lukia 4
Imric knocked on his brothers chamber door and waited. He was slightly annoyed that he’d had to cancel an appointment with his tailor but since the message from Ansgar had seemed so desperate he felt duty bound to respond. A few minutes went by and a strained voice croaked “Who is it?”
“It’s me. Imric.”
A pause and then the sounds of furniture being dragged and the click of a key in the lock. The door opened a crack and a bleary eye peered through. Assured of the identity of his visitor, Ansgar rapidly opened the door enough to pull Imric through before slamming it to and locking it again. Imric thought he seemed more than a little disturbed and decidedly dishevelled.
“Ansgar have you been smoking your decadent eastern substances again?”
His brother sank into the chair by the window visibly exhausted.
“Oh Imric! Don’t joke. This is terrible. I don’t know what to do.”
Imric sat in the chair opposite.
“You are serious aren’t you? What on earth has happened.”
“I think I may have signed my own death warrant.”
“Come come, Ansgar. Don’t be so melodramatic!”
Ansgar leaned forward conspiratorially beckoning Imric to do the same. Checking around him he whispered, “Have you heard of “The Blade that Sings?”
Imric repeated loudly, “the Blade that...”
“SSHHH!” Ansgar clapped a clammy hand over his brothers’ mouth. “Not so loud.” He slumped back. “I’d heard the stories of course but it never occurred to me when I took her on. She had such glowing references.”
Facts began to mesh together in Imric's head. He’d seen Ansgar's much gossiped about new bodyguard and like everyone else thought he’d picked her for her androgynous looks and manly demeanour. Most likely paying her for bed time restraint games more than protection.
“What stories?”
“You must have heard? A few years back one of the lesser Patalones got his head hacked off by a female bodyguard. Couldn’t prove it cos there were no witnesses. She took exception to parts of his lifestyle apparently. Sang as she rode away.”
“What do you want me to do? I’m no detective.”
“Just …could you speak to her. Find out what her feelings are…about…kittens.”
“Kittens?”
“Kittens?”
Imric found her in one of the medium quality hostelries eating smoked fish and fruit.
“Are you referring to the offspring of rabbits, cats or mink? Or is this some Meersburg euphemism I’m not familiar with yet?”
She wasn’t as physically repulsive as mother had led him to believe. At least not entirely an abomination of womanhood, close up. Very tall, very thin, very muscular, but not entirely unpleasant. He watched her spider like hands as she sliced slivers of the fish and folded them into her mouth.
“Um, cats specifically.”
“Can’t say I’ve thought about them much. Although there do seem to be more than is strictly necessary here. Are they considered a delicacy?”
A leather covered fist slammed down on the table in front of her. She raised an eyebrow but continued to eat.
“You had better cease your games, Madame, or I swear I’ll have you run out of town.”
“And you are..?” She took a swig of wine and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.
“Captain Lehrman of the city guard, but you can call me Sir.” he snarled.
“I doubt it,” she belched at him.
Imric heard the scrape of metal and turned his head to face the interloper.
“Captain?”
The captain's chagrin was instant.
“Sir! I’m so sorry Sir, I hadn’t seen you sitting there. Please forgive me.”
“Would you like to tell me what your complaint is against this woman? You do know she is in my brother's employ?”
The Captains hackles rose again as he turned to look at Lukia.
“She has been responsible for putting three of my men in the infirmary. Yarl alone will be out of action for several weeks. I won’t stand for this undermining of my men!”
Imric was taken aback.
“Yarl?” A small hillock of a man from the Urals. “He’s bloody enormous! What did she do?”
“Severed a tendon in his leg, Sir.”
Imric viewed Lukia again in a totally new light.
“You are dismissed Captain. Leave this with me?”
“Yes Sir.” He sneered at Lukia and then turned and stamped out.
She stared unflinching into Imric's eyes.
“It was a fair fight,” she shrugged.
“Anything in particular or do you just pick fights at random?”
“They picked the fight.”
“Because?”
“Personal.”
Imric had already formulated an answer to Ansgar's problem.
Ansgar was, if anything more agitated than when Imric had left him.
“Well?”
“She’s very feisty isn’t she?”
“And… what do you think?”
“Did you know she’s put three of the best town guards in the infirmary?”
Ansgar went from pale to grey.
“And for such a fierce woman she seems to have a very tender spot for small furry creatures.”
Beads of sweat oozed from the sides of Ansgar's nose.
“Look, Ansgar, I have a proposal for you. She seemed to take a shine to me. I'm always on the look out for good soldiers to serve under my personal banner. If you give me what you were going to pay her, I’ll take over her contract. She’s not going to go attacking family members of her employer is she?”
“What about when the contract is up?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“It’s me. Imric.”
A pause and then the sounds of furniture being dragged and the click of a key in the lock. The door opened a crack and a bleary eye peered through. Assured of the identity of his visitor, Ansgar rapidly opened the door enough to pull Imric through before slamming it to and locking it again. Imric thought he seemed more than a little disturbed and decidedly dishevelled.
“Ansgar have you been smoking your decadent eastern substances again?”
His brother sank into the chair by the window visibly exhausted.
“Oh Imric! Don’t joke. This is terrible. I don’t know what to do.”
Imric sat in the chair opposite.
“You are serious aren’t you? What on earth has happened.”
“I think I may have signed my own death warrant.”
“Come come, Ansgar. Don’t be so melodramatic!”
Ansgar leaned forward conspiratorially beckoning Imric to do the same. Checking around him he whispered, “Have you heard of “The Blade that Sings?”
Imric repeated loudly, “the Blade that...”
“SSHHH!” Ansgar clapped a clammy hand over his brothers’ mouth. “Not so loud.” He slumped back. “I’d heard the stories of course but it never occurred to me when I took her on. She had such glowing references.”
Facts began to mesh together in Imric's head. He’d seen Ansgar's much gossiped about new bodyguard and like everyone else thought he’d picked her for her androgynous looks and manly demeanour. Most likely paying her for bed time restraint games more than protection.
“What stories?”
“You must have heard? A few years back one of the lesser Patalones got his head hacked off by a female bodyguard. Couldn’t prove it cos there were no witnesses. She took exception to parts of his lifestyle apparently. Sang as she rode away.”
“What do you want me to do? I’m no detective.”
“Just …could you speak to her. Find out what her feelings are…about…kittens.”
“Kittens?”
“Kittens?”
Imric found her in one of the medium quality hostelries eating smoked fish and fruit.
“Are you referring to the offspring of rabbits, cats or mink? Or is this some Meersburg euphemism I’m not familiar with yet?”
She wasn’t as physically repulsive as mother had led him to believe. At least not entirely an abomination of womanhood, close up. Very tall, very thin, very muscular, but not entirely unpleasant. He watched her spider like hands as she sliced slivers of the fish and folded them into her mouth.
“Um, cats specifically.”
“Can’t say I’ve thought about them much. Although there do seem to be more than is strictly necessary here. Are they considered a delicacy?”
A leather covered fist slammed down on the table in front of her. She raised an eyebrow but continued to eat.
“You had better cease your games, Madame, or I swear I’ll have you run out of town.”
“And you are..?” She took a swig of wine and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.
“Captain Lehrman of the city guard, but you can call me Sir.” he snarled.
“I doubt it,” she belched at him.
Imric heard the scrape of metal and turned his head to face the interloper.
“Captain?”
The captain's chagrin was instant.
“Sir! I’m so sorry Sir, I hadn’t seen you sitting there. Please forgive me.”
“Would you like to tell me what your complaint is against this woman? You do know she is in my brother's employ?”
The Captains hackles rose again as he turned to look at Lukia.
“She has been responsible for putting three of my men in the infirmary. Yarl alone will be out of action for several weeks. I won’t stand for this undermining of my men!”
Imric was taken aback.
“Yarl?” A small hillock of a man from the Urals. “He’s bloody enormous! What did she do?”
“Severed a tendon in his leg, Sir.”
Imric viewed Lukia again in a totally new light.
“You are dismissed Captain. Leave this with me?”
“Yes Sir.” He sneered at Lukia and then turned and stamped out.
She stared unflinching into Imric's eyes.
“It was a fair fight,” she shrugged.
“Anything in particular or do you just pick fights at random?”
“They picked the fight.”
“Because?”
“Personal.”
Imric had already formulated an answer to Ansgar's problem.
Ansgar was, if anything more agitated than when Imric had left him.
“Well?”
“She’s very feisty isn’t she?”
“And… what do you think?”
“Did you know she’s put three of the best town guards in the infirmary?”
Ansgar went from pale to grey.
“And for such a fierce woman she seems to have a very tender spot for small furry creatures.”
Beads of sweat oozed from the sides of Ansgar's nose.
“Look, Ansgar, I have a proposal for you. She seemed to take a shine to me. I'm always on the look out for good soldiers to serve under my personal banner. If you give me what you were going to pay her, I’ll take over her contract. She’s not going to go attacking family members of her employer is she?”
“What about when the contract is up?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”