Ten Minutes In A Tavern

by Harald Hagen I looked him in the eyes, Joden starts again, staring into the murk of his drink, right into the blacks of his eyes. elt my breath, !et and stinking of ale, "ush back from his face onto mine. The sting. #nbearable. $ut not once did I look a!ay. %ot at the !hite silk surcoat across his chest, "robably !orth more money than !hat&s ever sli""ed through these hands. %ot at the hellsaint&s "endant around his neck, given him by some' such'god or another before he became its incarnate. %ot at the scar on his chin that he got !hen he !as three. Joden sits at the counter of a tavern !here shado!s fill more seats than "atrons. The barkee" nods along as he listens to the man. Around them, torches flicker and s"it. High on the back !all a sign reads ($leakmare,& !hile beneath it a bullglaive hangs visible from every seat in the house.
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 or the longest time, I couldn&t move, Joden says. *aught in some back alley bet!een +"roud+ and +nauseous.+ ,trange to get so close to something you&ve hunted from afar for years. -hen I finally regained my nerve, I finished the deed. .eached do!n, took hold of the dagger in his gut, and "ulled. And everything that he ever !as started s"illing out of him. Joden do!ns his greenkrill ale. It&s a cold fire in his throat !ith the taste of burnt grass. The barkee", /ay An, stands !ith skin and eyes of ember, t!o heads taller than any man. To the sides his server boys !ait and !his"er in a native tongue, each of them a different shade of orange. -hite fur frames their !rinkled ears. The ,ect 0ing, slain. /ay An says to Joden in his strange !ay. Joden "ushes his mug. Another. /ay An "ours and dro"s in a dark, finger'like crystal. It hits the surface and hisses. or all the good it&s done me. ,ummer air bakes the smell of s!eat into the !ooden !alls and dirt floors. -ith the day&s heat outside obstinate in its e1cess, a small band of travelers finds their refuge in the tavern. All "atrons but Joden oblige them !ith hushed sounds, ceased movements, and looks of casual sus"icion. $ut nothing about them is remarkable. The moment ends. /ay An signals a boy !ith auburn skin to see to the band. And after the blood drained2 It !asn&t blood, Joden says. It !as cold !hat came out of him. Icy as a bite of !inter, and clear as a stream. %early fro3e my toes !hen it rushed over my boots. -ent right through the damn things. Joden looks do!n at his feet and sees the iron

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there as al!ays, rinsed by decades, aging !ith the rest of his armor at a different "ace than he. I let it all come. The travelers seat themselves at the center table. They stir in their chairs. The auburn boy recites a short menu to them like half of a child&s rhyme. 0ee"s me u" at night, Joden says, remembering !hat it smelled like. /ay An leans in further, kee"ing one eye on the room. %othing. %othing at all. Three make u" the band at the table, all !ith ri"e voices and uns"ent youth. They sit as if in 5udgment over the auburn boy on thrones of uneven "egs. They cough and s"it. /ay An lets a moment "ass before asking6 The dagger 7 did you kee" it2 A laugh esca"es Joden. I !on&t sell it to you, friend. or a lifetime of my "eo"le+s ale2 8ou&d save yourself a fortune. I&d drink faster than you can bre!. I can al!ays find s"are hatchlings. $e that as it may. I might need a debt like that from someone else. /ay An clicks the t!o tongues in his mouth. A "ity. The travelers ask about o1 head sou", about !hether the eyes are left in !hen the head is boiled or if they&re scoo"ed out !ith fingernails. As they s"eak, they give each other looks. 8ou&re a hero, ,er, someone tells Joden. He looks over. A "ale'skinned "riest sits t!o seats do!n, seeming younger than his eyes betray. A sim"le black habit lined !ith red !ra"s his thin body, !hile a crested sha!l loose around his neck hides only most of a "endant.

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Mercy, the "riest continues, moving closer, but I couldn&t hel" but overhear. I had to say something. 8our tale moved me, ,er, in a !ay that defies descri"tion. 8ou&ve served the land beyond duty&s call and saved us from the ,ect 0ing&s threat to our lives and the liberties of !ill. The !orld o!es you gratitude un"ayable, yet it only thanks you by forgetting. This, I had to say to you, ,er6 a cham"ion fights for glory, but a hero demands none. 8ou are a true hero. And2 He "auses. May I buy the ne1t round for you, ,er2 I&ll take another green if you kee" your (,ers.& The "riest smiles. If it suits you. My name is :yeter. The band&s s!ordsman sires the auburn boy (;ittlechick,& and the enchanter and rogue s"it the nickname again and again as they move on to fatrabbit ske!ers. Are they first skinned alive, they ask, to stretch and make su""le the meat2 The boy ans!ers them, com"letely still. /ay An a""ears distracted by something in the air. This "riest has a "ro"osition. :yeter "auses again. I don+t see ho! you could kno! that. <ur ears hear voices, holy man. All manner of them. :yeter studies him. Above his great height, he sees a sign underlined by a !ea"on. At the table, the rogue recounts an old legend to ;ittlechick about a !eredragon !ith scales of midnight, flo!ing hair of clouds, and t!elve eyes of blood. Its talons, she says, are called Mercy for they&re too dull to tear, only bludgeon= its teeth are called ;ove because there&s nothing they cannot crush and grind to dust= and :eace is its breath of searing !hite fire, ungiven to those still living. ,he cites a "ro"hecy6 if one eats a thousand
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souls, it !ill lay a hundred eggs, and the land&s ne! lords !ill be cro!ned !ith the screams and bones of their sub5ects. Joden slams his mug. Is that !hy you sugared your tongue for me2 I do not !aste my !ords, Joden, says :yeter. I meant them all. ?id you. <n my life. Joden turns to the "riest. <h ho! glad I am to hear it, he says, burying his ga3e into him, so very glad. A !ise young giver !ho values old s!ords because they can still cut, not because they&re chea". %ot because their only edge over a ne! blade is the bargain. %ot (brittle& but "roven. %ot (bent& if still "ointed. (Heavy& only dee"ens the cut. And !hat&s a little rust if you can still make things bleed2 :yeter straightens his sha!l. To end the !eredragon&s tale, the enchanter describes the arrival of three brave and "o!erful adventurers !ho stand u" to the menace and, during a sun&s ecli"se !hen the beast&s strength is no longer im"ossible but merely unimaginable, slay it in the name of the "eo"le. The s!ordsman states it outright for all to hear6 ;ittlechick no! looks at those very heroes. or their valor, he continues, they have earned the right to a feast in commemoration of their deeds. ,"are the romance, Joden says. There&s a reason you&ve come to a seeker&s tavern in the shadiest reaches of to!n, and it&s not for fine com"any. <ut !ith the 5ob and be done. If it suits you, :yeter says. The ruins south of here. My <rder has deduced that a seal on one of its underchambers !ill e1"ire soon. I !ill investigate= you !ill guard.

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And ho! might they have (deduced& that2 It&s a centuries' old necro"olis. 8ou&ve heard something of my <rder, have you, Joden2 I&ve barely heard you. Then you do not kno! !hat !e can do, :yeter says, then takes a small, indignant si". The auburn boy smiles. He loudly asks the three travelers if, during battle, the legendary fertile half'li3ard had a""reciated the !it of his anatomy. The air turns. The travelers dra!. :yeter moves to intervene. $ut before he can unsheathe the knife at his side, Joden sto"s him and !his"ers6 This is not our house. /ay An takes the bullglaive from the !all and lea"s over them both. The rogue turns the auburn boy around, her knife at his throat to deter the barkee". ,he sees nothing. $ehind her, the enchanter falls to the ground in halves before anything is cast and the s!ordsman finds the bullglaive lodged into the bones of his raised forearms. /ay An "ushes in dee"er. The rogue lifts her knife and calls out to the barkee" and everyone else in earshot. 8ou should be !orshi""ing us, she yells. -e&re the heroes !ho killed the -eredragon of Af&thalm 7 !e&ve saved the !orldB -hen the rogue tastes hesitation, she guts her ca"tive from behind. The auburn boy falls to his knees, s"e!ing and s"illing his mortal contents. -ith all his !eight into force, /ay An drives the blade through the s!ordsman&s arms and face. $ut by the time he reaches the boy, the rogue is no!here to be found. Three "ools of mud form at the center of the room, catching strands of torchlight. T!o reflect red. The barkee" stands to!ering over the kneeling boy !ith the bullglaive tightly in
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hand, !atching him slo!ly drain. Around the room, "atrons sit and stand in inelegant "ause, lost in an a!k!ard gulf bet!een the room&s stillness and a conversation they can neither hear nor understand. They come to kno! it only by its coldness and, soon, by its concision= !ith the slo! descent of falling timber, the auburn boy leans for!ard and touches forehead to earth. /ay An signals his other boys to come clean u". Through their movements, they coordinate !ordless rituals in rhythm6 s"litting evenly the dead boy&s bracelets and clothes bet!een them, gathering as much of his remains and blood as they can into a tub and taking it to the back room, thro!ing human "ieces into a cart and hauling it outside !here they&ll be less visible, and "ouring !ater into t!o red "uddles to ease the color through. /ay An !atches them, "reoccu"ied !ith calculations. As the servers finish, "atrons return to their natural states. Joden turns to :yeter. *ome on. It&s dark soon. -hy did you do nothing2 the "riest asks, his voice all but colla"sed. I told you6 this is not our house. 8ou !ouldn&t kno! this about the Diuhan from reading a book, but a stranger !ho insults their "ride is rarely forgiven. And a friend2 %ever. I don&t care about them. Ho! could you do nothing. /ay An returns behind the counter. Irritation tints his look as he hangs the bloodied !ea"on back u" on the !all. %eed to lay an e1tra egg this !eek, he says. Eood luck !ith that, Joden says. -ithout another !ord, :yeter sets do!n a fe! silvers and starts to!ard the door. Joden catches his arm, meets his eyes, and tries to hand him his untouched greenkrill ale. The "riest "ulls a!ay and Joden !atches him go. -as there something !rong !ith the green2 /ay An asks.
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Joden takes a generous s!ig and re"lies6 %o. :robably 5ust not used to the taste. ,hame. -ill you be back soon2 A day. A month. $efore you head out. /ay An calls a boy and says a !ord in his language, a !ord Joden !ishes he did not kno!. The boy disa""ears to the back room. /ay. I can&t afford that. The barkee" !aves a!ay his concern. After a moment, the boy returns !ith a small beastskin "ouch !hose string'tied to" is dotted !ith inhuman blood. Joden declines again, but /ay An&s insistence "uts the dam" gift in his hand. Joden thanks him. At the door he turns back and holds u" the "ouch, his "alm !etted dark green. .emind me again2 /ay An smiles. To undream your slee". $oil for ten minutes. ?rink like tea.

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