Eira and Fiona walk on either side of the Archman as they make their way through the lively streets of Econridge. The Archman is carrying the cloth sack of gold over his shoulder with one hand, the other holding the bundle of chains, the slack of which hangs between him and Eira.
"Donc, what do we need?" Fiona looks about as they walk into a market district. The sides of the streets are lined with all sorts of vendors selling all sorts of products, everything from dried foods to construction supplies.
"First, we need to shed some excess weight." The Archman cradles the bundle of chains on his arm so he can go through a compartment on his belt.
"How so?" Fiona inquires.
The Archman takes a small vial full of white powder out of his belt compartment, setting down the bundle of chains and bag of coins to free up his hands. He screws off the cap of the vial and pours the contents into the palm of his gloved hand.
"Does this seem like enough?" The Archman reaches his hand out towards Fiona, presenting the small collection of white powder to her.
"Enough of what? C'est quoi ça?" Fiona leans forwards, inspecting the white powder curiously.
With a quick exhale, the Archman blows the white powder out of his hand, into Fiona's face. She lurches back for a moment, caught completely off guard. Her surprised expression starts to quickly fade, her eyelids lowering over her eyes as she slouches over.
"Bâtard..." Fiona's speech slurs into incomprehensibility as she falls unconscious, right into the Archman's arms.
"What...what was that?" Eira looks back and forth between Fiona and the Archman, struggling to keep up with what's going on.
"Don't worry, she'll wake up in a few hours."
"Okay, but...why?" Eira still isn't any less perplexed.
"I'm not fond of being chaperoned." The Archman explains.
"Where are you going to put her?" Eira looks around at their busy surroundings. There weren't really any optimal spots for storing unconscious individuals.
The Archman surveys their environment, making the same observation as Eira. He spots a vendor a couple meters away and sees a possible solution. He hoists Fiona's limp body over his shoulder, gathering up the bundle of chains and handing them to Eira, then picking up the bag of coins. He walks over to the vendor, Eira following at his side.
"Excuse me." The Archman grabs the attention of the vendor with little effort, largely because of his sizable frame and the fact he's carrying a comatose person over his shoulder.
"Our friend is taking a bit of a nap. Would you keep an eye on her until she wakes up?" The Archman indicates to Fiona with his head, since both his hands are full.
"I...uh..." The vendor looks at the eclectic individuals before him, not fully registering the Archman's request.
"That'll be for your trouble." The Archman digs a hand into the cloth bag, pulling out a handful of coins and presenting them to the vendor.
The vendor's eyes light up, his expression suddenly becoming much more welcoming and affable now that there is some kind of currency present.
"Oh, of course. No problem." He receives the random handful of coins from the Archman with a marketable smile.
"Much appreciated." The Archman sets Fiona down so she is sitting with her back against the vendor's stand. He pulls her hat over her eyes slightly, so she appears to be sleeping more naturally. It isn't entirely necessary, however, as Eira's first encounter with Fiona made it clear that she could make any kind of physical configuration look like a natural sleeping position.
YOU ARE READING
The Archman
RomanceWhile departing for London to meet with her fiancé, Eira Pryce finds herself taken captive by a living legend, the fabled pirate known only as the Archman. As it turns out, the fables may not have been so accurate in their portrayal of this mythic f...
