For What is Bought in Blood

The Shift

"You would reject a shipment of explosives from the North?"

            My fingers drum on the table, keeping the appearance of a merchant itching to earn a customer. I chew on my lip for extra effect.

            A scarred face stares back at me, watching my every tiny tell. Good. I hope she is eating up every lie I tell with my body language. Dark, heavy curls hang low on her shoulders as she jostles to cross her arms. Her chest puffs as she heaves a sigh. "I would need samples, real prices." She waves a hand at me. "Not some promise for product later." Stiffly turning towards the bar to her left, she motions for another drink. Her left arm shows slightly in the dim light, marred by marks only made in the darkest areas of the capital. This woman has seen more than I could ever see in my nightmares, and I cling onto my feigned strength to continue speaking with her.

            "They will come within the month. Tell me what you need until then, Wolf." I keep my arms open toward her, portraying my desperation for a deal here. She turns to me, curiosity in her gaze.

            "What do your runners need to be most efficient? Drugs? Beds to lay in at night? I have strings all over this town." I motion outwardly, ensuring my own marks show as a semblance of comradery. Her eyes trace the marks up my arm with vague interest.  I lean in as her new glass of stale liquor is set on the table. I know my desperation is showing, but in her eyes, I am a merchant making a deal with a very large client.

            "Just say a damn word here, and I promise it's done." I refuse to divert my eyes from her deep brown eyes. The wheels continue to turn in her mind as she leaves her glass untouched unlike the ones before it. "If faith is what you need, I will show you my power in this damned town. We can discuss product later." Getting her to accept a shipment of weapons she had never seen or used before was an idiotic idea. I need to start smaller. She taps her foot beneath the table before finally leaning in with me.

            "The Darling Lake," she says, finally making a move for her glass. "Give us The Darling Lake." She shrugs, looking away from me as she attempts to appear casual. I know she's testing me, seeing how far my connections truly go. This is the most difficult thing anyone has ever asked of me during a deal, but having her group in peak form is important for me. I know it will take me a lot of money and lying to buy the inn from whatever family owns it now.

            "My men are sleeping underground, catching sick," she spits on the floor, as if warding off the sickness from herself. "They need proper shelter."

            I smile, as deep and menacing as I can make it, knowing how much this will cost me. "Three days," I say through my smile. "You will own The Darling Lake by Monday."

            A sly smile hit her face, and now I understand her nickname. I feel like prey under her gaze when doubled with that smile. The air of a warrior rolls off her like smoke, and I know she will sniff out my lies at some point. I must make these meetings with her quick, especially with no one watching my back.

            It is ironic of me to fear the kindest woman in this establishment. This place is not made for business of any repute, drunken bodies smelling of filth milling about the entire space. Men of many different backgrounds and occupations find entertainment here, with card tables and women always available. Once in a while women will frequent this facility, but not without a hefty load of prying men at her side. The sort of men I grew up knowing would not dare step into a place like this. It is filled with depravity and poverty, two things they prefer to sweep under the rug.

The people who loiter this bar would strike deals with the cloaked woman without a name for less than a glance, but I know better. Choosing Wolf was a good way to build up backlash towards the Crown. Long before I ever knew of a rebellion, she was already shedding blood on behalf of her cause. She is intelligent but never sends her men anywhere without her fighting alongside them, no matter the disaster it would cause her organization if she died. Her experience with killing knights of the castle is what I need most. She will be a nice face for my growing rebellion.

            I know our business is done when she replaces her cloak back atop her head. Despite her attempt at hiding her identity on the street, the volume of curls within the hood brings some of her features to light. A wide nose sitting slightly odd on her face, an obvious sign it has been broken and mended many times. Strong brows that only barely catch the light, left entirely natural so that she may hopefully be mistaken for a man at first glance. Top ridge of a full set of deeply colored lips, a slash of some kind of sharp blade leaving both lips dimpled in two sections. I think of my own face, pale and delicate in any light, hopefully entirely hidden under my hood.

            No handshake or binding agreement is truly made here. Just two measly criminals in a horrible bar meeting for a drink and quickly departing. Wolf exits through the front door, confident in her steps and her ability to defend herself. I grip the small daggers strapped to the outside of my thighs as I leave through the back door.

            The smell always strikes first. Garbage and human waste litter all of the alleys the same, but the density of people on this block makes it a different sort of potent. I can feel my boots slipping, barely meeting the pavement through the layers of muck. People lean against walls, dig through garbage of businesses, and even sleep down this cobblestone graveyard. I despise that the only way I see the world is at night and in this sort of place.

            No clock strikes or bells ring in this part of the kingdom. I can only guess it to be a little past 2 in the morning. I know she will be waiting for my return in a new sort of annoyance with every passing hour.

            Here, where I am disguised and in character, I go unnoticed. It is just different enough to be pleasant.