“Don’t ya dare, ya ass hat. Ya still owe me! Ya hear me!” Liam grunted as he turned Reven over, cradling the bard in his arms, backpack and all. His chest was in no better conditions than his back, bleeding and filthy with dirt and rock that Liam began to carefully pick out. The phoenix tattoo on the man’s chest was a bloody mess, making Liam pause a moment. He knew the tattoo well, a brand of sorts used by the nobility of the now-fallen Phoenix Empire. Liam shook himself of the thought and refocused on Reven. He paused long enough to dig through his sack, pulling out a squat little blown-glass bottle with dark green liquid inside of it. He pulled the stopper out with his teeth, feeding the bard the contents of the bottle. It was Power that worked through science instead of the strange energy that made magic possible; Power that would heal some of Reven’s wounds. There were too many for the liquid to work completely, but it would be better than leaving the tirsai bard half dead.
When Reven stirred in Liam’s arms, he looked down, hope giving him a slightly renewed vigor. Reven groaned but did not wake.
“Don’t do this t‘me, Rev,” Liam whispered. “Not you, too. Who’s gonna look after Ajana when we get back? She still needs ya, mate. An’ we’ve got a treasure t’find still or tha’ ass in the leather skirt’s gonna sell her fer pieces. Please…”
Liam sighed, letting his head fall back. He shifted uncomfortably, the thick leather straps across his back rubbing against the sores and cuts he received climbing down the hole. Ajana had found Reven huddled in a side alley somewhere in Pulani, a year before they shifted their sights to Kalaegh. He’d been so bloody intoxicated that he’d been arguing with a bird, telling the ‘reven’ to go away, to hear Ajana tell it. The man remembered absolutely nothing of a life he had prior to meeting Ajana - not a name or homeland, or even how he’d come to be in Pulani at all. The absurdity of the situation had played on the woman’s heart strings and the crowing word stuck as the man’s new name. She’d brought him home like one might bring home a lost kitten. Not one to ever tell Ajana "no", Liam allowed her to keep Reven even helping her nurse him back to a semblance of health and sobriety. Eventually, Reven became part of their two-man team, bringing in revenue as a highly paid bard or escort. He did all right at thieving, good for fetching things or quick runs in and out of a place they should not necessarily be, but his talent was for music, so that was what they used. Loathe as Liam might be to admit it, most of their income came from Reven. He was an asset that Liam simply could not afford to lose.
“C’mon, mate.” Liam sighed again, lifting his head back up to take a better look at where they’d
landed. That was when he saw her - a woman huddled behind a large fallen rock that partially blocked the southern exit. Slowly, the woman stood, naked as the day she was born, with locks of bright red hair that fell well past her waist in wild wisps and curls. She was as filthy as Reven, more so if that was even possible, with a frightened deer look about her. Liam just stared at her, eyes wide and blinking - that is, until she moved toward them.
“Don’t,” Liam warned, pulling a pistol from its holster at his back. The woman stopped, audibly swallowing her fear and took a step back.
“Roe,” Reven groaned, using Liam’s last name. He was not expecting Reven’s voice and nearly dropped the pistol as a result. “Is that a naked woman standing in the corner?”
“Yeah,” Liam chuckled with relief. “Yeah, actually, it is.”
“Oh…” Reven said, falling back into delirium. Liam shook the other man a little, repeating his name a few times in a vain attempt to rouse him. He looked back up at the terrified woman and finally let the pistol come down, keeping it out where it was clearly seen. Eventually, exhaustion took over and his eyes drifted shut in fitful sleep, one arm cradling Reven, the other holding the pistol.
***
“Liam.”
The thief-taker jerked awake, pistol up and aimed at the wall instead of at something useful. The naked woman with long hair was still there. In fact, she scrambled back away from them as soon as Liam opened his eyes.
“The naked woman is still there,” Reven croaked.
“Yeah, Rev,” Liam sighed, dropping his hand. There was no point in keeping it raised; the poor thing was too terrified to do anything but stare. She crouched near the bright blue river, so that it created a halo of neon colors behind her and made the wisps of tangled hair glow around her face.
Reven sat up slowly, aided by Liam’s strong arm. The thief-taker shook his arm out, feeling it tingle clear up to his shoulder.
Reven rubbed his temple with the heel of his palm, wincing a little as he cracked his neck and made sure all his limbs were still functional. It hurt to breathe and every bit of him felt like he’d been rolled over by a behemoth, but he was alive. That counted for something.
“You don’t have to cower, we’re not going to hurt you,” Reven said to the poor girl that looked upon them with terror and confusion.
“She’s not said a word since we got down ‘ere,” Liam added.
“Probably because you keep waving that pistol in her face. I wouldn’t talk to you either.”
Liam made a face in response. “Oi, what’s tha’ then?”
He gestured at the river of molten blue behind the girl, directing Reven’s attention to it. A natural warmth radiated off it, the cave glowing in soft
