Demus Oneshots

Ghost Ship

The door to The Crown's Head always had a squeaky hinge. Always. So whenever someone entered the inn, you could always tell. And if you were bored enough, you could turn your head to look at the door and scope out the new-comer.

This alone should've made it easy enough to spot Janus Dagger. But of course, it was a frigid night. But of course, it was just dark enough to make anyone look menacing and just cold enough to suck all the warmth out of the inn. But of course, as with everyone who came through The Crown's Head, there was always a story.

A tired man nudged his neighbour over his drink. "Hey." He hissed and pointed at Janus over his shoulder. "You know who that is?"

The neighbour looked up before looking back at the man. "You don't?" The man shrugged, not wanted to admit his ignorance. "That's Janus Dagger."

"What, like Lord Dagger? From Cheshire?" The man's neighbour nodded. "What's the son of a lord doing all the way down in Hull?"

"Didn't you hear?" The neighbour asked incredulously. "Lord Dagger disowned his son two months ago. He came down to Hull weeks later."

"Why'd he disown him?"

The neighbour pointed at Janus, who was hanging his cloak on a hook by the door. "Isn't it obvious? Look at him. Who'd want a kid like that?"

"What's wrong with him?" The man asked. Just then, Janus turned around and the man saw. Two scars ran across the left side of Janus' face, one from the corner of his mouth to his ear and the other down from his forehead to his eye. "What happened?"

The neighbour shrugged, swilling the dregs of his drink in his cup. "Who knows? My guess is that he had a run in with someone bad. Lord Dagger couldn't bear to keep what remained of his heir around, that's what I say."

"Yeah but why disown him? Couldn't he have sent him away or something?" The man asked. "That's what I'd do."

"Yeah but rich folk don't think like you and me." The neighbour pointed out. "All that fancy-shmansy food and clothes've gone to their heads."

The man shrugged and drank his drink. The creaky hinge on the door squeaked and both men looked up to look at the door. No one was there.

"Excuse me, can I sit here?" A cold voice asked. It was cold like a candle. So cold it could burn, with a hint of warmth to the edge of it.

"Sure, why not?" The man said, not bothering to look up from his drink. His neighbour elbowed him sharply. "What?" He looked at the guy who'd sat down and his jaw nearly fell to the table. "You're Janus Dagger."

The Lord's son looked at him unblinkingly. "Yes, I'm aware. And I couldn't help overhearing you two talking very loudly about me. So let me just say this," he leaned across the table slightly, "everything you've heard and said? It's horseshit. All of it."

"So your dad didn't disown you?" The neighbour asked. Janus laughed.

"Oh, no, that part's true enough. But it's not because of how I am." Janus checked his nails. "My father even rather liked my scars. Good thing to show off to guests. Look at this freak and how I've tamed it to become like my son." He said bitterly. "No, he disowned me for many another reason."

"What reason?" The man asked. Janus laughed, loving how these two idiots were drinking up his deception and half-truths.

"Wouldn't you like to know, sweetheart?" He asked. "Anyway, since you both are obviously the word of the land, any interesting legends that might intrigue a Lord's son such as myself?"

Janus cracked his knuckles and leaned back in his chair, waiting to see what the two half-wits would come up with next.

"There's a ghost ship." The man blurted out. He looked at his neighbour, who nodded enthusiastically.