Hellfury

Chapter 8: Auri

Auri heard his breathing. She'd expected him to rip his hand away the moment she touched him. Just like he'd removed her hand from his thigh when they rode. She'd placed it there to heat his skin to help heal the infection she smelled on him. Now, he simply stared at her and nodded.
   'Good, the room is second on the left, the door is a bit rusty so ya gotta force it. I'll be in with food when you're settled, and I'll send our stableboy to tend to your horse.'
   'Thank you, lady.' Auri said and smiled at her. Her husband's eyes had not moved from Mawr since he saw him. Auri knew the look. He was calculating. He'd recognized something and it could be dangerous.

   'What did you do that for?' Mawr asked when she let her pack fall to the floor. The lady had been right about the room. If it could be called a room at all. Cold air blew in through the cracks in the wall and the window refused to close properly, hanging on squeaky, rusted hinges. The bed creaked so violently when she sat down on it Auri feared she might end up on the floor. Smelly straw stuck out of the mattress and the skittering of rats under it made her squirm. They'd be better off in the woods.
   'He recognized you.' she said and looked at him.
   'What? Who?'
   'The man behind the counter. He stared at you for five minutes straight. I figured if he thought we came together he'd ease up a little.'
   'We did come together,' he said and looked at her.
   'You know what I mean, and I tell you now, I am not sleeping on the floor again.' she said and pointed at him.
   'Neither am I, so you better behave or I'll make you sleep with the rats.' he said and unbuckled his sword belt.

She watched him as he removed every dagger he had and placed them in a pile on the rickety dresser by the door. One was shoved into his boot, one on each hip and one from the inside of his tunic. He still moved his right arm painfully slowly, taking great care not to bend the joint and not to move it too fast.
   'How is the arm?'
   'It's not black. It hurts but I can live with it, and before you ask, no it doesn't smell.'
   'Good.' She knew he was lying. She'd smelled the arm for hours. She'd look at it once he fell asleep.
Mawr unfurled his bedroll and draped it across one of the three-legged chairs.
   'I'll go check on the food. Stay away from my knives.' he said and waved a finger between her and the weapons.
   'Scared I'm gonna steal them?'
   'No.' he said and opened the door.

Auri waited long enough for him to shut the creaking door before she got on her feet and tip-toed over to the dresser. How many weapons was it possible to keep hidden at one time? She'd noticed the daggers by his hips and his sword, but not the rest. Then again, she herself had a dagger stuck down into her boot and one strapped to her thigh.
Auri picked up a silver dagger with a jeweled handle and turned it over in her hand. It was light and nicely balanced, it was perfect for throwing. Which was why he probably had it, silver also killed monsters.

Auri left the dagger in the pile of others and turned to sit down on the bed again when she saw something in the corner of her eye. His bedroll hung across the chair and a sliver of something stuck out at the end of it. Parchment.
She walked over to it, quickly bent down and pried the damp parchment out from the furs. Auri froze. But- He'd said he'd given the contracts to the soldiers to make them leave? Why did she stand here holding them? Auri's eyes darkened. He'd lied to her. Again. If the soldiers left simply because he told them to without being bribed- They'd bowed to him. He had said he threatened them, but they had bowed. Deeply. Soldiers only bowed if they were out-ranked-

   'Auri? What are you doing?'
She forced her eyes away from the contracts to find him standing in the doorway holding two bowls of stew.
   'What is this?' she said and waved the contracts between them. One of them ripped slightly as she curled her fists.
   'My contracts?'
   'You said you gave them to the soldiers to get them off our trail!' Auri hissed and walked over to him. She took one of the bowls, and the movement made some of the hot broth overflow and Mawr cursed when it hit his hand.
   'For fuck's sake. I'm tired of being burned by you. I did give them the contracts. Did it ever occur to you that I might have more than three? I told you I needed coin, I gave them the contracts on the three ghouls by the Yaruga-' he placed his own bowl on the dresser and reached for her hand. He swiftly ripped the parchments from her.
   'You're gonna learn to trust me eventually. If you have to go through my things to do so, be my guest. I have nothing to hide.'