed completely sincere.

  “Why don’t you drop by my place in the morning? You can help me with the horses and we can talk about it more then.”

  “Fair enough,” Stone said, sipping his mead.

  “I’ll pay for the drinks,” L
orik said. “See you in the morning.”

  Stone nodded and watched him walk away. Lorik paid Quaid a few coins for the drinks and then went to find Vera. She was waiting for him in the kitchen, a look of worry on her face.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Just talking.”

  “To that guy? Why? You don’t really believe he wants to partner with you, do you? He’s a Rider, Lorik. You killed Grayson last night. It’s probably some scheme to pay you back.”

  “I know all of that, but he seems sincere.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “No, I’m not kidding. He was polite and honest, as far as I could tell. He wants to earn an honest living. What’s so hard to believe about that?”

  “Maybe it’s the fact that he killed half a dozen people last night. Did you think I wouldn’t hear about that?”

  “No, I figured you knew when you showed up at the house this morning.”

  “Yeah, I heard about it. I heard he killed as many as all the other Riders put together. You saw what he did to those two thugs in here yesterday. Why would you even consider it?”

  “I don’t know, Vera. A lot is changing around here. I didn’t make any promises, but I’m not getting any younger. It might be a good fit. He would certainly be handy in a pinch.”

  “Well, you be careful,” she hissed. “You’re the one good thing in this hateful place. I don’t think I could take it if something happened to you.”

  “I’ll be careful, I promise,” he said.

  “All right. I’ll see what I can find out about him.”

  “You be careful,” Lorik said, imitating her tone.

  “I’m always careful. Now get out of here. I can’t work with you around.”

  Lorik smiled. He didn’t like to think about Vera being with other men, and it made him feel good to know that she had trouble doing it when he was watching. The truth was, he didn’t like to watch her flirting with the other patrons, either, and was glad for an excuse to leave.

  “I’ll be at Chancy’s if you need me,” he said.

  She kissed his cheek and he left. Stone gave him a little wave as Lorik walked out of the tavern, but then the young warrior’s attention turned completely to Vera.