Love / Hate

by David J. Turner, posted on March 27th, 2001

Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

Part II: Revelations

          He watched the graceful arch of her wrist as she wrote in long, stroking letters on a piece of parchment. She had exquisite penmanship, strengthening his resolve that she was an intelligent woman. She laid her pen aside as she folded the paper three times, dropping a piece of hot wax on it, pulling a signet ring from her pouch to press against it. She wrote the address on the front of the letter, handing it to the messenger. He read the address a moment before nodding and heading off. Lakros dropped a few coins in the owner's hands.
          "Oh, you don't need to do that Lakros. I have my own money, I can pay for this."
          Lakros waved the argument away dismissively. "It does not matter, I have plenty of money. Besides, I can't really stop showing you hospitality now, could I? It wouldn't be good for my reputation."
          She chuckled slightly as she took his hand to hers. The touch of another person was still new to him, but he decided that new things weren't necessarily bad. "Well then, do you want to take a walk with me across the country side? I would like to see some of the area before I go to my room tonight. I didn't get to see much when I walked here."
          Smiling at her, and his good fortune, he nodded and opened the door for her. They moved out through the doorway. "I like to walk out in the country side too, away from the town. It is really beautiful out there."
          They walked side by side, leaving the town behind as they passed by people. This time Lakros got more than a few stares. He, however, ignored them this time for the ignorant misunderstandings of fools. His headache still pounded behind his eyes, demanding he lay down for rest, but he ignored that as well.
          The houses faded from sight as they rounded into the larger hills surrounding the northwestern side of Iraoh. A flock of birds soared ahead, their songs dimming the murmur of hundreds of people talking back where they came from. The sun cast the twos shadows across the hills, stretching for a few yards. Dae'nar's soft eyes took in the beauty in one huge, thirsty swallow as Lakros's harder eyes only saw a brief refuge.
          "When did you come to live here, Lakros?" Her soft, friendly voice made some of the tension in the elf relax.
          "I came here about six years ago, after leaving the Glimmering Forest. My brother wanted to see the world, and I couldn't really argue with that idea. So, we traveled about for a while, seeing new and different things. After a time, though, we came here. He didn't want to go back home just yet, so we decided to stay here for a while. He is at Tom's, an old friend of ours, windmill now. How about you? What brings you here?"
          She stopped, looking at him for a moment. Then, squeezing his hand, she walked on. "I have lived in Tarant for my whole life, most of the time in the Boil. My father always beat my mother so bad. He called me stupid. I spent most of my time out on the street, just trying to manage and get by. One time, my father beat my mother so bad that she…. that she died." She almost sobbed out the last words.
          "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to Dae'nar. If it hurts you…"
          "No," she interrupted softly. After several minutes, he began to think she decided better his offer. However, she went on. "My father blamed it on me. He said it was all my fault, that they were fighting in the first place because of me. He beat me so bad that night, I thought I would be with my mother before long. As soon as I could walk well enough, I left.
          "I stayed in the boil, taking up with a gang. It insured my survival, and that was the only thing I needed at the time. I really didn't like being a part of it, but there were good people there, and it helped me get by. Once, another gang moved into our territory. I was the only one who survived the resulting conflict.
          "At this time I was lost. I had nothing, no one. I had no chance to get by. I just barely managed to get work as a barmaid, when my new employer showed up. I didn't like the looks of him at first. He offered me work, up here in Iraoh. He wanted me because of my affinity for working with technology. His name is Hoaron. Do you know him?"
          Lakros stopped, his breath fleeing from his lungs. She worked for Hoaron. She worked with technology and the abomination of steamworks. She was, in essence, everything he hated, and she was perhaps the first to show him kindness in a long time. He had grown very fond of her, very fast. She must only be misguided by lies, he thought. He decided not to voice is opinion.
          "Do you know him? From what I gather, he is pretty important up here. Or at least, he thinks he is. He's a dwarf, about half my height. He's grimy and has a bit of a bad temper?"
          Lakros could only nod numbly. "I just do not like him well. Just some personal differences, is all."
          They continued walking on for several hours. At first it was in silence, but slowly they began to talk again. He constantly found himself surprised by her innocence and intelligence, despite the life she was forced into. He let himself forget who she worked for, what she worked with. At least for the time being. They told each other about the things they had seen, people they had known. Lakros soon learned she had a quick wit, and that she had seen, and done, more than he had warranted her at first sight.
          Now they stood on the crest of a hill, Iraoh just before them. They had been walking arm in arm for sometime, and they both regretted, silently at least, that they had to soon part. "Can you please show me to the inn, my friend?"
          He merely nodded, and smiled. Their shadows were like long, crooked fingers reaching into the heart of the town. They walked along, again in uneasy silence, until they reached the Flaming Inn. He opened the door for her and she smiled her thanks. Her smile made him feel weak. Lakros went in, quickly arranging a room with Gunt. The man seemed terrified at the sight of Lakros, as though he expected him to reach out and bite. Gunt gave him the room, surprisingly free of charge. Lakros didn't question his fortune. He was having a great day thus far, and would not like it to stop now.
          They walked up the stairs, him leading the way. He opened her door for her, showing Dae'nar her room. "Thank you Lakros. You have been so kind to me." Her voice was little more than a whisper. She was close enough to him that he could feel her breath. He felt an ache of longing in him. It had been a long time since he had a friend around besides Shoar.
          "It is my pleasure to be kind to you, Dae'nar. You have already brightened my day. You are so beautiful." He couldn't make himself speak above a whisper either. He almost cursed himself aloud when he realized his last few words. She was going to think he did everything just because of that.
          She kissed him.
          Soon, they had their arms around each other, standing in the middle of the hallway, pressed tight against each other. Her lips were so soft, so warm. His eyes fluttered closed, the longing inside of him swelling into a pocket of bliss. He felt warm and welcomed in her arms. He never wanted to leave. Neither knew how long they stayed there, nor did they really care. After a long while, she finally pulled back. He could have died from the separation.
          Her face visibly warmed, her eyes averted to her boots. "I hope to see tomorrow, Lakros." He was to stunned to reply as she slipped into her room quickly, closing the door.
          He began walking down the stairs in a daze, the soft clunking of his boots echoing through the hall. As he reached ground level, Gunt nervously bowed besides him asking him if there was anything that Lord Lakros needed, that he wanted, offering any of is services free of charge. Lakros merely waved him away, too deep in his thoughts to be suspicious at such blatant offers.
          The cobblestones shuffled under his feet as he made his way home, not even noticing the sounds of gunfire that would have irked him so earlier. He could almost still feel her lips on his. Thoughts rushed through his mind. Did he love her? When he asked himself that, the longing grasped at his heart and lungs again quickly. He wasn't sure. Perhaps it was just because he was lonely, had seen too much. He thought he wanted to be in her arms again, but, really, did he? She practiced technology. That was an evil art, but did it make her evil?
          He continued questioning himself as his home approached his view. He was so uncertain. Had he had a day of good fortune, or had some god decided to set aside time to taunt him with things he could not have? Still in a daze, he reached for the door handle, taking in the creek as it opened. He began to step in his house, and stopped dead cold. His eyes widened. Stumbling back, he shook his head, murmuring to and cursing himself. He stumbled and fell, the gravel digging painfully into his elbows, hands and knees. He kneeled over, heaving his stomach free of contents.
          In his house was Shoar, hanging from a rope around his neck. Below the waist were only tattered shards of flesh and intestines. He was naked, scars and marks of brutality across his body. His flesh had bloated, fixating the terror of his face forever in Lakros's mind. Most notably was the bullet hole in Shoar's forehead.
          He slowly, menacingly, rose to his feet. He heard the gunfire now, and headed unerringly for it.