CHAPTER 2

Worst Luck

 Now that I have to wait for my father to return, I’ve decided to press my rotten luck by staying here in the city. Work is hard to come by, and anything that pays well is pretty tough to find when your résumé’s as short as mine. Not much need for plowboys here in the city. I order another tankard so I can get another peek at Sabrina’s twins, and while I wait for her to get it, I glance out the window.

 Movement draws my attention, and I see a hooded figure lurking in the shadows of an alley next to the Tanner Shoppe. The hood seems content to just stand there in the pouring rain, and this unusual behavior causes my heart to thud in my chest. Have they found me? Just when I’m about to make tracks for my gear, hoods twin saunters up, and so does Sabrina. I’m distracted by the need to observe what these two are doing, so I just glance at Sabrina quickly, toss two coppers on the table, and mumble my thanks. Miffed, she snatches the coins off the table, and stomps off with a toss of her hair.

 The hoods converse for only a moment and then begin walking down the street. They stop in front of the Paradise, but they don’t go in. The Paradise isn’t your typical drinking establishment, and I found this out the hard way when I was looking for a room. I also learned to never ask a group of drunks where to find lodging. The price of the room had shocked me, but once I figured out that the room also came with a scantily clad woman, I realized why those drunks had been laughing so hard when I walked away.

 The hoods walk down to another tavern, but this time they go inside. Judging by their actions, they’re probably just a couple of cutpurses hoping to make an easy score on a disoriented drunk. It’s not safe to sit here in the main room for too long, so I drain my tankard, and head towards my room. I dread having to stay in the cramped space that is my room, but if I want to keep from being recognized and caught, I’d better quit taking chances like this. Besides, I’ve been neglecting my harp, and I need the practice. When I get up to leave, my table is seized by a scurvy looking sailor with snake tattoos running down both arms. He gives me a cursory nod, and pushes my empty tankard to the middle of the table.

 I begin jostling my way through the crowd, and then someone grabs my elbow from behind. I whirl around defensively, and stay my hand from drawing my dagger when I see its just Sabrina. She’d seen me reaching, and her eyes grew wide in surprise, but she quickly regains her composure and leans in close when I drop my hand away. “What’s got you jumpy? Have I done something to anger you?” I can see she’s still upset at me for ignoring her, but I’m also a bit pleased that in my doing so, it had affected her in a way that let me know she was interested in me. “No, not at all, I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” My words bring back her smile, which turns into a pout when I state that I’m going to my room. Shouts for service are erupting from all around, and an overanxious merchant begins banging his empty tankard on the table. Sabrina hastily withdraws from me to avoid a reprimand from Jolene, but before she walks away she gives me a mischievous smile. Now what was that all about?

 My belly grumbles out a reminder that it takes more than cheap ale to keep it happy, so I head towards the back counter to order some food. Jolene is behind the counter shouting out orders, and pulling out her hair, which is always how she gets when the tavern becomes this busy. Sabrina had told me that Jolene had been a pretty timid woman until her husband keeled over a month ago, and put the burden of running the place solely upon her shoulders. She see’s me standing in line, and points down the hall. I nod, and she hollers to the cook to fix me a platter. I don’t have to say what I want because I always get the cheapest meal she offers, and I always eat the food in my room. I catch Sabrina glancing at me as I go down the hall to my room, and something about her playful little grin makes me wonder what she’s up to.

 Habit has my dagger slipping into my hand before I open the door to my room, but when I open it, the rooms empty. I light a candle that I leave by the door when I expect to be in late, and place it on the chest, which also doubles as a chair. Then, I cross the room to check the shutters. The last part of my inspection is the opening of the chest, which contains all my worldly possessions. Everything seems to be the way I left it, so I relax.

 The rooms not much for size and the amenities are scarce, but it’s better than sleeping in an alley. There’s a woven straw floor mat, that isn’t too infested with bugs, and the lock on the chest actually works. In the far corner is a small stand with a pitcher of water and a bowl for washing up. The chamber pot is beneath the stand on the floor, and it gives off a slight unpleasant odor, because the rim is cracked where the wooden lid rests upon it. The space these objects take up leaves very little room to move around. I also don’t like not being able to lock the door, but cheap rooms are hard to find, so I tolerate the inconvenience. At least I can bar the door when I’m within the room. I do this by sticking my dagger into a floorboard crack that runs along the bottom of the door. I just get my boots off when there’s a knock at the door, which is followed by Sabrina’s husky voice letting me know my food is here.

 I pull the dagger, and open the door. Instead of handing me the tray, Sabrina slides right past me, and enters my room with a backwards glance. “Please forgive me for just barging in Zeke, but I need your help,” she exclaims in a voice that doesn’t match her worried expression, or her outwardly calm appearance. I glance out the door to make sure that whatever has her upset isn’t right behind her, but the hall is clear, so I shut the door and reset the dagger. She gives me a good long look at her shapely backside when she bends over to set the heavy tray on the floor, and the longer she fusses over it without straightening up, the harder it becomes for me to concentrate on anything else.

 Her close proximity in the small room has me feeling stifled and unsure of myself. I wait for her to tell me more about her problem, but she seems more interested in making herself at home. She takes a seat on the floor, and then helps herself to a piece of bread and cheese. Her casualness has me confused, so I break the silence. “Sabrina, what kind of help do you need? Are you in trouble?” She chews a piece of cheese and swallows before answering. “It’s probably nothing Zeke, but Westminster’s pestering me, and I don’t feel safe going home alone when he’s around. There’s just something about him that frightens me.”

 It’s not every day a pretty girl barges into my room needing help, and since I’m no hero, I’m wondering why all the sudden she’s chosen me to be her knight in shining armor. I’ve seen Westminster many times in the tavern, but we’ve never spoken to each other. He’s the quiet, mousey type that always seems to have plenty of money, and a lot of friends. It’s funny how the two go hand in hand. “Well, you don’t have to guard the door. It’s not like he’ll come in here to defend my maidenly honor. Come on over here and sit down.” I know my face is bright red when I sit down cross-legged on the floor beside her, but she’s too busy to notice. I reach for the bread and a wedge of cheese while she divides some pieces of heavily spiced meat into the trenchers. There’s no telling what kind of meat it is, or what part of the animal it is from, but it smells terrific. One doesn’t let problems stand in the way of eating, if one doesn’t have to, so I rip off a hunk of bread, stuff the cheese in my mouth, and pull out my eating knife. Sabrina sets a trencher down in front of me and I use the knife to stab a chunk of meat out of it, and cram it into my mouth with the cheese. Sabrina asks to borrow the knife, and after I hand it over, she applies a generous portion of Jolene’s famous honey-butter onto her warm slab of bread.

 Chewing slowly, I use the time to think, and cast uncomfortable looks in Sabrina’s direction. Swallowing the meat, I reclaim my knife, and share my thoughts with her as I add some of the butter to my bread. “Sabrina, I can walk you home. I do have a sword, though I never carry it because I get mean looks from the guards when I wear it.” I can see she’s impressed, and she leans in until our shoulders brush. This familiarity makes me acutely aware of how close we are sitting. Goose pimples ripple across my skin, causing me to shiver. “I don’t want you to make that kind of trouble for yourself, Zeke. Westminster is not one you’d want for an enemy. I usually ask Dirk to walk me home, but I’ve heard he has something to do tonight. He likes me, so I’ll tell him about the problem tomorrow. He doesn’t mind helping us girls when patrons give us a hard time, and I’m sure he’ll intervene on my behalf when I tell him about it tomorrow. I was just hoping you would let me stay here with you tonight.”

 I nearly choke on the bread I’m trying to swallow, and hastily grab my tankard to wash it down. When a pretty maiden invites herself to stay the night with you, choking is permissible. My strangling noises are misinterpreted by Sabrina to mean I’m fine with this idea, so she throws her arms around my neck to show her appreciation. For some damn reason, she also slides the platter away from us, though we’ve barely eaten enough to fill a mouse. I turn my head to tell her I’m not finished eating, and that’s when I get another surprise. I think she just meant to give me a quick kiss on the cheek, but when I turned my head, our lips met instead.

 When the kiss ends, and before I can even catch my breath, she’s all over me like a hummingbird on honeysuckle. This is when I find myself in an awkward position. I’ve never had the pleasure of sharing intimacies with a woman, though I’ve taken the liberty of trying to kiss a few. My experience is sorely lacking in this area, and nothing inspirational is coming to my head, so I do what comes easy. I let her have her way with me. Some experiences just sneak up on a person. They do me. Some are good, and most are bad. I’m finding this experience to be exceptionally good.

 I’m just over six feet tall, no giant, but I do have a near Herculean build. I wouldn’t win any beauty contests, but I’m not real bad looking either. A pale line, about a forefinger in length, runs down the left side of my cheek. It’s the kind of scar one gets when your face is struck with the biting end of a riding whip. It doesn’t add character. It does make it hard to avoid being found by those searching for me in the city. Most girls say they like my eyes, which are a sea green with golden highlights near the edges, and some girls say they like my wavy brown hair, which falls to just below my shoulders. All in all, I fare pretty well in the looks department, though I’m still self-conscious about the facial disfigurement.

 Sabrina is a waif of a girl that is always full of life, and I’m no judge of woman, but when I look at her my chest gets tight. She’s even with my shoulders in height, and probably weighs a quarter of my weight. Her eyes are green like mine, but more emerald, and her hair is a jet black mane that cascades down her back, nearly to her waist. She has a way of looking at me that makes me quiver like an arrow that’s just hit its mark, and the way she swivels her hips when she walks, hmmm, drives me absolutely crazy.

 Somewhere between the floor, and the move to the straw mat, our clothing disappears. I find this very appealing, and make a mental note that clothing is over-rated. Suddenly, I panic. It’s a feeling like I had the time I met a full grown bear on a narrow trail. The bear retreated. Sabrina does not. Instead, she gets on top of me, and begins moving her body against mine. It feels good to me, but I’m still a little jumpy. She senses my apprehension, and tells me to relax. I try to relax, and nature takes its course.

 Having risen to the occasion, Sabrina begins to fill in the gaps where my education is lacking. I’m a fast learner, and Sabrina’s a good teacher. Satisfied with my progress so far, she begins riding me like a ship caught in a tempest. I weather the storm, but the squall doesn’t last long. Sometimes being fast at something isn’t always that good. She’s patient, my education resumes, and improvement is made. Somewhere in the wee hours of the morn, we fall asleep exhausted.

 I awake the next morning to find her gone. I’m a little sore in the saddle, so to speak, but I’m raring to go. I start to put on my shirt, and discover Sabrina’s nails have left me something to remember her by. That’s all I need, more scars. I review the events that have led up to my lost virginity while I make a contribution to the chamber pot, and somehow the loss doesn’t bother me. After dressing, I gather up all my belonging in case I’m unable to make enough money to pay for another nights stay, and prepare to leave. Just as I’m about to exit the room, I hear someone whispering outside my door.

 Warning bells go off in my head when I realize that they aren’t moving down the hall. I press my ear to the door, and discern that their hushed conversation regards me. They’ve found me. I rush over to the window, remove the bar from the shutters, and throw them wide open with a clatter that starts someone kicking at the door. I toss my pack out first, and praying that nobody is below, I follow it out in a headlong dive. My body strikes the ground with a force that rattles my teeth, but I roll with the impact, scramble to my feet, and draw my sword. A quick glance left, and right tells me that the alley is empty. To my relief, they hadn’t thought to place someone out here in the alley, to prevent me from escaping by way of the window. I hear the door to my room bang violently against the wall, indicating that my dagger has given in to their relentless assault on it. The noise spurs me into action, and without a backward glance, I start running down the alley at full speed. Shouts follow, but I don’t stick around to see if this is a case of mistaken identity. I’ve a bad feeling that it isn’t.

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