Devil's Fire Tavern - Closed for Remodeling

"What's the matter?" Talina asked, sitting up in the bed and clutching the ragged blanket to her chest.

Corwyn didn't look up at her as he cursed under his breath, yanking on the trap door that led down into the tavern from their sleeping quarters. Moonlight from the loft's lone window showed enough of his face for her to read the fear there.

Finally, he gave up on the door. He moved to the foot of the bed and sorted through their discarded clothing. Hurling her shift at her, he grunted, "Get dressed, we gotta go." He looked up at her when she didn't immediately move and cursed, "Now, damn you!" and threw a shoe at her.

A few moments later Corwyn had gathered the few valuables he kept in the loft and placed them in a sack. He moved to the window and pushed it outward. Talina gripped his arm tightly as he helped her out onto the roof. His stream of subvocal profanity continued unabated as they made their way to the back of the building and he unceremoniously dropped her onto the top of the midden heap in the alley.

She scrambled down as Corwyn slipped down off the roof himself, wincing as he stumbled and crashed into a broken gate. He held his arm and grimaced, spitting a loud oath of vengeance against whoever had broken into the tavern.

"Maybe we should call the guards," Talina suggested, despite knowing that Corwyn would do nothing of the sort.

"Feh," he grumbled, and she felt sure he would have cuffed her one if he hadn't been cradling his hurt arm. Instead, he shoved past her and stalked around the building. Adopting a slightly more cautious approach, he peered in the window and, seeing nothing, drew his key and unlocked the door.

"Stay here," he whispered to Talina, "I'll be back in a minute."

He vanished inside. Talina rubbed her arms to stave off the chill as she waited. In spite of herself, she jumped and nearly cried out when he reappeared.

"They went down into the tunnel," he grumbled. "That gods-damned dwarf, I'll wager. And more than one."

"More than one is right," a quiet, grim voice sounded from the darkness.

Talina and Corwyn both looked around wildly for the source of the voice. They both backed away as a tall man stepped out of the shadow of a nearby doorway.

"D-Daumar?" Corwyn said with no relief in his voice. Talina felt a cold chill at the name, and immediately recognized the man's unruly red hair and rashemi features. She had only seen him a handful of times, but there could be no mistaking the eerie glint in his green eyes or his strangely malevolent aspect.

Daumar came no closer to them. He simply stared at the tavern door as he spoke: "A dwarf, two gnomes," his eyes narrowed, "and a rashemi."

Corwyn cursed. "Those bastards beat up a couple of my boys just last night!"

"Looks like they're not quite finished yet," the red-haired man observed.

Corwyn looked suddenly hopeful. "Could ... could they be?" he asked tentatively. "Finished?"

Daumar snorted with amusement. "Not for what you could pay," he scoffed, fixing his unnatural gaze on Corwyn. Green fire seemed to dance behind his eyes with a poisonous light. "Run away, little man," he advised, "and be thankful that you share an enemy with someone important."

The barkeep needed no further persuasion. He grabbed Talina firmly by the arm and hustled her away into the street. She looked back only once, suddenly sick with fear when she met the assassin's green-eyed gaze. When she stumbled, Corwyn cursed and dragged her to her feet and around a corner. She clung to him after that, despite his irritation and unkind words.

There were far worse things in the dark.