keep me alive, after all. The Bear leaned closer to me. ‘Ann got it for us. She knows the ones to brew such evil things. Even I don’t want to know. This here,’ he said and shook the bottle in my face, ‘will stop their breathing, almost. It will be, they say, a result that is seemingly deadly, taking one very near Hel’s realm. They say you can mistake the victims for corpses. Yeah, if you fall and hit your head after you break this, it can kill them. They might choke on food. But otherwise, it should not kill them. Hurts terribly, Ann said, but leaves them alive. I don’t want to kill the men inside, but it will be great if people think they died.’
‘Should I pour this someplace?’ I asked, terrified I should drop it. If I did, perhaps I did not have to go to the mint?
He smiled widely to encourage me. ‘When you get to the mint, make sure they are all in the same room. All of them. Then smash that on the ground. Run to the shitter, cover your face, and wait. When it’s over, you come out, and the lot will be out for a day. That’s what Ann said. Then, find the key to the inner door. Open up, and the boys will be there. And they will take care of any remaining guards.’
‘All right,’ I told him. He pushed me. ‘What?’
‘You will need something to fight with,’ he said, and I realized I would get a weapon after all. ‘You see, the plan might turn into shit. There might be a military presence in the mint. A guard might happen by as we rob the place, no? The king might visit it? You have to prepare yourself for it. I once held up a wagon where sat a Brother Knight. We made it to the woods, but only barely. Molun lost a cousin that day.’
‘I see,’ I told him, fiddling with the bottle. ‘I need a weapon. Though I am not sure what I can do if things turn sour. Can’t use one,’ I sulked. ‘Never did. Sand—’
He scowled, but not at me. He looked up to the hall, and I knew he blamed Mother. He voiced it. ‘Sand is not to blame. Your mom never wanted you to learn how to fight. Gods know why! Sometimes I think she keeps you close to her tit on purpose. Sand does a lot of knuckle dragging for you both, but you are a damned big boy. Fast and smart. Brave too, as far as I can gather from the fact you went and stirred the hornet’s nest for a girl.’
‘But to kill—’
‘Is hard, boy, very hard,’ he smirked. ‘Sometimes you stab and hack at someone, and they are still alive, where Gullinburst the Boar would have died. And then you have to finish it. Sometimes you stab someone so very briefly, and they die for it immediately. They fall lifeless like a log. But even that is hard. It changes you. Not gonna lie to you, boy. I never liked that, killing. I prefer other methods, but I have done it. Many times. Here.’ He handed me a long, sheathed dirk. It was plain and simple and looked superbly deadly. I took it to my hands and eyed it with some hostility. It felt powerful. Somehow, strangely familiar.
‘Honey?’ Mir said above, coming down to us.
‘Love?’ the Bear asked sheepishly as if surprised. ‘Look, he needs to be armed.’
‘I know,’ she told her man as she slid down to us and put a hand across my shoulders. She was gazing down at me, her thin face clearly worried, and then she wiped my lip gently. ‘Leave us alone,’ she told him, and he nodded. He eyed me uncertainly.
‘You can do this,’ he breathed, and I nodded. He scowled, got up and walked back up the path to the Green Hall.
Mir stretched and walked down to the water’s edge. She picked up a pebble, threw it into the water and seemed absorbed by the ripples. Perhaps she was reading signs in the river, and then she finally nodded as if she had decided something. She turned to me and went to her knees before me. ‘Love. You have grown so much.’
‘You look as young as you always did,’ I told her, and it was true. She grinned appreciatively at my words and tapped my hand.
‘I had half hoped we would
‘Should I pour this someplace?’ I asked, terrified I should drop it. If I did, perhaps I did not have to go to the mint?
He smiled widely to encourage me. ‘When you get to the mint, make sure they are all in the same room. All of them. Then smash that on the ground. Run to the shitter, cover your face, and wait. When it’s over, you come out, and the lot will be out for a day. That’s what Ann said. Then, find the key to the inner door. Open up, and the boys will be there. And they will take care of any remaining guards.’
‘All right,’ I told him. He pushed me. ‘What?’
‘You will need something to fight with,’ he said, and I realized I would get a weapon after all. ‘You see, the plan might turn into shit. There might be a military presence in the mint. A guard might happen by as we rob the place, no? The king might visit it? You have to prepare yourself for it. I once held up a wagon where sat a Brother Knight. We made it to the woods, but only barely. Molun lost a cousin that day.’
‘I see,’ I told him, fiddling with the bottle. ‘I need a weapon. Though I am not sure what I can do if things turn sour. Can’t use one,’ I sulked. ‘Never did. Sand—’
He scowled, but not at me. He looked up to the hall, and I knew he blamed Mother. He voiced it. ‘Sand is not to blame. Your mom never wanted you to learn how to fight. Gods know why! Sometimes I think she keeps you close to her tit on purpose. Sand does a lot of knuckle dragging for you both, but you are a damned big boy. Fast and smart. Brave too, as far as I can gather from the fact you went and stirred the hornet’s nest for a girl.’
‘But to kill—’
‘Is hard, boy, very hard,’ he smirked. ‘Sometimes you stab and hack at someone, and they are still alive, where Gullinburst the Boar would have died. And then you have to finish it. Sometimes you stab someone so very briefly, and they die for it immediately. They fall lifeless like a log. But even that is hard. It changes you. Not gonna lie to you, boy. I never liked that, killing. I prefer other methods, but I have done it. Many times. Here.’ He handed me a long, sheathed dirk. It was plain and simple and looked superbly deadly. I took it to my hands and eyed it with some hostility. It felt powerful. Somehow, strangely familiar.
‘Honey?’ Mir said above, coming down to us.
‘Love?’ the Bear asked sheepishly as if surprised. ‘Look, he needs to be armed.’
‘I know,’ she told her man as she slid down to us and put a hand across my shoulders. She was gazing down at me, her thin face clearly worried, and then she wiped my lip gently. ‘Leave us alone,’ she told him, and he nodded. He eyed me uncertainly.
‘You can do this,’ he breathed, and I nodded. He scowled, got up and walked back up the path to the Green Hall.
Mir stretched and walked down to the water’s edge. She picked up a pebble, threw it into the water and seemed absorbed by the ripples. Perhaps she was reading signs in the river, and then she finally nodded as if she had decided something. She turned to me and went to her knees before me. ‘Love. You have grown so much.’
‘You look as young as you always did,’ I told her, and it was true. She grinned appreciatively at my words and tapped my hand.
‘I had half hoped we would
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