The Bones of Prey

Chapter 2 | Eavesdropping

There was only one tavern in all of Haliv. Haliv's Inn, once named something a bit more clever, had been dubbed the aforementioned title when ownership of the building changed hands over a dozen times within a few months. The current owners embraced the general lack of creativity. The inside is indistinguishable from any other tavern half a world over. A wide open room on the ground floor with two massive hearths on the north- and south-facing walls greets all newcomers upon entry. A worn and weathered bar spans nearly the entirety of the western wall and keeps customers from the back rooms and the kitchen. A stairway in the far corner leads to the shoddy rooms upstairs that visitors can purchase for cheap.

The inn was busy. Regulars and visitors alike filled the bar and tables, sucking up the warmth from the roaring fires burning in the grates and slugging back ale with increasing vivaciousness. So, no one noticed the slight figure drifting in from out of the cold, following closely behind a rowdy, bear-like group of men. The figure abandoned the group once inside and set about quietly crossing the crowded room, skirting scraping chairs and stumbling patrons. The slim shadow of a person kept their hood up as they approached an obscured alcove near a table in the back, and sank into the gloom.

"She'll be here." The man who spurted the statement was thick and of average height with a grossly large mustache hanging off his upper lip. He had beads of sweat that meandered their way down his forehead and got caught in matching fat eyebrows. He was crude and criminal looking, with mean-set features and ginger-tinged hair.

He glared at his companion as he said it. His friend, who looked similar enough to him to be his brother, scoffed loudly and turned his head back toward the door. They had sat there waiting for over an hour, and that only counted tonight. In total, they had waited over four days at this shit-hole of a town for the appearance of their collector, and so far, nothing.

"I fucking told you, if she was really coming, she would've been here by now. Or, better yet, she would have told us when she was coming," the man replied. Like the first, he had a massive mustache that he kept meticulously groomed. He has a darker complexion and a slimmer frame compared to his friend. Both, however, had a vicious look to them and the other patrons kept their distance. "I'm sick of this place and these people. There's not even a decent whore to be had!"

"I know, Creigh, but as soon as she's here, were done, you and me. The debt is paid and we can forget this place. Hell, we can spend a decade never laying eyes on the whole damn continent! We just need a bit o' patience. She'll be here soon. She probably got caught up in a storm or something, maybe even landed further down the coast."

"And if she's dead? Eh? What then? How long do we wait for this bitch before we call our debt paid the easy way?" Creigh asked with a scowl.

"If she's dead, then we spent a week in some shitty town, drank shitty ale and fucked some shitty whores. No different than any other week in our lives, eh? And, like you said, we'll have cleared a debt that's been sitting on our fucking shoulders for over ten years. Win-win either way," the first man replied. He thumped the table twice and then gestured to the bartender for another round.

"You'd best be right, Jon. I didn't like her the first time we met her and I like her even less now. We should've killed her when we had the chance. There's something not right about her, I swear," Creigh finished. The last part was drawn out into a whisper and was lost amidst the cacophony and revelry. It didn't matter. The shadow-hidden figure had heard enough and stepped forward into the lick of light from the fires. It was time to say hello.

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Hi readers, a few things I'd like to mention:

- this is my first attempt at a story and I'm not entirely sure where it's going yet, so please, be patient.

- I'm usually pretty good about editing, but if I miss anything, and you want to let me know, I appreciate it, as long as it's kind.

- some of my characters do swear. It is one of the reasons I made my story mature. I don't intend for it to be overwhelming or turn anyone off the story, but for some of my more criminal characters (i.e. the two above) I think it is more natural to hear them swearing. If this is not to your taste, I totally understand.

- I intend to try to update every week or so. The chapters will most likely be somewhat smaller to help with this goal.

Okay, thanks for any and all support and I hope you like the story! -Mett