The Raven's Rising

Inferno - Part 2

The bartender turned to look at her then, his charming face swollen and discolored. His eyebrows tried to crease in contemplation and maybe recognition but the movement seemed to pain him and he winced.

"You were at the bar the other night," Holly nodded in response to the statement, "I'm Jarrah."

Jarrah seemed to consider her for a moment more in the dim light, "Why are you here?"

Holly debated lying and saying money then hoping he wouldn't press for more information, but she couldn't bring herself to. She was already feeling like she was fading away, slowly being whipped from the land's memory and if she lied now, created a false persona, she would fade a little bit more. This man, with his small question was inviting her back into the world, offering her a person who could remember her, the real her, whoever that was or would be.

"Saw you going up against five men, didn't seem fair."

Jarrah smiled a shadow of his charming smile, "Ah, so you are not from Shroudmoor."

Holly didn't answer, didn't have time to even if she had wanted because footsteps joined the chorus of softly lapping waves on wood, snapping both Holly and Jarrah to attention. The steps were heavy but uneven, stumbling as if the owner were drunk and very large. The pale light glinted off a bald head that was bisected by slightly off colored bandages that wrapped a recent wound where an ear should have been. Both Jarrah and Holly remained perfectly silent, perfectly still, almost to the point of not breathing. The big man pulled himself up from the dock and onto the deck of The Hangedman, a small lantern clutched in his left hand. As he strode toward the main mast, in a zig zagging fashion, a crooked smile exposed his blackened teeth.

"Look who is awake," he said then chuckled to himself

He came closer.

"You know," The bald man, Jamie Holly remembered, whipped out a slightly rusted knife from his belt and pointed it at Holly, "I was coming back to pay you a visit, teach you some mannersss" He slurred.

Holly supposed that tied to the mast, her arms pinned at her sides, she should be worried about the nasty looking knife in his hands. But she was just relieved that it wasn't her own bone dagger that was pointed at her. No, that dagger lay safely in the bald man's belt.

Jamie turned his knife to point at Jarrah, "But I think I'll do that after I see to you. Your lover has been a right pain in my ass and..."

The man was so close now that his lantern's light illuminated the pair tied to the mast. Thus the man was able to see Jarrah's face contort in miserable pain and fear at the mention of his lover.

The man started to howl with laughter, "Oh, no no no, I know what I'll do," he stumbled forward, his meaty hand slamming down on Jarrah's neck causing the man to wince in pain.

"I just so happen to know that your lover's crew is aboard their ship tonight, I think I'll pay them a little visit."

Jarrah's dark eyes flashed with rage, "You wouldn't dare, If you kill them your captain will never get his money. He would kill you."

Jarrah had all but spat the last few words into the man's face but he did not seem to notice. Or if he did he didn't mind.

"The captain will never know, because once I come back and show you your lover's head I'll slit both of your throats."

Holly thought the plan had a lot of pitfalls and had obviously been formulated by a drunk mind. Jarrah on the other hand, Holly didn't think she had ever seen someone so incensed in her life. Even with all of his injuries he thrashed against the ropes, causing them to shift just enough to reopen some of Holly's wounds, they started to again weep her red blood. But Jarrah continued to scream and scream.