The Dead God Series Collection

Chapter 2-3

The two sat silently for a moment as Torben stared dejectedly into the bottom of his tankard. ‘What’s stopping you from getting out then?’ Gwilym fixed Torben with an intense stare.

Torben, lost deep in thought, took a few seconds to comprehend what Gwilym had said.

‘How come you’re still here, then? You still haven’t given me a good reason why a man of wanderlust like yourself is still here. Or are you like most people?’ Gwilym gestured the tavern with the sweeping wave of an arm.

‘To be honest I couldn’t tell you why I’m still here … truly.’

‘I reckon you’re afraid,’ Gwilym smirked. ‘You’re afraid of what might happen if you leave the safety of the dully familiar! I’ve seen it many times. It’s often the case that people are afflicted by a fear of the unknown.’

‘I’m not afraid,’ Torben snapped. ‘I just don’t want to let people down is all. Not all of us can drop our responsibilities and go gallivanting off into the wilderness!’

‘Prove it then.’

‘What?’

‘Prove it. Come with me tomorrow. Travel up the road with me for half a day, and if you get scared or tired, you’ll still have plenty of time to scurry back home.’

Gwilym’s abrupt demand left Torben taken aback. He was staring across the table, the amber light from the fire dancing and flickering in his eyes; it gave the dwarf a wicked, impish edge.

‘What’s the use?’ asked Torben. ‘Getting out of here for half a day isn’t going to prove anything.’

‘How do you know unless you try? In any case, it’s like I said: what’s half a day in a lifetime? You’ve got nothing to lose and you can be safely tucked in bed come the night if you want to be.’

Torben had never thought of himself as being a particularly proud man, but the dwarf’s words, even though delivered in a jovial tone, held a sharp edge. Like Gwilym said, what was the harm in going on a walk? He hadn’t planned on doing anything else with his day off. Going on a jaunt with Gwilym would probably be more diverting and stimulating than anything else Bywater had to offer.

‘What’s in it for me? If I go off with you for a day, I’ll lose out on a day’s wages. To a man of small means like myself, a day’s coin is the difference between life and death.’ The lie came more easily to Torben than he’d expected—but truly, he was only aware of what he was saying when it leapt from his tongue. Why shouldn’t he earn a bit of coin though, especially if all he had to do was go for a jaunt with this strange dwarf? And depending on how foolish this dwarf was, his coin could put him a long way towards being able to leave Burndale.

Gwilym surveyed Torben intently … so intently he began to squirm self-consciously. He was certain that Gwilym would dismiss the proposed bet without a second thought.

‘Hmm-mm,’ the noise rumbled deep from within Gwilym. He was silent for a moment and then a grin spread across his face. ‘It seems that you and I are cut from the same type of cloth, Torben. If you go out with me for a whole day, and prove to me that you aren’t afraid to leave your precious village, then I’ll give you this.’ He reached into the folds of his jacket and pulled out a plump purse that he tossed onto the table.

The purse clinked pleasingly as it hit the wooden surface, clearly full of coin. Through a small gap at the neck of the purse, Torben swore that he could see the glint of gold reflected in the firelight. His eyes lit up and he instinctively reached a hand across the table.

‘But!’ Gwilym’s hand swept across the table and scooped the purse back into the safety of his cloak. ‘If you don’t hold true to your word and leave my company before dusk, I’ll demand that as payment.’ He pointed to Torben’s arm, where the arm ring peeked from the short sleeves of his tunic and gleamed in the firelight.

Torben leaned back, his hand covering the arm ring from Gwilym’s beady gaze. He couldn’t risk losing the one connection to his family, his father, could he? But then, why should he lose it? How could he? There was no way that he would lose the bet. Gwilym was a fool and would soon be a much poorer fool.

Torben leaned forward again and placed his elbows on the tabletop. He smiled and felt a new air of confidence. ‘Alright, I’ll head out with you.’

‘That’s the spirit!’ Gwilym grinned. ‘Could do with a bit more conversation on my travels. It’s been mighty lonely recently.’ Holding up a hand, and placing the other upon his chest, he adopted a serious tone. ‘Now, as a sign of good faith that I shall not lead you too far astray from this boring shadow of civilisation, let me buy you a drink!’

Gwilym sprang to his feet and made his way to the bar with surprising speed. Torben watched, curious. What was the harm in it? It would do him good to get out of Bywater, stretch his legs, and spend time with someone whose family history he didn’t know inside-out. There was nothing of note, or excitement, to the north of Bywater, save the sprawling mass of the Downs. Like as not, Gwilym would give up hope of finding diversions and head back to the village with Torben by midday.

Gwilym startled Torben by appearing alongside him, as if from thin air, holding two overflowing tankards. He plonked one down in front of Torben and raised his in the air. ‘To the morrow!’

‘To the morrow!’ Torben grabbed his tankard and joined the dwarf in toast.