Page 10

At least the rumors surrounding the place are universal, I thought.

“I was told the Forest is home to criminals and the like. Is that not true?”

The barkeep made a nasty noise in his throat before spitting directly onto the floor once more. It took immense effort for me not to look disgusted. “People don’t live there. But they do die there. Whatever treasure people think is on the other side ain’t worth it.”

I was about to form my rebuttal, when I heard a man’s voice from behind me. “I’ll take ya,” he said. I turned around and saw a grimy man with greasy hair and dark eyes stumbling towards me. He stopped so close to me that I could practically taste his rancid breath. “I’ll take ya anywhere, darling. With a little payment, of course.” He grabbed his trousers between his legs.

Disgusted, I got up and stepped to the side. “I’m not interested,” I tried to say politely, not looking for an escalation. The man only stepped closer to me, forcing me to back up.

“Right, well maybe I’ll have my way with ya anyway,” he blubbered.I looked over to the barkeep for help, but he faced elsewhere, pretending to take no notice to the situation. “You’re a pretty little thing,” the unkempt man said, his breath making me want to vomit. “My little friend down here really wants to meet ya.” One hand gestured between his legs while the other raised towards my breasts. I slapped his wrist away before he could get the pleasure.

“Do not touch me,” I said through gritted teeth, my body filling with fighting energy. I was not about to let this man get his way. I wondered how many women he had done this to in his miserable life, and my anger flared.

“I didn’t ask for your permission, you little bitch,” he sneered. He raised his hands to grab at my chest again, but this time I grabbed his wrists, turning my body with so much force that the man stumbled forward into the bar, knocking over glasses and spilling ale everywhere.

“I said, don’t touch me,” I repeated with bitterness. The man’s face turned red with rage, and he snarled loudly as he swung around to throw a fist at me. I easily dodged his slow attempt at a blow and swept at his feet with my leg, sending him flying face first into the floor. The men and women inside the alehouse began to laugh, and the man let out a howl of fury. He may have been too drunk to get up, as he needed two of his buddies to help him stand.

He pointed an enraged finger at me when he finally stood. “I’ll get you for that, you little bitch,” he repeated the insult. How creative.

The mixed excitement and animosity in me began to boil, because I wasn’t done yet. I pulled my mother’s dagger from its sheath and stepped towards the man, his companions backing away like I was a feral animal. Before the man could even see what was happening, I held the knife to his throat. He choked back a startled cry.

“Touch me, or any woman again without her permission, and you and yourlittle friendare separating,” I spat, looking down and backup so he would get the hint.

I pushed the man backwards and he fell into his companions, all three tumbling to the ground. Some of the alehouse patrons cheered drunkenly.

Quickly realizing that my hood was down and all eyes were on me, I feared my cover would be blown at any given moment. And so I turned towards the door and hastily headed out. Rose warned me of the type of people that frequented this place, but I didn’t think it would go south this quickly. As I stepped outside, I took a deep breath, inhaling the foul-smelling air resulting from the other man’s vomit that I witnessed just minutes ago. I walked around to the side of the building and leaned against its stone wall, one dim streetlamp doing its best to illuminate the dark alley.

Initially feeling triumphant in my first brawl with someone who wasn’t my uncle, I slowly began to feel defeated. I contemplated going to find some other bar and asking other people about taking me to the Forest of Torment, but it seemed futile.

As I leaned against the outer wall of the alehouse, my mind was completely focused on contemplating my next move. I was so lost in thought, that I hadn’t even heard the door to the tavern open. I finally looked up when three shadowy figures stepped around the side of the building and into sight.

“You’re gonna pay, ya little cunt,” came the voice of the greasy haired man from before. And he brought his two friends. While my uncle trained me in many scenarios, it was only ever me and him. I wasn’t sure how I would do against a group of three large men.

They started to walk towards me, with Greasy Hair in the lead. I stood tall and planted my feet in the ground, ready to fight, when an unexpected voice broke through from the darkness behind them.

“The lady asked you to leave her alone,” came a deep, guttural voice that sent chills down my spine. All three men swung around, stillblocking my view of the mystery man.

“Stay outta this, creep,” Greasy Hair shouted towards the darkness.

“I think it’s in your best interest to go back inside,” the deep voice continued.

Greasy Hair snorted. “Or what?”

“I don’t think you want to know.”

All three thugs laughed. “Get him!” the leader spat the order at his goons.

The two big men ran towards the voice, but were immediately met with someone who far exceeded their skill level. The figure knocked them out in less than three moves, and the men fell to the floor with moans and groans. The figure stepped towards my foe.

“A-alright. I don’t want trouble,” stumbled Greasy Hair. From his back pocket, he produced a knife and dropped it to the stone street below. I could have sworn I smelled the sudden stench of urine as he did so.

I wasn’t aware that he had a knife, which could have made our brawl have a less than desirable outcome for me. I cursed myself for not being aware of my surroundings, which was basic knowledge I’d learned from my trainings with Balor.

“Then maybe you should have kept to yourself,” the deep voice growled.

Before I could blink, my foe was on the ground with his companions, groaning in agony. I looked up at the tall, dark-haired man that stood over him. His muscular build was apparent, even in the darkness. As the man stepped towards me under the dimply lit lamp, my gaze made my way up to his eyes. They were as golden as honey, and an indescribable ferocity burned in them.

I didn’t know whether to be terrified or thankful. He stared at me, unblinking. Was he waiting for me to say something? I wasspeechless.