For YOUR Eyes Only:
Below is the third chapter from my new series, The City of Broken Dragons.
This work is very new, unedited, and it's highly likely it will change. However, as my newsletter subscribers and members of my Street Team, I would love to share it with you!
I hope you enjoy this first glimpse into the world of Neethris!
Chapter 3: Reemish Meets My Fist
from
The City of Broken Dragons
A new series by D.H. Nevins
First, my eyes caught on a very different-looking, battered knife as it clattered onto the deck beside a man's falling body. Darting my gaze to my victim, it took me no time to recognize that the person who hit the deck wasn't who I had expected. Shit, I thought, as I stared dumbly at him. Glaring up at me with death in his eyes was an older man in a patchwork of clothes. His graying black hair was tied behind his neck, and his grizzled beard was in dire need of a trim.
The man got to his feet, grabbing the knife in a gnarled hand, his swollen knuckles giving the impression that his hands had seen a lifetime of difficult labor. He had regained his footing easily, but that didn't make me feel any better about what I had just done.
I couldn't believe that instead of slugging Rune, I decked an old man instead. "I'm so sorry," I said, holding my hands out in front of me, trying to indicate that I didn't mean him any harm.
Glaring at me, his response was to spit on the ground at my feet. "Thief!" he said, holding the knife in front of him. "Those ain't yer clothes. Get out of 'em and be on yer way."
I hugged my arms around my body in surprise. "What? No…" I threw my gaze back to the hill and for once, was relieved to see Rune. He was wearing a long, gray cloak over what looked like a medieval soldier's riding clothes. A sword was attached to his hip, and at his throat, a marble-sized gemstone adorned his cloak pin, shining blood red in the sea-washed sun. He was walking down the path toward us, his pace slower than the situation warranted. He was watching us, smiling at our interaction as though it was a source of great amusement. His grin only faded when he got closer and noticed the red splotch blooming on the man's weathered cheek.
"Rune, can you tell this guy—"
"Wait… Did you hit him?"
"Well, yeah! He surprised me with a knife. He tried to shove it into my back," I said, turning as I wiggled my fingers up my spine, trying to find a hole in the fabric. "What is it with this place and knives?"
"Captin… Sir! It's good to see ya," the man said, giving Rune a warm smile. The smile soured when he turned his eyes on me. "Ya know this woman?" he asked, keeping the blade trained on me.
"I wish I didn't. But, yes." He gestured toward me with barely a lift of his hand. "This is Ember. And Ember, this is Reemish."
"She don't fit."
Rune scrubbed his hand through his blond hair, considering. "I know. But she's with me," he said, his mouth twisting on the words.
The man barked out a laugh as he jammed his knife into his belt. "Ya sure? Ya don' look so sure."
Rune moved forward and clapped the man on the back, steering him away from me. "I am sure, Reemish. But I thank you for looking out for me." His smile for the man was deep and genuine—an expression I had never seen on him before.
Reemish returned Rune's smile, although he continued to dart his gaze back in my direction, the smile faltering every time his eyes landed on me. "She a prisoner? She don' seem… right." He lowered his voice even more. "I have a bad feelin' about this one."
I could have said the same about Rune. And I didn't have a warm, fuzzy feeling about knife-stabby Reemish, either. But I held my tongue and waited. I needed to learn more about this place. I put my hands into the pockets of my skirt and let my fingers run over my insulin case again. Feeling it helped to calm my pulse. I slid my index finger along the metal closure as I listened.
"It's fine, Reemish. Ember is my guest."
His guest? Reemish made a scoffing sound at the same time I did. Rune turned to glare at me, the look in his eyes screaming murder. Like some kind of animal instinct, my hate spiked in return. But I pushed it down. I needed to play my part. Nearly choking on my scoffing sound, I easily turned it into a fake coughing fit. It was a poor performance. Not knowing how to get their eyes off me, I bent to pretend I was inspecting the piles of fishing nets.
"Forget about her," Rune continued as he moved with the man farther along the deck. "Tell me, how are things since I left?"
After a long look over his shoulder at me, the man finally let his attention fix back on Rune. "The pyrath is worse," he said, keeping his voice low.
"Which kind?"
"Both."
Rune let out a long breath. "Disappointing. But not unexpected."
The man nodded, his thick beard bumping against his chest.
"And your family?"
Reemish shifted and cleared his throat. "The same."
"How's fishing, then?"
The man's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Don' ya know it, it's better than ever."
Rune clapped him on the shoulder again, then fished something shiny out of his pouch. He pressed it into Reemish's palm.
Maya's bracelet! I locked up my body to keep from launching myself at them. All that managed to escape was a squeak.
"You already paid me," Reemish protested.
"This is extra. It means nothing, so you might as well take it."
"Yer not bein' straight with me," Reemish said, protesting. "This is rhizan. And there ain't no need."
Rune held his hand over Reemish's closed fist, pushing it back toward his friend. "It's nothing," he said again. "Take it or I'll throw it into the sea."
The man swallowed. "My thanks," he said. Reemish jammed the delicate thing into his pocket, while I reeled from Rune's flippant words about the bracelet. It wasn't nothing. I'd thought it had meant everything to her.
I barely noticed when Rune grabbed my arm and began hauling me away from the cabin. I moved stiffly, still in shock, my jaw practically on the ground. How could he?
I remembered that day in our lecture, when I had given the bracelet to her. I had quietly slipped the lumpy, white envelope in her bag. I wasn't really friends with Maya—I wasn't good at getting close to people—but she was always kind to the people around her, and I had admired that about her. She had seemed like an untouchable force of positive energy. Yet when her mother had passed away, that brightness had drained from her. So when she wasn't looking, I had put that anonymous gift into her open bag. It was a charm bracelet, adorned with little birds in various states of flight. I had overheard Maya saying her Mum used to call her a songbird, so I thought the bracelet might be a good fit. I remember seeing the girl crying and holding it to her chest when she found it. She couldn't discover who had given it to her, so she assumed her mother had placed it in with her school things sometime before she died.
The next day, a new student showed up to our lectures. Rune. Dressed in a fine, black overcoat that resembled a cape, he had surveyed the lecture hall with a look of superiority. The students around me were quick to begin gossiping about the handsome, blond stranger, yet I felt on edge the moment I saw him. And I was right to be suspicious. The girl only had the bracelet for a week before I saw the two of them speaking in low voices near the back of the lecture hall after class. Maya giggled. He touched her face. Then she unclasped the bracelet and handed it over to him. As Maya walked away with a dazed look on her face, I saw Rune turn and drop the treasure into a little, burgundy pouch.
And now, Reemish had it, after Rune told him that it meant nothing.
"How could you?" My whisper was like a whip.
Rune ignored me, pulling me along as he waved a cheerful farewell to Reemish.
"Did you hear me?" I demanded.
He continued to drag me, and I tripped over the tufts of scrubby grass lining the path as we worked our way up the rise.
"Rune!" I hissed, digging my heels in.
He stopped and paused for a beat. Finally he turned to me, and his golden eyes penetrated. "You are so worked up that you can't even function. And over what, exactly? Something as trivial as that little trinket?" He released me as though I were something dirty. "You're hopeless, Ember. You will never survive here."
I blinked, processing his insults as he turned away from me. "It isn't trivial…" but my voice had lost its conviction. "If a thing is important to someone, then it has value." I had muttered the last bit under my breath, but I knew he heard me.
We were at the top of the hill. Verdant, bucolic land stretched out as far as we could see, dotted here and there with tiny, whitewashed cottages. It looked like a dreamscape.
"This is Neethris," Rune said, gazing out over the land. "You're going to wish you never followed me here."
The man got to his feet, grabbing the knife in a gnarled hand, his swollen knuckles giving the impression that his hands had seen a lifetime of difficult labor. He had regained his footing easily, but that didn't make me feel any better about what I had just done.
I couldn't believe that instead of slugging Rune, I decked an old man instead. "I'm so sorry," I said, holding my hands out in front of me, trying to indicate that I didn't mean him any harm.
Glaring at me, his response was to spit on the ground at my feet. "Thief!" he said, holding the knife in front of him. "Those ain't yer clothes. Get out of 'em and be on yer way."
I hugged my arms around my body in surprise. "What? No…" I threw my gaze back to the hill and for once, was relieved to see Rune. He was wearing a long, gray cloak over what looked like a medieval soldier's riding clothes. A sword was attached to his hip, and at his throat, a marble-sized gemstone adorned his cloak pin, shining blood red in the sea-washed sun. He was walking down the path toward us, his pace slower than the situation warranted. He was watching us, smiling at our interaction as though it was a source of great amusement. His grin only faded when he got closer and noticed the red splotch blooming on the man's weathered cheek.
"Rune, can you tell this guy—"
"Wait… Did you hit him?"
"Well, yeah! He surprised me with a knife. He tried to shove it into my back," I said, turning as I wiggled my fingers up my spine, trying to find a hole in the fabric. "What is it with this place and knives?"
"Captin… Sir! It's good to see ya," the man said, giving Rune a warm smile. The smile soured when he turned his eyes on me. "Ya know this woman?" he asked, keeping the blade trained on me.
"I wish I didn't. But, yes." He gestured toward me with barely a lift of his hand. "This is Ember. And Ember, this is Reemish."
"She don't fit."
Rune scrubbed his hand through his blond hair, considering. "I know. But she's with me," he said, his mouth twisting on the words.
The man barked out a laugh as he jammed his knife into his belt. "Ya sure? Ya don' look so sure."
Rune moved forward and clapped the man on the back, steering him away from me. "I am sure, Reemish. But I thank you for looking out for me." His smile for the man was deep and genuine—an expression I had never seen on him before.
Reemish returned Rune's smile, although he continued to dart his gaze back in my direction, the smile faltering every time his eyes landed on me. "She a prisoner? She don' seem… right." He lowered his voice even more. "I have a bad feelin' about this one."
I could have said the same about Rune. And I didn't have a warm, fuzzy feeling about knife-stabby Reemish, either. But I held my tongue and waited. I needed to learn more about this place. I put my hands into the pockets of my skirt and let my fingers run over my insulin case again. Feeling it helped to calm my pulse. I slid my index finger along the metal closure as I listened.
"It's fine, Reemish. Ember is my guest."
His guest? Reemish made a scoffing sound at the same time I did. Rune turned to glare at me, the look in his eyes screaming murder. Like some kind of animal instinct, my hate spiked in return. But I pushed it down. I needed to play my part. Nearly choking on my scoffing sound, I easily turned it into a fake coughing fit. It was a poor performance. Not knowing how to get their eyes off me, I bent to pretend I was inspecting the piles of fishing nets.
"Forget about her," Rune continued as he moved with the man farther along the deck. "Tell me, how are things since I left?"
After a long look over his shoulder at me, the man finally let his attention fix back on Rune. "The pyrath is worse," he said, keeping his voice low.
"Which kind?"
"Both."
Rune let out a long breath. "Disappointing. But not unexpected."
The man nodded, his thick beard bumping against his chest.
"And your family?"
Reemish shifted and cleared his throat. "The same."
"How's fishing, then?"
The man's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Don' ya know it, it's better than ever."
Rune clapped him on the shoulder again, then fished something shiny out of his pouch. He pressed it into Reemish's palm.
Maya's bracelet! I locked up my body to keep from launching myself at them. All that managed to escape was a squeak.
"You already paid me," Reemish protested.
"This is extra. It means nothing, so you might as well take it."
"Yer not bein' straight with me," Reemish said, protesting. "This is rhizan. And there ain't no need."
Rune held his hand over Reemish's closed fist, pushing it back toward his friend. "It's nothing," he said again. "Take it or I'll throw it into the sea."
The man swallowed. "My thanks," he said. Reemish jammed the delicate thing into his pocket, while I reeled from Rune's flippant words about the bracelet. It wasn't nothing. I'd thought it had meant everything to her.
I barely noticed when Rune grabbed my arm and began hauling me away from the cabin. I moved stiffly, still in shock, my jaw practically on the ground. How could he?
I remembered that day in our lecture, when I had given the bracelet to her. I had quietly slipped the lumpy, white envelope in her bag. I wasn't really friends with Maya—I wasn't good at getting close to people—but she was always kind to the people around her, and I had admired that about her. She had seemed like an untouchable force of positive energy. Yet when her mother had passed away, that brightness had drained from her. So when she wasn't looking, I had put that anonymous gift into her open bag. It was a charm bracelet, adorned with little birds in various states of flight. I had overheard Maya saying her Mum used to call her a songbird, so I thought the bracelet might be a good fit. I remember seeing the girl crying and holding it to her chest when she found it. She couldn't discover who had given it to her, so she assumed her mother had placed it in with her school things sometime before she died.
The next day, a new student showed up to our lectures. Rune. Dressed in a fine, black overcoat that resembled a cape, he had surveyed the lecture hall with a look of superiority. The students around me were quick to begin gossiping about the handsome, blond stranger, yet I felt on edge the moment I saw him. And I was right to be suspicious. The girl only had the bracelet for a week before I saw the two of them speaking in low voices near the back of the lecture hall after class. Maya giggled. He touched her face. Then she unclasped the bracelet and handed it over to him. As Maya walked away with a dazed look on her face, I saw Rune turn and drop the treasure into a little, burgundy pouch.
And now, Reemish had it, after Rune told him that it meant nothing.
"How could you?" My whisper was like a whip.
Rune ignored me, pulling me along as he waved a cheerful farewell to Reemish.
"Did you hear me?" I demanded.
He continued to drag me, and I tripped over the tufts of scrubby grass lining the path as we worked our way up the rise.
"Rune!" I hissed, digging my heels in.
He stopped and paused for a beat. Finally he turned to me, and his golden eyes penetrated. "You are so worked up that you can't even function. And over what, exactly? Something as trivial as that little trinket?" He released me as though I were something dirty. "You're hopeless, Ember. You will never survive here."
I blinked, processing his insults as he turned away from me. "It isn't trivial…" but my voice had lost its conviction. "If a thing is important to someone, then it has value." I had muttered the last bit under my breath, but I knew he heard me.
We were at the top of the hill. Verdant, bucolic land stretched out as far as we could see, dotted here and there with tiny, whitewashed cottages. It looked like a dreamscape.
"This is Neethris," Rune said, gazing out over the land. "You're going to wish you never followed me here."
