One of the other three men smiled, probably the youngest. Beard did not. He looked from Egil to Nix and shook his head as if to clear it of confusing thoughts.
'No. Look. I mean, listen, we work for someone who's interested in your… services. We've been waiting for the right time to approach you. You were either fighting or surrounded by women 'til now.'
'You speak of it as if that's a bad thing,' Nix said.
More smiles from the other three.
'And I wanted to take your measure,' Beard said.
'Really? And how'd you go about that?' Nix asked.
'And since when's it take four armed and armored men to make a job offer?' Egil growled. He let his hands fall to the hafts of his hammers.
'Does seem less than gentlemanly,' Nix observed solemnly.
'Just tell me if you're interested,' Beard said, his voice tinged with impatience. 'The terms are generous.'
'I'm not interested,' Nix said. 'Egil?'
'No.'
'And there you go,' Nix said.
'But-'
'See, we don't hire out,' Nix said. 'Not our approach, powerful patron or no.'
'But-'
Egil stepped forward and put his hands on the table, nearly toppling it, staring Beard in the face. 'We. Don't. Hire. Out.'
To his credit, Beard looked neither frightened nor especially put out by Egil's tone and proximity. Most men would have been.
Military, Nix figured. Had to be. Or damned experienced watch.
'Offer our regrets to your employer,' Nix said. 'Meanwhile, enjoy the ale and the rest of your evening. Here, if you have half a mind. Elsewhere, if you have a whole.'
Beard shook his head. 'You're making a mistake here.'
'Doubtful,' Nix said.
With that, he and Egil turned and started to walk off.
'Final word, then?' Beard called after them. 'You're certain?'
Nix did not like the implication dangling in the sentence. He turned around, his eyes hard.
'No, these are my final words: don't get cute with me in my own place. Oh, and stop fakking staring holes into my back, yeah?'
Two of the three younger men leaped to their feet, sending chairs toppling. They had hands on their sword hilts, but Beard halted them with a sharp word and a raised hand. Egil's hammers were already in his hands, a snarl on his lips.
'Barky bunch of curs, ain't they?' Nix said.
Egil grunted. 'Need to be brought to heel, maybe.'
'Nix!' called Tesha from her station atop the stairs.
Nix winced, and dared not turn to face her.
'We were only asking,' Beard said calmly. At his gesture, his two underlings retook their seats and removed hands from hilts. 'We intended no offense.'
'A misunderstanding, then,' Nix said, hopefully loud enough for Tesha to hear. 'No harm done. As I said, enjoy your evening.'
'Elsewhere's probably best though,' Egil added.
As Nix and Egil walked back to the bar, Tesha descended the stairway to meet them. She smiled at a patron ascending the stairs with one of her girls, but the smile disappeared the moment the patron was out of eyeshot. Nix tried not to ogle her figure as she moved toward them.
'You can muster a fake smile as well as me,' Nix said to her.
'Twice in one night you threaten-'
'Leave it be, woman, 'Egil said. 'They're watch or kith to watch. We only had words.'
' Heated words,' she said.
'Words, heated or no, shed no blood.'
Nix cut off whatever she intended to say. 'Did Kiir and Lis tell you our thinking? About this place?'
For the first time, Tesha's severe expression softened. 'They did, but… did you mean it? I thought you were having a jest at their expense.'
Nix shook his head. 'We're earnest. Free room and board for you. As for your workers, half of what they've been paying for rent and board. Profits come to us, less ten percent as your earnings. No negotiations. That's the offer. Done?'
Her expression vacillated between surprise, hope, and skepticism. 'This is business, Nix. Nothing else. You're clear on that?'
'You cut me deeply, milady. If ever I have to buy an entire tavern to procure sex, even from one as lovely as you, Egil has standing instructions to kill me.'
Egil chuckled. So did Tesha, and Nix thought the sound musical.
'What about Gadd?' she asked, and looked over her shoulder at the towering tapkeep. He tended his wares, as always, working his sorcery behind the bar. Morra flew by, holding her usual platter of ales.
'He already eats and drinks free,' Nix said. 'His pay is your concern, but keep it reasonable. Morra's too. If you accept the offer.'
She put a hand on her hip, looked around the common room.
'See how she considers?' Egil said. 'A wise woman. If we'd done that, we'd never have bought the place.'
'Unhelpful, priest,' Nix said out of the side of his mouth. 'What do you say, Tesha?'
She nodded to herself and stuck out a hand. 'Done and done.'
Nix shook it, feeling a charge at her touch. Egil shook her hand perfunctorily.
'We're going to drink now,' Egil said. 'It's your show, Tesha.'
'And send Kiir down, if you would,' Nix said.
'Kiir?' Tesha asked, and her lips pursed. 'Oh… Fine.'
As she walked away, Nix elbowed Egil. 'You see how she hesitated there? She likes me.'
'So you say,' Egil said. 'And now to the Altar of Gadd.'
'For libations. Aye.'
Soon thereafter the four watchmen settled their bill and left without a backward glance.
'Not sorry to see those slubbers vacate,' Nix said.
'Aye. Doubtful they return.'
The crowd thinned as the night got on and the water clock of Ool soon announced the small hours. Nix nursed an ale at the bar, trying to stifle yawns. Despite turning management of the place over to Tesha, he had the uncomfortable feeling that he'd bound himself to a piece of property, and that it had shrunk his world rather than expanded it.
He stuck his nose under his shirt and winced at the reek. He smelled of sweat, sour beer, and Gadd's pipesmoke. Basically, he smelled like the Slick Tunnel.
To Gadd, he said, 'I had no idea owning a business would be so damned boring.'
'One day of respectability and that about serves,' Egil said.
Gadd made a non-committal grunt. His tattooed hands and arms worried at the tankards and cups. He took out a pouch of something — hops, Nix thought, or maybe some kind of snuff — crushed them in his hands, inhaled deeply.
'You don't understand anything we say, do you?' Nix said.
Gadd looked up, a dust of the snuff across his broad nose. 'Drink?'
Nix smiled. 'No. Still working on this one. Keep doing what you do, man.'
To occupy the time, Nix examined the ivory wand he'd found in the tomb of Abn Thahl. He studied the tiny carvings on its shaft, his mind drifting back to his time in the Conclave as he tried to make sense of the
