Page 41 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

Gale was all too happy to comply. The magic cast on him was sexual in nature, so of course, anything conducive to sex was a win in this mindset. Gale happily flung off his clothes, letting them land whichever way, even tugging off his boots.

An irreverent giggled welled up. The big hero did have a tiny dick.

“You want to be held down and fucked?” Lirion smiled evilly. “Run down two streets to the enormous fountain in the middle of the market. Go straight there, okay?”

Gale whimpered. “Will you fuck me there?”

“Oh, I’ll follow.” Not to fuck him, though.

Gale hesitated for a split second, the surging magic in his system making it hard to think, and then he started running. Clumsily, as there was refuse strewn in this stinking alley, and he kept tripping over discarded bottles or other questionable things, but run he did. Lirion followed at a jog, mostly because he wanted to make sure Gale went to the right spot. As he moved, he readjusted the cloth back over his eye-catching hair and partially masked his face.

Now, being late evening, the market square wouldn’t be as populated as during the day. Still, there were plenty of restaurants, pubs, and such in the area, with people meeting up for dinner or drinks after a day at work, so it was far from deserted.

By the time Lirion caught up, Gale hadn’t just reached the fountain and stopped. Oh no. He’d apparently gotten hot enough—and worked up enough—to decide a good dip in the water would help cool him off. He’d jumped in, and even now he sat in the shallow pool with his back to the main spout, both hands working his nether regions. One worked his shaft, the other fingered his hole.

“I’m ready!” Gale shouted so loudly the words echoed off the buildings. “Come fuck me!”

People started gathering, although some half covered their eyes, as if embarrassed by the scene. Not embarrassed enough to look away completely, though.

One man in the crowd shouted, “Aren’t you a hero?! What the hell are you doing!”

Gale rolled his head toward the man. “I don’t want you to fuck me. Go ’way.”

Lirion hid in the shadows of a building, watching as more and more people got upset at this scene, with someone calling for the town watch. Evil satisfaction filled him when two burly dock workers tried to haul Gale out of the fountain, only for the hero to fight them off with the very strength and skills he was supposed to use to protect and defend. He swung his fists in sloppy haymakers and kicked out at the men, while still shouting that he was ready.

Not the smartest move. More dock workers joined in, angry at the disturbance. In the growing struggle, beefy bodies crashed into the beautiful marble fountain, destroying it and sending a wave of water into the streets.

A panicked voice demanded, “Shut the water off!”

Someone in the crowd screamed, and panic ensued as people either helped each other get away from the water gushing over them or just tried to leave the area. Lirion was far enough away that the water barely brushed the soles of his shoes, and while he lost track of Gale for a few minutes, when he spotted him again, he was face down on the ground, four burly looking men sitting on top of him to keep him pinned.

“Have a healthy taste of humiliation,” Lirion snarled under his breath. “It’ll be good for you. Hopefully, you’re stripped of hero rank after this, too. Scum like you shouldn’t hold that title.”

Gale Reeve was now done for. This public spectacle would make sure of that. He’d be lucky not to be thrown into jail for this public embarrassment.

Humiliating the “hero” appeased some of Lirion’s anger, and he felt like he’d gotten some good revenge for his sister, but it didn’t solve the actual problem. He turned and walked away, toward the inns lining the wharf.

Right now, he was in the coastal town of Björnkill, which was very much in the southern region of Moorwood. If his sister was still in Baza, then she was on the very northern tip of the country and also along the coastline. Lirion tried to figure out the logistics of how to get there as he walked, but either way he cut it, he was in trouble.

If he went by land, it would take almost a month, as that wasn’t easy country to cross and a wagon could only go so fast. Sea route would be faster, for sure, but he’d have to locate a ship going in that direction and hope the fare wasn’t too expensive. Not to mention, he’d need to feed every other day, at least, to stay healthy. A long journey without feeding? He’d be a wreck by the time he arrived and would have to stop and regather his strength before he could rescue Aria.

Besides, how was he going to rescue her when he didn’t even know what type of situation he’d face? If she was in a highly guarded place, he was screwed.

Fear and frustration churned in his stomach and he honestly didn’t know what to do from here. A month and a half had already passed since he’d first learned she was missing. He wouldn’t let himself consider that she might not be alive. Aria was a fighter. She was the most stubborn person he’d ever met in his life. It had been years since he’d last seen her, but he could still picture that little jut of her chin and the hard glint in her eyes when she was digging in on something she was passionate about. She’d prop her fists on her narrow hips and glare up at him, not caring he could so easily flip her over his shoulder and carry her off to whatever their mother wanted her to do.

Aria had to be alive, and she would hold on until he could reach her.

Lirion needed help, for sure, but who to ask? Who could he possibly convince to come along with him on such a dangerous task?

“Fuck, Aria,” he whispered, eyes burning with tears. “How am I supposed to get to you?”

Today was going to be a great day.

The sun was shining. E.V.I.L. had found a new temporary residence, and it had even more space than their last place in Pomor. Everyone was relieved to be off Rain’s ship. And, most importantly, Fenric had a good lead on how to get his mother’s treasures back. While his search through Björnkill for Calder Rigs the last two days hadn’t turned up anything except dead-end leads, he had a good feeling about today. Getting the chance to beat the shit out of Lance a few days ago hadn’t hurt either. Just a shame he couldn’t have done the same with the other “heroes” traveling with Lance, but that would have to wait for another time.

Unfortunately, none of his group were going to get much done about their grand plans without money—preferably lots of money—which was why he and Belstrom were headed to The Drunken Bard. Maxie had tried to sneak into the trip, but they’d figured his sweet face might not help when it came to landing jobs, so Malfas and Hapi had found other ways to keep the young man occupied, preferably not poisoning anyone.

The tavern served a decent lunch and had a job board. Large enough to cater to more than a hundred revelers at once, the place offered a variety of ales, liquors, and spirits, as well as three hearty meals a day. Close to the port, it was the go-to meeting place for travelers. Most towns of any respectable size had a tavern like this—a great place to eat, find a job, and catch up on the local gossip.