westward across land. 'Is Tara still mad at you? It's going to make for an uncomfortable journey if you two are not friends.'
'She can be mad at me and still be my friend, Pantros.' Sheillene waved at Tara. Tara waved back, but didn't stop her conversation with Thomas. 'Tara knew why I went to the Hedgehog the first time. She's already accepted me for who I am. She's just mad at what I knew and didn't tell her. But she understands why I didn't tell her. Besides, she's madder at Thomas, which makes me better than someone in her eyes.'
Marc rolled a tree stump over and flipped it up to act as a stool by the end of the table where Sheillene and Pantros talked. Sitting, he waved at Pan. 'Hi, I'm Marc Williams, musician. Looks like Thomas is in a private conversation. I hope you don't mind if I join you.'
'There's room for you at the table,' Pantros said.
Sheillene said, 'I think he means on the journey. Your sister invited Thomas along.'
'What?' Pantros said. 'This is not a safe trip. We left Dale and Bouncer behind because the fewer, the safer.'
'I agree,' Sheillene said. She pointed to the corner by the stage where Thomas and Marc's guitars leaned against the wall by a matched pair of swords. 'Marc says he knows how to use his swords, I expect we'll find out.'
'And Thomas?' Pantros asked Marc. 'What can he bring to a fight if we get ambushed?'
'Um, one more target to thin out the enemy?' Marc offered. 'He knows which end of the sword to hold. He's pretty quick at running away too.'
'And you've been in a fight for your life, how many times?' Sheillene asked.
Marc's voice seemed a bit meek when he replied, 'The pressure in the last village tournament was intense. But that was a fishing tournament. Did I mention I can fish?'
Sheillene rolled her eyes and Pantros and stood up from the table. 'I'll be outside. I'm counting to three hundred then leaving town.' She put a hand on Pantros shoulder as she stepped away.
Pantros looked up at her when her hand didn't leave his shoulder. She was standing completely still, staring at the doorway. A familiar, dreadful growl told Pantros what he'd see when he followed her gaze. His fingers checked the bulge in his shirt. At last he understood what the creature wanted. Without looking at the doorway, Pantros dove away from the table, putting distance between himself and anyone else in the room.
The creature roared as it charged. Pantros came to his feet only to have to launch himself upward. He grabbed the ceiling rafters and pulled his feet up as the demon passed under him and crashed into the stone fireplace, sending a splash of embers into the room. The demon stood and turned, uncaring that it’s feet were deep in a pile of glowing coals.
Tara rushed over and started kicking coals off of the wood floors and back to the fireplace. Pantros dropped to stand between Tara and the Beast. He drew the Abvi sword and braced for the next charge.
'Move away from me you idiot.' Tara said. 'It's chasing that cursed stone. It'll ignore me.'
Pantros, knowing that his sister was right, stepped sideways. The creature squatted then pounced. Bracing himself Pan held the point of the Abvi sword toward the beast. The beast never hit. Marc, his swords still leaning against the wall with his guitar, backhanded the beast, sending it sprawling to the ground.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Pantros lunged, pressing the tip of his blade through the creature's chest. As the one at the Hedgehog had, the beast vanished in burning cloud of ash.
'I was wrong,' Sheillene said. 'Fewer numbers are not the answer here.'
'What?' Pantros replied. 'You saw that thing. Why would we want to risk more lives?'
'But it's only after you.' Sheillene motioned at Tara who was just finishing sweeping the fire back into the hearth. 'Tara was unharmed, though she was at one time barely more than a handbreadth away from the Hound. Having more people along means we can control the fight by how we position ourselves around you. I don't even care if Marc can actually use his swords. With his size and strength, and knowing the beasts will always be chasing you, it's almost enough to be certain of your survival.'
'I killed it,' Pantros said.
Marc raised his forefinger, but it was Sheillene who spoke the point. 'Actually Marc's knocking it to the floor was the deciding factor in that battle. You merely administered the inevitable.'
Marc tapped the blade of Pantros' sword with his finger. 'With a flimsy sword like that, you're not going to shift the trajectory of an airborne…whatever that was.'
'Sheillene called it a Hellhound, just as James did.' Pantros said. 'Sheillene, have you seen these before?' *Who is that oaf calling 'Flimsy'?*
'Yes,' Sheillene said. 'Well, in books and a couple tapestries, not in person.'
Pantros looked around. 'Who said that?'
'Me,' Sheillene said. *Me.*
Pantros leaned to look behind Marc. 'Not what you said, Sheillene. Who called Marc an oaf?'
'No one said anything about Marc being an oaf,' Sheillene said. 'I think I asked if he was an ogre last night.' *He called me flimsy, I called him an oaf.*
'Hold this please.' Pantros handed his sword to Sheillene then dropped to the floor, searching under the tables. He crawled around behind the bar, but no one was there.
'I know what's talking,' Sheillene said. 'I just heard it too.'
'I'm not hearing anything, now. Don't humor me.' Pantros stood up behind the bar
'Your sword is insisting I return it to you.' Sheillene walked over and set the sword on the counter. 'It's very finicky about who touches it.'
'This is talking?' Pantros picked up the sword. *Yes,* the sword said. It took a moment for Pantros to realize he wasn't actually hearing the sword with his ears but with his mind.
'It's a nice sword,' Sheillene said. 'Too nice for a human, many Abvi would say. Do I want to know the story about how a human boy came to possess an Abvi Ensouled Blade?'
'Not much of a story, really.' Pantros shrugged. 'James gave it to me. I may not be twenty yet, but I'd think what I've faced has earned the title of 'man'.' *My owner is a human boy?*
'In my eyes you've been a man since you robbed Grey Ed of every last penny and gave the money to the folk of orphan's row.'
Pantros groaned. 'It's really hard to hold two conversations at once.'
'Sheath the sword,' Sheillene said. 'It's only conscious when unsheathed.'
Pantros did as Sheillene suggested. 'Grey Ed was scum. He stole pennies from the penniless. I didn't rob him of everything though. I did, in fact, leave him with precisely one penny. And that part about Orphan's row is pure fiction. Who told you this story?'
'Rumors, mostly. Grey Ed was very vocal in his search for the boy in black silk. So vocal that it got him half- keelhauled when he got too loud in the presence of some captain with a hangover.'
'Half Keelhauled?' Marc asked. 'Is that half as bad as a full keelhaul?'
'Only if you can breathe water,' Sheillene said. 'It means they stop when they've hauled the poor sap half way around, which pretty much leaves them right at the keel.' She turned back to Pantros. 'And I know the part about Orphan's row is not fiction. The tales of silver coins appearing in people's soup or in their fireplaces was not the blessings of the volcano, but the work of the best roof-walker I know of.'
'Isn't robbing from the rich to give to the poor a bit cliche?' Marc asked, 'It’s like something from a bard's fairy tale.'
'First,' Pantros said, keeping his voice almost to a whisper as the tavern began surging back to life, 'this will be the only conversation we ever have about my professional work. Second, I don't usually give to anyone, rich or poor. I pretty much just hoard everything. Ed was stealing from easy targets who couldn't afford to miss a penny. I simply returned to them what had once been theirs. Grey Ed's actions were getting the city ready to organize a night watch, watching for burglars. I did what needed to be done to keep my income methods safe. And third, weren't we leaving town?'
'Yes.' Sheillene grabbed her bow, her quiver and her satchel. 'Marc, grab Thomas and Tara, we're walking. We'll walk slowly until the three of you catch up. Out the front door and left to the edge of town, then keep going.'
Pantros grabbed his sack and followed Sheillene out the door. Once outside he asked, 'So are we making a run for it? Keeping them safely left behind?'
