SWY 9

“Did you forget you signed that magic contract with a blood seal? I bet the mark is still perfectly visible.”

Sharhan tapped his left chest.

“It’s not like it can’t be broken. I’ll go beg him. Maybe if I get on my knees, he’ll feel sorry enough to let it go?”

“Forget it. I know him, he’d never cancel it. So just take care of your knees. You said they’ve been acting up lately, didn’t you? You’ve still got a few more years left in you as a mercenary. I’ll handle the guarding.”

Abel rubbed his aching knees.

“Didn’t you say it was hopeless?”

“It is… but it’s not like I’m gonna die from it.”

Their relationship had shifted from equal footing to something more hierarchical, but they had bickered and lived side by side for almost twenty years.

“Then hold out a little longer. By the way, from the way you talk, sounds like he’s your age? If he became the head of a merchant guild that young… is he the son of a merchant family?”

“No, he’s not.”

“Then what?”

If he revealed Lestel’s status, Sharhan’s own background would probably come up too. He’d been hiding his identity. Even on the mercenary guild registry, he used an alias. He introduced himself with his real name in person, but his mercenary pass carried a fake one. The Red Wolves had noticed the mismatch, but didn’t press. Most mercenaries had skeletons in their past.

“Well…”

Sharhan hesitated, unsure what to say.

“If it’s hard to answer, you don’t have to.”

“Then I’ll tell you later.”

“Suit yourself.”

Just as Abel shrugged like he didn’t care, a commotion broke out upstairs.

“For fuck’s sake, I said bring one! What’s with all the talk?!”

The shouting, loud enough to shake the inn, came from the room next to Sharhan’s. Both Sharhan and Abel looked up.

“You have to pay if you want me to bring one.”

The trembling voice belonged to Raul, a boy who ran errands between third and fourth-rate inns. Always smiling and polite, he was a favorite among the mercenaries.

“Just go get one! Say I’ll pay once they show up!”

“Pipe girls won’t come without payment! Especially not to a fourth-rate inn, they never take credit!”

“Pipe girls” referred to sex workers. At fourth-rate inns, which catered to people too poor to afford much, they wouldn’t even bother showing up without upfront payment. Even knowing that, the guy in the next room kept insisting.

“I said I’ll pay once they get here!”

“And how do they know you’re telling the truth?”

“Fuck! Are you disrespecting me, you little errand brat?!”

A loud smack followed, and Raul’s thin body was thrown into the hallway. Then the guy from the next room came storming out and began kicking him.

“That bastard!”

Sharhan shot to his feet, but someone else beat him to it, practically leaping upstairs. A mercenary from two rooms down, whose name Sharhan didn’t know, reached the scene in a flash and punched the guy in the face. Judging from how he yelled “Why the hell are you hitting a kid?!”, he must’ve had a child Raul’s age.

“What’s that guy’s problem lately? Got his ass beat this morning for banging all night, and now he’s back to whining for a pipe girl? His eyes are bloodshot… Is he on something?”

Ras clicked his tongue, watching the guy, who was now being pummeled. Sharhan frowned at the sight of his blood-red eyes.

“I don’t think it’s drugs.”

“It’s the tea. The one we got from that peddler.”

Abel and Sharhan said it at the same time. Ras looked at Sharhan with a confused tilt of the head.

“Tea?”

“I heard about it today, apparently the tea has addictive ingredients. People who drank it have started acting nuts like that guy.”

“You’re telling me someone mixed drugs into tea and sold it? But that tea was dirt cheap. No way any drug dealer would sell it at that price. That’s insane.”

Ras scoffed and waved the idea off, but Abel didn’t.

“Now that you mention it… I heard from those Blue Deer bastards that there’s been a sudden surge of drug addicts in the capital. Some go so crazy they start riots or even bite people trying to stop them. The whole thing’s a mess.”

“Really?”

“Apparently a merchant who just came from the capital told them. Said they’re even thinking about heading back there, since there might be mercenary jobs cracking down on addicts. There’s not much work in Verden lately, after all.”

“But what does that have to do with the tea that peddler was selling?”

Ras was still confused about the connection. Abel answered.

“Right before that peddler left the capital, there were rumors about a tea that drove people mad.”

“They’re calling it Paphun tea. And it’s not just a rumor, it’s real. Lots of people have ended up like that bastard after drinking it. Red eyes and everything.”

Sharhan pointed to the guy sprawled on the floor, beaten senseless. Even now, with bloodshot eyes, the man glared at the mercenaries and tried to lunge at them. The mercenary from two rooms down knocked him out with a kick to the temple and came downstairs carrying Raul.

“You okay?”

Abel looked at Raul’s swollen, bruised face with concern. Raul wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and smiled bravely.

“Sure. This is nothing.”

“That’s the spirit. A man’s gotta be tough.” Ras grinned and handed Raul a copper coin. Raul took it without hesitation, bowed deeply, and left.

“He’s always so bright and brave. That kid’s really something.”

Abel’s face softened. He had a son back home around Raul’s age. Ras popped the rest of his steak into his mouth and stood up.

“That hit the spot. Real food for the first time in a while. I’m gonna go take a nap.”

Abel nibbled the last bit of his steak, then offered the rest to Sharhan.

“Want some?”

“No, you go ahead and finish it.”

“Not hungry? You didn’t get to eat earlier since they dragged you out and sent you straight to your employer.”

“I had some cookies. I’m fine.”

Technically, he’d skipped both breakfast and lunch, but he’d eaten enough cookies to not feel hungry. Besides, that cold, sloppily sliced steak didn’t look appealing at all.

Abel nodded and yawned.

“I’ll finish this and go up for a nap. Been going to the guild every morning, and I’m exhausted. What about you?”

Every morning, job notices were posted on the guild wall. First come, first served. As the leader, Abel had been going daily but hadn’t managed to grab a single job. For all his bluster, he lacked quick reflexes. Not surprising, considering he was in his mid-forties and competing with younger leaders.

“I guess this house-pet is going back to guard the house.”

“What’s that supposed to mean… You’re going back to the merchant guild?”

“Yeah. Like it or not, Since I’m his employee. I have to guard him with my fucking life.”

Abel chuckled at Sharhan’s muttered curse.

“Right, go guard him like the ‘fuck’ your life depends on. Don’t forget your stuff. You’ll be there a while, right?”

“Yeah. Not like I have much, but I figured I’d grab it now.”

He was stuck with Lestel for the time being. He’d be with him day and night, so he might as well bring what little he had.

“Guess we won’t see each other for a while. We’re heading out on a long-term escort job in a week, so we won’t be back for a few months. It’s a bit sad, we’ve lived together for over two years.”

“I’ll stop by before you leave.”

Even if it was just a few months, it felt wrong not to say goodbye. Since Abel was still eating, Sharhan got up first. Back in his room upstairs, he packed quickly. A change of clothes, a dagger, coin pouch, some dried herbs, and an empty waterskin, that was it.

He glanced around the stinky room where he’d spent the last month, then turned to leave, but stopped. He was curious about the mark. Standing in front of the foggy mirror, he unbuttoned his shirt and looked. On the left side of his chest was a distinct magical symbol. It looked like a mix between an ancient script and a strange pattern.

“Tied to a leash like a damn mutt.”

Scratching at his chest with his fingernail, even though it didn’t itch, Sharhan buttoned his shirt and stepped outside.

It was time to return to his damned master.