Kingdom Come

Chapter 5

Kerri felt like his legs were made from lead and gelatin both at once. His ribs still hurt horribly, worse than earlier if possible. Four hours had passed in silence before the bounty hunters stopped their horses to give them a break. All four men slid off their horses, and a taller one, bald and with a ripped leather vest, helped the woman off her horse. Meanwhile, a shorter man with long greasy hair dragged Kerri down roughly from the horse he'd ridden. The man he'd ridden with was already drinking from his canteen off to the side with the last man. They looked like they could have been twins.

            "Thank you, Titon. Jaques, can't you safely get the prisoner off the horse? I said we could kill him if he lied, not before," the woman scolded. She really was beautiful, Kerri noted. The woman's face was pale, and her hair was so dark brown it would have looked black if the sun hadn't been shining directly on it. Her eyes were cold, grey, and unwelcoming, however. Almost like a cold steel.

            The man with Kerri, Jaques, laughed airily. "If he knew how to get down on his own, it wouldn't have to be an issue."

            "My name is Kerri," Kerri said in a voice that sounded much bolder than he felt. He choked on a cough. His ribs hurt terribly. "And I'm so sorry that my leg has been crippled for a few years, sometimes it aches, especially after being thrown off of trains and being taken hostage by bounty hunters."

            The two other men, the twins, were staring, their beards curled in a way that made Kerri guess they were smiling. Did they like his attitude, or was Kerri about to pay for it?

            "My lady," Titon boomed. "What will we do with this one if he is telling the truth? Surely, we can't actually let him go?"

            "I don't see why not. He's a street rat. The police will hardly listen to him if we get the prince, and aside from that, who would ever believe that the prince was in Eklat? Or that the king set a bounty on his own son?"

            "The king set the bounty? Is it because he's sick? He wants his son to come back and rule if he passes?"

            "No," the woman sniffed. "He said he doesn't care if the boy dies or not, really, he just wants a guarantee that the prince won't be the next king."

            "Why not?"

            "Listen, street rat...."

            "Kerri."

            "Kerri... I don't care as long as I get paid, okay? Keep your pretty little head from worrying and maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones. I've heard Eklat's got plenty of places looking for pretty faces."

            Kerri felt his stomach lurch. Eklat had built many bars and clubs that had work indentures for people who were extremely desperate. Kerri had avoided them by getting occasional help from Tennika after the Inn's owner, Oli, wouldn't re-hire Kerri after his accident. For a while, Simon would work instead and bring home food for both of them. Sometimes, after he left, Simon would return for just a few minutes to give him a sandwich and make sure he was fed and safe. No information was really given on Simon's own life, and he never stayed for more than five minutes, but Kerri appreciated his rare company. He would rather have gone days without meals though, than go and get indentured at another club. He was more than a pretty face, but he knew what happened to the people who relied solely on their own looks. He didn't like to think of it himself.

            "What will happen if you take the prince back alive? Will they kill him there?"

            "Oh no," the woman said mildly. Relief flooded through Kerri. "They'll probably lock him up and use him for entertainment. His kind are especially good for that if you know what I mean."