Rise of the Serpent (Serpent's War Book 2) (4 page)

“Look at me, Amra,” Namitus said.

She glanced up, but it took her three tries until she could hold his gaze.

“Is this what you want?”

“What she wants doesn’t—”

Namitus frowned and shook his head. “It does matter,” he insisted. “It matters very much. I will be traveling light and fast. If I need to worry about her trying to slow me down or run away, I’m not going to bother.”

She tilted her head but said nothing.

Lyden turned to her and opened his mouth but instead of talking, he leaned to the right and stared at the other table. He grunted and shook his head, and then turned back. “Sorry, I was admiring that woman’s dress. Simple and cheap fabric, but the way it’s held together shows the skill of a master.”

Amra turned to glance over her shoulder at the woman. She turned back and nodded, agreeing with her father’s assessment.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Namitus said. “Now back to Amra. Do you wish to go?”

“I…” She hesitated and glanced at her father and then back to Namitus. “If if won’t hurt my father’s business, yes, I would like that.”

“No running or whining or carrying on?”

She pressed her lips together while her father snickered.

“She’s a tough young woman, I guarantee you that.”

Namitus nodded. “All right, then we’ll need to settle up, since I won’t accept a dowry as I’m not looking to wed her.”

Lyden’s eyes went to the large pouch. “I don’t understand.”

Namitus pulled the satchel and unbuckled the flap. He glanced about the room before pulling out smaller pouches. He slid four of them across the table. “Payment from the Kingdom of Altonia for your daughter’s service. Consider it a signing bonus.”

“Shouldn’t she get it?” Lyden asked.

All eyes went to Amra, causing her face to darken. She kept her poise and said, “What I make I will keep. This, I want you to keep. You’ll need it to hire a replacement.”

Lyden frowned but his frown didn’t last. He slipped them into his shirt with a nod. “I should get back to my shop,” he said and started to rise.

“You won’t dine with us?” Namitus asked.

Lyden considered the offer for a moment before shaking his head. “I think not. I appreciate the offer and appreciate what you are doing for Amra. Shazamir is not what it once was. We were a mighty nation once. Perhaps we had our troubles, but what I see happening to the city of Mira seems to take away from who we once were. Our pride and heritage is fading. Greed rules the hearts of men here now.”

“Come with us,” Amra urged.

Her father shook his head. “I cannot. I have my duties, and you have yours. Heed this young man as you would me.”

Namitus managed to keep his comments to himself while Amra rose and embraced her father. He returned it and then stiffened and cleared his throat. With a final nod to Namitus, he turned and hurried out of the tavern.

Namitus watched Amra sit down again and studied her. She stared back and dropped her eyes to the satchel still on the table.

“Why did you slip one of those pouches into my tool pouch earlier?” she asked.

Namitus smiled. “I did no such thing. You must have picked my pocket.”

She snorted. “I think nothing could be further from the truth. Are you for real, or just a thief who has gotten lucky?”

“Would that I had this sort of luck,” he said. “And if that was all I was, what reason would I have to come to your father’s shop?”

She grunted and leaned back as the barmaid returned with the drinks. Her eyes went to the spot that Lyden had vacated. She shrugged and delivered all three drinks before turning and heading back to tend to other customers.

“You are a very strange man, Sir Namitus.”

Namitus smiled. “I’ve been getting that a lot today. And please, drop the title. At least between us. It makes me feel old…or at least proper.”

“You’re not proper?”

The rogue grinned. “I could tell you stories.”

“I like stories. Go ahead.”

He drank from his cup before saying, “What else can you tell me about the elf with the simple but masterful dress?”

Amra gasped and turned around. She studied the elven woman and the human girl for several seconds before turning back to face him. “Sorry, I don’t get many chances to be this close to an elf. Two elves with two humans, that seems odd.”

A chair scraped across the floor. The large human stood up and turned towards them. Namitus kept his groan internal but did say, “You looked too long.”

“What? I—”

Namitus nodded as the warrior with the massive axe walked around the table and stared down at the drink. “Anybody drinking this?” he asked.

Namitus grinned and waved with his hand at the drink. “I was hoping you’d want it. Seemed a shame to let it go to waste.”

The man grinned and reached down. His fingers barely closed around it before the girl stepped beside him and reproached him, “Gor! That’s not yours.”

“By all means, young miss, I have given it to him,” Namitus said.

Gor grinned and looked at her.

“Is it water?” she asked.

Namitus chuckled. “Of course not! What—oh.” He stopped when he saw her face harden. He offered an apologetic shrug to Gor and said, “Oh, I see.”

“No ale, remember? You gave me your word,” she said to the man.

“Bring a thirsty man to a tavern,” he grumbled. “That’s like taking a lion to freshly slain deer and telling him not to eat.”

“Except this lion has enough control, doesn’t he?”

Gor scowled and pushed the ale back.

Namitus watched their exchange and then glanced at Amra. The girl with Gor didn’t look wealthy or noble, but she gave him orders as though she was. Even more, she looked to be about the same age as Amra. Not impossible or even uncommon, but something seemed amiss about them.

“Well, it’s a shame to let it go to waste. I’ll be sure to take care of it,” he offered. “Good day to you both.”

“Why were you staring at us?” the girl asked.

Amra shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the question. Namitus glanced at the angry warrior and said, “Two elves with two humans. Unusual company, that’s all.”

“What about you?” the girl asked. “Did your father leave you behind?”

Amra gasped and Namitus let his rips rise in a slow smile. “It takes a babe to know a babe.”

“I’m seventeen,” she rose to his taunt. “I’ve been tested in battle and I’ve seen things that would haunt your dreams for ages.”

Namitus smirked. “Perhaps you have. Tell me, mighty warrior maiden, what is your name so I may sing ballads of your exploits?”

She stiffened and then said, “Allisandra.”

Namitus nodded. “Allisandra the warrior maiden.”

“I’m not—”

Namitus shook his head. “Too late, I’ve already got the song in mind.”

“What?”

He reached into his pack and pulled out his pipes. “Would you like me to show you?”

Allie’s eyes widened. “You—you’re a minstrel?”

Namitus noticed her interest and the way the two elves stiffened at the table. There was something going on he didn’t understand. “I dabble,” he said. “My talents are varied.”

“Who are you?” Gor asked.

Namitus glanced at Amra, hoping that was enough to share she should stay quiet. “Namitus,” he said while he tucked his pipes back in his pack. He moved to tie the satchel to his waist, securing everything in case trouble was brewing.

The two stared at him for a long moment before Gor turned to Allie and asked, “We done here?”

Allie frowned and glanced back at the table they’d come from. She turned back to Namitus. “Are you two married?”

Namitus snorted. “I’m escorting this young lady on a journey. Should I ask the same of you?”

Gor laughed and nodded. “I like him.”

Allie’s cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry. We were looking for somebody.”

Namitus lifted an inquiring eyebrow. “Oh? Maybe I can help.”

She glanced at the elves and back again. “No, I’ve made a fool of myself already. I’m sorry. I…I’ll leave you be.”

Namitus and Amra watched her turn and leave. Gor shrugged and followed her.

“That was…odd,” Amra said.

“The elves never came over,” Namitus observed.

“Is that unusual?”

Namitus shrugged. “Believe it or not, I don’t know much about elves.”

Amra frowned. “Why? Should you?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Some people think that way. There are strange events afoot. Unlikely powers at play guiding us, I think.”

“Guiding us? Where…and why?”

Namitus considered her question and decided he didn’t have time enough to answer it. He finished his drink and grabbed the spare ale. “Let’s go ask them.”

Amra watched him stand and move around her towards the other table. “Ask them what?” she wondered. When she realized he wasn’t slowing to answer her, she jumped to her feet and followed. Her ale was untouched.

“Pardon me,” Namitus said as he came to stand between Gor and the elven man. “You mentioned you were tested in battle. Might I ask what you’ve fought? For the song, of course.”

Allie’s face clouded at his question. Gor and the elven man turned to face him, dour expressions on their faces. They began to rise when Allisandra spoke up and said, “Splisskin. They attacked my home.”

Namitus smiled. “I’m not surprised.”

“Excuse me?”

The rogue held his hands up. “My apologies; I misspoke. I’ve been searching for news of the splisskin, and it seems I might have stumbled across it. Today has been a day of days.”

“Why?” the elven man asked. “What interest do you have?”

Namitus smiled at him. “Let’s just say I’ve run afoul of their tender mercies in the past and would like nothing more than to make sure no one ever falls prey to such a thing again.”

Allie nodded. “Well then, I’ll tell you this: they burned my grandfather’s village, Almont, to the ground and are planning some great conquest. They’re searching for people now. People who may pose a threat to them.”

“Sounds like you may be one of them, if you’ve fought them and lived to tell the tale,” Namitus complimented.

Allie smiled. “Perhaps. We seek the same people as they do; we want to warn them and help them stay alive.”

“Noble,” Namitus said. “Tell me, what sort of people are you after? You must have some idea?”

“Half—”

“Half a minute,” the elf snapped. “We know nothing about this boy! He might be a spy, for all we know.”

“I’m not,” Namitus said. “If you need proof, just ask me, I’ll tell you again.”

Gor snorted and Allie cracked a grin. The elf looked ready to draw the dagger at his side.

Namitus noticed his ire and offered a disarming smile. “How may I allay your concerns?”

“I doubt you possibly could,” he said with a twitch of his lip that nearly left him sneering.

“He’s a knight!”

Namitus closed his eyes and let out a short sigh. When he opened them again, he saw everyone staring at him. He turned to Amra and smiled without showing his teeth. She shrugged and smiled back.

The elf chuckled. “A knight? Rather young to be a knight, aren’t you? And…scrawny?”

“I’m not much for the heavy armor,” Namitus admitted. “It pinches and chafes. But yes, my companion’s claim is true. I am a knight of the Kingdom of Altonia.”

“I’ve never heard of such a realm,” the elf challenged.

“My friend, Alto, is the king. It’s not surprising; elves are quite distant from the lands we’ve settled and reclaimed after we defeated the dragon-queen and her armies.”

“The dragon-queen?” Allie gasped.

Corian rose to his feet. “Her armies destroyed our cousins. An entire race of our sylvan kin fought and fell against her.”

“And we killed her,” Namitus repeated. “That kind of makes us the good guys. Besides, I thought wild elves were kind of out there, even for elves.”

The elf bristled but the elven woman beside him reached up and placed her hand on his arm. He calmed at her touch like a torch being doused in cool water.

“So, who are you after?” Namitus asked. “Because we’re headed south in search of a man named Lariki. I’m told he may be of help in finding whatever half-blooded individual the splisskin are after.”

Allie stiffened in her chair. “You know of the prophecy?”

Namitus shook his head. “No, but it sounds like you do. Care to share?”

Corian turned to stare at Allie. He shook his head but she ignored him.

“We’re coming with you. The grumpy elf next to you is Corian. His sister is Jillystria.”

“And my charge is Amra,” Namitus said while letting his eyes dance over Corian and Jillystria. He turned and smiled to Allie. “The sooner we can be off, the better.”

Allie frowned. “We were waiting for somebody.”

“You’re in luck,” Namitus said. “You’ve found somebody.”