Chapter Two #3
Zaria sat back on her toes. She ran her fingers through the
sand, letting the sediment drip across her claws, before glancing around the
wreckage. There were bodies of pirates, shattered planks, smoldering cinders.
The hot desert wind whistled gently through it all.
“Tell you what, Isaac,” she said. “Since you’ve done me
several favors already, I’ll do some for you.”
Isaac glanced at the dead lioness again. “Do you consider
killing your friends a favor?”
The lips of her snout curled. “They weren’t my mates. Fact
is, an hour ago, I was expecting them to give me a painful death. Now, I’m free
as the wind, they’re all dead, and I’ve got an opportunity to be richer than
the feline queen herself. You could say I’m feeling pretty chipper about
things.”
“I just thought you were always like this.”
“Here’s the deal,” she said. “I’ll aid you in rescuing your
father. Maybe I’ll vanquish some ancient evils along the way, if it catches my
fancy. After that, you and I are going to split that treasure. It might be your
father grants me some titles and land, too, but we can discuss that later.”
Isaac had several responses ready at once. Most of them were
impolite, so he said: “Did none of that talk of ancient necromancers scare you
away?”
“Why should it? I’ve got this strapping young mage ready to
act as my squire boy. Clearly, he knows what for. He’s got naught but his cock
in his hands, and he’s ready to march into blackness like a brave little lad.”
She patted the haft of the poleaxe hanging on her back. “I’d dare say he’s
almost a damsel in need of a knight.”
Something snapped in him.
“First,” Isaac said, “I am not a squire
boy. I am a journeyman of magical transmutation, trained by a nation-renowned
expert in necromancy and elemental magic. I have been certified by the Diet of
Nine as proficient in the banishment of undead life, the destruction of hexes,
and the counteraction of necrotic spells. I have been fully prepared to arrest
or slay a sorceress powerful enough to rival armies.”
Zaria grinned. “You rattle off them titles to all the
lasses, Isaac?”
“Secondly, I will not have my mission
sullied by some greedy pirate looking for treasure! You will only get in my
way! I will not put my father’s life at risk for some uneducated beastwoman who
thinks she can do my job by swinging some steel on a stick!”
The hyena stared at him for a moment, slowly nodding her
head, before rising to her feet. “Fine, then. Have fun with the buzzards.”
Isaac hesitated. “W-what?”
“Maybe they’ll gorge themselves on the easier meat, lying
around here.” She gestured at the corpses. “Might give you some time to loose yourself.”
“Hey, no!” He struggled against the rope. “Let me free!”
“Why should I?” she said. “Clearly, you’re as fearsome as
they come. You can handle a few birds.”
“I—well—”
“Oh, can you not cast them spells while tied like that?” She
pretended to hum in thought. “That’s a shame. Rather puts you at my mercy,
doesn’t it?”
By the edges of the wreckage, the first vultures were
beginning to descend. They stayed on the periphery, watching the two living
people with obvious caution, but their eyes were drifting hungrily toward the
dead bodies, and they were growing bolder by the minute. Their dark forms
shuddered across the sand.
Isaac heard the squawks overhead like the ringing of a
church’s bell.
“Which do you think’ll come
first?” Zaria asked. “Sunstroke or thirst? Lying out here, all on your
lonesome. It’ll get you quick, believe me. The only hope you’ll have is the
buzzards trying to nip your flesh while it’s ripe to eat, but that won’t be too
merciful of them, either. They’ll start at the soft bits. Eyes and lips. You
name it, they’ll get it. They’re very patient.”
Isaac tried to control his breathing. He knew she was trying
to intimidate him again, and he attempted to respond in kind. “You will never
see a single coin of that gold without me.”
She squatted down again, meeting his eye with an expression
that was not entirely cruel. “I’m well aware. That’s why the deal’s being
offered. I help you get your father, you help get me
rich. Otherwise, we go our separate ways, here and now.”
“That’s not much of a choice.”
“Course it’s not. That’s why I’ve already packed your bag.”
She gestured to the two packs she’d dropped down from the ship. “Your brave new
knight has pilfered enough skins and rations from the cargo to last us the
whole adventure, looks like. It’ll be freely offered, on condition of
agreement.”
He looked at his upturned pack, seeing nothing but glass phylacteries
and strips of old vellum parchment. He would never be able to reach his father
on such meager supplies, let alone the journey back.
Even after wetting his throat, he was still desperately thirsty. He would give
anything for another supp of water.
He took a small breath.
“Smaller one’s yours, naturally,” Zaria said. “Can’t have my
squire growing weak at the knees.”
Isaac glanced at the vultures again.
“Whatcha say then, Isaac? Comrades in arms?” She spread her
arms in a hopeful embrace. “Soldiers for a cause?”
He glared up at her. “Just untie me, you mangy cutthroat.”
“Yes?” the hyena asked.
“Untie me.”
“Was that a yes, then?”
“Untie me!”
“I’m gonna need a yes there, squire.”
“Yes! For fuck’s sake, yes! Untie me!”
Zaria hummed to herself. “Oh, aye. Right. ‘Bout that. Those
arms of yours—them magic cannons, I mean—those are going to stay nice and bound
until the coin’s in our pockets. I ain’t riskin’ a spell from a mage of your
caliber. You understand.”
He stared at her, long enough to hear the vultures begin to
squabble over the lioness. Slowly, Isaac leaned forward, raising his tied
wrists through the porthole of a cannon.
She grinned, pulling out a dagger. “Oh, just you wait,
Isaac. We’ll be thick as thieves. You ain’t never had a better companion.”