Lead Operative: Bani Elkind (Solo)
Person(s) of Interest: Oksana Elkind, Babik the Peddler, Ursi Makeela, Jonas Flaggard, Kostanza Landen
Expenses: 430 Lyra
Summary:
Investigating a second Werewolf sighting in the town of Muncingin in Alaman. A soldier on exchange with Burgundia and Alaman sighted what appeared to be a werewolf. I went to investigate and resolve the situation. Upon investigation, this sighting was confirmed. The temporary Kalderari settlements in the area were also interested in the sighting leading to complications. All situations were resolved peacefully.
Outcome: Success
Detail:
<Journal Entry Attached>
After facing down with the Kalderari, the effort of their engine ramped and the wheels ground through gravel, picking up speed. Sundown was nearly upon us and I had an hour to fulfill my bargain. I had no guarantees that these Kalderari would return and keep their word at setting up a meeting with the King.
Earlier in the day, when I went to talk to Jonas—the soldier informant, he was on maneuvers scheduled to return to the barracks in an hour’s time. The closest place to wait in comfort was the train station.
That is where I met Kostanza Landen. She was an intriguing sight, sitting on the train platform with her attendant in tow. Noting her unique appearance—wavy black hair with a streak of white—and a book poking out of her bag that reminded me of Blanka’s own book.
I engaged her with trepidation, making it obvious that I knew she had magical inclinations, and feigning at not being terribly happy about it.
It might have been a symptom of being a stranger in a strange land. She was eager to prove herself; not fitting the burdening opinion I’d saddled her with. The conversation took a friendly turn and we made introductions.
She explained that she was a Clovian national here on holiday with her husband. It was clear she was nobility. I made a subtle comment about the Legerdemain Accords, and it was clear she didn’t agree that commoners should have access to such power. This was dangerous waters that I navigated only briefly, passing it off saying, “I agree to disagree.”
Her husband was staying at the Jagdhaus, the local hunting lodge. She wasn’t eager, but he’d insisted and she obliged. I had taken note of the location and said that I might see her there.
I knew that Oksana would have to be placed in someone’s care while I tried to reason with the Kalderari. If Kostanza was at the Jagdhaus, surrounded by hunters, she could help. The bloodbath that may ensue would be better dealt with men carrying all manner of longguns. I might be putting many lives at risk, but I hoped that, perhaps, it wouldn’t come to that.
Deciding that the Jagdhaus was my destination, I sped away from the hotel with Oksana resting in the sidecar as a hound. I moved off of main streets, down dirt roads and past wide open fields. The landscapes were wide and flat, allowing little cover and little secrecy. The staccato of the engine likely didn’t allow for much stealth, either. I guarantee anyone could hear the sound distinctly from kilometers away.
Finally, I emerged on the road toward the hunting lodge. Nothing was barring my way, but the sun had only just touched the horizon at this point.
The lodge was an ancient homestead that had been expanded over time. Parking areas had emerged for both the residents and the visitors. It had been built on an incline giving it a majestic stance overlooking the rising road. A shingle with the name and the proprietorship stood at the entrance from the road and another stood boldly over the front door.
I backed into a space in the upper parking lot, as close as possible to the front door. I pulled back the cover of the sidecar and motioned for the hound to follow. She looked and followed without hesitation. Men sitting on the front patio sipping at amber liquids and smoking cigars nodded as I approached. I smiled and nodded in return as I moved past them without engaging. I took note of their state and the number of empty glasses on the table. I glanced back at the hound.
Maybe this wasn’t the safest place, after all?
Pressing through the front door was an explosive sensation. The well lubricated laughter hit me first followed by the bluish haze of cigar smoke. I had been in rooms like this before. I could imagine the assault on the senses for Oksana. I glanced back, her pale blue eyes checked the hunters, but maintained focus on my steps.
I shook my head. I had forgotten the frivolity of these events. A successful hunt, libations, cigars, and enough bluster to power an airship.
With a polished smile, I moved through, keeping myself from coughing on the fouling mixture of cigar smoke. The man at the front desk was dead sober, his eyes watering slightly. He was a professional, though, and greeted me warmly—his engagement almost genuine. I spent a moment setting up a room and looked around the lobby, dining area, and out onto the patio. If Kostanza was here, she was not going to be in and amongst the gentlemen.
I asked the man at the front desk for “the Landens” and, as expected, he promptly pointed out the patio doors. I pushed through the patio doors, realizing that the hound had been spared a majority of the smoke inhalation as there was a clear line where the cloud began to form from about waist high. The smoke rushed into the sky as I exited.
I took a deep breath to clear my lungs. The patio itself was an overlook on the surrounding forest. The sunset was setting the trees alight with a red hue. The hills flanked the lodge, rising around the rear of the building creating a nestled space in nature. The patio had a commanding view of the same flat countryside that I had been speeding moments earlier. Shadows grew long, we were at the last moments of sundown.
A lone woman, in fact, the only person on the patio at this time of day, sat with her back to the doors. I could see the well groomed black wavy hair spilling over her shoulders. The shock of white hair interlaced with the black like an announcement of her magical inheritance.
“Mrs. Landen?” I said warmly.
She turned with surprise.
“Ah! Mr. Elkind!” She looked at the darkening skies, “When you did not arrive earlier, I figured you had forgotten about me.”
I smiled at the comment, she seemed genuinely delighted to see me. It was not entirely surprising, considering that I was among the handful of sober men in the lodge at the moment.
She offered to buy me a drink and I accepted graciously. She stood and made her way over to the railing that overlooked the surrounding forest. She leaned on the railing while gazing at the forest. I joined her, hearing Oksana follow with her light clicking.
I gave Lady Landen my attention, casually sipping at the drink in hand, in spite of the heightened awareness of the setting sun. She seemed to be preparing herself to express her displeasure at the situation. I had only moments to spare, but I knew this connection was important.
“Did you hunt?” I asked her.
“Oh, no, mon ami. That is my husband.” She waved a light gray gloved hand with the dismissal.
“My husband is attending,” she sighed and rolled her eyes, “to his many friends. I am left to my own devices here. I am, how would you say, a trophy? A prize? He expects me to stay until the week’s end, but I will not.”
I chuckled at her disclosure.
“You think this is funny. Yes?” She gave a dangerous look, “It is not.”
“Oh, I understand. The situation is not in your favor.” I said, and glanced through the glass doors at the wild gesticulations and boisterous laughter vibrating the glass, “I’ve forgotten what this was like.”
“What do you mean?” Her lips pursed as she asked.
“I married into wealth. And that,” I nodded toward another gout of laughter, “was what I was expected to participate in. It’s not in my nature. I appreciate a true hunt, even living off the land in the wild. This? This is purely sport.”
She nodded, her eyes squinted as if she was seeing more of me than she had before.
“Mrs. Landen? I have a request.”
I paused, genuinely unsure how to approach this. She inclined her chin and tilted her head, possibly endeared enough to play the part I was going to thrust on her. I looked down at Oksana. The hound had settled to the floor near my feet.
“I need you to look after my hound. I brought her for the hunt, but I have some business I need to take care of first.”
I could feel my heart beating wildly in my temples. The reality of the situation was dawning on me as I made the request.
I looked out at the forest, looking for movement, the shimmer of eyes in the near darkness. This place with it’s drunken army of hunters would be swarmed with true hunters. Leaving Oksana here was almost worse than trying to leave town at full speed. I was risking lives in a way that I never expected. A full complement of sharp-eyed, fully coherent soldiers would be hard pressed to keep a clan of werewolves at bay. I hoped I wasn’t making a terrible mistake.
She saw my reaction and tried to make sense of it. I straightened, pulling my mask back into place. I bent down and put my hand on the back of the hound who sat up immediately, eyes locking with mine.
“This is Amelie. She’s an incredible beast.” I said, looking back toward Kostanza, “If you could watch her and make sure she’s in good company while I get my business done, I would greatly appreciate it.”
There was a moment’s hesitation from her.
“I am not an animal person, but this I can do. She does not need anything special, yes?”
“No. Just some company. I’ll return shortly.” I said, smiling over my welling anxiety, “Thank you. I’ll make sure everything is in order in my room before I go.”
I beckoned for the hound to follow as I moved back into the smoke filled lobby.
I made my way upstairs to the room and this is when the hound paused briefly with disdain as we passed through the threshold of smoke. Our room was smaller then the suites we passed, but, for myself, it was just a place to sleep.
If I live to sleep here.
Entering the room, the amenities were arranged neatly on the rustic wooden dresser and table. A yellow oak writing desk—narrow, but functional—was tucked in at the foot of the lodgepole framed bed. There was a small bathroom nook that seemed a bit of an awkward addition to what may have simply been a bedroom in the original construction. A simple red and gray knotted wool rug filled the center of the wooden floor, adding slightly to the comfort of the room. Surprisingly, there was a dog bed in the corner.
The hound investigated the room and then sat on the rug, looking at me. I pulled out the phrasebook and worked out just enough to get instructions across.
“I need you to stay in the lodge if anything bad happens.” I said in broken Beryat.
I’m sure I had thoroughly butchered the language in the attempt. The hound looked at me and tilted its head. I tried again.
“Stay with Kostanza until I get back.”
More broken Beryat and an increased tilt to the hound’s head. I remembered her explanation, that she wasn’t as “mind” or “think” as the hound. That little tidbit had been nearly impossible to decipher from our time at the hotel.
This is not working out like I’d planned.
I was exasperated. It was going to be nearly impossible to keep her safe. If the Kalderari decided they didn’t like how I tried to resolve this situation, bad things would happen. Drunken hunters, a lodge open to the forest on all sides, this feral woman that couldn’t understand me to save herself, and, worst of all, Kostanza. I was putting all of them at risk with this pale attempt to secret Oksana away under their noses.
“Well, fuck.” I breathed aloud.
I had better be damn good at disarming the situation or I’ll be a bloody smear with the rest of them.
I leaned into the small writing desk, taking a page from the stack of letterhead in the corner of the desk.
“Property of Bani Elkind. If found, please contact Angelica Bess.”
I penned the message, putting the Nachtrichter main telephone number. I straightened, folding the message in half and slid it into my jacket. I opened the door to the room and beckoned the animal to exit. She loped out and I looked around the room, with a grimace, then closed the door behind me.
I moved back to the patio. Kostanza seemed to be a little more relaxed, warming from the alcohol. Her glass had been refilled. Gas lamps were lit on the patio, casting a gentler light than the harsh electric lights would. A large bonfire had been erected in a pit and was being tended to carefully by one of the attendants. The drinking and smoking had made its way out onto the patio, but Kostanza had a safe buffer from the others.
“Thank you, again, for taking care of Amelie. Good luck with changing your husband’s mind.” I said with a smile.
She smiled warmly at the mention.
“Oh, it will not be a problem, Monsieur,” she said with an arched eyebrow as she patted her bag, the book of magicks clearly visible in its mouth.
Then she gave me a strange look.
“You are coming back, yes?”
“Yes, I plan to.”
She reacted to the uncertainty of my words by scrunching her face.
I looked down at the hound standing quietly at my side who was gazing at Kostanza. I gave a light whistle and the pale blue eyes looked up, shining in the darkness of her tousled black hair. I flagged her toward Kostanza and she padded over, nails clicking lightly on the stone patio.
Kostanza looked hesitant, but reached toward her, awkwardly patting the dog on the head. There was a moment that seemed to swell in Kostanza with the interaction. She scratched at the hound’s head and the hound leaned into her. Oksana enjoyed the moment, then turned her head and locked eyes with Kostanza.
My heart jumped a little.
“An … unusual creature,” Kostanza said and cut off.
“She’s precious. And very, very well behaved.” I said it in a measured tone then spouted, “I will be back.”
I turned quickly, taking a deep breath, and briskly walked toward the lobby.
The one person whom you can trust her with is the only who could truly discern her nature. Could this plan get any worse?
“Mr. Elkind?”
A voice called out behind me. When I turned, the man at the front desk was looking in my direction, a sharpened pencil in hand.
“Will you be joining us for a hunt at 07:00 or at 11:00?”
“I will attempt 07:00, but please feel free to fill my spot if I do not arrive. I will attend at 11:00 otherwise.” I said, feeling antsy, looking toward the front door.
“Very well. If you can let us know beforehand, that would be most appreciated.”
I pushed through the front doors and took the steps down two at a time. My heart was racing. All of this had likely pushed me beyond my promised meeting time. Looking at the motorcycle, I tossed the folded note on the duffel and snapped the cover in place. I reached down and pulled the pin that joined the sidecar to the motorcycle, moved forward slightly and dropped the pin back into the sidecar’s side of the connection.
I pulled the leather cap over my head and pulled down my goggles. The motor clapped to life, the sweet smell of bluegas exhaust filled my nose as I pulled away from the parking space and started my way back toward the Kalderari camp. I patted myself down along the way. The Revjakt shotgun was in place facing out in it’s sling on my left side. The Toro revolver was under my right hand. I took a deep breath, opening up the motorcycle as I turned onto the highway toward the camp.
My experience with the motorcycle was paltry, at best. Sure, I was competent, but only on clear roads. It had been a splurge after my divorce. Cassandra had wanted nothing to do with them. The divorce opened that door again. I purchased it to spite her disdain, but it was as if the ghost of our relationship continued to haunt me. Keeping me from spending more than a fleeting amount of time with it. I intended to change that, but, perhaps, this wasn’t the best situation to test myself against. The roads were dark and my sense of ease with the motorcycle faded quickly with the remaining light.
I retraced the path in my head. My time with maps had given me a sense of the lay of the land. Right now, I wanted the most direct route to the Kalderari camp.
This had to work. I have no other choice.
The words moved blurringly fast through my head as I sped down the darkened roads.
No, I had a choice. I always had a choice.
It was nearly pitch black with a thin moon overhead. There was a light on the road ahead, an electric lamp showing an obstacle. As I grew closer, the lights from the motorcycle lit up the side of a tractor that was stuck sideways in the road. It looked as if it stalled when moving between fields. The angle of the incident made it apparent that the intention was a little more sinister. Men in long coats were ineffectively tugging and pulling on the sides of the tractor. As I got closer, the men looked toward me and shrugged.
My hands got itchy. I grit my teeth and goosed the engine, rounding off over the edge of the road and riding up one side of the ditch, I teetered a bit with the unfamiliar maneuver, then back moved back down the lip toward the road, cleanly skirting the obstacle. I exhaled into the blast of wind as I sped up, but then saw another set of lights turn on in the distance then start moving toward me. I checked my mirrors to see if the others behind me were attempting to flank, but I couldn’t see them in the darkness.
The steely grip of panic was attempting to clutch at me. I moved forward at an even pace, keeping the motorcycle in check. The car slowed as we moved closer. I echoed their stance, slowing, but not stopping. Their lights were blinding, but my single headlight shone against a hand raised from the driver side door. I moved slowly closer, dropping my legs to glide along the ground. The car halted, a familiar squeak.
I growled to myself, recognizing the trap. I immediately cranked the throttle, giving the driver side door a wide berth. I hugged the bike, laying low, and sped past the stopped car. I could hear some angry shouts and a grind of gears as they began to turn the car around on the narrow road.
I dropped back on my speed seeing that a turn was coming up, gravel laced the road and ditching my bike at this moment meant certain doom. I jockeyed gingerly around the roundabout and saw my straight shot to the Kalderari camp.
Straight into the den of wolves.
I cursed under my breath. Of all the brilliant ideas I’ve had, this was likely the very pinnacle of ludicrousness. This ironic courtship with honor may very well end tonight.
Another pair of headlights were moving my way, directly from the Kalderari camp. I braced my left hand dropping from the handlebars to my waist, fingering the stock of the shotgun through my coat. There were smiles on the passengers, some late night shopping from the locals. They didn’t give me a second look as I moved past them. The gathering of Kalderari wagons was just beyond.
My heart was in my throat. I pulled quickly to the edge of the wagons, close to where Babik’s wagon was. I killed the engine, threw down the kickstand, and ripped the goggles and leather cap from my head and hung them on the handlebars. I skimmed the edge of the wagons, looking for immediate threats.
If I could just talk to them…
I maneuvered through the wagons and I happened on Babik’s wagon. The small boy that I’d seen earlier, looked sidelong at me, completely unperturbed, as I approached. He was standing close to the wagon, after his glance, he turned away from me.
“Where’s Babik?”
There was a recognizable grunt from beyond the boy. Babik was on his back, working on one of the wheel housings of the wagon. I saw a flash of headlights cast shadows from the road.
They’re here.
I moved to the side of the wagon, opposite the boy. He watched me with vague interest, but his eyes never wavered. I unbuttoned my jacket, letting my iron show through, facing the closest entrance to Babik’s alcove.
Babik struggled, his twisted legs giving him trouble as he stood. The boy helped him, eyes still on me. Two men I recognized rounded the corner and glared at me from the entrance. My hand was open, ready to draw. I felt heat rise in my face as they stepped forward.
“I requested an audience. Did you tell him?”
I bobbed my head toward Babik who was taking in the scene.
The older of the youths sneered.
“He has no authority here.”
“I’m giving him that authority,” I said, “Or you could always take a run at me. I’ll kill at least one of you before I go down. Do you want to take that chance?”
The older one stepped back from his predatory stance and gave a high trilling whistle. Goosebumps ran all the way up my back all the hairs on the back of my neck bristled. I felt an eerie shift in the air, a low rustle of motion as the whole camp’s focus was now squarely on me.
Eyes appeared everywhere.
I clenched my jaw.
What I would give for a half dozen silver grenades right now.
“Now, now. Let’s not be hasty. The man has something to say, maybe he’s worth listening to, right?” He said, attempting an endearing nod at the Kalderari youths.
He looked back toward me, his eyes pleading. I let the tension slide away, but I was still on high alert. He flagged at the men at the edge of the camp, but they barely acknowledged him. He stepped forward to them.
“He wants an audience with the King. What’s the harm in that?”
Moments passed. I held my breath and so did the entire camp. I saw teeth grit in the older of the young men. Babik held his hands up in a gesture to calm the situation.
“I will vouch for this man.” He said, looking back at me over his shoulder, “He is my guest.”
I will never forget that feeling. Babik was little more than a stranger whom I had briefly exchanged words with. While the exchange was genuine, I never expected it to lead to this moment. I could feel my face flush in the moment and I swallowed against the lump in my throat.
He turned back to me and I bowed at the waist toward him.
“There’s no point in showing your weapons like that. It’d best if you button that coat up or you’ll catch cold.” He said plainly, but asserted the suggestion with a raised eyebrow.
He looked around at all the players. Tempers were still on edge, but every motion was slow and deliberate.
“Let’s make way to speak to the King.” He announced it, putting his arms on my shoulders to guide me as well as shield me.
The others folded in around us as we passed. Heat from the crowd, the smell of close bodies, sweat, perfume, and the musk of travel. I knew that there were as many lycanthropes as there were humans. Some showed their true natures more than others. A woman, big as a truck, nearly resembling Bjorn in stature, stood to block the way. Her body rippled with muscles as she barely kept her change at bay. She bared sharp, lengthened teeth as her nose flared.
Babik lowered his eyes, but I didn’t. I looked at her, not defiantly, but with purpose. I almost spoke, but held my tongue in the moment. There was a flurry of words from around me, nothing I could understand. A moment passed, as she locked eyes with me and then stepped to the side to let us pass.
“You test yourself, or perhaps you think well of my standing in the family.” Babik whispered at my back, nearly breathless, “I’ll let you know that you shouldn’t. I am not well respected here.”
I watched the faces, nostrils flaring and eyes smoldering. Those that lined the path eventually gave way as we approached.
I was brought by Babik before a fire pit. He turned, looking at the others, making gentle motions for them to retreat. Most did, but others hesitated. He waited for them to oblige before proceeding. It appeared that this event had changed into more of a spectacle than an offense to tradition. While the tension had lessened, there was a different tension; an anticipation of what would come next.
Babik nodded to my jacket.
“We need to disarm you before you see the king.”
I nodded. I unbuttoned my jacket and held up my arms.
“Is there anything I should be aware of?” He asked, there was a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. The pressure of this moment was not lost on him.
“It’s exactly what you see. There is nothing sharp.”
I jutted out my hip with the Revjakt and he pulled it and put it on a table that stood at our flank. He then pulled the Toro revolver along with the bandolier.
“This is all silver?”
I nodded.
“That’s spending money.” He said, looking up at me with a smirk, “If this all goes well, I’m sure we can put it to good use.”
That gratitude swelled again. I smiled through the tension.
“Yes, we’ll do that. When all this is over.”
Whatever ‘over’ means by the end of this.
The thought was sobering. Hundreds of eyes on me standing at the edge of a fire pit. Waiting in anticipation to that end. Feeling like a blood sacrifice to a wolfen god.
Bani, what the hell were you thinking.
“Anything else?” Babik looked at me, his eyes were wide.
“I have nothing else.”
He breathed deep and then pulled a blade and its sheath from his own beltline.
“Never be completely defenseless when in audience. You should always be able to bare your teeth.” He said, hooking the sheath to my my belt and patting the blade.
Suddenly, the tradition of wearing a shortsword in Montenica came a little more into focus.
Babik removed his coat and tossed it over the weapons on the table.
“I will know if someone has touched it.”
I nodded, and thanked him. Being robbed was truly the least of my worries at the moment.
“This man seeks an audience with the king!” Babik called out and stepped back to the edge of the circle that had formed around us.
A woman stepped from the more majestic of the wagons. She was similarly dressed to Vadim Buckley’s consort at his camp when we visited Neuchatel. Colorful silks wrapped around her and she twirled with grace, moving close and running her hands over me seductively. The close dance that ensued was an incredibly alluring patdown. She moved behind me, pressing her body up to mine. She tapped the blade that Babik put in place at my waist, then dipped to run her hands up my inner thighs. She punctuated the experience by grabbing my crotch.
I tensed. She waited there briefly, her hot breath on the back of my neck, then retreated. Her hand went back to my waist, tracing along my beltline, circling back around to the front. She turned toward the wagon and gave a slow curtsy toward the wagon.
The wagon ahead of me rocked slightly and a slight, but chiseled, man with sundrenched skin stepped down. He wore a blue shirt unbuttoned to the bottom of his chest with black cloth pants held up by a bejeweled belt. The pant cuffs went down to his knees, showing bare legs to what almost appeared to be well adorned slippers.
“Who comes before the king?”
He looked in my direction. His eyes seemed hazy. It was hard to know if he could clearly see me.
“I am Bani Elkind.”
“Bani.” He said my name pensively, testing the flavor of it in his mouth.
He continued.
“I am Ursi Makeela, I lead this tribe.” His eyes wandered over me, it was unclear what he was seeing, “What is your purpose for this calling of council?”
It was strange, like a moment out of time. A knight begging his king’s acceptance. It chafed against my sensibilities.
“I wish you to stay your sentence of the one you consider the aberration.”
There was a stir in the crowd. I looked around and heard fervent and angry whispers. I needed to understand the reason for their bloodlust. I waited for his response.
“You are an outsider. Why? Why does it matter to you?”
“I work for the government. It is my charge to protect those who need protection.”
He let out a belly laugh.
“Your government drives us from place to place. You harass us at the crossroads. You spy on us with your police. I ask, then, who protects us from the government?”
The words stung because they were true. It was something I had no control over.
“Ursi, these things take time.” I sighed at the pathetic response, “Like Babik did here, I will stand for you and your people. But, between their rules and your traditions, we must find a compromise.”
There were some growls from the edges of the circle. I looked around.
“My people know I’m here. If you spill blood, there will be repercussions. Not just for you, but for all Kalderari. Guns, armies, the locals would all stand against you.” I turned to the edges of the circle, “You would lose your way of life. You would be hunted.”
The King’s expression soured further with my words.
“We would not be the Hunted. We would be the Hunters. This has happened before and we would survive.”
“I don’t want you to just survive. I want you to thrive. Your people deserve to exist and find balance in this new world. I am someone who can help achieve that.”
I meant every word.
“We follow your rules in your places. But our traditions will always guide us. Your words mean nothing in this place. Especially when you ask us to go against our very core beliefs.”
“I only ask that we find a way to co-exist. Help me find a way to help you.”
He rolled his eyes and stepped forward. I could feel heat radiating from him as he stood close.
“Even for this feral beast? It is a danger to you as well. It’s best that it is put down.”
“I don’t see that. I see a woman displaced.”
“A woman? Interesting.” He rocked back on his heels with the words. “We had our suspicions, but she has kept herself well hidden.”
He squinted in my direction, “I find it hard to believe the government cares about one woman that you’d considered cursed.”
“The organization I represent cares as much as its members. And I care. She is in my custody and under my protection. She will be my responsibility.”
“Your responsibility.” He said flatly, “You know nothing of what you speak.”
“Why not?” I said, feeling defiance rise in me, “You don’t know me.”
“I know your name, Bani.” He tested my name again on his tongue.
“Her name is Oksana. She is from the Keurg Union, hiding deep in the forests with her parents until they were taken from her. Men hunted them and killed them. She fled.”
“As well they should have.” He said, his eyes narrowed, but his tone was intrigued.
“She took the form of a hound to hide and lost herself for years. A man, the Taxidermist in town, took her in as a pet, not knowing her nature. He died in his sleep weeks ago.” I felt heat rise in my face, “She deserves something more than this end.”
“You know much about her, sure. But this is where you, an outsider, are wrong. She does not deserve anything without a family. We are family. We watch out for each other, we keep each other in line, we protect each other.” He paused briefly considering, “As you protect your people, do you protect her?”
“Yes. I take responsibility for her. My people will be her family. We will provide a place for her to live the life she deserves.”
“You will be her family?” He stated, then his hazy gray eyes coming the closest they had to locking in to mine.
“Yes. That’s what I said. I take responsibility for her.”
I stood firmly in place. The heated exchange didn’t provoke a response from the surrounding faces. I chanced a look and there was a strange mixture of expressions: some with unmasked bewilderment, others with firmly entrenched frowns, but many, many others showing a thin sort of respect. The kind of respect you give to someone who stoically stands his ground in front of a firing squad.
Most importantly, none were baring their teeth. That was the near universal response just moments earlier.
Ursi considered for a moment, then turned abruptly and walked back toward his wagon.
His exit was like a sudden exhale. I let myself deflate as he walked away. I was immediately exhausted. I remained in place, a little less erect, but still standing at attention. I glanced behind me. Babik was there, he nodded with pursed lips, looking impressed and more than a little proud.
Moments passed. I felt weak, holding the weight of the world on my shoulders. The crackling of the fire pit was the only thing that broke the silence.
The wagon creaked and Ursi returned to the entryway, holding a large tome. It had bookmark ribbons protruding from the top and a well worn red leather cover. It was expertly laced along the spine, holding it together. I made a guess that this book was likely the oldest thing in the camp.
He moved forward, eyes down on the pages that he’d turned to. He navigated around the fire and back to where I stood without so much as a glance. He raised his head, standing close enough to reach out and put a hand on my shoulder.
I was able to see the tome up close. The page was well worn, and the words themselves were a busy mess. My mind gave up trying to make sense of it almost immediately.
“How far will you go to protect her, Bani?” He said, eyes still on the book.
Ursi’s words rattled me.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You walked into this camp ready to die to protect this woman.”
I nodded.
“Would you be willing to live for her?”
“I, umm, I… what do you mean?”
There were whispers echoing around me. Some gasps erupted. The sounds like a babbling brook began to percolate around me. The King raised his eyes and looked around him sternly. The babbling brook immediately silenced.
“I think you know what I mean, Bani Elkind. Government man.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. Ursi gave me a smirk, then tilted his head while looking in my direction with those hazy eyes.
“She can live if she’s part of a family who will be there to protect her and, if necessary, control her. This tradition is as old as the Kalderari, our family. Those who do not have family put all of us at risk.” He spread a hand to those in the circle, “If you wish to protect her, you must become family and you must marry her.”
I froze.
“Take your time, but don’t take long. Dinner is cooking.” Ursi said, his smirk widening.
Damnit. Bjorn. I am never going to hear the end of this.
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