The Courier’s Collection

Chapter 16

16

Rasha sat nursing a juice in the corner of the bar downstairs from their rooms. When Jak stumbled in with a girl on each arm, she felt something in her gut tighten. She wasn’t surprised to see him with multiple women. He’d made her think she was special. Here was the proof he’d misled her.

Jak sat at the bar drinking and singing, of all things. He was so embarrassing. Rasha hadn’t worn her cloak and now she wished she had. She could hide in it and go unnoticed. Not tonight, though. She’d come down here to think about what to do, not to hide from Jak. She couldn’t avoid him all night. She glanced up to see if he’d noticed her, only to meet his eye.

His smile widened, and he winked at her. Winked! She wanted to pull out her short swords and stab him. Instead, she looked away with a calm she didn’t feel and yawned. It was something she’d learned rotations ago. It had been an older man that time. A much older man, and he didn’t want to take no for an answer. So she yawned in his boring face and that had done it.

Rasha didn’t have to look at Jak this time to know his reaction. She hoped she’d injured him. Maybe then he’d leave her the yahtz alone. She sipped from her drink and stood up to go. But it seemed Jak hadn’t gotten her message.

“Rash, come on join us.”

“No, I’ve had enough.” She started for the door.

“I doubt you’ve had any,” he said with a knowing look at the ladies around him. They all cackled along with him. “Come on, at least have a dance with me.”

“No, thank you.” She bowed her head and turned to leave. But then he started singing again, to her.

“There was an old bard from hither and to, who traveled the lands meeting people like you.” He tapped a finger on the nose of the girl on his right.

“He sang and danced and pranced around gaily.” Jak separated himself from both girls and danced over to her.

“But deep in his heart he longed for a lady. A beautiful lady with long white hair.” He wrapped a finger in her hair and lowered his voice.

“To tell her his feelings he wouldn’t dare.” Jak dropped her hair and turned to the other ladies who spread their arms wide to welcome him back.

“She’d sneer, and she’d snap cause that’s what they do, Purple girls who love an old bard, Deep down yes they do.”

Cheers erupted all around—the entire bar was egging him on. Jak sang with a beautiful voice and no doubt sang well the language of the mermen. That explained the mermaid on his left arm. Jak held out his arms to Rasha, and she smiled back at him and took a step forward. He’d embarrassed her as he’d intended but she wasn’t interested in being another one of his decorative arm pieces. He’d have to learn his lesson and fast. She raised a finger and pointed in his direction.

Me? he mouthed as if surprised she’d been persuaded. She shook her head in the negative. Then pointed again. Over his right shoulder was a young man whose eyes had been stuck on her since she’d strolled into the bar. He was young and inexperienced with farmer’s clothing and unkempt hair. His first time in a bar, if she had to guess. His eyes lit up at everything he saw and he’d also been drinking a juice. All of this made him perfect.

When he noticed she was looking at him, he pointed to himself with a large grin. Rasha nodded and crooked her finger in a ‘come here’ gesture. He didn’t hesitate. He edged through the crowd until he was in front of her. She grasped his hand and wiggled five fingers back at Jak, whose jaw was on the floor. Rasha led the young man into the corridor leading to the inn. Once there in the half light, she pulled him in by the collar and kissed him hard.

Rasha didn’t think he’d ever kissed a girl before in his life. He didn’t understand his lips should be firm and his tongue inside of his mouth. She ran her hands roughly through his hair and pulled his shirt out of his pants as if she wanted more. The kiss left him dizzy. It put Rasha in a bad mood.

“Good night,” she said, turning him toward the door to the bar and walking up the inn stairs.

“Good night to you, miss.” He smiled and sauntered back to the bar like someone who’d been kissed senseless.

“Good night Jak,” she whispered to herself.

Rasha reached the second floor, still hearing the revelry of the bar downstairs. She hoped Lu and Chiza hadn’t been listening to any of the nonsense in the bar. When she reached the door to her room she overheard Chiza’s unmistakable giggle. Not from inside, but from Lu and Jak’s room behind her. Rasha stood at the doorway—it was slightly ajar—and listened to Lu talk about princesses making their own choices. She clenched her fists. He was trying to make the princess doubt her duty. It wasn’t fair. She had too much to lose.

She knocked once on the door before pushing it open. They both jumped as if caught doing something they shouldn’t. Another bad sign.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” she asked Lu.

Lu stood up and followed Rasha across the hall and into her room. She shut the door behind her and then spoke to him in a growl.

“What in the yahtz are you doing you pumseed?”

Lu’s hands came up in front of him. “What, what did I do?”

“I heard you,” she said with her jaws clenched.

“Chiza and I were just—”

“Oh, I know what you were just doing. You should stop before you both get hurt.”

Lu tried to speak, but she raised a hand.

“She’s not yours for the asking or the taking. She belongs to the prince and your interference might cost us this delivery, or worse, your life. Have you forgotten the last time someone came between a princess and the prince?”

Lu squared his shoulders.

“I didn’t realize you were taking on the role of my mother on this journey.”

Rasha opened her mouth to speak but this time he held up a hand.

“I know what I’m doing. Keep to your own business and don’t worry about my life, I can take care of myself.”

Rasha held up two hands in surrender. He was right. She’d done her duty and warned him, but it was up to him to decide what he’d do. Since when did he ever listen to her?

“Please tell me you haven’t been up here this whole time flirting with the princess?”

Lu sighed before he answered, “No, of course not. I’ve been on the communicator with some of the local greenies. It’s not good.”

“Not good? How not good?”

“You’re underwater with the mermen without a breather, not good.”

“So are we talking bounty hunters?” Rasha asked.

“More like assassins, trackers, and bounty hunters.”

“I see. Things are going to get thicker than I’d like.”

Rasha took a deep breath. They wouldn’t last the night in this place if there were that many people after them. Assassins meant they would shoot to kill anyone who stood between them and their goal. Rasha needed to prepare. If they’d sent an assassin, they weren’t at the inn yet.

“I need you to throw off the communications.”

“You know that’s not really how it’s done.”

“This time it will be. I want the assassins, trackers, everyone else looking for us in the wrong place. We’re getting off this road north and leading them in the opposite direction. Send them west.”

“There aren’t many roads leading north on the west end.” Lu said with a hint of complaint in his voice.

“I don’t care, create one, and make sure everyone thinks we’re on it.”

Lu nodded.

“Oh and send the princess over,” Rasha said, and he glared at her.

Lu returned to his room and Chiza came out a moment later.

“Oh, sure, thanks for listening. I’ll see you in the morning,” Chiza said to Lu.

Chiza looked up and met Rasha’s eye. Bold, she didn’t flinch under Rasha’s glare. She didn’t have time for this. Rasha turned toward her room, intending to speak to the princess. Jak stormed up the stairs and straight into her room. She hadn’t expected the furious expression on his face. It threw her off guard. Her surprise was complete when he slammed the door in Chiza’s face.