Chapter 21 #2
He takes the pin and examines it, then nods. “You want some dinner, too?”
I shouldn’t, but I nod because I know trading a gold pin for a single ale is a terrible trade. Getting food makes me less suspicious.
When I sit at the bar, two men take the stools next to me. I tense but keep my eyes ahead.
“You’re a long way from home,” the one on my right says. He smells like sweat and liquor.
I look at him, noting the bend in his nose and the scars on his cheeks. This man has seen a lot of fights in his day.
“Need some company tonight?” he asks.
“If she needs company, she’ll be gettin’ that from me,” the other man says.
This man has fewer scars and his nose is straight, so he’s either a better fighter, or someone who avoids a brawl.
The bartender sets a mug of ale in front of me. “These two bothering you?”
“No. They’re making polite conversation.” The last thing I need is to draw even more attention to myself by having these men thrown out.
The bartender doesn’t look convinced but leaves to help other customers. I glance at each man, then take a sip of my ale.
“That dress looks expensive,” Broken Nose says. “Would look even better on my floor. I pay well.”
“I don’t need your money,” I say. “I’m waiting on a friend.”
“Nobody comes dressed like that unless they’re selling,” the other man—Straight Nose—says.
“Can I get a napkin?” I call to the bartender.
He drops a cloth square at my place. I fold it into a triangle, then set my ale on top of it. If any members of the rebellion are around, they’ll recognize the signal.
Someone taps my shoulder, and I turn expectantly, hoping to see a rebel I know. Instead, it’s a bald man with a dark beard grinning at me. He’s missing a few teeth, and he smells like the pickled fish they keep in a jar behind the bar. I didn’t know anyone actually ate those.
“I can buy you a drink.” He slurs his words and wobbles a little.
“She’s already got a drink,” Broken Nose says.
“Two drinks,” Straight Nose adds.
“I can buy my own drinks.” I take a sip of my ale.
The wobbly man grabs my shoulder and pulls, then grabs a fistful of my hair and leans his face down, inhaling. I shove him, but he still has my hair, so I end up on the ground. I kick him, and he releases my hair.
Before I can fully move away, Broken Nose is on top of him, punching him in the face so hard he spits blood.
I scramble away just as Straight Nose joins the brawl. A few others jump in, either to defend friends or because they enjoy fighting. I scramble back, moving deeper into the tavern as everyone else rushes toward the bar to watch the fight.
As I’m retreating, I bump into someone, and arms wrap around me.
My heart thunders, and then I notice the swirling black marks on the forearms, traveling up to where his sleeves are bunches around his elbows.
I recognize them immediately. Fuck. Of all the places for him to be tonight, it had to be here.
I spin so I’m facing Brevan, but he’s still got his arms around me. “Go figure the one night I take off is the night you sneak out.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask. “You should be recovering, not out drinking.”
“I didn’t know you cared that much.” He grins, and I notice how glassy his eyes look. How much he smells like booze. How he is swaying just slightly while he holds me in his arms.
“You’re drunk.”
“And you’re fucking beautiful. Did you know that?” he says.
Flutters return and my stupid heart feels like it’s too full. But he’s drunk. He doesn’t even know what he’s saying. “Let go of me.”
He releases me instantly. “I have to get you back to the castle.” Then, his eyes narrow as he catches sight of the brawl. “Why do I get the feeling that you caused that fight?”
“It’s not my fault they can’t keep their hands to themselves or control their actions. This is on them, and I hope they all end up with broken noses. Fighting over a woman that showed no interest in any of them. Serves them right.”
“So it was you.” He glances at the fight again. “And you’re right. They need to learn some manners.” He pushes up his sleeves, even though they’re already up, and walks past me toward the brawl.
I chase after him and grab his shirt, trying to stop him. “Get back here! You can’t fight them.”
He ignores me, and the fabric I’m holding onto slips through my fingers.
“Brevan! Stop it!” I shout, but it’s too late, he’s already joined the fight.
He grabs Broken Nose by the collar and lifts him off the ground. “Is this one of ’em?” He shouts in my direction.
Broken Nose starts stammering apologies. “I swear I didn’t know she was with you. I wouldn’t have even talked to her if I knew.”
Brevan drops him.
“Thank you, thank you.” The man whimpers.
Then, Brevan punches him in the face. Blood spews from his nose and mouth, and the man screams. Tears stream down his face, and he reaches for his, once again, broken nose.
“Don’t ever even so much as look at her again. Do you understand?” Brevan growls.
The man nods as another man charges Brevan. The enforcer blocks him with ease, then punches him in the stomach. When his attacker doubles over, Brevan knees him in the face, and the man falls to his knees—bleeding everywhere, hand on his face, screaming in pain.
Another charges Brevan, a chair in his grip. Brevan sweeps his leg out under the man’s foot, and the guy goes down, landing on top of the previous victim. Brevan kicks him in the stomach, then picks up the chair and raises it over his head.
I rush in, moving in front of the enforcer. “Stop! That’s enough! Put the chair down.”
To my surprise, Brevan listens. He drops it, and it just misses the men on the ground. The other men stop fighting and stare at me. There’s so much blood, so many broken noses and already swelling eyes and lips.
“No more!” the bartender yells. “All of you, outside!”
The men grumble and argue, but the bartender comes from behind the counter and faces the fighters. “Go cool off. Come back when you know how to behave in respectable society.”
“And if any of you touch her again, I will rip your hearts from your chest,” Brevan snarls.
“I’ve seen him do it,” the bartender says.
The men pale, and they practically run over each other in their rush to leave the tavern. The floor is covered in blood, and I even see a tooth. I wrinkle my nose. Gross.
“Sorry about that.” The bartender holds up my pin. “You should keep this, Your Highness.”
“No, you keep it. Do something good with it,” I say, then I pull out another pin and hand it to him. “For the mess.”
His whole face lights up. “Thank you.”
“She was never here, you got that?” Brevan says. “If anyone asks, you’ve never seen her.”
The bartender nods.
Brevan wipes his hands on his tunic, smearing blood across the dark fabric. At least this time, I know it’s not his.
“Come on.” When he grabs hold of my upper arm, I don’t resist. I’m going to be lucky if I can explain what I was doing and how I got here as it is.
We’re progressing down the street, despite the fact that Brevan is weaving slightly.
He’s still drunk, and he was able to fight that well.
I don’t think I want to see what he’s capable of when he’s not worried about me and sober.
He easily could have taken those men today, but he risked using his magic because he was worried about me.
“What are you even doing out here?” he asks. “With your hair and those clothes, everyone knows who you are.”
It’s a much less formal dress than my new normal, but it’s still expensive fabric. In this part of town, it might as well be a gown for a empress compared to what everyone else is wearing. It was stupid. “I was trying to find one of my ladies. She’s missing.”
“You should have asked someone,” he says.
“I didn’t want to get her in trouble. I don’t know what the rules are.”
He freezes, and I turn my attention to where he’s looking. A large group of men, most of them bloodied from the bar fight, are approaching us slowly, weapons drawn. The man who was sitting next to me—Straight Nose—is at the front of the group.
“This isn’t the Flower District,” Straight Nose says. “You want to slum it down here with us, you have to learn some manners.”
“We’re leaving. No need to do this.” I tug on Brevan’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Every need,” he says. “We’ll be heroes. Kill the emperor’s enforcer and break in the princess so hard the prince won’t want her anymore.”
Brevan steps in front of me. “I don’t think so.”
“It’s just you against all of us,” Straight Nose says.
I move around Brevan. “You don’t know what you’re asking for. He’s going to kill you all.”
Brevan’s hands glow white-hot, and I know he’s fighting against that strange magic.
“I’ll take my chances.” The men run toward us, weapons in their hands, ready to strike.
Brevan unleashes his light with a scream. I squint against the intensity, and when everything goes silent, it takes me a few seconds before I adjust to the returned darkness.
All the men are on the ground, their bodies bleeding and twitching. Straight Nose is clinging to his stomach, holding in his intestines. He’s moaning and crying.
Brevan walks over to him with deliberate steps, his jaw tight. His glare radiates rage so palpable I can feel it swirling around me. It’s familiar. I felt the same way the night I lost my brothers.
For some reason, this is personal for him. I think I mean something to him. Beyond that of a regular charge he’s sworn to protect. The thought terrifies me, so I shove it away. It has to be something else. It might not be about me at all.
Brevan grabs the sword the man in front dropped, then stabs it through his neck. He’s dead instantly. Glassy, sightless eyes stare up at the stars.
Nearby, a raven calls from a roof. Three more join it, all of them cawing together as if singing a death hymn for the men in the road.
I set my hand gently on Brevan’s arm. “We should go.” My voice is calm, soothing. It’s not a tone I’ve ever used before, but it feels like it’s what he needs now.
He turns, and as we rush away, the ravens descend on the bodies.