Page 36 of Tiger's Trek
“Good. Then I’ll wager cleaning out your stalls all week long if you win. That goes for both of you. Either of you win, I’ll do the work at both your places this week.”
The men chuckled. “You’re on, boy. Deal the cards.”
“Hold on a minute,” Nik said. “What are you two wagering?”
“I got a couple coins,” the second man said.
“Nah. Put that away,” his friend said. “Ya got no bargaining skills.” He rubbed his plump cheek. “Tell ya what. You win, we buys you a drink.”
“I’ve already got a drink. What else are you offering?”
“How about some dinner?”
“Done,” Nik said, then thought and added, “I mean dinner and you pay for my lodgings for the evening.”
Glancing at one another, the men finally nodded.
“Shake on it, then,” Nik encouraged.
He smiled and shook hands with both men, then dealt the cards. He knew immediately he was going to win. Never in his life had luck been more on his side. Nik drew out the game a tiny bit, just to make the men feel good, and then played his hand. “Sorry, boys. I win.”
“Hey now. You cheated.”
“Not so. I won. Fair and square.” Nik rubbed his hands together. “Now about that dinner. I’m mighty hungry.”
“You dealt it wrong.”
“Yeah,” the second man said. “You must have slipped yourself the best cards.”
Nik sighed and sat back in the chair. “Tell you what—we’ll call that one a practice game. Let’s keep the stakes the same. This time one ofyoucan deal. Will that be acceptable?”
They glanced at each other and nodded. “Yeah. Hand ’em over.”
The ruddy-cheeked man shuffled the cards awhile and then dealt a new hand. Again, Nik won easily. The other men cheered and clapped Nik on the back.
“Looks like you owe the boy a meal,” the other men said.
“That’s right. Let someone else have a go now,” another man suggested.
The two men vacated the chairs and made arrangements with the barkeep to provide a very meager meal and lodgings for Nik, while he proceeded to make a new deal with the next two men. Soon Nik had a small pile of coins and other various little treasures growing in front of him. As his stash grew, the smile on his face grew proportionately. Hours passed, and Nik mused to himself,I don’t know what Pasha was talking about. Winning does make you happy.
It was quite obvious that losing, however, was making the townspeople very unhappy. Oh, not in the beginning. At first they were amazed by Nik’s success and rallied to his side, encouraging him and even cheering for his wins as if rooting for a favorite tournament champion. Nik had to admit—the victories went to his head, almost as if it were his skill being used to achieve the triumphs and not the magic of the cards doing the work. As the evening progressed, it seemed that one by one, he lost his supporters.
He didn’t understand what he had done to make them turn against him. It was only a short time ago that he’d been their hero. Now they treated him like the worst of all villains. The men were almost united in their determination to see him lose, yet try as they might, they failed, time and time again.
Nik wanted to withdraw at that point, but they wouldn’t have it. They insisted he give them a chance to earn back some of what they’d lost. He offered to just give them back some of their coins and baubles, but they had too much pride for that. They wanted to win. But they couldn’t. Not using Nik’s cards. He would have suggested using a different deck, but that would have made it obvious that his deck was a trick deck. If they figured that out, they might string him up from the nearest tree. His best bet was to just keep going.
Sweat broke out on his face. There was nothing he could do. He tried buying a round of drinks for everyone, but they poured them out on the floor while staring at him. Nik drank though. He downed glass after glass, hoping to fall into a stupor so he could stop playing.
The bets grew larger and more daring with each game, and Nik’s smile grew watery, his vision blurry. The townspeople’s expressions became dark and ugly. Some left the pub, while others spoke softly in dim corners, conspiring to destroy Nik one way or another. Man after man sat down trying to play and win against him, and all the while, Nik’s pile of booty grew.
He shoved coins and gems into a bag as men eyeballed his stash, whetting their thumbs and running them over the edges of knives. Nik was certain the moment he left the pub he’d get a knife in the belly for his trouble. He considered donating all the money back to the town or loudly announcing it was all for the town orphanage, but he didn’t think such a gesture would stop the men from pursuing him. They truly hated him now.
He knew there was no way he could trust the two who’d originally promised to pay for his lodgings. The owner claimed there were no beds, and they looked more likely to murder him than put him up for the night. How would he stop them all from coming to collect when he was asleep? He could clear out and head to the next town, but he’d seen no signs of any. He was more likely to get lost than to find somewhere safe, and it was too cold to camp out without supplies. Then an idea came to him. That niggling voice, the one that had protected him from his father in the past and had saved him from the kikimora, now gave him a thought.
“Well, boys,” Nik said, stretching his arms over his head, “I’m sure tuckered out. You all have been so very generous and kind. Seeing as how I’m a stranger to your town, I’d like to repay the favor. I only need to keep enough of this to outfit me with traveling gear at the end of the week, but until then, I need a place to stay. I’m more than happy to work for my keep. If anyone will have me, and has room enough, I can leave the rest of these winnings with you as a fee for your kindness. You can keep it or redistribute it among your peers as you see fit.”
Nik gave the group his winningest smile and hoped his generous offer would turn them back to his side.
