Ocean Heart by Johnson R.R

Author:Johnson, R.R.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

Wolf found Boons where he always had before: in a corner of Nocturne, a shady, ancient place where brawls were frequent and drunkenness was a guarantee. Established not long after the keep was built, it was at the north of the city, filled with former convicts, petty thieves, and the dearly indebted. Wolf despised the place, but at the same time he enjoyed the opportunity to crack heads together. He had stepped less than three feet through the doors before catching a swaying patron and tossing him in the opposite direction, clearing the way towards the back of the seedy tavern. He felt the stares, the smallness around him, and his scowl intensified as he searched through the dim firelight and smoky haze.

There Boons sat, alone at his usual table, playing with a worn deck of cards. He was younger than he looked, about Wolf’s age, lean but slim. He was deliberate in his appearance, grunge concealing a fair face: his hair was dark and scruffy, his skin almost sickly pale, and his eyes were a pair of sullen steel daggers in his skull. He paused in his shuffling to take a long pull from a bottle of dark liquid before noticing the massive shadow that had fallen over his table, and as he looked up at Wolf, his expression froze. He then set the bottle down and donned a wry grin.

“Well,” he said in a weathered tone, “if it isn’t the Wolf of Rein. Figured you were still alive. Didn’t think I’d see you around here ever again, though. I just assumed you’d settled somewhere far, far…far away.”

“Shut it,” Wolf grabbed a chair from the table, but instead of sitting, he slid it firmly out of the way. Swelling, he stared down at Boons. “What matters is that you’re still here.”

“Just so,” Boons had resumed shuffling, pretending to be unfazed by Wolf’s presence. He was good at pretending, Boons, but it didn’t fool Wolf. The man was shaken by the sight of him, genuinely astonished that he was there. “I assume you’ve come to collect on that favor I owe you. The one for nicking me out of Rein before your crazy sister started wreaking havoc.”

Someone had come from behind Wolf, a horrid-smelling man with twitchy fingers. Wolf was quick to apprehend the pickpocket the instant he felt dirty nails at the edge of the seam, hoisting the man clean off his feet and snapping incessantly under his nose until a handful of deliums was deposited in his palm. “You’re lucky you’re still alive for it, Boons,” he growled as he tossed the pickpocket like a puppy towards the nearest corner of the tavern. “And don’t ever mention that woman in my presence again.”

An uneasy twitch compromised the sly grin on Boons’ face. “Relax, Wolf. We’re all friends here. Come, you want a drink? Milk is a rarity this side of Paliat, but the bartender always somehow –”

“Business,” Wolf cut him off.

Boons sighed. “Well, you can’t say I didn’t try,” he said with exaggerated exasperation.

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