The Brush Tiger of Derven Ch. 12-14

One of the figures at the table breaks the silence. The womanly voice surprises Mora; too caught up in her anger before, she didn't bother to examine Rick's friends before her display of defiance.

"For heaven's sake Todd," the woman says, irritated, "she's a slave not a princess!"

Todd, the Barman who pulled out her chair, rounds the table as he sets down mugs of beer for everyone. He sets down the woman's mug roughly, causing its contents to slosh over the side, "Slave or not, she walks like a lady and I will treat her as such." His voice is mocking but not at Mora's expense, rather at the woman's.

The woman snorts a laugh at him. Making a point, she wraps her large thick hand around the mug and brings it up to her chapped lips. When she tips it back she doesn't stop until it is empty. Mora can't help but look up from the table to the woman curiously; she wears similar clothing but her thick figure and small chest make her look more masculine. Her coarse, unwashed blonde hair is pulled back carelessly making her square face seem even less friendly. She slams the mug down, letting out a loud belch that would put any man to shame, "You never pull out my chair, Todd," she says in a fake, girly voice.

"Perhaps if you didn't stomp around like a cow-or smell like one-Sari, I would make an effort to treat you more like a woman," he sneers at her.

Even though Todd's rude comment takes Mora aback the whole table bursts out into laughter, even Sari. Aside from herself, the only one who doesn't participate in the joke is Rick. His eyes wander over Mora; when she catches him staring at her with an odd expression on his face, her body begins to tingle, stomach fluttering. She swallows hard, feigning a smile at the joke, in an attempt cover her tracks lest he figure out about her past.

His voice, though amiable, lacks the secret tenderness that it has when he speaks to her alone, "Well, friends, this is my indentured servant, Mora. I expect you to treat her kindly," Rick says before taking a long drink from his glass, "as she was assigned to me by our Queen."

As soon as he mentions the Queen, the laughter comes to an abrupt stop when all eyes turn on Mora. She feels uneasy. Her eyes fall back to the table and she busies herself by figuring out what kind of wood it is made from.

One of the men to her right breaks the silence, "Rick, surely you wouldn't take in another slave upon the Queen's request, after the last one tried-"

Rick cuts him off, "She will be with us for a week," he sets the glass down on the table. "Mora," he calls to her. Her heart jumps as she eagerly looks up at him. She can see the other occupants of the table are still staring at her. Rick starts at his right, naming the people at the table, "This pathetic excuse for a woman is Sari. That is James, Lucas and Daniel. Todd is our Barman."

Mora lets her eyes connect with each person she is introduced to, offering each a small smile. When she sees James and Daniel, she discovers that they share more similarities than just kinsmen—they are, in fact, twins. Both are skinny, boney men with almost white skin and golden hair. Their eyes, like Eric's, are green, though not as bright. Lucas, who sits just to her right, is thicker than the twins but smaller than Rick. His hair is a shade darker but he matches them in paleness.

Lucas directs a question to her, "Tell us Mora, how you happened to become stuck in this forsaken place." He raises his beer mug up and waves it around at the bar.

Mora looks at him, trying to come up with a vague response, "My...friends and I accidentally crossed the border by mistake. The road was...impassable. One of my friends was killed, two escaped and I was captured by three of the most brutish men I've ever met. I believe you call them 'Wardens.' A John, a Dell, and..." she briefly glances over at Todd, "An Eric." There is recognition in his face.

James laughs, joined by Sari, "I would hardly call them friends, if they ran off and left you alone."

Mora can feel her jaw clench, anger flaring at their laughter and their idea that her entourage abandoned her, "Yes, well, perhaps next time I will choose better traveling companions." She meant for words to come out light heartedly, but they are thrown out like stones.

Rick looks at her, "Come now, Mora. I know that you aren't telling us the whole truth." She straightens in her chair, breathing slowly. He continues, "I have a feeling that your friends didn't exactly leave you behind."

She latches onto his blue eyes, her tongue lashing out a harsh response before she can stop it, "It makes no difference if they did or did not-I am the only one remaining in this hellish place."

He gives her a tight smile as if amused by her anger, "If you won't tell us the truth, we shall have to guess it," he brings his hand up to his chin, pretending to think hard even though he already knows what to say, "I bet that you got bit by a borderwolf while escaping with one of your friends."

"You got bit by a borderwolf?" James exclaims. Both Mora and Rick ignore him.

Rick continues, his hand moving from his chin to wave casually in the air, "Surely you would have known you couldn't take down three Wardens by yourself, so I am guessing that you threatened to kill Dell so that another one of your friends could live. And you almost slit your own throat ensuring that your other friend did get out, isn't that right?"

Daniel looks at Mora, "She tried to kill Dell and slit her own throat?"

The whole table bursts into laughter at the absurdity of the idea. Mora, for once, is thankful for their disparaging thoughts towards her though she still has to keep herself from getting angry. She is sure to someone who doesn't know her or the stubborn people of Derven that the notion of a feminine, slender and attractive young woman killing a man or threatening her life for anyone seems ridiculous.

Rick's blue eyes pierce through her. Taken by the outlandish, horrible situations that she has encountered recently and the informal, unstuffy atmosphere she is now subjected to, she feels ornery. Mora offers up a fake, sarcastic smile, "Yes, something like that. It appears your friends agree with your theory, Master Rickan." The venom in her voice doesn't go unnoticed by Rick.

Time seems to move more slowly; Mora stares at the table, eventually discovering that it is made from amberwood, a tree native to her homeland, due to its delicate grain and deep color. It must have been imported as planks. She comes to that determination since the desolate terrain here doesn't offer enough sunlight to support a tree like that and the craftsmanship of the table is crude, at best. When she remembers that amberwood grows densely around Amyee's house, she gets saddened by the thought that the wood in this table could have been planked by Franklin.

When asked various questions, Mora politely provides quick one or two word answers, always vague. She quickly gets over the fact that most of which are usually meant to insight humor at her expense. Perhaps if his friends don't take her seriously, Rick won't either.

After about an hour of staring at the table, Todd wanders over with several plates of food which he plunks uncaringly in front of James, Daniel, Sari and Lucas. He looks to Rick, "Will you be eating tonight, Rick?"

"No, just more wine for me, Todd."

Todd looks over to Mora, "And you, miss?"

Because her stomach growls angrily while it tries to digest itself, Mora knows she is so hungry she would try to eat an animal raw. The fragrant scents of cooked meat and vegetables tickle her nose. She smiles faintly at Todd, "Please, thank you."

Todd disappears for a moment, coming back with a plate and silverware. When he carefully sets it in front of Mora, taking care not to reach across her, she can't help but smile. The roasted chicken breast is placed delicately on top of a bed of potatoes and squash, garnished with a sprig of rosemary. It almost appears that each vegetable was individually placed on the plate.

As Todd sets wine glasses around the table, Mora knows Sari is looking at her. She glances towards the other woman's plate; her chicken sets next to a mess of potatoes without a garnish.

"What's this, then? Are you becoming an artist, Todd?" Sari points to Mora's plate. Mora hides her smile by tasting a tiny forkful of vegetables. They have a wonderful flavor.

Todd sneers at Sari, "What, do you get offended by everything that looks better than you, Sari? Sad to say, that isn't a hard task to accomplish." Mora can hear the other men snicker. She does not join in. Todd smiles to himself, pouring each of them a glass of thick, red wine.

"That's it," Sari slams her fork down on the table—Mora flinches, looking up at her. Despite her tough demeanor, she knows that Todd has hurt her feelings. Sari glares at her, "Let's have a go, you and I. I will remind these men exactly how useless 'princesses' are. Come on then!" She stands with her arms folded over her chest, waiting for Mora to stand.

Mora chews her vegetables carefully. She looks from Sari over to Rick. He stares back at her, the look on his face lets Mora know that she is on her own. She knows it's her own fault too because of her defiant actions earlier. She keeps chewing the vegetables even though they are thoroughly broken up in her mouth. The thought of fighting someone over something so petty makes her stomach churn. She tries to convince herself that Sari is just showing off, trying to make Mora look weak and feeble—even so, she doesn't want to fight Sari because it is unwarranted as Mora agrees completely with her upset.

"Oh sit down, Sari," Lucas finally whines, "Let us finish our dinner in peace."

"I will not yield until this whelp gets what's coming to her," Sari begrudgingly sits down. Mora thankfully swallows her vegetables and moves on to the chicken.

"Fine, if you like I'll fight her after supper. But not you—you're too angry. We wouldn't want you breaking one of her delicate little appendages," Lucas says; he defuses Sari's anger quickly but Mora can tell he finds the idea of fighting her amusing.

Todd appears next to Mora, waiting for her to swallow a bite of the chicken, "Well, how is it? I'm sure it isn't as good as home, but.."

"No," Mora interrupts him. She can see Todd's demeanor wilt a little before she smiles, "It's much better. What is that, that I taste?" Todd beams as Mora leans in to take a whiff of the chicken, "Is it sage and...thyme?"

"Yes, ma'am," he manages to blurt out through his huge smile.

Mora turns to him, "It adds just the right flavor without being too overpowering." The rest of the table stops mid-chew, staring at both of them.

"Thank you," Todd says proudly. When he sees everyone else, his smile fades and he glares at them, "What? It is about time my cooking was appreciated by a refined palate instead of a bunch of wild dogs," he snorts at them. His face changes instantly when he looks back to Mora, "Would you like something to drink?"

She smiles, swallowing another bite of chicken, "Please. Whatever they are having will be fine."

Todd shifts uneasily. The rest of the table continues to stare at them, not moving. "Are you sure you wouldn't like something a bit more...delicate?"

Mora smiles at her plate, whispering back even though she knows everyone can hear her, "No, thank you. Anymore special treatment and I'm afraid Sari will beat us both into a pulp."

Sari snorts a laugh, affirming Mora's statement.

"Very well then," Todd hesitantly pours the thick wine into Mora's glass. She delicately picks it up, swirling it to release its scent though she finds it doesn't have much of one. She sips it, closing her eyes to avoid the six other pairs watching her. The wine is thick like honey. It has a slightly sweet flavor, accompanied by a tart burn of alcohol. When she swallows, the flavor reminds her of the forest: dark, robust and woody. It has a slightly metallic aftertaste.

Mora continues eating daintily, finishing a majority of the food on her plate before she gets full. She also finishes the glass of wine before she looks up. Six pairs of eyes, unmoved, stare back at her. They look at her odd like she just did something bizarre but she has no idea what it could be.

"Would you like more wine?" Rick asks; there seems to be more behind his question than the obvious.

She can feel the warmth of the alcohol loosen her muscles, something she greatly missed when she was in Irron's company. Despite the uneasy feeling she gets from Rick, she replies curtly, "Please."

Todd pours her another glass and she sips it.

"Well, how is it?" James asks.

"It's...different...than what I'm used to. A bit heavier and thicker but it has a nice flavor."

A few of them snort in astonishment. Todd offers them another glass but all of them refuse except Rick.

Mora continues her study of the table while the others finish their meal. Conversation starts up again. When there is a lull, Lucas stands and stretches.

"Come on, then," he says to Mora. She looks at him and can see that he was completely serious about fighting her. She gets a sinking feeling in her stomach. She has never before gotten into a fight with another human. In all actuality, having only ever trained with Laren, he is the only one who has seen what she is capable of yet she has never fought him with the intentions of hurting him, only to get the best of him. She looks over to Rick for some help—he ignores her. She deserved the first time but she thinks his continuing grudge is unwarranted.

Irritated, she gives Lucas a tight smile and stands up. Perhaps if she pretends to be weak he will take pity on her and call off the duel. He walks slowly to the large stage behind her; she didn't notice until now but the wall that supports the balcony holds several racks of weapons, each different but organized by type, much like Laren's office. There are a few she is unfamiliar with, like the chain that has a ball of spikes on one end and a handle on the other, or the staff that has three spear tips arranged in a fork; for the most part, the rest of the weapons have some resemblance to what she was trained with. On the stage Lucas tests several swords, trying to find one with the right weight.

Hesitantly, Mora walks up the steps to join him. She wipes her wet palms on her thighs. He notices her hesitation and explains, "While in most countries, a tavern is a place where you go to get drunk and happen into a fight, in Sceadu, a tavern is where you go to get into a fight and happen to get drunk."

"Why would anyone want to get into a fight?" Mora says, aghast.

Lucas laughs at her, "Well if we didn't practice, we wouldn't do too well in battle, now would we?"

"So you just fight—anyone? Without reason?" She is completely dumbfounded. In Derven there are a handful of fighting trainers that citizens learn from; they never willingly fight anyone else.

"Of course darling!" He hands her a sword, his words mocking her. She tentatively grabs it; it is substantially heavier than any she is used to. The unexpected weight of the weapon makes her hand sag to towards the ground. The sword is straight and about half as long as she is tall; in Derven, the few swords they train with are shorter with curved blades to maximize follow through and ensure a quick death. They are also a lot lighter. Mora looks at the crude weapon with disgust. She can hear Daniel, James and Sari laugh at her expense.

"Come now," Lucas says, somewhat gently. He walks towards her and wraps her fingers around the hilt, holding her arms up so he can show her a stance; it seems unnatural, awkward and foreign compared to how she would have stood but necessary for her to counterbalance the weight of the sword.

"What's the matter, Mora, do people in your country not fight?" Daniel manages to get out amidst his chuckles at her awkwardness.

"Not without the intention of killing someone," Mora mutters to herself. She looks at Lucas; he has walked away from her but is now facing her from across the stage. Her voice pleads, "Is this really necessary?"

Without hesitation he flies at her, his sword raised high. Instinctively she raises her own to block but the weight of his blow combined with the unfamiliar weight of her sword causes her to fall backwards, landing on her back and hitting her head hard on the floor. She can hear Sari's hysterical laughter—it makes her angry.

"Are you alright?" Lucas says standing above her with his hand extended to help her. Mora grabs his arm and pulls herself up.

"This is absurd!" She shouts, somewhat louder than she intended to. Mora takes a deep breath, now angry for her outburst. Exhaling slowly to calm herself she turns and walks to the stairs. Sari's mocking voice makes her stop.

"What's the matter, princess? Afraid you'll break a nail?"

Mora bites down hard, stopping her tongue from delivering a lashing. Her body begins to burn hot with anger. She looks up at the table; Sari glares at her through a sneer, Daniel and James suppress their laughter. Rick just stares at her, knowing blue eyes seem to urge her on.

The path of peace always circles the one to violence, her father's voice rings through her head. She can feel the adrenaline pump through her body. Her mind, all her teaching, tell her that pride is something to sacrifice to avoid violence. Pride on the other hand surges through her veins. Mora turns on her heels, walking back to the wall of weapons. She roughly discards the primitive sword on the ground; the loud crash it makes silences the whole room. Knowing all eyes in the tavern are on her, she takes her time and slowly walks the length of the racks, examining each of the weapons carefully, trying to find one that will suit her purpose. When she reaches the end, she finds a barrel full of staffs made of bamboo. She touches each of them, wrapping her hand around their girth until she finds one that fits right in her fist. She pulls it out; it is almost as tall as she is. While she wedges one end into the corner formed by the wall and the floor, James' voice breaks the silence.

"Really? Adults use those to teach the kids, so they don't hurt them too badly."

Mora leans the other end of the stick on her shoulder and pulls down towards the middle, testing the bamboo for brittleness. It bends a little but doesn't break or even groan under the pressure. She turns and walks back to Lucas, standing with her feet shoulder width apart, staff held horizontally in both of her hands.

"That is exactly what I mean to do," she looks at Lucas but her words are meant for Rick.

"What, not get hurt too badly?" Lucas mocks her.

Mora smiles sincerely, "Teach you a lesson."

Lucas shakes his head at her seeming ignorance. He raises his sword and takes a few steps forward, swinging it at her with one hand. At the last possible moment Mora ducks into a roll, stopping behind Lucas. She swings the staff swiftly, knocking his heels out from under him. He falls on to his back, sword flying from his grasp. He makes more noise than he should have because he wasn't expecting her to be capable of anything.

"Lucky shot," Mora can hear Sari mutter.

She stands, leaning against the staff, looking down upon Lucas, "Do you yield?"

"Never," Lucas grins at her. Now, he is enjoying this. He kicks at her shins but Mora jumps into a back flip. When she lands, she twirls the staff in front of her, letting it come to rest with one end against the back of her neck, the length of it against her right arm and the other end on the floor. She waits patiently for Lucas to get up and find his sword.

When he does, he strikes at her, again and again. Mora deftly deflects the blows with the staff, whacking the flat side of his blade away. They move back and forth across the stage; she knows he is trying to push her to the edge to make her fall but each time she gets close she ducks and rolls behind him.