Penny drop circles on bars7/26/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() "Forgive me, Keeper." Her eyes ran over Trev and Alcibiades. For a heartbeat, her fingers twitched, gaze lingering on Ferai as if longing to pluck out his eyeballs, then she stilled and nodded. "Apologies."īill's eyes flicked to the witch. Keep up your hissing and I'll let you scrap it out in the storm like a couple of alley imps." He jabbed a finger at the tavern's front door.Ī silence stretched between the group, the warlock and the witch glaring at the other until Ferai broke and bowed his head to Bill. "Need I remind you, this establishment is neutral ground. "Believe me, talking to you gives me no pleasure either, warlock." She almost spat the last word.īill thumped Ferai's refilled glass onto the bar top, slopping half of it over the side. She lifted her thin, pointed nose and sniffed. The woman's hazel eyes flicked to him, lips pressing into a line. An old woman, white haired and wrinkled, leant on a broomstick. It was hoarse, feminine, and it split the air like a whip. "Hit me again, Bill, if you'd be so kind." "To your books Farai," Alcibiades said, raising his glass.įerai smacked his lips and pushed his glass across the counter. "Acolyte Fa-" The warlock stopped and winced. I'm so far behind in my studies that the Dark Lord." He looked down at his glass, sagged a little more. "So, she took a few books, that's not so bad. Trev cocked his head, a hooked his thumbs into his tiny trousers. "She asked for my books in exchange for her future child. "The ability to tap the energy of the netherworld, open portals, summon underlings," he shrugged. "A story like ours? What could a human want with a warlock?" ![]() A five o'clock shadow graced his cheeks, making him look gaunter still, like he'd just crawled from the grave. A tale similar to yours in fact." He flipped the hood away, revealing high cheek bones, sunken green eyes and a smooth dark scalp covered in glyphs. The cloak sagged a little, drink paused halfway to the cowl. "To our human troubles then."Īlcibiades looked up from the bar, eyes shining, almost hopeful. The stranger picked his up, gold rings glinting on his fingers and raised it. Not once in twenty years," Alcibiades said.īill placed a smoking glass of dragon's blood before each of them. "I keep checking in on her, but no child. The cowl snapped to them and leaned in close. Traded his ability to wield fire in exchange for her first born." Fool's gone and got himself locked in a contract with a human. "Woman troubles?" the cloaked stranger guessed as Bill turned to fetch their drinks. "Thanks Bill." He sighed again and stared into the distance. The demon grunted from the surface of the bar. All right, this one's on the house, Trev. The day I get my hands on that scrawny girl-"īill waved him off. ![]() "On your tab is it? Awaiting the day you recover your pot of gold again? I should warn you, it's quite the debt you've racked up these last twenty years since you lost-" Al's had a rough couple of decades."īill raised an eyebrow at the sprite. The leprechaun sighed, "I'll cover it Bill. "You going to pay for your last one?" Bill asked, with a pointed look to Alcibiades' finished drink. The demon harrumphed, rested his chin on the bar and drew circles in the ring of water left from his glass. Bill the barkeep set aside the latest pint he'd been polishing and went to the stranger. Boots squelched across the floor, heading for the bar, and a cloaked figure drew up a chair and sat down. It's just, I had my whole career ahead of me, you know?"īehind them, the door of the tavern banged open, bringing a gust of the storm from the crossroads in. "Sit down Alcibiades, you're going to get us thrown out again."Īlcibiades slumped back into his seat. "I'm the laughing stock of my legion." He hiccupped and the leprechaun clucked its tongue. "Look, I'm not sure what it's like, but it's not good." He swayed in the lanterned light. "Give up on it?" His voice boomed across the bar, rattling loose a trickle of dust from the rafters. "Well, that's the way of it isn't it? But don't you think it's time you moved on? Give up on it yea? It's been twenty year-"Ī flash of red eyes and the demon rose from his stool. The small, squat sprite gave his companion a comforting pat on one plated forearm. "She seemed," his red eyes narrowed, "so innocent. He sighed again and ran one honed nail around the lip of the glass. "But she was-" Al began, stopped, and stared into his drink. "Sometimes these things aren't meant to be." "Don't get so hung up on it, Al," chippered the leprechaun from beside a tankard almost as big as he was. Sounds hung in the air like wet washing: a steady splat of rain on the windows, the wind moaning down the chimney, and one long sigh from the demon slumped at the bar, drinking himself into a stupor. ![]()
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