Read Online No Return by Zachary Jernigan - Free Book Online

from anything resembling civilization, she became something of an exotic treat. Her freckled skin and short-cropped brown hair, her muscles and tattoos and scars, marked her as a different species from the long-haired, slate-skinned local women. Their thin hands and feet barely peeked out from folds of draped cloth while Churls walked about in leather halter and brass-pleated skirt.
    The men of the badlands thought her small breasts were cute. They thought the gap between her two front teeth was cute.
    They could get possessive very quickly.
    “Boys!” she yelled, disengaging from Gorum. “The round’s on my friend here!”
    Still no smiles, but they took their drinks while Gorum scowled and paid. He understood such things, though Churls knew his preference was to push his luck as far as it would extend, and then break some bones. He had been a fighter once, before discovering how much money could be made representing other fighters. He arranged matches for them and took a percentage of the cut.
    She had been a disappointment to him of late. She had lost too much money gambling, started drinking too much, and started losing fights. As things got worse, she took to fighting easier opponents. Less money, less respect. Soon the strongarms were knocking on her door, leaving threatening messages at her haunts. She left Onsa the autumn of ’98 and kept a low profile, avoiding city centers as much as possible. Gorum had not contacted her, presumably because she was no longer bringing in any real money.
    They had been lovers once, what felt like a long time ago.
    “How did you get here?” she asked as soon as the beer was distributed, the bill paid. They sat together at a corner table, close but not touching. His fingernails were dirtier than she had ever seen them. The tops of his forearms were sunburned. He did not like horses or camping, and never strayed far from cities. Something extraordinary had brought him to her.
    “Construct horse, if you can believe it.” He rubbed his thighs and grunted. She imagined the cost of such a thing and whistled. He continued. “I was actually finishing a tour of the Five Sisters, looking for talent. Not much luck. In Dunn, I received a message and knew I had to get to you. Fortunately, you were easy to find.”
    “Well then, that’s that. What’s this message all about?”
    He wiped foam from his mustache. “An opportunity, Churli. Have you heard about the tournament in Danoor?”
    “You can’t be serious.” Of course she knew about it. What else occurred at the end of every decade and attracted every madman in the world? Of course, this year’s would be even madder, falling as it did halfway through the millennium. “It’s a thousand miles away, through places I’d rather not go. Besides, I try not to mix religion and killing. Liable to get you killed.”
    “I know, but hear me out. I hadn’t considered Danoor a possibility, either, but everything just fell into place.” He paused to take a drink. “I looked at the bracket structure, and the odds are good—better than good, Churli. After that I concentrated on finding suitable travel companions. Of course, I can’t guarantee anything.”
    “You never could. No one can call a fight that large. And shit, Gorum, you know I don’t like being set up. No, shut up. I don’t want to hear about them yet. Before I consider anything, and I’m not saying I’m going to, I need to know what’s at stake. How much will this tournament win me?”
    “There’s two hundred and fifty pounds of pure-grade bonedust in it for you if you make it to the winners’ bracket, not to mention your cuts from the preceding fights.”
    Churls shook her head. “Holy hell. What’s the winner get?”
    Gorum smiled. “One thousand—drawn on the royal reserve bank of whichever government you choose. And this is separate from the Adrashi and Anadrashi bullshit. They compete against each other for only two days, white against black. I don’t even