It was late at night and the stables of the guardhouse were quiet, illuminated only by an oil lamp on a table close to where he sat, for which Domnik was grateful. He had lowered the oil as much as he was allowed, dulling the light and helping him see better in the dark. Despite his night vision, he was always kept on guard duties like these, away from the public eye.
Although he had to admit he did not make an impressive guard. He was very short, and armor never fit him as well as it should. The helmet was so big he had to always pad it with extra cloth to make it fit while his breastplate hung loose over his shoulders. Even his pike had to be shortened so he could use it, something the other guards never ceased to tease and laugh at him about. There was also, of course, the fact he was a half-goblin.
But he still had his night vision, which is what allowed him to see a familiar figure slinking away in the shadows towards the barn. It was very unusual to see her here at all, and Domnik felt apprehensive as he watched her approach, stumbling in the dark.
“Hey Kinari,” he said. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Hey, Domnik. Glad to see you -” her line was interrupted as she stumbled on something on the ground and cursed. His sight noticed it was a discarded horseshoe, but of course she had not seen it. He hurried to the oil lamp and turned it up for her sake, allowing more light to flood the barn and ruining his night vision. At least now he was on the same level as her.
“Still loitering in the dark like one of the thieves you’re supposed to catch?” She asked while squinting and walking carefully up to him, feeling her surroundings with her hands.
“Still terrorizing passersby with your face and killing people for gold?” He asked back.
She grinned at him, and he grinned back.
“It’s been a while, man! How are things around here?” she asked, while sitting down on one of the stools next to him, which put her height just below his head while he was standing straight. Not for the first time, Domnik reflected how comical their height difference was, like something out of a bad joke. A half-goblin and a half-troll walk into a bar…
“Can’t complain,” he replied out loud. “Surprised to see you here, though, of all places. How did you get in?”
“Bribed the front door guards, and told them I wanted to chat with you. Promised to behave.”
He whistled. “Must have been expensive. What is it you want to talk with me so badly about?”
Her smile disappeared, like a candle winking out in the dark. “I’m leaving town. For good.”
That shut him up. Uncertain of what to say, the two of them let the silence linger while they thought of what to say next.
Well, that sucks,” said Domnik, summing up the situation. “Is there a reason for it? A big contract somewhere else?”
“Eeeh… Maybe? I dunno,” she made a face, as if she had just swallowed a lemon. “I have a new contract that’s taking me away, but… It’s complicated. And I probably am not coming back.”
“Oh really?”
“And also Boss Nelos is after my ass,” she admitted. “It’s getting dangerous. Time to leave anyways.”
“Have you pissed him off again?” Asked Domnik, looking concerned. She waved dismissively.
“No more than usual. But I guess he’s had enough,” said Kinari. “These things usually go that way. In the end, big honchos like him either want me to join them as their little pet troll or they want me dead. Not much of a middle ground.”
“It doesn’t help that you refuse to play nice, you know.” The half-goblin fidgeted with a strap of his armor. “So is joining him really out of the question?”
“The guy’s a prick,” she said.
“Well… Yeah,” he agreed. “But he’s the leader of the biggest gang in this town. He can afford to be a prick.”
“My pride is not for sale,” she said.
“And working for someone is too much for your pride?” he asked with a small smile on his lips as he fidgeted again with his armor strap.
“For someone that doesn’t respect you? Yeah. Every day grinding you down, making you swallow your self-respect, bit by bit.” Said Kinari raising her voice above the whisper they were carrying it with before. “I’ve tried the whole ‘keep your head down and play nice’ thing before. And your only reward is being treated like shit. Not even like a fucking person. Not worth it.”
“Yeah, I get it. That stuff sucks. They make fun of me all the time too around here,” said Domnik gesturing at his face, covered as it was with short, brown fur. His eyes stood out in it as large and orange, with round black irises that Kinari knew could turn into slits when in the dark, like a cat’s. “But is it any better to go around picking fights? I mean, you’re making yourself into this huge target. Might as well walk around the street with a sign saying ”I fucked your mom! Fight me!” on your front.”
“Maybe I should.” agreed Kinari with a smile.
“Pfft, yeah. That’s really your style,” agreed Domnik with a chuckle, before gently adding, “but you can’t fight the whole world, Kin.”
“Not my fault the world’s got beef with me,” she muttered.
“So why make it worse?” He insisted. “It’s like the Elloran priests say, we can’t change our blood, you know? Fighting against that is like pissing on a hurricane. The hurricane is not going to give a shit, and you’ll just end with piss in your face.”
“That analogy only works if you have a dick,” said Kinari, chuckling. “If I tried that I’d probably get... Piss all over my thighs?”
“Nevermind where the piss goes!” Insisted Domnik. “You’re missing the point here! So you’re a big, strong girl and you can beat up a guy or two if they give you grief because of your blood -”
“I’ve fought five at a time once,” she said, puffing her chest with pride.
“Huh, really? Good on you for kicking their asses - ”
“Didn’t say I won,” she added, her pride deflating somewhat. But it was with a smile that she added “I didn’t lose either though.”
“But if you annoy people enough, then you get someone like Boss Nelos coming after you. And what does that get you?”
She shrugged. “Leaving soon anyways. Won’t have to worry about his crotchety old ass anymore.”
“Is that what you want?”
“I don’t have a choice, Dom.”
There was a moment of silence from the two of them, both looking away as the reality of the situation sank in.
“I’ll miss you,” said Domnik, breaking the silence. He looked at her and smiled. “Even if you were a giant, stubborn brute. But… It was nice to have another halfie to go drinking with.”
“Sorry I gotta go so suddenly,” replied Kinari. Her brows were furrowed as she awkwardly patted his shoulder with a hand big enough to wrap around his whole arm. He buckled under the impact, but smiled back.
“But if you really wanted, you could still go to Boss Nelos and make nice, you know that, right? I mean, I’m sure that would suck, but he’d take you in. For sure,” said Domnik, a note of pleading in his voice. “I mean, you could always leave town. But is this how you want your life to go? Always running from one city to the next? Never staying long enough to make friends or get attached?”
Kinari frowned at this and looked away, lost in her thoughts. The half-goblin looked expectantly at her, waiting for her reply.
“I want to have my own farm, one day” she said, breaking the silence. “A place of my own, far away from everyone.”
“Huh?” Domnik frowned, confused.
“Not a big farm. Just a small place, with some animals and a small vegetable patch. Someplace far away from any towns, with nobody to bother me.” Her eyes had a distant look as she spoke, and her lips quirked into a small smile. “Maybe deep in the forest or something. I could have a dog to keep me company. And I wouldn’t need to work for someone who is disgusted by me or be afraid of someone trying to kill me. I would leave people alone, and they’d leave me alone. Nothing but peace and quiet. Just enjoying every day as it comes. That’s when I’ll finally stop running.”
She straightened her back before looking Domnik straight in the eye and saying, “I’m not settling for any less than that.”
“You? A farmer?” Repeated Domnik in between chuckles, breaking the spell. Kinari finally looked back at him.
“What? You think I couldn’t handle it?” She asked, smiling.
“The mind boggles at the thought!” He laughed. “You, with one of those wide-brimmed hats? Feeding chickens? Watering plants? Sewing patches on your clothes so they last longer?”
“What’s so weird about that?” She asked. “I could do all of those things! … I think?”
He laughed again in response to her uncertainty. “Have you ever been on a farm at all?”
“Sure have!” She said confidently, although her certainty quickly evaporated as she continued, “well, I hid inside a farm once while avoiding enemy troops. Not actually, y’know… Worked in one. But I’m sure I could learn!”
Domnik shook his head in disbelief. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“Huh! Here I am, telling you my dream, and all I get is made fun of!” She muttered, punching him gently on the shoulder. Her smile betrayed the affection behind the gesture.
“Ow! Easy, farm girl!” Was his response, smiling back while rubbing the shoulder she hit.
“No invitations for you, when I finally get my plot of land!” She replied.
He sniggered, then walked a few steps away to avoid other friendly jabs. They were quiet for a moment. “Good luck with it, Kin,” said Domnik. “Hope your dream comes true one day.”
“Hmph. Going to need money for that,” she said. “Building the farm, getting the animals… Plus enough supplies until I get things running. But that’s the dream.”
“That sounds like it will take a while,” he said. “Unless you have some kind of money stash I don’t know about?”
“Hah! No such thing,” she replied. “Although my recent contract… If it works out, it could be big. There could be a lot of money in it.”
Her tone and her face as she said this was not happy. Far from it, she seemed anxious, looking down at the ground while covering her mouth with her hand. Domnik picked up on Kinari’s tone and looked uncertain himself, choosing his next words carefully.
“Is there a problem with the contract?”
“It’s really dangerous,” she said bluntly.
“Oh? Is the contract risky?” He asked.
“Yeah? I mean, everything about it is risky,” she replied. “The people giving the contract are dangerous, and the risks are huge if I fail. And I can’t even back out now, because it’s too dangerous.” She rubbed her eyes with her hand, then looked at Domnik. Her expression was dead serious. “I’m really fucking scared this time, Dom.”
As long as they’d known each other, which wasn’t long but still, he had never seen her look like this. Most of the time she sported a cocky grin or an angry scowl, ready to face things head on. Fear did not suit her, and made Domnik very uncomfortable.
“Now you’re scaring me, Kim,” he said. “Not that it’s very hard, but still!”
She looked at him and chuckled, and in the blink of an eye her smile was back, banishing her weakness as fast as light chasing away the shadows. “Can’t have things be too easy, can we?”
“I’m sure you’ll make it,” he replied, almost grateful she seemed more like her usual self. “You’re the toughest woman I know!”
“Thanks,” she said, straightening up. “Actually, I also came here to ask you a question. How’s the gate schedule for tomorrow? I want to leave town and not get harassed by the guards, you know?”
She kept her tone even and neutral. Domnik looked up, trying his best to remember.
“I think Raya and Miroslav should be at the North gates tomorrow? They’re not the kind to give others trouble.” He let out a chuckle. “I guarantee that one of them will probably be hiding and sneaking a smoke while the other keeps watch for the commander. They should let you through pretty easy.”
“Thanks, that’s good to know,” she said.
“But I can’t promise anything,” he continued. “I’ve heard that a full battalion is coming here to reinforce the militia, with a couple of blue bloods at the helm. Not sure what it’s about, but it sounds like a pretty big deal, because they wouldn’t come all the way here if it wasn’t important. So… that might change who goes where a little.”
“What?”
“Yeah, our commander just got the order. Looks like they arrive tomorrow morning to help us with… Something? I wasn’t told.” He shrugged. “But now they’re pulling everyone in for tomorrow. All hands on deck, sort of thing,” he sighed. “I’ll be up too, by the looks of it. So I can’t guarantee there won’t be any changes at the gate guard.”
“Jeez, sounds like a big deal,” said Kinari with a frown. “Maybe I should leave town earlier then.”
“Maybe that would probably be for the best,” he agreed. “Although you never know, maybe they’ll need more -”
They were interrupted by a noise that grew steadily louder throughout the last part of their conversation. At first they ignored it, too focused on their talk, but as it grew louder they realized that the noise was approaching them. It was the collective sound of horses pacing and huffing, a multitude of footsteps and clinking of armor, shouts of distant orders mingling with curses and whispered conversation. Kinari recognized those sounds very well.
The background noise of an army.
“What the fuck’s that noise?” She whispered. “Expecting people here?”
Domnik peeked outside and then ran back into the barn. “Shit! Oh no, they’re early! They’re not supposed to be here yet!”
“Shit!” She got up and carefully peeked outside, before hiding again. “ Fuck! They’re already coming into the courtyard! Is there another way out of here?”
Domnik shook his head nervously, then peeked outside himself. “Oh jeez, they’re coming this way! Hide in one of the stalls!” He whispered while shooing her further into the stable. She hurried to find an empty stall in the back and jumped over its gate, hiding in a dark corner as she heard the noise getting louder, particularly the sound of horses, along with one particular conversation.
“- want the horses fed and well taken care of for the evening. Bring additional stableboys if you need to. They should want for nothing,” said one of the voices, growing louder as it approached. It belonged to an older man and sounded confident and stern, a voice used to commanding others.
“Certainly, sire! Our stables are small, but your horses can stay here as long as you need them!” This second voice betrayed their nervousness by how out of breath it was, the words tumbling down one after the other without any care or art. This conversation was not something they were expecting, or were used to on a daily basis.
“In the morning, once they’re well-rested, we will send them to help bring the rest of the battalion here faster. Have them ready by dawn, time is of the essence.”
“Of course, sire! Ah, regarding the... Accommodations for your troops, unfortunately they are not quite ready, given such short notice that -”
“Most of my troops will be posted at the city gates,” interrupted the first voice. “They will explain to your men what to search for. On that note, I want you to call as many men as you can muster for the next few days, until we get further reinforcements from the Draconis battalion. We must have as many men as possible guarding all exits to the city.”
“Ah, I see… But sire, you have not yet explained - ”
“And I will do so in the privacy of my room, as soon as you have the other captains assembled here as I requested of you. For now you have your orders, and I expect to have them followed without any hesitation. If you fail me I will not hesitate in punishing you.”
“Ah… Yes, of course! I will follow you without hesitation, sire! There’s no - ”
“Good,” the commander interrupted the other, silencing him. The sound of the horses, on the other hand, had grown louder as more entered the barn. Kinari was in the far end of the stables, but at this rate she would be discovered for certain. She considered her options, perhaps another quick peek could help her plan the next move…
Her thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps and the familiar jangling of armor. She braced herself, hoping she would remain hidden, but when the face of a soldier appeared over the stall and inspected it, her hopes were quickly dispelled. “What’s this?” Said the man, when he noticed her. Before she could say or do anything he backed away and shouted “Hey, commander! There’s someone here!”
Rushed sound of more feet closing in on her. She sighed, closing her eyes, then got up to face what would come next. Running would have been pointless. Her eyes confirmed what her ears already suspected, the barn was now full of soldiers and horses, the only entrance clogged full of both. And a lot of them were now surrounding her, with stern expressions and readied weapons.
“Well, shit...” she muttered before raising her hands. “Hey! Easy with the weapons there! I’m not going anywhere.”
“What is it now?” Asked a man as he hurried toward her. He was dressed in militia clothes, a cheap breastplate, a helmet and the rest being mostly leather, although the feather in his helmet and a brooch pinned to his sleeve spoke of his higher ranking. He had a small moustache and a nervous expression which put Kinari in mind of a ferret or rat. The other men surrounding her, however, were less nervous. Their armor might be shabbier and dented with use, but the confident hold on their halberds and muskets, which they pointed at her face, and the scars on their faces and arms said it all. Kinari recognized them as veteran soldiers, and not to be fucked around.
“Isn’t it obvious? I snuck in here hoping I could get some shut-eye. Usually this place is dead quiet. Just my luck that the night I decide to sleep here is when this barn finally sees some movement.” She spat on the ground, then rubbed her eyes as if just woken up. A bit theatrical, but she had to sell this bullshit well. She could see, out of the corner of her eyes, Domnik looking scared and trying not to draw any attention, but she dared not look at him directly.
“What? Of all places…” Ferret-face rubbed his brow in frustration. “How did you even get in? Because clearly you don’t look like a soldier!”
She saw Domnik tense up and that sealed her next decision. “Climbed the wall, didn’t I?” She said. “Not that hard, when there’s a coach stopped next to the wall and ya got big legs like mine. How else would I get in, ferret-face?”
“You little - ! Oh, to hell with this!” Ferret-face threw his hands up. “Men! Give her twenty lashes and then throw her out the gates! And if you dare come back here, you little mongrel, I will make sure you are sent to the mines! Half-breed or not!”
“Did you capture the intruder?” Said the commander, somewhere behind the rows of soldiers pointing weapons or gawking at her.
“Yes, sire! A half-breed imbecile looking for a place to sleep! I’ll have her removed immediately- !”
“Bring her to me.” Those words sent a chill down her spine. Ferret-face barely hesitated before agreeing to his commander’s request. Quickly she found herself being grabbed and dragged by strong hands, one soldier on each side. Others still carefully pointed their weapons at her, not letting their guards down. She let the situation play out, despite her fears, and was soon brought face to face with the commander.
He was a blonde man, meticulously shaved and groomed, his hair slicked back with some kind of alchemical paste. His breastplate was decorated with gold highlights, along with a house sigil that was vaguely familiar although Kinari could not remember which house it was from. His clothes were equally expensive-looking, although she noticed he kept his forearms bare. He fixed her an icy stare and a hint of a sneer crept on his lips, before he spoke. “This is our intruder?”
“Yes, sire!” Ferret-face looked back and forth between commander and capture before whispering, “do you think she might be a spy, sire?”
The sneer increased, and the commander did not bother even looking at the other man when replying, “our target is not the kind to have half-breeds as servants.”
“Oh, I… I see.” Another pause, another nervous glance back and forth. “What should we do with her, sire?”
He ignored the other man’s question, instead grabbing her by the chin and forcing her to look his way, as if she was a horse he wished to examine more closely. “Plenty of places in the city to rest, half-breed. Why choose one so well-guarded?”
He looked around the barn, as if searching for an explanation, and Domnik did his best to seem even smaller and unimportant as he stood between all the other guards. His face was blank, but Kinari knew him well enough to spot his fur standing up and his wide eyes, tell-tale signs of his fear. It was time to get the commander’s attention.
“Well-guarded?” Kinari let out a snort. “Hah! I can sneak into this place whenever I want! I done it before, and I ain’t afraid of any bleeding militia! If you hadn’t brought a whole fucking army in here, none of you’d be any the wiser by the time I left, so spare me this ‘well-guarded’ crap!”
Yeah, that got his attention alright, along with everyone else in the barn. The atmosphere got a lot more tense, and all was quiet for a moment. The commander studied her while she glared back at him. Then his lips crooked into a smile, for the first time in this conversation.
“Let us teach you fear, then,” he said, while placing high right hand on top of her left cheek, with his thumb right over her eye.
Then his entire hand burst into flames.
She jolted her body instantly, trying to pull away, but the two men beside her held firm while the blonde commander kept his hold on her face, which now burned. The barn was filled with the smell of sizzling flesh as Kinari screamed, still thrashing and trying desperately to move her head away. All the other soldiers stared at the torture with grim expressions, while the militia members looked away or stared in horrified silence. Domnik’s eyes were as wide as they could be, reflecting the fire that burned his friend, as he gripped his halberd hard enough to hurt his knuckles. The commander still kept the same smile as before, unbothered by the flames surrounding his hand as they burned the trespasser.
It was over after a few seconds, although to Domnik it felt much longer than that, and to his horror when the noble pulled his hand away and snuffed out the flames Kinari slumped down and cried, huge sobs that rocked her body as tears rolled down the right side of her face. The left was a ruined mess, burned and blackened to the point one couldn’t tell where her eye was supposed to be. Her legs had given out and she was now being fully supported by the two men who held her, with some difficulty.
“Hopefully that taught you a lesson on taking the militia, and the military, seriously,” said the commander as he calmly took an embroidered handkerchief from his pocket and used it to clean the hand that had touched her. “Now throw this filth out. As for you, captain. Gather the others and meet me in your office as quickly as possible. As you can see, I am not in the mood for pleasantries.”
He finished cleaning his hand and put the handkerchief back in his pocket before walking out of the barn. It was as if a spell broke, and people slowly started moving again. Soldiers carried on with their duties and the two holding onto Kinari dragged her, still sobbing, out of the barn while Domnik watched without being able to say a single word to her.