Bone Diggers - Chapter Fourteen

Loading... Chapter Fourteen

His eyelids were heavy, but his heart was light. Daniel and Amilia were standing outside the guild headquarters after their mission, wasting time. It was almost dark, but they continued swapping stories that they'd hadn't gotten to share yet.

"Señor Ortiz! I need your help please!" the woman cried in a panic.

Amilia looked over to the woman rushing towards them to Daniel, who didn't appear to have a clue what was going on either. As she neared, he realized she worked with Lily.

"Please, one of the girls was poisoned. We know who has the antidote, but we don't have the...skills needed to get it," she said. "Please, will you help us?"

"All right," Amilia agreed, and glanced over to Daniel, who nodded in turn. The woman brought them back to the brothel. The place was full of people at this time of day. Most drinking and flirting in an environment that catered to them. Their guide pointed towards a man who sat smugly on a couch.

There were two women already parading around a man, trying to get his attention, willing to trade for medicine. The women kept a respectful distance; when one dared to move closer, he waved them away. Maybe waiting for a bigger prize to come along, or getting kicks from posturing.

"Hold these," Amilia replied, handing off her bow and quiver.

Daniel blinked at the items, eyes widening as she stripped down to her slip. "Wait—what are you doing?"

"Playing the part." She sauntered over to the man, leaving Daniel wondering if she meant the part of a thief or courtesan.

Amilia had a sly smile as she walked over. "Now tell me, why did you do it?" she asked.

The man looked up at her. "The girl wasn't delivering. Had to make sure she got what was coming to her."

Daniel felt like something had died in his mouth. Maybe it was better that Amilia was testing her abilities, because he would have forgotten the pickpocketing and just intimidated the man into submission. These ladies deserved respect no matter what.

"What would you like?" she asked, whispering near his ear.

He let out a deep laugh. "My money's worth."

Amilia's lips curled up, and she moved closer as if promising just that. His arms uncrossed, welcoming her as she moved to straddle his lap. Her hands first started at his shoulders then one made its way to his lap. She rubbed his inner thigh for a moment as her lips touched his neck.

Daniel's eyebrows went up. Couldn't she just pick his pocket without getting all up in there? He wouldn't admit it, but he was becoming visibly uncomfortable in this den of skin.

When Amilia's hand moved over the man's pants he seemed to considerably lose concentration. Amilia could feel the antidote was in his pocket and worked to slide it out without being noticed. The distraction, however, wasn't enough. He grabbed Amilia's wrist, twisted it away, and pulled a dagger. "Want to rethink that, love?"

Daniel didn't wait to see how he'd use the knife. He pulled Amilia off the man's lap, so fast that she stumbled back into a nearby lounge chair. "Excuse me," Daniel seemed to say to the both of them. He pulled a sword, and kept the man pinned in his seat unless he wanted to skewer himself. "Today's lesson is, if you can't be slick, be blunt," Daniel said to Amilia, before demanding the man drop the knife.

"Now the antidote?" Daniel held his hand out.

The man didn't look like he was going to comply, but maybe the set look in Daniel's eyes convinced him it was this or his life. He leaned back to grab the antidote and carefully stretched his arm out to avoid nicking himself on the sword.

Daniel tossed the small bottle to Amilia, who awkwardly caught it. "I guess you will have to find women the old fashion way, because if I catch you here again I'll kill you. Now leave." Daniel lowered the sword, and took a single step aside to let the man pass.

The wannabe killer seemed to check his ego against challenging Daniel, but decided to bolt in the end.

They were whisked over to the sick woman in one of the side rooms. Lily sat at the bedside of another woman who looked warm and sickly despite the cool rag on her forehead. Without a word, Amilia handed the bottle over to Lily.

"Miracles do exist," she said, with a new hope as she tipped the medicine into her friend's mouth. Once empty, she gestured everyone to leave the room and followed them out. "I don't know how to thank you enough for what you have done. The head of the house is away. I should have been responsible for handling the situation but..." Lily's hands went to her carefully pinned hair as if needing to fix a stray hair somewhere. She could handle many things, but this situation had spiraled out of her control. She exhaled deliberately to center herself. "Please stay. Relax, maybe have a drink. Our hospitality is the least I can offer you."

Daniel stayed silent, wondering if the girls felt the same tension that he did. Then it dawned on him; they hadn't actually met that morning.

Someone else called Lily's name. She turned to look and let out a sigh. "I have to take care of something else, but please stay. The night even, if you want."

Daniel turned to Amilia with a slight shrug. They had run two guild missions together, and this impromptu one. "Would you like to stay?" He grinned. "Maybe we shouldn't. I'm not sure these women would be a good influence on you."

Amilia shifted her weight slightly as she looked at Daniel. "If the thief's guild doesn't work out, perhaps I could try being a courtesan. Holding a sword to clients seems bad for business, though. But, we should stay and hopefully avoid any more trouble."

There were many guilty pleasures that could be found here besides ones that needed a bed. Gambling and drinking among them. "Sounds good." He gestured towards a corner. Two couches sat across from each other with a shared table. Daniel picked up the deck of cards he found and promptly started shuffling. "Do you have any games in mind, or should I just deal the first thing that comes to me?"

Amilia had been looking over to various men and women. Her expression was tight, like she didn't fully approve of people spending time here, but seemed to be trying. "Whatever is fine."

After the cards were dealt, they were brought glasses of wine. The waitress gave a practiced smile before leaving them be. Daniel didn't flinch at the drink this time, making Amilia curious how often he was here. When he noticed she was staring, he slid his drink away making her laugh.

"It's a good thing we are not playing for money," Daniel said after a few hands. "You'd be beating the pants off of me." He took the cards back from her, giving the cards an extra shuffle this time as if that would cure his string of rotten hands.

Amilia leaned back against the couch, and her mind drifted to think about all that had happened lately. She had killed a man. Killed. "Daniel, how many people have you...dealt with?"

He looked up from the cards, unsure what she meant until he saw the dark expression over her eyes. "I don't know, Amilia," Daniel said, with a soft sigh. He wasn't trying to hide the answer, it was just easier to do his job if he didn't count how many people it cost. "I wish we lived in a world where killing wasn't the way people got what they wanted," Daniel continued, "Think of it this way, if you asked someone how many people they slept with many can easily think of an answer. They might be embarrassed to tell you, but they know. The courtesans, however, feel different about it. They might not have a number, but they aren't ashamed of themselves for what they do. Some people may look down on them, but they don't buy into it. The act doesn't define them."

Amilia looked up, setting her cards face down as she became uninterested in the game. She could understand what he was saying, see the point he was trying to make, but wondered if he was also trying to avoid a number for her sake.

"Come here." Daniel patted the bit of couch next to him. "Maybe I can explain better."

Amilia looked at the spot skeptically, before getting up to take it. "You didn't answer why you do this. There must be something more than a desire for freedom when it means you not only steal, but sometimes kill as well."

"You see over there?" Daniel leaned in towards Amilia, and nodded over to a woman who was dancing as a musician played the flute next to her. The edges of the woman's skirt flared and reached as far out as the dress would allow. A night together might be for sale, but she seemed truly happy. That spirit shined through every move she made.

"I suppose I do this for the same reason she does," Daniel continued as he watched, "Because I like it." He finished off his drink, and licked his lips clean of the taste of wine as he laughed to himself. "I guess I'm not as noble as you believed."

"You're a saint as far as I'm concerned." Maybe their cloaks resembled monks for a reason. Their shoulders brushed as she leaned into him. "It's late, I'm pretty tired," she declared. She got up as if to do something about it, but the world had a strange wobble to it. Maybe she shouldn't try to head home right now. "You sure they wouldn't mind us staying here?"

Daniel blinked up at her. "If there is one thing I know about Lily, it's that she says what she means. I'll go check with her which room is open."

He found Lily again standing at a podium with a large book placed on top. It looked like a desk might have better suited with the number of papers. Maybe they were just piling up since she was currently flirting with a man in front of her.

Daniel waited by the sideline, but the man seemed determined to stick around. He cleared his throat to get their attention. Both of them looked over, but Lily looked back to her new crush. "I'll talk to you later," she said, with a wink. The man seemed disappointed, but wandered off. "What can I do for you, love?" Lily said not turning off the charm as she spoke to Daniel.

"I didn't want to go hunting around to see which rooms were free, mind telling me?" He felt flushed, and was quick to blame it on the drinks instead of the topic.

Lily looked at him curiously, before looking to where he had been, finding Amilia there. There was a clear question in her eyes, but she was formal enough not to ask. Instead, she looked down at the book. "Upstairs, third room on the right."

"Thanks." Daniel headed back to Amilia and repeated the information, even holding up three fingers to emphasize.

Amilia walked upstairs, glancing back at Lily for a moment before going in. Only then did she realize that there was only a single bed. She swallowed hard. She should have thought of that before.

Daniel piled his weapons on the nightstand, before he noticed Amilia's hesitation. "Do you want me to go downstairs?" While it was cute, in a way, to see her flustered, he had been tired before they started this mission, and now was more so.

Amilia shook her head. "No, it's fine." She slipped into bed and shivered under the cool sheets, before Daniel joined her on the other side. A moment ticked away, before she turned her head back to look at him. A small smile crossed her face in the low light. "Goodnight."

Daniel had tried lying on his back, but he flipped over so they were back to back, finding it wasn't much better. He held in a grumble, and wiggled around until he faced the same way as her. "Amilia?" Daniel whispered, as he looked at the back of her head and wondered if she had fallen asleep already. "I'm glad you came with me today."

***

The sun spilled through the cracks between the curtains. It was mid-morning when Amilia let out a slight grumble, and turned her face away from the light, burying it into the pillow. Daniel woke to the sound, still half asleep. He tried to move his arm, but found a weight there as Amilia's arm keep his tight against her side. It was far too easy, to just let this fragile moment exist.

It felt like he only closed his eyes for a second, just enough time to exhale, but when Daniel stirred again the bed was empty. What had he expected? That Amilia would just stay here with him? That they'd start the day as one? He sighed and started to collect his things.

Amilia came back in as he tugged on his last boot. "Morning," Daniel said cheerfully, but his smile faded when he was only met with silence.

She placed a tray of food on a small desk, and picked one of the two plates as she sat down on the foot of the bed to eat. A wordless annoyance radiated off her like the morning sun.

Daniel rolled his eyes even though he doubted she could see. He didn't understand the attitude all of a sudden. He grabbed the second plate, and tried to ignore her mood as he sat down at the desk.

He hoped she'd warm up after a meal, but instead the sourness seemed to leech into the food, making the whole thing unappetizing. Soon, he abandoned the plate entirely. "All right," he sighed. "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." Amilia stared down at her food. Her jaw set tight as if having trouble explaining. "Just tell your friend not to have the wrong idea."

Wrong idea? What friend was she even—shit. Lily. "Come on, are you really letting a rumor mess with you? Considering where we are, it isn't even a surprising one." It didn't seem to help. He had the urge to hug her, reassure her that everything was fine. But maybe that was exactly what she was worried about. "It's just one person, anyway, who I'm sure you set straight."

Only after the comment did he realize he lied. Both Lance and the guild had questioned him for something similar.

Amilia sighed, shifting on the bed to cross her arms. "Well, I'm just saying," she reiterated as she stood. "I should head home. I'll see you tomorrow for training."

Daniel opened his mouth to say something, but she left the room before he formed any real words. He tossed his hands in the air before getting up to follow. What did she want? For him to hunt down rumors along with his normal targets?

She gave a quick wave to Lily as she stormed out of the building.

"This is why I'm single," Daniel groaned. He stopped in front of Lily, who was manning the front again. He glanced over to her before shaking his head at the door. "I clearly don't understand people."