Dinner Conversation

Van smiled, a young and rakish grin. “I am Vanderstool Al’havin, my lady.” He said in a manner that was what a commoner might thing was noble and formal. “And welcome to my… um, our camp.” He looked back and motioned to the others “That is Capt’in Kline, Herod, Laffy, and Frogmore.” Each of the men nodded when introduced.

“How do you do?” Kalena replied, addressing them all in the easy, courtly fashion she had adopted since obtaining her wealth and status. She stifled an amused chuckle at the lad trying to act all suave and debonaire.

“Back off Van, and fix her some food,” Kline said, his voice gruff. “Forgive him, we do not often get many fine women sharing a camp with us. Let alone women who fight like you.” He looked at the others who nodded in agreement.

Kalena's shoulders straightened proudly, inwardly very pleased that they had witnessed her prowess in combat. Because she did most of her killing in stealth, few over the years got to see her in action, and she used to lament the fact that even her victims often died sadly unaware of the honed precision and superior skill in which they'd been dispatched. It was difficult for a good assassin to find a way to showboat. She liked to think her ego was resistant to the foolish urge nowadays.

“As for what happened,” continued Kline, nodding to the row of severed heads that sat on the other side of the road. “You raced in on that beast of yours and helped even some odds. We all owe you a debt.”

“Oh, that sounds just like something I would do too, and here I thought I owed you all,” Kalena returned, grinning and basking in their praise. She took in the array of freshly dead skulls and was amazed to count no less than twenty-two of them. My oh my, what a fight that must have been. The grisly monument would serve as a stark warning to all the bandits and highwaymen in Dalen who would seek to prey on the lawful subjects of the realm-or at least until the birds and animals came along.

Laffy, the older merc, tossed Kalena a heavy coin pouch. She deftly caught it in one hand and casually assessed its weight and heft. Loosening the ties, she checked inside and found it stuffed with silver and gold coins, without one copper piece to be seen.

“Your cut,” Laffy said, as if it was quite evident. “You fight, you get a share.”

“Well, if you insist, who am I to argue?” Kalena quipped with a smile, as if more than happy to receive the unexpected windfall of money. She remembered the old thrill that came from reaping loot from dead enemies, but such things meant little to her now that she was obscenely rich already. She did not want to rub her wealth in these good men's faces however, and so she accepted her share of plunder in the spirit that it was offered. She saw it might actually be enough to pay Gularzob for the new set of armour, and also buy the darling pair of Kobroros leather boots she had seen in a shop window last week.

Van came back with a plate and some of the roasted meat carved off, with some soft flat bread and sliced pickled vegetables. “We do not usually have meat on the trail, so enjoy.”

“Oh, thank you, I will. Since I awoke I've been feeling a bit peckish,” she said, accepting the plate held out to her. She began to eat, the firelight adding a nice ambience to the meal; the severed heads of the bandits not so much. She frowned a little at Van's remark about not usually having meat on the trail. Dried meat used to be a normal staple during her own rather expansive travels. There was a method of removing the moisture that would allow the meat to stay edible for up to a year or so, but the curing process might not have been known about here in Dalen, which in some ways was more advanced, and other ways less so than other nations she had lived in.

“Remember that time Capt’in when we were stuck in that winter camp and we started boiling leather to see if you could eat it?” Van asked.

“You chipped a tooth trying,” Frogmore said in a voice that was sure his namesake, seep and almost unearthly. The man was off in the darkness keeping watch, she could only make out his form, and that was the armor he wore. Van just laughed at the comment.

Kalena smiled genuinely at their joking talk of eating leather. She had endured some lean times herself, but those days were well behind her. She supposed it was nice to every now and then be reminded of just how far she'd come. Most saw her today as one of the kingdom's elite nobles, and in another year or two perhaps Thalia might make her one for real; Countess Kalena of Dalen would definitely have a nice ring to it...

Laffy picked up his bread, the meat and veggies folded in it. “You should eat up. A good night sleep may help your mind sort itself out.”

She inclined her head in agreement. “You might be right on that. There is nothing quite like a good sleep to put you back in form, but after lying unconscious for several hours I don't really feel like turning in just yet. So, tell you what—how about I take the first watch and let you lot get some shut-eye?”

Kline had been watching her, studying her, measuring her. “You must be from around here? I mean, for you to just happen on us. You ever have these men give you trouble?”

“Let it go, Kline.” Lafford said. “So they had some coin, it does not mean anything.”

Kline shook his head. “Just does not feel right. So many, and they all had a bit of coin, every one of them.” He stood, and his full size was seen, and looked around as if he could look and see the answer to his questions.

Kalena blinked at his great stature, not having realized he was so tall, but then frowned at the almost accusation in his tone. Was he seriously implying she might be in league with the bandits? “I don't even know where we are, Captain, but I assure you that I have had my share of run-ins with Dalen's criminal element. Why just the other day I pitched in to help apprehend a mass murderer at an inn down near Ragodast. There are scattered pockets of bandits all across the kingdom, and they're more concentrated along the disputed parts of the border with Verden. But are you imagining there is some larger plot afoot?” Her scoffing tone suggested she didn't believe it, and thought he was being paranoid.

Lafford spoke bitingly at Kline. “Sit, there is nothing we can do about it now, everything is safe, and we did not lose a man. The shipment will be in town in the morning, we are just a day late, they will understand, the buyers know that transit can be precarious.”

Sitting, he looked at Kalena again and sighed. “Sorry, you know us, what is your name? Do you want help getting home in the morning?”

“I'm called Kalena Valade. I live in the capital.” She refrained from adding that she was a personal acquaintance of the Queen, knowing it would sound a little too la-di-da. “If the capital is where you're taking your merchandise, we can make the journey there together. If not, I should have little trouble getting home on my own. My steed is a most extraordinary one, and as you've apparently seen, I'm quite capable of handling myself in most any situation.”

She smiled as Kline mentioned the fact that she had personally slain the bandit leader. She would have liked to remember that! But her smile fell when Van chimed in that she had been sucker punched. At this, she reached up and felt where the injury on the back of her head had been.

“Yes, you were hit from behind,” Kline added, and looked critically at young Van. “We are sorry for that, we were unable to cover you. Our over watch was busy looking someplace else.” He turned back to Kalena. “Your skills are impressive, never seen anyone fight like that before. Where did you learn it?”

Kalena's smile returned at the compliment. “Oh, here and there. I was fortunate to find a few good teachers willing to invest their time in me,” she said modestly, not wanting to mention that she'd trained under some of the most talented assassins and swordsmen in the world. “You all must be quite the competent warriors yourselves. Judging by all your opponents over there, you were outnumbered by at least four or five to one! If you're ever looking for work, do come see me. I employ guards to protect my home, and I'm always on the look-out for strapping young blokes who know how to handle themselves in a real fight.”