Chương 18: Chapter 17 – A Good Salesman - Part 2

"Can I… That is… Can Tevaro help you, sir?" The Maeruki had grown pale, and he held the jar of Graspers behind his back, the light reflecting off the stone wall. Movement around Kindness' feet caught Bracken's attention and he felt his eyes grow wide. Kindness' shadow was darker than everyone else's, a pool of ink compared to the formless grey at Cinder and Pike's feet. It moved independently of the man, stretching towards Tevaro as if eager to climb under the table and sneak around behind him.

"What's behind your back?" Kindness' voice was softer and gentler than Bracken would have imagined. Not the gravelly rasp of an outlaw hero, just the voice of a man barely on the wrong side of thirty.

"Oh, this, sir?" Tevaro held out the jar as if he'd forgotten he was holding it until just then.

"It is, uh, medicine, for my favourite friend here. Unfortunately, I cannot sell it to you, but Tevaro often traffics in strange and exotic goods. He regrets that sadly today, he has no wares to interest a man such as yourself, but perhaps another time, yes?" Kindness stepped between Cinder and Pike, and the goons each shuffled back, making room for the man. Bracken risked a furtive glance at Cinder's face and saw quiet fury mingling with fear there, his eyes boring a hole in the side of Kindness' head.

If the Stray noticed, he certainly didn't care.

"What, they're good enough for me, but not for him?" Cinder rounded on Tevaro. The Maeruki looked like he'd swallowed a fishing hook and just noticed the twine dangling from his mouth. Kindness squinted at the jar and snorted.

"Relax, I don't want them. Plenty of easier ways to kill myself than choking on Grasper smoke." Bracken bit down on a scream of frustration. The man was going to rumble their entire plan if he didn't stop talking. The Stray turned to leave. Cinder, being Cinder, stopped him with a rough hand on his shoulder.

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?" Smoke rose from where his palm rested on Kindness' coat and he narrowed his eyes at the Maeruki. Kindness looked down at the offending hand, more perplexed than upset.

"Don't touch me," he shook his head slightly. Where another man might have growled the words as a threat, Kindness said them as casually as if he were remarking on the weather.

"I'll do more than fucking touch you," Cinder sneered. If he recognised Kindness, then he had a higher regard for himself than Bracken had realised.

"What'd you mean by that? These things poison?"

"Look, I thought I sensed something useful, so I stopped in to see what our Maeruki friend here is selling. Now that I've looked, I've decided that I don't want what he's selling after all. So, now I am leaving. Alright?" He remained quiet but his words became more exacting. He stared at Cinder a moment longer, his face perfectly neutral, before shrugging off the Caller's hand. Kindness made to continue towards his boat. Cinder, still being Cinder, grabbed the back of Kindness' collar and pulled.

Kindness blurred, moving so fast Bracken wasn't totally sure he'd even seen it happen. Cinder's grip was broken, his wrist trapped in Kindness' red right hand, looking thin and childlike compared to the demonic appendage. The Stray's smoky left hand was splayed against Cinder's stomach, swollen beyond human proportions and shot through with forked tongues of deep red light. Cinder froze, the scar of his Stain seeming darker against the sudden pale of his face.

The Stray looked him up and down once, then dropped the offending hand and stepped back. His left hand shrank to a more ordinary size, bleeding off excess smoke to be snatched away by the morning breeze.

"You don't want the trouble, friend," Kindness said quietly. Pike reached for his knuckles, taking a step towards the man, but Cinder stopped him with an outstretched hand and a shake of his head. They all watched silently as Kindness nodded, approving of the good sense shown, and stepped back into his boat to cast off. Only when he was gone did the trio resume talking.

"You trying to sell me poison, Tevaro?" Cinder drawled, masking the fear he'd let slip with smouldering contempt. Shit. Bracken sat frozen, feeling as if he was perched atop a powder keg. The heat wafting off Cinder intensified and Bracken worried the Maeruki was about to be burned alive. He looked around, trying to spot Sable, hoping against hope that she could intervene and de-escalate somehow. She was good at that sort of thing. He couldn't see her.

And if Cinder and Pike were a couple, would they even care about a pretty girl like Sable? Shit. His thoughts stuttered, skipping over one another in a useless jumble, not a single one sounding like a good idea.

"Of course not, sir! Tevaro sells only the finest of things and master Cinder is one of his most favourite customers. You know this!" Tevaro pleaded, palms outstretched.

"Bullshit, if the stuff is good, why didn't he want it?" Cinder jerked his chin in the direction Kindness had sailed.

"Something's up. Something's way up! This whole thing fucking stinks."

"Sir, it is like Tevaro said, these are potent treasures. Not for the weak minded or soft spirited, that is all," Tevaro shuffled from foot to foot, wringing his hands. Bracken half expected the Maeruki to bolt and was halfway ready to do the same when Torvin broke the cardinal rule; do not engage.

"I'll take them," Torvin said. Oh, Aldaryn above, no. Bracken carefully got one foot under himself, ready to jump on Pike's back and rip the knuckles from the cord around his neck. Maybe he could slip them on, use Pike as a shield against Cinder's flame? Was that insane? Yes, but so was relying on fucking Torvin to de-escalate a situation. He needed a plan! Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Er," Tevaro looked from Torvin to Cinder and Pike and back again, mouth working but no sound coming out. Torvin stood with his arms crossed on Cinder's left, completely ignoring the Caller and his goon.

"How much?" Torvin asked, pulling out a purse and hefting it. Bracken prayed to Silk the fool didn't have to open it because he'd bet good money it was full of rocks. Last he checked, Torvin didn't have a copper to his name. Tevaro only hesitated a moment, eyes darting between the three men.

"Of course, sir, if my good friend here is no longer interested then, let us call it… ten silver."

"Hold the fuck up, I didn't say that. I didn't say I don't want it," Cinder snarled.

"I asked what that arsehole meant about it being poison."

"As Tevaro said, sir, there is no poison here. No tricks, no traps, only the finest goods to grace the Stillwake. That man was one of the Strays, no? A cripple and a craven, Tevaro knows his face. He is Thulmor Stained, blighted by the magic of cowards and liars. Better men need not fear the corruption of the Planes as he does."

"I didn't say I was afraid, don't put words in my mouth."

"Yeah, well, I'm not afraid either. I can do eight silver for 'em," Torvin interjected, still completely blanking Cinder.

"No, you fuckin' won't, mate," Cinder stepped forward, positioning himself between Torvin and the Maeruki.

"I'm having a conversation here, so, sod off."

"Piss off, you haven't bought them so they're not yours," Torvin sneered. Only he could appear so utterly unintimidated, lip curled in annoyance as he looked Cinder up and down. He shoved past the Caller.

"So, can we do eight silver, or what?"

"Are you deaf, or just fucking stupid, you little shit? I told you to piss off," Cinder conjured a flame into his hand. Pike stepped around behind Torvin. Bracken shifted his weight and tried to keep his legs from shaking. He sucked down a breath as quietly as he could manage, his lungs feeling half their usual size. Maybe he could tackle Cinder into the canal. Would that even help, or would he just wind up boiled instead of burned? One way to find out.

"Eight silver is not enough. Nine is cutting Tevaro's own throat," the Maeruki interrupted, his voice pleading.

"Oi, fishface, shut the fuck up. You're not selling them to this kid," Cinder stabbed an accusatory finger in Tevaro's direction.

"I'll take them, alright? Nine silver." Bracken held perfectly still, scarcely believing his ears. He finally spotted Sable, standing in Pike's shadow with her hood drawn. She was pretending to look at the fruit being peddled at the next stall. The rising sun briefly caught on something in her hand, metal flashing where she had a knife palmed and ready. Sael bless the madness of his friends, then give them the sense to never again act on either of their instincts.

"Of course, sir," Tevaro practically deflated, sagging forward as if setting down a great weight. His feet stilled and he blinked slowly. Bracken sagged, his heart sliding from his throat back down into his chest.

"Ten," Torvin chimed in. Bracken could have screamed. Shit, he could've taken Sable's knife and killed the fool himself. Tevaro jerked upright.

"Ten, sir?" Tevaro choked out the question.

"Yeah, ten silver," Torvin nodded smugly.

"Best I can do."

"Are you looking to get yourself killed, boy?" Cinder cocked his head. Pike stepped closer, looming behind Torvin. Sable shifted her weight, looking ready to pounce.

"Does… Does Tevaro hear, eleven silver?" the Maeruki dared to ask, uncertainty mingling with greedy hope. Cinder blinked slowly, holding perfectly still for the first time since he had arrived.

"Eleven," the Caller ground out the word, somehow making it sound like a threat. He watched Torvin closely, as if daring him to raise the bid. The merchants in the stalls around them had likewise grown still, none daring to draw attention to themselves but all nervously watching the exchange with bated breath.

"Too rich for my blood," Torvin finally said, glancing over his shoulder at Pike and raising his hands in surrender. Cinder reached into his pocket and withdrew a purse, placing eleven silver pieces one at a time on the counter in front of Tevaro. He kept his eyes on Torvin the entire time. Tevaro nervously swept the coins into his hand and disappeared them into his pocket. He delicately pressed the glowing jar into Cinder's outstretched palm as if putting the final touch on a house of cards.

"I'm gonna remember your face, kid," Cinder promised. He looked to Pike and jerked his chin. Remarkable how nuanced the silent language that passed between them must have been, because Pike took the message immediately. Torvin yelped as Pike gripped both his arms and heaved. Torvin sailed headfirst into the canal. He splashed into the water as Cinder turned back to the Maeruki.

"Don't leave town, Tevaro. I'm going to want to have a word if these don't work," he held up the jar, giving them a slight shake before pocketing them.

"Of course, sir. A pleasure as always," Tevaro smiled, showing entirely too many teeth. Cinder and Pike skulked away, headed south. Sable caught Bracken's eye and gave him a nod before she turned to follow. Wide-eyed and tense, she must have been every inch as terrified as he felt himself. Still, he nodded back, grateful for the bravery and loyalty of his friends. That had been close, far too close. But the plan continued. One more step and then it would be his turn.

He waited until Pike, Cinder, and Sable rounded the corner and were out of sight before crawling forward to offer Torvin a hand. His friend clung to the stone wall, the tide low enough that he couldn't easily climb out. Bracken lay on his belly and helped pull the mad fool up until he could get an arm around a thin bollard and haul himself the rest of the way out.

"Why in Varr's name did you keep bidding?" Bracken panted, feeling nauseous and weak as the adrenaline bled from his system and his body pleaded with him to stop flirting so heavily with danger.

"Thought it would be, you know, less suspicious that way. More believable," Torvin laughed, sounding faintly sick himself.

"You're an idiot."

"Ah, but a brave idiot."

"One of the bravest." Bracken stared at the sky, watching the storm clouds churn, and prayed to Sael that the worst of the danger was behind them. Thunder rumbled in the distance.