Daughter of Azeroth

30 | THE BEST MAN IN THE WORLD

Benny looked terrible. His face had been battered almost to the point of being unrecognisable. He sat with his back against one of the huge casks of wine, his knees drawn up, his arms resting on top of them. All his knuckles were split apart, a few still oozed blood. He turned his head as they approached. The flesh around his eyes had swollen so much he could only look out of slits. Still, they widened a little when he saw Unambi.

'Idira,' he said, his voice hoarse.

She wanted to run to him and hug him, but he looked like he was in so much pain she didn't want to hurt him anymore.

She turned to Unambi. 'Please, tell Kip to find Arinna.' Unambi nodded and went back upstairs. She hoped Kip would do it.

'What happened?' she asked, stepping nearer to Benny. In the meagre light of the hanging lamps, the shadows of his bruises deepened. He licked his swollen lips, blistered, split open and caked with dried blood.

'Water,' he croaked. 'Please.'

Idira ran back upstairs. Both the men were gone, and so was Unambi. She wondered where the troll had gone. She glanced at the table. Very little remained of the food. Her platter was gone too. Of course. He had taken the meat up to Blackie before someone else ate it. He really did love cats.

She fetched a jug and pumped water into it. Grabbing a cup, she bolted back down the stairs. Benny hadn't moved. She poured him a cup of water and held it up to his lips. He raised one of his swollen and bloody hands to the cup, steadying it, and drank. He gulped down its contents, slurping, noisy, frantic with thirst. She poured him another cup. He drank all of that too. He settled back with a heavy sigh.

She sat down in front of him. His armour and body were filthy, his flesh covered in cuts and bruises. He looked even worse than the time VanCleef had beaten him up. Benny closed his eyes and leaned the back of his head against the cask. Within a handful of heartbeats his body sagged. He slid down onto the floor, unconsciousness.

Unambi returned and sank into a crouch, eyeing Benny.

'Why didn't Benny warn us?' Idira asked again.

Unambi shook his head. 'Let da man tell ya hisself. He be earnin' da right.'

Footsteps approached, hesitant. It couldn't be Arinna already. A quiet gasp filled the air.

Myra stepped out from the shadows into the little pool of light under the solitary hanging lamp. Her hair hung loose, tumbling around her nightgown. She looked so pale and fragile, she seemed almost ephemeral. She crept across the wine cellar towards Benny, her eyes raking over his body, taking in his injuries. She sank to her knees, tears glistening in her eyes.

'You're still alive,' she breathed. 'My love. You came for me.'

'No he didn't. He tried to kill Papa. That's why he's here,' Idira corrected, searching her sister for signs of injury, thinking of VanCleef's shattered bedroom. 'Did you get hurt? What about Vanessa?'

'We're fine,' Myra answered, not taking her eyes from Benny. 'There's a passage beside the fireplace that leads to the cellar, we made it out just in time.' She looked like she was drinking in the sight of him, it reminded Idira of the way Benny had looked at the jug of water.

Footsteps pattered across the floor above. Someone came down the stairs, panting.

'Idira?' a voice called out, frantic with worry.

'Arinna?' Idira called back, astonished she had arrived so fast.

The priestess came down the corridor into the wine cellar. She skidded to a halt when she came upon the little party. Ignoring the others, she went straight to Idira and clutched her against her chest.