Activity

Halmar

This was much more interesting than anything I would otherwise have done. I whistled a tune, more to distract myself from worry than anything else. This would be fine.

Sure, there was a dead dragon in the corner, several unfamiliar people were teeming about it and there was more blood than I liked to see, but this was fine.

One of the kneeling people looked up with a jolt, straight in my direction. The whistle died on my lips. That might be less than ideal, especially if they happened to be an enemy.

Although I knew full well nobody else was here to back me up, I glanced around.

The girl got up, gathered up her skirts, and ran toward me. I couldn’t stop grinning as I recognized Mejt. She’d grown in the last six months. I hadn’t thought I’d see her for another six.

I barely caught her as she ran straight into me without even slowing down. This had more or less become a ritual, as was the way she buried her face in my shoulder and held on to me as though she would never let go. I didn’t let her go either.

“I won the bet. I told you you’d cry, silly goose,” I said, more gently than usual.

Mejt squirmed, and I hastily took a step backward. She was going to try to step on my foot.

“I’m not crying,” she sniffed, as crankily as usual. She was. I ruffled her hair with a grin that couldn’t quite manage to be patronizing.

She glared daggers at me and batted my hand away. She tucked her hair back meticulously, though it still frizzed all around her face.

“I don’t know how you didn’t drown this time, there was a storm two months ago,” she said, spitefully.

“I try not to make a habit of it, besides, it was a terrible excuse for a storm,” I said, cheerily. It hadn’t been. It had been bad. I’d prayed more in those hours than I’d thought humanly possible.

It was dangerous work, and considering that I was just a sailor, they wouldn’t send news home if I died. They wouldn’t have found out until the ship returned. I’d seen it happen to others. I’d helped tell the families. It was the worst thing I could imagine.

“Do I want to know how you got yourself in this mess?” I asked, looking around at the dragon and the people. At least one of them seemed badly hurt.

“If you know, tell me,” Mejt said, annoyedly.

I grinned and shook my head.

“You seem thrilled as usual.”

Mejt mumbled something in irritation.

I strode out of the shadows, Mejt tagging by my side as though she was scared I would disappear. She was always like that after I came back.

“Is anyone going to die within the next five minutes?” I asked, my tone too light for the situation. “If it is, tell them to stop.”

I could almost hear Mejt gritting her teeth in frustration. The perfect result. I had missed annoying her.