Scout Stories: Bruised Beginnings

Old Friends

Cuno picked up an amulet and threw it at Thom, who let it hit his shoulder.

"Damnit, Thom," he said. "Don't you know me better than that?"

Thom rested back against the counter again.

"Sorry," he said while staring at his shoes.

Cuno came to stand next to him.

"I'm mad as hell at you," said Cuno.

"I know."

"I'll never forgive you."

"I know."

Cuno sighed. What he wanted to do was beat the man around the place. Thom being so damn accepting about that made it feel like attacking a puppy. This whole thing was messed up.

"But I meant what I said earlier,"said Cuno. "It's good to see you happy."

Thom smiled at him. It felt like getting stabbed.

"You want to tell me why you're hear? All information is free of charge. This time. Next time you have to pay like everyone else."

Cuno sat down on the floor.

"You been selling information long?" he asked.

"For a bit," said Thom. "At first it was the only way I could make money. Eventually, I had enough to buy this place. Now it's a side-job and, hopefully, it won't be long before I can give it up completely."

Thom sat down next to Cuno while he was speaking. Cuno stayed silent.

"That's if getting married doesn't destroy me. Do you have any idea how much weddings cost?"

Cuno shook his head.

"Too damn much. And if we just go in front of the Rí, we're insulting every single person who ever lived. No one will ever speak to us again and we'll be kicked out of the village."

"Emera thinks that?"

"No, her mother does."

Cuno laughed at Thom and then shook his head and got beck to the questions. "You keep a record of who you talk to? What you tell them?"

Thom put a finger to his chin. "I don't, but that's not a bad idea. I think I'll start one."

"Don't put me in it."

"Fair enough."

Cuno risked a glance at Thom, who was smiling slightly. His eyes were glassy but that might have been from when had been talking about Katie.

"You ever talk to some nutjobs?" asked Cuno.

"You'll have to be more specific."

"There's a few wandering around, thinking that they can rid the world of people like us. Ever talk to anyone like that?"

Thom tapped his fingers against his forehead.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah. There was this one old guy. He had all these weird markings drawn on him. Ranting and raving about how he was going to fix the world. I almost laughed in his face."

"And he never knew that you were Aedly?"

"Nah. He didn't have a clue. But then, no one does until it starts acting up."

"Speaking of which, was that you outside the village? The outpost thing?"

"Yeah. I thought I saw something in there and freaked out a little."

"Something?"

Thom paused for a moment.

"You ever find a stalker?" he asked Cuno. There was a quiver in his voice.

Cuno saw Thom put his palms down on the floor, the same thing he used to do after they had too much to drink the night before.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'll be fine. It's...even thinking about it freaks me out."

"You think the boar-thing is a stalker?"

"I'm not sure," said Thom.

He turned and looked back out the window in the direction Emera had gone. Then he shook his head and turned back to Cuno.

"That's the worst part. It might be all in my head. Yet I can't help but notice all the shadows. I can't go outside the walls anymore."

Cuno gestured at the shelves. "That's why you have all those protection things?"

"Yeah."

"Thom. Those don't work for us. You know that."

"But they'll work for her."

Cuno nodded, stood up and walked to have a look at the shelves. He touched the one he had rubbed earlier, and drew his hand back as if it had burned him. "These are good ones."

Thom laughed.

"Liar," he said.

Then Thom coughed.

He froze, and then stared at Cuno in horror. Cuno turned at the sound, looked down at his old friend and shook his head.

Note: The end approaches. 

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