ten minutes in a tavern

7/27/2019 Ten Minutes in a Tavern

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Ten Minutes In A Tavern by Harald Hagen

I looked him in the eyes, Joden starts again, staring into

the murk of his drink, right into the blacks of his eyes. elt my breath, !et and stinking of ale, "ush back from his face ontomine. The sting. #nbearable. $ut not once did I look a!ay.

%ot at the !hite silk surcoat across his chest, "robably !orthmore money than !hat&s ever sli""ed through these hands. %otat the hellsaint&s "endant around his neck, given him by some'such'god or another before he became its incarnate. %ot at thescar on his chin that he got !hen he !as three.

Joden sits at the counter of a tavern !here shado!s fillmore seats than "atrons. The barkee" nods along as he listens tothe man. Around them, torches flicker and s"it. High on the

back !all a sign reads ($leakmare,& !hile beneath it a bullglaivehangs visible from every seat in the house.

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or the longest time, I couldn&t move, Joden says.*aught in some back alley bet!een +"roud+ and +nauseous.+trange to get so close to something you&ve hunted from afar for

years. -hen I finally regained my nerve, I finished the deed.eached do!n, took hold of the dagger in his gut, and "ulled.And everything that he ever !as started s"illing out of him.

Joden do!ns his greenkrill ale. It&s a cold fire in his throat!ith the taste of burnt grass. The barkee", /ay An, stands !ithskin and eyes of ember, t!o heads taller than any man. To thesides his server boys !ait and !his"er in a native tongue, eachof them a different shade of orange. -hite fur frames their!rinkled ears.

The ect 0ing, slain. /ay An says to Joden in his strange!ay.

Joden "ushes his mug. Another./ay An "ours and dro"s in a dark, finger'like crystal. It

hits the surface and hisses. or all the good it&s done me.

ummer air bakes the smell of s!eat into the !ooden !allsand dirt floors. -ith the day&s heat outside obstinate in itse1cess, a small band of travelers finds their refuge in the tavern.All "atrons but Joden oblige them !ith hushed sounds, ceasedmovements, and looks of casual sus"icion. $ut nothing aboutthem is remarkable. The moment ends.

/ay An signals a boy !ith auburn skin to see to the band.And after the blood drained2

It !asn&t blood, Joden says. It !as cold !hat came outof him. Icy as a bite of !inter, and clear as a stream. %earlyfro3e my toes !hen it rushed over my boots. -ent right throughthe damn things. Joden looks do!n at his feet and sees the iron

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there as al!ays, rinsed by decades, aging !ith the rest of hisarmor at a different "ace than he. I let it all come.

The travelers seat themselves at the center table. They stir

in their chairs. The auburn boy recites a short menu to them likehalf of a child&s rhyme.0ee"s me u" at night, Joden says, remembering !hat it

smelled like./ay An leans in further, kee"ing one eye on the room.%othing. %othing at all.Three make u" the band at the table, all !ith ri"e voices

and uns"ent youth. They sit as if in 5udgment over the auburn boy on thrones of uneven "egs. They cough and s"it.

/ay An lets a moment "ass before asking6 The dagger 7did you kee" it2

A laugh esca"es Joden. I !on&t sell it to you, friend. or a lifetime of my "eo"le+s ale2 8ou&d save yourself a

fortune.I&d drink faster than you can bre!.

I can al!ays find s"are hatchlings.$e that as it may. I might need a debt like that from

someone else./ay An clicks the t!o tongues in his mouth. A "ity.The travelers ask about o1 head sou", about !hether the

eyes are left in !hen the head is boiled or if they&re scoo"ed out!ith fingernails. As they s"eak, they give each other looks.

8ou&re a hero, er, someone tells Joden.He looks over. A "ale'skinned "riest sits t!o seats do!n,

seeming younger than his eyes betray. A sim"le black habitlined !ith red !ra"s his thin body, !hile a crested sha!l loosearound his neck hides only most of a "endant.

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souls, it !ill lay a hundred eggs, and the land&s ne! lords !ill becro!ned !ith the screams and bones of their sub5ects.

Joden slams his mug. Is that !hy you sugared your

tongue for me2I do not !aste my !ords, Joden, says :yeter. I meantthem all.

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And ho! might they have (deduced& that2 It&s a centuries'old necro"olis.

8ou&ve heard something of my


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hand, !atching him slo!ly drain. Around the room, "atrons sitand stand in inelegant "ause, lost in an a!k!ard gulf bet!eenthe room&s stillness and a conversation they can neither hear nor

understand. They come to kno! it only by its coldness and,soon, by its concision= !ith the slo! descent of falling timber,the auburn boy leans for!ard and touches forehead to earth.

/ay An signals his other boys to come clean u". Throughtheir movements, they coordinate !ordless rituals in rhythm6s"litting evenly the dead boy&s bracelets and clothes bet!eenthem, gathering as much of his remains and blood as they caninto a tub and taking it to the back room, thro!ing human "iecesinto a cart and hauling it outside !here they&ll be less visible,and "ouring !ater into t!o red "uddles to ease the colorthrough. /ay An !atches them, "reoccu"ied !ith calculations.As the servers finish, "atrons return to their natural states.

Joden turns to :yeter. *ome on. It&s dark soon.-hy did you do nothing2 the "riest asks, his voice all but

colla"sed.

I told you6 this is not our house. 8ou !ouldn&t kno! thisabout the Diuhan from reading a book, but a stranger !hoinsults their "ride is rarely forgiven. And a friend2 %ever.

I don&t care about them. Ho! could you do nothing./ay An returns behind the counter. Irritation tints his look

as he hangs the bloodied !ea"on back u" on the !all.%eed to lay an e1tra egg this !eek, he says.Eood luck !ith that, Joden says.-ithout another !ord, :yeter sets do!n a fe! silvers and

starts to!ard the door. Joden catches his arm, meets his eyes,and tries to hand him his untouched greenkrill ale. The "riest

"ulls a!ay and Joden !atches him go.-as there something !rong !ith the green2 /ay An asks.

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Joden takes a generous s!ig and re"lies6 %o. :robably 5ust not used to the taste.

hame. -ill you be back soon2

A day. A month.$efore you head out. /ay An calls a boy and says a !ordin his language, a !ord Joden !ishes he did not kno!. The boydisa""ears to the back room.

/ay. I can&t afford that.The barkee" !aves a!ay his concern. After a moment, the

boy returns !ith a small beastskin "ouch !hose string'tied to" isdotted !ith inhuman blood. Joden declines again, but /ay An&sinsistence "uts the dam" gift in his hand. Joden thanks him.

At the door he turns back and holds u" the "ouch, his "alm!etted dark green. emind me again2

/ay An smiles. To undream your slee". $oil for tenminutes. ?rink like tea.

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ten minutes in a tavern

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