Page 32 of The Mountain King
Chapter Eleven
Her blade wasin her hand a moment later. The human man yelped when she came down hard on a pressure point in his wrist, the hilt of her knife exacting punishment.
“Shhstupid miner shlsut!” he swore, cradling his wrist and glaring.
One of those, huh? “Be on your way, sir,” she replied, voice steely, “and I’ll have no further complaint with your unmannerly behavior.”
“Fuckin’ disgrace, human woman shpreas legs for fuckin’ aliens,” he said, taking a lurching step forward.
Kailigh grimaced. She hated drunks, especially trappers. From his dress and state of grooming, he was no townsman, and his slur indicated he was no miner. She shook her head and turned, the best course of action to just walk away, when he slammed—or staggered—into her.
She used the sudden weight to hurl him off her and managed to keep to her feet despite nearly falling to the ground. Unfortunately, she threw him into a cluster of passing Dwyrkin, who swore and jumped back—likely from his smell.
One of the men glanced at her, eyes sharp, and at the human, sizing the situation up with impressive speed. The man was crumbled on the ground, unconscious. Kailigh shook her head, disgusted.
“Is this human accosting you, mistress?” the Dwyrkin asked. A handsome man, with shoulder-length dark hair threaded with red, and dark eyes. He spoke with confidence, but no arrogance, and appeared to have a hold on his temper as he didn’t immediately curse at her or the drunk. Kailigh approved.
“I am well, thank you, but if you have a constable hereabouts, this gentleman may benefit from a night in a cell to sober up.”
“I concur.” He looked down at the human, distaste crossing his face. “I will summon a constable—I am afraid to touch this man; he looks as if he has fleas.”
He probably did.
One of the other Dwyrkin laughed. “Wouldn’t want to muss your hair, Ravhen.”
A constable was located, Kailigh remained to explain the situation in brief. While the constable slapped the drunk and tried to wake him—apparently, no one wanted to touch the man—Ravhen turned to her. “You’re one of the human girls the Lord has placed under his protection.”
Kailigh sheathed her knife, crossing her arms. “Do I look like a girl to you?”
He grinned. “You look thirsty. Why don’t—”
“I will see to her drink,” Maddugh said, his voice cool.
She turned her head to see him striding forward, expression pleasant but eyes chill, Persia at his side.
The Dwyrkin bowed. “Lord.”
Maddugh glanced at him, then at the constable. “What happened?”
“Drunk,” Kailigh said. “We’ve dealt with it. It need not trouble Your Lordshipness.”
He ignored the sarcasm, fixing her would-be admirers with a look. “What went on here?”
“The drunk human accosted the woman under your protection, Sire,” the male replied. “I offered my assistance as she was alone with no aid in sight.”
Kailigh’s eyes narrowed. The man needled his Lord, and in a way Maddugh couldn’t take offense to without looking like a tyrant. So, though Maddugh was Lord, groveling obeisance wasn’t required as it might have been among humans. Persia moved next to Kailigh, lips trembling as she tried to suppress a grin.
“You have the thanks of your Lord,” Maddugh replied, a trifle sour, a subtle emphasis on the wordLord.
He turned to Kailigh, taking her arm above the elbow. “Mistress. Come with me. I find I am of a mind to head off any future misunderstandings.”
This time when she tried to yank away, he ignored her, as if her tug had no more effect than that of a toddler. She stopped struggling because she didn’t want to look like a fool.
They entered the beer garden tent, Maddugh leading her to where a dance floor had been constructed in the time she’d been gone. He led her to the middle of the floor, people clearing a circle, noise dying down as he stood with an air of expectant impatience.
Kailigh found it fascinating that he didn’t have to call for silence; the wave of quiet fell over the celebration in less than a minute.
“My people, we gathered today to celebrate a rich find in the human settlement—one under our noses for decades with none of us the wiser.” He paused. “It’s been too long since we’ve sent our warriors into the larger world, but it is time to see what goes again.”
