Kings Game

Chapter 2 - Kell (2)

"Who are you?" yelled Murrin, startling to his feet.

Kell ignored him and let out another whistle. "Hey, kid, I know you can hear me. Come on, we need to talk." She smacked her spear against the bars. "Oi, warden, open this door, I'm taking the kid for a walk."

A warden appeared and began unlocking the door. Before he could open it, Kell grabbed the bars and wrenched it open herself. She waltzed in as if she owned the place, thumping her spear on the ground with every step.

"Wow, it smells like shit down here. How do you stand it?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you think you are," said Murrin, towering over Kell, "but you can't just-"

Kell walked right by him, completely ignoring Murrin and making a beeline for Roran. The other inhabitants of the dungeon shrunk away from her as she walked past, her brazen demeanor scaring them. She walked up to Roran and swatted him in the shins with her spear.

"Come on, up and attem."

Roran got to his feet and hugged himself. Standing in front of an armed fighter, he felt naked without a sword and shield.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We need to talk, come on, let's go." Kell spun on her heel and started back towards the door. She paused when she realized Roran wasn't following her. "Well?"

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere to talk. Oh for crying out loud." She reached out and, grabbing Roran by the shirt, began dragging him along.

Murrin tried to get in the way one final time. "Listen here little girl, you can't just-"

Kell swatted him with her spear, knocking him to the ground. Without stopping, or even slowing down, she walked over Murrin and out the door, taking Roran with her.

Behind them, he could hear Yora lamenting. "Not again ye fickle gods. Leave the boy alone, spare us Alira's wrath."

As the warden locked the door behind them, Kell asked, "What's the old lady's problem?"

"She's afraid that if I die my mother's ghost will haunt them."

"Huh, cool. Wish I had a dead mother to haunt people. Anyway, let's go."

Kell led the way, walking briskly and forcing both Roran and the warden to hurry after her. The wardens at the gate were quick to throw it open on her arrival.

"Thanks boys," she said as she walked past and bounded up the stairs.

Roran looked at one of the wardens who shrugged and gestured for him to follow. Taking the steps two at a time, Roran ran after Kell, chasing her towards the surface. Cresting the stairs, he found Kell bouncing from foot to foot, waiting impatiently.

"By the gods you're slow, let's go." She turned and left, sweeping through the halls with ease. To Roran the place was a labyrinth of identical passageways, but Kell appeared to know the place like the back of her hand. She took a handful of turns and led them to a large chamber.

The chamber was well lit and smelled strongly of incense. Desks and tables lined the walls, each attended by a warden or a clerk pouring over paperwork and counting out favors. People dressed in various types of clothing and armor milled about the chamber, talking with the clerks and looking at message boards pinned up to the walls.

"Finally out of the stink," said Kell. "This is one of my favorite hubs. It's smaller but I like it that way, less people to deal with. This way, stay close."

Kell moved through the crowd and headed for a desk with a particularly old and decrepit looking clerk. She walked up to him and rapped her knuckles on his desk.

"Hey Carrick," she said, "you still alive?"

The old clerk glared up at her. "I'm as alive as you are," he said, "which is a pity. Is this your new pet?"

"Maybe," said Kell, "we still need to work things out."

"You should try keeping this one alive."

"Oi," Kell thumped her spear on the ground, "quite hassling me and give me my payout."

Carrick rolled his eyes and tossed a small bag of coins on the table. Not favors, but real coins made of gold and silver. Even before the war, the small bag of money could have changed Roran's life, or at least made it significantly more comfortable.

"If you quit playing these little games of yours," said Carrick, "then maybe you can go back to making real money, little miss living storm."

"Piss off old man," said Kell, grabbing the coins.

"Would if I could deary."

Kell fished a coin out of the bag and tossed it to the old man. "Tell the missus I said hi. Come on kid, let's go." She turned and headed for a wooden door at the end of the chamber. Kell shouldered it open and let out a sigh of relief as she passed through.

Following behind her, Roran stumbled out into blinding sunlight. He blinked as he stared up at the open sky. It was bright and blue and beautiful, with little white clouds floating by. The air was sweet and clean and it was quiet. There was no crowd cheering or people yelling. It was a calm afternoon and they were on a back street with hardly a soul around.

"That's better," said Kell, relaxing. "I always feel so cramped down in the tunnels, I don't know how you people stand it."

"We don't really have a choice," said Roran, shielding his eyes from the sun.

Crossing her arms, Kell leaned against the wall. "Take your time kid." She took another deep breath and let it go, her whole body relaxing. "Take your time."

Once he could see properly, Roran took a moment to look at Kell. She was shorter than him by a head and half, with sun bleached hair that she kept pulled back in a short ponytail. Her body was hard and lean, with all the curves of a knife. Scars peppered her tan skin. She wore leather breeches with knee high boots and a plain leather bodice that bared some of her midriff. A handful of scarves were knotted around her wrists, with one loosely tied around her neck.

Catching him staring, Kell grinned at him. Her smile was sharp and predatory and her eyes were the color of insanity.

"So, what's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Roran."

"Nice to meet you Roran, I'm Kell." She stuck out her hand. Hesitantly, Roran reached out and shook it.

"Why did you want to talk with me?" he asked.

"I want you to help me with something."

"What's that?"

"I want you to help me kill a god."