looked up to see the towers. Unlike the many smaller buildings that surrounded us, the towers were made from the mountain itself; five that I could see, ominous and unsteady in their form. They appeared to sway above me, seemingly ready to topple with just the right wind, but they were formidable and stubborn.
People passed by, but all that I got from any of them were a few uninterested glances. A sneer here, a grunt there, but nothing that related to a smile or a welcome.
“Get yer news!” said a voice from the dirty, cluttered crowd. “Another attempt on the queen’s life! Get yer news!” The young man waved a flimsy newspaper in the air, a small stack under the other arm, dangling carelessly.
“Would you like a paper?” the young man said, stepping up to me.
“I, uh....”
“Give me that damn paper.” Tsaeb jerked the paper from his hand, inspected the front page, then the back. “Now get!”
“He didn’t mean that,” I apologized, reaching into my pocket for cash. I pulled out a five. “My friend doesn’t know the significance of manners.” Nervously glancing around at the passersby, I hoped to diffuse a scene before it started, but no one seemed to care.
“Thanks,” the young man replied, though he looked at the money strangely.
Tsaeb skimmed through the contents of the paper. The young man pocketed the money and grabbed another newspaper from his armpit. “You need an escort? I sell those too,” he added and then leaned in closer. “For a price.”
“I said go a-way ,” Tsaeb growled, looking up from the paper. “I’m all the escort he needs.”
A sneer ruffled the young man’s nose. I looked across at Gorg who had been unloading items from his carriage since we arrived. I didn’t know which freak I’d rather stand beside.
“Things have changed since your last visit,” said the young man to Tsaeb, “and I doubt you’ll even find Tiny’s Tavern without an escort.”
“Tiny’s Tavern, eh?” Tsaeb began. “I can sniff that place out easily. No one brews Briar’s ale like Tiny Toolknocker.”
“Jackson and Sons?” the young man quizzed.
“Lester Jackson can’t go anywhere without leaving a trail of finger bones behind,” Tsaeb answered with a smirk. “Sucked clean, even the stains, like a trail of bread crumbs.”
“Madame Darla’s House of Pleasure, Barnaby’s, Stookie’s, the Underground Tunnel — ”
“We don’t need to know where those places are!” Tsaeb was losing his patience.
“Thank you for the offer,” I said, stepping between the two, “but we’ll find our way around.”
“Around, sure, but inside, I doubt it,” said the young man.
“Inside?”
“The fortress,” Tsaeb said to me. “Another place I can get in without an escort.”
“You seem sure of yourself,” the young man chuckled. He raised his newspaper in the air, waving it about so not to miss any customers. “Get yer news!”
“But that doesn’t surprise me,” he added looking back at Tsaeb. “You always were a pompous ass, overconfident and self-absorbed beyond — ”
Tsaeb stepped right up to the young man, glaring upward that full two-feet he needed to see his eyes.
“Look you two,” I said, taking Tsaeb’s shoulder vigorously. “I don’t care either way, escort or not, but can we keep it down?”
“Fine with me.” The young man began to walk away. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” The offer was a polite one, directed only at me.
“Get yer news here! The queen’s life threatened again!”
His voice faded into the crowd, only the waving newspaper remained for a moment high over the heads of the city people.
“Why do you have to be so arrogant?”
“Arrogant?” Tsaeb truly looked shocked
“Yes, arrogant. Rude. Problematic. One hundred percent Grade A Asshole .”
Tsaeb grabbed a hold of my arm, stopping me in my angry march back toward the carriage.
“Look,” he growled, brows drawn, voice low and secretive,
People passed by, but all that I got from any of them were a few uninterested glances. A sneer here, a grunt there, but nothing that related to a smile or a welcome.
“Get yer news!” said a voice from the dirty, cluttered crowd. “Another attempt on the queen’s life! Get yer news!” The young man waved a flimsy newspaper in the air, a small stack under the other arm, dangling carelessly.
“Would you like a paper?” the young man said, stepping up to me.
“I, uh....”
“Give me that damn paper.” Tsaeb jerked the paper from his hand, inspected the front page, then the back. “Now get!”
“He didn’t mean that,” I apologized, reaching into my pocket for cash. I pulled out a five. “My friend doesn’t know the significance of manners.” Nervously glancing around at the passersby, I hoped to diffuse a scene before it started, but no one seemed to care.
“Thanks,” the young man replied, though he looked at the money strangely.
Tsaeb skimmed through the contents of the paper. The young man pocketed the money and grabbed another newspaper from his armpit. “You need an escort? I sell those too,” he added and then leaned in closer. “For a price.”
“I said go a-way ,” Tsaeb growled, looking up from the paper. “I’m all the escort he needs.”
A sneer ruffled the young man’s nose. I looked across at Gorg who had been unloading items from his carriage since we arrived. I didn’t know which freak I’d rather stand beside.
“Things have changed since your last visit,” said the young man to Tsaeb, “and I doubt you’ll even find Tiny’s Tavern without an escort.”
“Tiny’s Tavern, eh?” Tsaeb began. “I can sniff that place out easily. No one brews Briar’s ale like Tiny Toolknocker.”
“Jackson and Sons?” the young man quizzed.
“Lester Jackson can’t go anywhere without leaving a trail of finger bones behind,” Tsaeb answered with a smirk. “Sucked clean, even the stains, like a trail of bread crumbs.”
“Madame Darla’s House of Pleasure, Barnaby’s, Stookie’s, the Underground Tunnel — ”
“We don’t need to know where those places are!” Tsaeb was losing his patience.
“Thank you for the offer,” I said, stepping between the two, “but we’ll find our way around.”
“Around, sure, but inside, I doubt it,” said the young man.
“Inside?”
“The fortress,” Tsaeb said to me. “Another place I can get in without an escort.”
“You seem sure of yourself,” the young man chuckled. He raised his newspaper in the air, waving it about so not to miss any customers. “Get yer news!”
“But that doesn’t surprise me,” he added looking back at Tsaeb. “You always were a pompous ass, overconfident and self-absorbed beyond — ”
Tsaeb stepped right up to the young man, glaring upward that full two-feet he needed to see his eyes.
“Look you two,” I said, taking Tsaeb’s shoulder vigorously. “I don’t care either way, escort or not, but can we keep it down?”
“Fine with me.” The young man began to walk away. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” The offer was a polite one, directed only at me.
“Get yer news here! The queen’s life threatened again!”
His voice faded into the crowd, only the waving newspaper remained for a moment high over the heads of the city people.
“Why do you have to be so arrogant?”
“Arrogant?” Tsaeb truly looked shocked
“Yes, arrogant. Rude. Problematic. One hundred percent Grade A Asshole .”
Tsaeb grabbed a hold of my arm, stopping me in my angry march back toward the carriage.
“Look,” he growled, brows drawn, voice low and secretive,
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