Origins: A Deepwoods Book - a Collection of Deepwoods Short Stories (Deepwoods Series 0) (15 page)

Siobhan blinked, expecting an argument, not knowing how to
take this lack of one. She glanced between the two men, briefly flummoxed, then
shrugged and apparently decided to take the gift horse without looking it in
the mouth. “Fei, want to ride with me?”

“That would be the fastest way.” He took the hand she
extended, and the stirrup she offered, and swung nimbly up and behind her.
Relinquishing the stirrup again, he put his arms around her and caught the horn
with both hands, the safest way to hang on without clinging to her. Fortunately
her saddle was a wide one and accommodated them both.

With a click of the heels, she set the horse into a faster
trot, the pace quick enough to take them past the caravan in minutes. Fei
judged that from here, they had an hour’s ride before they reached Island
Pass’s gates. The two of them did not try to talk over the loud clatter of iron
hooves on a stone bridge. He expected the silence to be awkward but it
strangely wasn’t. It felt…comfortable. Like an old friendship was between them,
one such that they could spend time with each other without feeling the need to
entertain the other person.

Fei was still trying to make sense of the feeling as they
arrived at the gates. He prepared to dismount when Siobhan lightly put a hand
on his arm. “No, stay up. You’re fine.”

How could he possibly be fine? As a visitor to this island,
he had to submit his papers of traveling, his work contract, and sign in their
logs to get through.

Siobhan reached into an internal vest pocket and brought out
a leather case, which she flipped open for the guards on duty. “Siobhan Maley,
Guildmaster from Deepwoods. I have a caravan coming an hour behind me. Jacobs
is the boss.”

One guard turned and noted this down in the log as the other
took a look at the crest. “Thank you, Guildmaster. You can go through.”

She could what? Fei stared at the man, baffled and at a loss
for words. That was it? Just a flash of a guild crest, a name, and she could
enter? Not just that, but anyone with her could go in as well? They hadn’t even
looked twice at Fei!

“Ah, Maley-zhi?”

“Yes?”

“Is this reaction normal? What I mean to say is, whenever
you enter a city, is that all you need to do?”

Siobhan turned, glancing over her shoulder at him, and from
her reaction she didn’t understand his confusion. “Yes, of course it is. That’s
one of the perks of being a guildmember. We’re registered in every city, and
since they know who we are, we don’t have to do anything more than identify
ourselves. Especially here at Island Pass, they see us so often, almost all the
guards are on a first name basis with us.”

Fei started to truly reconsider his stance on joining a
guild in that moment. If it meant avoiding all of the hassle of the
paperwork—paperwork that was different in every city, and wasn’t always
accepted in the next city—then being a guild member might be worth it after
all.

Deepwoods had a preferred inn named Sunrise Tavern, run by a
gruff man named Master Gramms. He greeted Siobhan with nothing more than a
grunt and questioned, “How many this time?”

“We’ll fill your place,” she informed him. “How many empty
rooms do you have?”

“Only two occupied,” he responded with what might have been
the beginnings of a smile on his face. Every innkeeper liked the idea of being
at full occupancy. “Caravan?”

“Yes, sir,” she sing-songed. “Cut me a deal.”

“I’ll give you your usual,” he drawled, which made Siobhan
laugh for some reason. “Baths and dinner like always.”

“I can’t give you the full amount, the boss has it, so how
much do you want as a deposit?”

Gramms didn’t expect this. His head tilted a fraction. “You
came ahead?”

“Bad storm coming,” she explained. “We wanted to make sure
we had a place to go before everyone beat us to it.”

“Ah. Give me ten kors, then. Keys will be waiting at the bar
when people come in.”

Fei listened to this easy back and forth and just had to
wonder, how many times had she been here? Had there been any real reason for
him to come along with her at all? It seemed like every inhabitant in this city
was her friend.

After handing the money over, Siobhan led him back out of the
inn, made sure her horse was taken back to the stables, then went directly for
the gate again. Fei silently tagged along at her side, automatically on the
lookout for dangers, but honestly not expecting any trouble. Not here.

“Thank you.”

Fei blinked, glancing at her. “What have I done to earn
thanks?”

“For heading off Wolf earlier.” Her eyes lifted in a subtle
smile. “You didn’t get to see him when he first came into the guild, so you
don’t realize how far he’s come. He’s overprotective still, but then? It was
worse. Much worse. I couldn’t take five steps outside the Hall without him.
He’s mellowed considerably but there are still times, like earlier, when those
old instincts rise to the surface.”

This explanation was half-complaint, half-tolerant affection.
He finally had a good explanation for why this very independent woman put up
with Wolfinsky’s overbearing attitude. She had taken a wounded soul and was
slowly, patiently, healing him. What she was doing was not in any sense an easy
path to take. Still, no matter how much she struggled with her giant enforcer
some days, no matter how much aggravation he caused her, Siobhan’s love for him
was strong enough to pull him through and bring him to a better place than he
was.

In that moment Fei felt a deep and abiding respect for this
woman. It was because of this, perhaps, that an old saying from home came out
unbidden. “Storms make oaks take deeper root.”

Siobhan stopped dead and looked at him quizzically. “I’m not
sure I follow, Fei.”

“He weathered a great storm and it lingers still, but
because of it, his roots have grown very deep. Be patient with him, Maley-zhi,
for a little while longer. The storm will pass on its own in time. When it has,
you will not find a man of his equal.”

Her expression was unreadable, smooth but not hard. “You’re
one of those, aren’t you? The type that sees everything and only speaks when
they feel like they have to.”

“I do not see everything,” he denied easily. The other half
was accurate though.

“Uh-huh.” Siobhan’s tone stated succinctly that she didn’t
buy that for one moment. “What else have you seen that you just haven’t
commented on?”

Should he say…? Well, why not. “I do understand why
Kierkegaard-gui and Masson-zhi chose you to be guildmaster now.”

Siobhan snorted and resumed walking for the main gate. “And
why is that?”

“Because you do not pursue happiness,” he responded,
smiling. “You create it.”

That threw her so, she almost missed a step. “Man Fei Lei,
you do indeed have good observational skills when it comes to people. Those two
rascals gave me all sorts of reasons why I had to be the guildmaster in the
beginning, but I finally realized that in the end, that’s what it boiled down
to. I knew how to create and maintain a guild.”

No. She knew how to create and maintain a family. That was
why the guild was successful. After staying with them for a night, Fei had seen
the truth of that with his own eyes.

They reached the gate and ushered their caravan to the right
inn. Due to lack of space in the inn’s yard, the wagons themselves were stored
in a separate space, dedicated to travelers. People quickly off-loaded and
tended to animals before grabbing up personal bags and hoofing it to the inn.
Fei took one party, as some people were done before others, letting Deepwoods take
the rest of the stragglers. He managed to get his group to the inn before the
sky burst open. The rain sounded like a wardrum on top of the roof.

Knowing what would happen next, Fei had a quiet word with
Gramms and had hot baths drawn and ready.

The rest of the caravan came in completely soaked. Beirly
was already sneezing as he entered. “What is with that storm? It’s raining cats
and dogs out there.”

“More like tigers and wolves,” Grae complained, looking at
his dripping shirt sleeves. “I knew it was going to be bad, but…”

Jacobs had come in with the first group, and he eyed the
storm over people’s shoulders as they shuffled in. “Master Grae, is this storm
going to affect tide?”

“It might,” Grae admitted. “If it rains hard enough. If this
was the northern section that we were talking about, I’d say no, as the channel
is wide enough to handle a large downpour. But we’re heading for the Teherani
side, and that channel can’t. If this storm doesn’t let up by the wee hours of
the morning, I’d say we’re facing a two day delay until the waters recede
enough that we can use the bridge.”

Jacobs had a few choice words to say about that as he
grumbled and grumped his way back to his dinner.

Fei stepped in and offered, “There are hot baths drawn and
waiting.”

“Praise heaven.” Siobhan headed straight for the bathing
chambers, pack under her arm. Not even going to get her room first, eh?

Most of the people followed her example but Wolfinsky
lingered uncertainly.

“I am dry,” Fei pointed out to him patiently. “You are not.”

Wolfinsky grinned at him. “It’s like you can read me, I
swear. Alright, then, I’ll go in but I’ll be quick.”

“Do not,” Fei dissuaded him, although his tone was playful.
“I wish to enjoy a leisurely dinner.”

“Oh? In that case, I’ll take my time.” Humming to himself,
Wolfinsky followed after the rest.

Fei’s dinner came and he ate with considerable pleasure, it
being the first hot meal of the day. As he ate, he saw another group come in
and ask for rooms, and Gramm’s response that he only had the large attic room
left. The travelers must have been desperate, as they took it. It was smart of
Siobhan to come in earlier and put a deposit down on rooms. Otherwise they
might have been in the same situation.

There were other patrons that came in, mostly for dinner or
alcohol, and left again when they were done. Fei tracked everyone with only
half his attention, the other half on the quite delicious food he’d been
served.

“—saw that redhead earlier going upstairs. Wolfinsky’s gotta
be here too.”

Catching these words, Fei’s ears pricked in the direction of
the group behind him. They were the attic-room takers, weren’t they? What
connection did they have with Wolfinsky?

“Perfect,” one man growled menacingly. “It’s past time we
pay what’s due there.”

Fei turned just enough in his chair that he could get a
better look at the group. Five men in total, all of them enforcers by the look
of them, still a little damp from being in the storm earlier. Siobhan and
Beirly both had mentioned to him that Wolfinsky often attracted trouble because
he looked like a fun opponent to fight. These men seemed to hold a grudge from
a previous encounter of some kind.

Fei envisioned what would happen if Wolfinsky exited the
baths and met this group spoiling for a fight. The furniture would not likely
survive the experience. Making a snap decision, he left his chair entirely and
turned. “Forgive me, you are acquaintances of Erik Wolfinsky?”

That stopped the table dead and won him everyone’s
attention. “Wouldn’t call it that,” the man with the deep growl responded,
clearly the leader of the group. “And who are you?”

“Man Fei Lei. I am a friend of his.”

“Man Fe…whatever, we don’t care if you’re a friend of his.”

“I care,” Fei returned mildly. “But I will set that aside.
Would you like to make a wager?”

Leader wasn’t interested in this but another man, tawny
colored and thinner than his companions, spoke up. “What’s in it for us?”

“A simple challenge, and if I win, you will not challenge
Wolfinsky during our stay on the island. If I lose, I will not impede you.”
Seeing that didn’t make any dent, he tacked on, “And of course I will pay for
your dinners.”

That finally got leader’s interest. “Dinners and rooms. Make
it worth my time, squirt. I’m not interested in any challenge of yours.”

“Dinners and rooms,” Fei agreed, silently breathing a sigh
of relief. “And it is a simple challenge. Arm wrestling.”

Leader still didn’t look interested but with dinner and
rooms on the line, was willing to play along. The other men were more inclined
to go along as they were bored and looking for anything to break up the tedium
of a quiet inn on a stormy night.

Fei gestured them back toward his own table, as it had more
clear space, and planted his elbow on the surface. “You may choose your
contender.”

They argued back and forth for a moment, trying to choose
the strongest, and Fei kept his face as bland as possible. It truly didn’t
matter to him who they chose as it was obvious that the outcome wouldn’t
change. If these men, combined, couldn’t beat Wolfinsky then they certainly
didn’t have the strength to win against Fei single-handedly.

Finally one of them sat down, locked grips with Fei, and
grinned. “On three. One, two, three.”

Deciding in the last second it would be wise to spare the
man’s pride, he didn’t just slam the back of the hand against the table. It
was, in fact, harder to make it seem like an effort to win. Were these men
truly enforcers or just laborers that looked the part? Fei was starting to
wonder.

Giving it another three seconds, he finally had enough and
put his opponent’s hand to the table. The five groaned and threw their hands
into the air, stating loudly that they should have done it instead. Fei did not
smile, as he did not want to either win a grudge against himself or encourage them
to think that they could try again. He’d rather not repeat the farce.

Leader glared at Fei. “You knew you’d win.”

“I spar with Wolfinsky regularly,” Fei responded with a
slight shrug. “He cannot beat me. I cannot beat him. If you could not win
against him, the odds were in my favor.”

“
Che
.” Spitting on the floor in disgust, perhaps in a
little humiliation, he turned and resumed his seat. His crowd of friends did
the same, quieter now, but no longer in the mood to start trouble.

Fei gave it a few minutes to make sure that they would
really play fair and not try to ambush him. When he was sure, he sat again as
well, although he did not take the same chair as he did not think it wise to
leave his back to that group. As he sat, Grae took the seat next to his, a
plate of hot food in his hands.

“You’re good at pre-empting fights,” the Pathmaker observed.
“It’s a strange talent for an enforcer to have.”

Tsking him gently, Fei corrected, “A good enforcer knows how
to stop a fight before it becomes one.”

“Teach Wolf that skill,” Grae pleaded. “He seriously doesn’t
know how to do that.”

Chuckling, Fei promised, “I shall try.”