Calaistas

Day Twenty-One: Part One

C wasn't sure she had slept at all by the time the dawn came. Dawn in Sylvansbrook was a yellow, sickly light that crawled painfully slowly through the sky, as if doing its job was too much to expect of it. With the first signs of it, C rose and crept out of the room, leaving Leandrios, asleep or not, lying on the floor.

The stairs creaked as she descended, and Steve glanced up from a deck of cards. C slid onto a barstool, feeling almost like a child looking for solace in her parents' room after a nightmare. Steve scratched his beard, peering at her.

There wasn't an inn in all of Sylvansbrook that would have taken in the queen save this one. With Angrick so tight-fisted, no one would have dared. Steve was a born rebel-rouser. He made a show of being the only loyal establishment of the town, calling it "The Queen's Own." It was known for its queen sympathizers. Angrick didn't really mind seeing as it was only a handful of contrary and ornery misfits, but he kept a spy in it and caused a bit of unpleasantness every once in awhile just to make an example of it. Whether word had gotten to him of the actual queen's presence or if he believed it, C didn't know.

"I want to thank you for your kindness," C said, looking for a little relief from the blame and coolness of Leandrios.

"Nothing you don't pay for, and your pocket knows it," Steve replied with a nod as he flipped over a card in front of him.

"And yet, I don't believe I've covered the risk for you," she continued. "I hope you know my gratitude will go as far as you do."

Steve paused, studying her skeptically. "I can't make heads or tails of you," he admitted. "Let's hope I'm not being taken for a fool."

"Never." C's face flickered into a small smile. Since last night, something had changed, and she felt the heaviness of it tugging on her spirit. Maybe if she were kinder it would smooth out all these lies.

"The fellow upstairs," Steve remarked, putting down the cards to fill a glass and put it in front of her, "now he's in my boat. Poor fool."

"Poor, maybe, but not a fool," C answered, trailing her finger around the lip of the glass. "And one day, not even poor."

Steve kept his critical gaze on her before shaking his head. "I'd be willing to wager he is a fool, whether either of you know it or not. He seems not to know too much about you. Do you know about him?"

C hesitated a bit, wondering what he might be getting at. "Yes."

"Sad, sad it is," Steve lamented. He rested his elbows on the counter, a far-off look settling in his eyes. "I can safely say I never thought I'd see either of the likes of you here, of all places. I can't think but the two of yours are Angrick's least favorite faces in the world."

C wouldn't have thought of that. Did Angrick hold such a grudge against Leandrios?

Steve watched her, unknowingly watching one of the only moments she had forgotten not to let her guard down. Her thoughts were written over her face in a code Steve couldn't decipher, but he made out some familiar patterns.

"It's the only fights he ever came close to losing," Steve explained. "It must have been something. The first fight, they had both been undefeated. I remember even we had a crowd in here watching that fight. Of course, everyone had to say they were cheering for Angrick. Myself, I've always been a fan of the underdog. Now his is an unlikely story. Fighting to survive. This is where I don't see how it went to Angrick. What did he have to fight for but some more fame and fortune? It's your friend whose life was on the line. Men like him don't lose to men like that."

Steve frowned and shook his head. "Aye, in a perfect world. And then the arguing." He let out a big sigh, picking up a rag from its peg and turning to the counter.