Dragon's Tears

The scraping of the chair beside her as it was drug across the floor caught Serenica’s attention. She looked up and noticed Kaiden staring at her with interest. “And who might you be?” He asked quizzically.

“The name is Serenica, and I’m just visiting for the evening,” she answered calmly.

Kaiden looked her up and down as he nodded hesitantly. “You look a long way from home, Country Bumpkin.” He declared arrogantly. Serenica looked around the room and turned back to the Rogue. She smiled seductively at Kaiden and leaned in and put her mouth to his ear. “I may be a Country Bumpkin, but I am good enough to see you set that man up to have his hands chopped off and not tell on you.” She pulled her head back and looked at his expression. It was an equal mixture of surprise, envy, and awe. She then turned and took a sip of her drink. “While you are at it, you can give me back my purse, or he may not be the only one losing a hand tonight,” she ordered.

Kaiden chuckled and tossed her bag of gold on the counter. “Not bad Bumpkin,” he laughed as he stood and left the bar.

Serenica watched the man leave the room and turn back to her meal. She chuckled at the fact that he thought he would get away with that and then turned to her sister. Adrianna stood there with a look of disbelief on her face. “How?”

“How what?”

“How did you know he stole from you?” Adrianna asked in astonishment.

Serenica shrugged and nodded. “In all honesty, I didn’t. I assumed that if he felt he could call us Country Bumpkins, he probably figured we were an easy target. So I took my chances,” she said proudly.

A loud laugh came from across the bar as the bartender snorted.

“Good going, girl; few can catch Kaiden in the act. It’s good to teach him some humility now and then.”

“Wait, you know he steals but you let him in?” Adrianna asked in disbelief.

“Well, yeah, half of the patrons in this tavern works for the local thieves’ guild, I can either let them in or starve to death because I have no customers. Just hold on to your purse and you will be fine,” he warned.

“I understand,” Serenica replied in acknowledgement.

“Now, about your business in Estme, tomorrow morning, right across the street, there is a place for you to restock. Poppy’s Poultice is a good place for healing supplies and bandages, while Ida’s Items is good for anything else you may need. Tell Ida that Wrasin sent ya!”

“Thank you so much, Wrasin. Is there anything else we need to know about this place while we are here?”

“Beware the Shadow; he is the owner of this city and that guild I was talking about. He knows everything that happens around here and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty if you know what I mean. Everyone here is on his payroll, including guards, political figures, and even shopkeepers.”

“So that means you are as well?” Adrianna asked innocently.

“Well, yeah, I have to be.” He answered with a blush. “We shopkeepers are so indebted to him for protection and the ability to remain open we have to be. If we don’t pay or help him, we find our business in ashes, and he allows others to open up who will pay.”

“Wow,” Adrianna said as she took a sip of her water.

“Thanks for the help tonight with everything, Wrasin. We should probably be getting to sleep now. We have had a long day.” Serenica interjected as she grabbed Adrianna by the hand.

“Sure thing, girls, room two. Stay as long as you need. Just pay by the day. I’m here all the time.” He said with a smile as he pointed to the steps.

The girls walked out of the tavern and up the steps quietly. Once they ascended the second set of steps, they walked down the dank hallway until they found room two. Serenica used the key, entered the room, and then looked around at the room’s setup. It had two hay beds covered with a dirty blanket and pillow. The one window had a view of main road, and the burning light of the street torches lit up the room. Serenica lit a candle and threw the door bolt across the door to keep them protected in the room for the evening. She turned and looked at her sister lying on her bed, nearly asleep.

“Don’t leave without me tomorrow. We will go to the item shop first, then Poppy’s.”

“I need to redress your arm tomorrow, too, Serene,” Adrianna reminded her.

Serenica yawned deeply and collapsed onto her bed. “Tomorrow,” was all she got out before she fell asleep.