Vannerbehn's Luck Pt. 02

I would have liked to have had my silence spell, but I'd used up my magical energy at the Gale. Stealth would have to do. I slipped out Polenek's side door, and crept up on my quarry. One wore a hat; the other was bareheaded. Bance was balding, and a bit vain - he was the one in the hat.

Thank goodness for low-light vision. I saw Bance's gun - a short-barreled fowling piece - leaning against the wall. I kicked it away, to get their attention.

Both men whirled about.

- "I have two pistols." I said.

I didn't know who the second man was, but he took his lead from Bance.

- "Kelsen?" said Bance Rayner.

- "Please sit down. Both of you."

Bance was a professional. "Do it." he said, to his companion. Then he sat down himself.

- "Stretch out your legs." I said. I was still quite confident that they couldn't see me very well.

- "I wouldn't have killed you, Kelsen." he said. "You know that."

- "I know, Bance. That's why you're not dead, at this point."

I let him think about that, for a moment. "From one professional to another, Bance, if your friend makes a foolish move, I'll fire both pistols."

- "He won't. Rook, if you move a muscle, I'll fucking kill you myself." Then he went a step further. "Give me your sword and dagger. And your sap. Give 'em to me!"

A moment later, Bance tossed his accomplice's weapons at my feet.

- "Thank you." I said. "You heard about the treasure?"

- "Friend of mine works in the warehouse district. Saw you there. He told me you paid over five grand in tax. Five grand! That means your group brought in at least 25,000."

- "Not my group, Bance. Remember Gartnait Redbreeks? He led my party. He's dead. All of them died, except me. The women won the treasure. I was lucky to survive. They cut me a half share. I walked away with 3,000."

- ""Bullshit."

- "Why would I lie? You can find out the truth tomorrow. Do you know why I'm telling you this, Bance? So you can tell others. Please, tell others. Here's what I did with my share: 500 to the Gale, 200 to Gartnait's girlfriend, 3 months' rent on my rooms, three of which you don't know about yet. New weapons, new clothes, generous tips to my informants, generous gifts to my girlfriends. You've already spoken to Malena; did you see Aliona, too?"

He admitted it. Bance also confessed that he'd heard I was handing out lavish rewards to many of my contacts. That had convinced him that I was carrying a large sum of money.

- "I have a little over a thousand left." I said. "But I went to Mennegon, and got a note. I plan on blowing the bundle - just not tonight."

Bance Rayner was no fool. He knew that I was telling him the truth. He also knew that he couldn't steal one of Mennegon's notes.

- "I'm sorry, Kelsen." he said. "Where do we go from here?"

- "I think you believe me. If you don't, you can certainly find out tomorrow that I'm telling the truth. So, the question is, can I forgive your attempt to ... dispossess me? I have to say, if the roles were reversed, I would have been tempted myself."

"But here's what I suggest, Bance: a year's immunity. Reciprocal."

He looked a bit confused. "What does that mean?"

- "For one year from today, you don't mug me. And I won't burglarize your house. Or the room that you share with Katerin."

He was surprised that I knew about his girlfriend. And my suggestion was a novel one. Quite unusual, in fact.

- "Can I think about it?" he asked.

- "No." I said. "I'm tired, and I'm horny, and you've been messing with my girlfriends. Killing you and your friend isn't the best option, but it's still a possibility."

- "A year's immunity it is." said Bance Rayner. We shook hands on it.

I crossed the street and entered the Dolphin.

Aliona was a pretty girl, with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. She also had a great rack. Virtually every customer in the place hit on her - and I include the old blind guy, one of her regulars. But luckily for me, she'd responded to my particular brand of charm.

She was delighted to see me. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be upset.

- "Where have you been?" she said. "I haven't seen you in three weeks. I thought you were never coming back!"

- "I was off on an adventure." I said. "Just got back today - and I came straight here." Okay, that was a bit of a fib. But not a big one.

- "An adventure?"

I leaned close and whispered in her ear. "A dragon. We won. And I brought you something back."

- "A dragon?" Aliona was genuinely impressed. "And you brought me something?"

- "Can I show you?"

- "I have to work until closing." she pouted. "But ..."

- "But?"

- "I don't have to work tomorrow." she said.

- "I will gladly wait for you. Maybe I'll have a pint while I wait."

- "What did you bring me?" she asked.

- "You don't want everyone here to see, do you?"

She did, obviously, but she didn't want me to think so. Aliona went to get me a pint. When she brought it, I asked her a simple question.

- "Did anyone come in here today, looking for me?"

Aliona frowned. "Oh - yes. That fellow with the spotty beard. And the bald spot."

- "Bance Rayner?"

- "Oh, Kelsen ... I can't remember all their names." she said. Then she smiled. "Oh, I'm so glad that you're back."

I wasn't seeing Aliona for her brains. It was too bad, really, because she was hotter than a paving stone in mid-July. But her failure to tell me about Bance until prompted was worrisome. If Aliona couldn't provide information, then I had to re-think our relationship.

As I'd hoped - and expected - Aliona pulled some strings, and ended her shift well before closing. We left together, and I took her to my first room. I wanted to use it one more time before I got rid of it. If Bance knew about it, so did others.

I gave Aliona two of the semi-precious stones, and a purse with twenty gold coins.

"You do love me!" she said.

- "I thought of you all the time - even when I shot the dragon in the eye." Alright, that might have been a mild exaggeration. But it had the desired effect.

Aliona decided that she couldn't wait to show me that she loved me too. She dropped to her knees, and pulled my trousers down. She took me in her mouth, slurping and sucking noisily. The moment she had me hard, she turned around, and bent over the end of my bed.

- "Oh, I've missed you." she said.

- "I've missed you." I said, as I rubbed the head of my cock against her lower lips. She was very wet. I entered her easily - money and jewels did have that effect on Aliona.

She had a splendid ass, to go with her great tits and pretty face. Aliona was a great fuck, enthusiastic and willing to experiment. She responded ardently as I sawed in and out. She even reached back with one hand to grab my ass, to tug me deeper into her.

I reached around, and took hoId of her breasts, as I thrust a bit harder. Aliona moaned appreciatively as I plumbed her humid depths. As I felt my climax approaching, I pulled out, and shot a stream of semen over her back.

- "Can I stay?" she asked.

- "I haven't seen you in weeks, Aliona. Of course you can stay. We'll have breakfast together, at the very least." I felt a little bad as I said that. I had already decided that I wouldn't be seeing her any more after this. "I did miss you, while I was gone." I said.

She was happy to hear it. Aliona had a pretty face and a great rack, as I said. She also had a wonderful sex drive. We fucked twice more, took a short nap, and then got up for breakfast.

***

It was well past midday before I took Aliona home. Then I went back and cleaned out my first room. I'd paid for a month, but I wasn't going to use it. Instead, I gave the key to one of my young informants, who I suspected of sleeping out of doors more often than not.

Sinker (a nickname which referred to his swimming skill) was very pleased. "I'll take good care of it for you, Kelsen. Promise." He was a good lad, though perhaps a bit too intelligent. He thought about things a little too long, when he should have acted instinctively. He was much better off as my occasional sidekick, or assistant, than he would have been on his own. He'd likely live longer this way.

- "You don't have to do it for me, Sink. It's yours for a month. If you want it after that, let me know: maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement."

- "Really?"

That done, I found myself another room, in a neighbourhood I didn't frequent all that often. The landlady was pleased to receive a month's rent in advance.

Finally, I went back to the Gale. Mehdawi was asleep, and I didn't want to disturb him, so I spoke to the young man I'd healed the day before. He looked much better; I suspected that Mehdawi would send him home soon.

- "Fancy meeting you here." said a familiar voice.

- "Pamna?" It was indeed her. "What is a sexy witch doing in a place like this?"

She smiled. "Promise you won't be upset? Taliesine asked me to follow you, yesterday. She and Kima are quite paranoid. It was a pleasant surprise for me, though, when I saw you come in here. I knew you had a good heart."

- "It's a pleasant surprise for me, to find you here." I replied. "But ... are you following me today, as well?"

She shook her head. "No. After you left, yesterday, I came in to find out what you'd been up to. I didn't know if this was a front for some nefarious activity, or if you used it as a base. Mehdawi told me everything. What a sweetheart, that man!"

- "He is." I agreed.

- "I was so impressed, I did a little healing for him. And I came back today to do a little more."

- "That's wonderful, Pamna. Mehdawi needs all the help he can get."

- "He told me that you've been coming here for years, Kelsen." She tilted her head, and gave me a sweet smile. "You know, I think that virtue should be rewarded. Are you free this evening?"

Tempting. Damn tempting. But unfair to Malena.

- "You make me wish that I was. But I'm reconnecting with ... a girlfriend. I haven't seen her for weeks. I mean, I saw her last night, briefly, but -"

- "I understand." said Pamna. Her smile didn't waver. "Lucky girl. Well, maybe I'll make dinner for Mehdawi. And then I might just reward his virtue."

- "Lucky man." I said.

Pamna reached out with her hand, to stroke my cheek. "There will be other times for you and me. I can feel it."

I walked out of the Gale feeling pretty good.

Malena was ready and waiting when I arrived to collect her - yet another reason why I liked this girl so much. If I'd been a ... I don't know, a farmer, or a dockworker, or an apprentice, I'd have asked her to marry me. She was that sweet, that wonderful.

But in my line of work, there was a good chance that I wouldn't come home at night. And then, one day, she'd find out that I was dead. Or worse, I'd disappear, and she'd never know what had happened to me. I didn't want her to be a young widow.

We never discussed this. But Malena knew what I was. Half of what I did might charitably be called 'adventuring'; the rest was thieving. Some burglary, some confidence work.

Tonight, though, I was in a strange mood. We ate a fine meal, with a very good bottle of Iiran wine. It could have been supremely romantic.

Instead, I told Malena about Gartnait and the dragon. I told her everything.

- "I thought I was going to die." I said. That was no more than the truth. Then I told her about the women. Whenever I skipped a bit, or left out a key detail, she asked about it.

Maybe it was the wine. We did order a second bottle. Alright, I drank most of it. That may have been what loosened my tongue. But I think that the dragon had something to do with it; that brush with death made me talkative.

I described the women to Malena, just as I'd seen them. I also admitted that I'd slept with Pamna. As soon as I'd said it, I wondered what I was doing.

- "It's alright, Kelsen." said Malena. "I know ... I've always known that you have other women."

- "What? How?"

- "You never press me to come out more often." she said. "The other barmaids tell me that a real boyfriend would want me every night. I know that I couldn't do that, so you ... you need someone else." Malena spoke softly, but she had no trouble meeting my eye.

"And ... someone I know saw you in Marno's. With another girl."

I had to think for a moment. Marno's was a tavern just off the docks. Lesheya was her name. Cute face, big boobs. A bit thick, in every sense of the word: big-bodied, and not particularly bright. We'd been hot and heavy, a few months back, but now I only saw her occasionally.

- "Yes, I see other barmaids." I admitted. "That's how I get my information. I need to be on good terms with these girls, so that I can trust what they tell me."

- "So you see me for the information I can provide?" she asked.

- "Malena." I said. "You're right - but you're wrong, too."

"I do have other women, from time to time. I'll admit that I ... I'm ..."

- "A rake?" she suggested.

- "That's fair enough." I conceded. "But there's a reason for it. And it's not just that I enjoy sleeping with a variety of women. It's also because I'm afraid for you."

I told her about Bance Rayner. She'd met him, and she'd known right away that there was something 'off' about him. That was why she'd told me as soon as she saw me - whereas Aliona was too stupid and self-absorbed to think that it might be important.

- "One day," I said, "I might offend the wrong people. Clever, like Bance, but more ruthless. More violent. If I had a wife ..."

- "You'd be afraid for me? If I was your wife?" said Malena.

- "Well, I meant 'exclusive girlfriend', or something like that."

- "You said 'wife'."

- "So I did. But do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

- "That you're a rake, and that you worry about making me a target." she said.

She was right. That was pretty much it, in a nutshell.

"It's flattering, in a weird way." she said. "You have prettier women -"

- "No."

- "And women who please you more -"

- "No."

- "But you worry about me."

- "Yes."

- "Why?" said Malena. She was looking right into my eyes.

- "You're ... because you're the best." I said.

- "The best?"

- "You're beautiful, Malena. No - let me finish. Beautiful, and you rouse me like no other. You're kind, and thoughtful, and sweet. You're also intelligent, and quick-witted. I enjoy being with you, even for a few minutes while you're working."

"If I wasn't a thief ... well, I don't know. Maybe I couldn't stay faithful in any case. But you are the best. You're my first choice."

Malena didn't respond right away.

- "That's ... quite a bit to take in." she said, after a while.

- "I don't know what's gotten into me, tonight." I said. "I never talk like this. But ... I meant every word I said."

- "Kelsen ... I know that we would have gone back to your room tonight - that you were expecting ... to make love. To be honest, I was hoping that, too."

I snapped my fingers. "That's the difference, Malena! You and I make love. With the other girls, it's just ..."

Malena smiled sadly. "I'd rather not think about that just now."

Way to go, Kelsen, I thought. Too stupid to quit when you're behind.

- "Would you mind taking me home?" she asked. "I know it's not what we had planned, but -"

I stood up and offered her my arm. "I can take you home."

Just outside the door to the Bell and Candle, she stopped me.

- "Thank you for a wonderful dinner." she said. "And for ... being honest with me."

I nodded. It was better than talking, since I had no idea what to say.

"I need some time, Kelsen." she continued. "To think about ... what you said."

- "That's fair." I said. "If I come in here, and you're not ready to talk, just shake your head. I won't bother you."

- "Thank you." she whispered.

I went home, alone, to one of my new rooms. Then I sat there, wondering how I'd ended up in this unfamiliar place.

*****