Heart of the Kraken (Tales from Darjee) by Exley A. W

Author:Exley, A. W. [Exley, A. W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Dark fantasy steampunk romance
Published: 2015-03-08T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The bartender sighed, set down the glass and then tossed the cloth over his shoulder. His gaze flicked from Reis to the shiny plate. Greens and blues played over the surface in the low lighting and it shimmered with a pulse of ore-mancer wizardry. The man grunted as he picked it up and disappeared around the back of the bar.

Fenton tried to cut out the noise and avoid the ample flesh on display. Dinger's tongue was practically on the ground and Maynard already had two scantily clad women entwined around him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, centring himself and willing the nausea away. It didn't work.

"How about you lovey, lonely?" A hand encircled his bicep.

He opened his eyes to find a woman with a painted face and dyed bright red hair staring up at him. She was attractive in a I've been at sea for two months solid kind of way. The smile on her face appeared genuine, and the softness in her eyes led her a touch of warmth, while her curves promised of other diversions. Except this woman would never haunt his dreams. After tasting Ailin, the thought of kissing another woman was as appealing as licking the latrine floor.

"No, thank you." He took her hand and removed it.

Reis signalled to Maynard who extracted himself with soft promises of later to the ladies. The captain took a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it over. "Take Dinger to the store and order our supplies. Once you have that in hand, you two can have the rest of today off."

Dinger gave a quiet whoop and shot his hand up in the air. Maynard rolled his eyes, nodded and guided the smaller pirate through the maze of warm bodies to the door.

The bartender returned and gestured with his head. "He'll see you, now."

Following his direction, Fenton saw the faint edge of a wide doorway tucked under the stairs. Almost lost in the shadow it blended in with the woodwork. There was little to differentiate it from the panelling apart from the plain steel handles, resting side by side.

Reis grabbed the handles and pushed them apart. With a quiet sigh, the doors slid away from each other on unseen rails. Fenton glanced around as he stepped into the private domain of the ruler of Lusions. With a soft hiss, the doors closed behind him and sliced away the noise leaving clean silence.

The subtle décor within was at odds to the riotous life of the tavern. Here the walls were lined with books and unusual curios, not brightly coloured bottles of liquor and mirrors. Two things dominated the space. One was an enormous open fireplace. Granite nubile maidens were the pillars supporting a gnarled beam that served as a mantle. At the other end, by a tall window, sat a desk of dark oak. Arcane ruins and creatures were carved into the wood and it was large enough to serve as a double bed. Papers, books and small mechanical objects were scattered over the desk top.

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