Page 5 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

Fenric flinched, putting up warding hands. “Why are you insulting me?!”

“Funny, too.” Maxie laughed, eyes twinkling. He cocked his head to the side, causing a clump of curls to flop over. “Are you an adventurer?”

“Er, well, sorta. We take jobs. But we’re not the heroic type. We do the dirty work.” Fenric almost left it at that but realized Maxie would meet the group soon enough, so he might as well warn him ahead of time. “My party is made of villains, and we go by the name E.V.I.L.”

Maxie blinked, staring at him for a long moment before putting his eyes back on the road they followed, which was wise. They’d just passed the hitching station, leaving behind the last of the lanterns until they reached the ragged block of old houses where the group’s rental was located. Made navigating the wagon ruts tricky.

“Evil?”

“Right. It’s an acronym.”

“What does it mean?”

“Every Villain Is Legendary.”

To his surprise, Maxie laughed. “How fun! I like that. But won’t your companions be upset about me intruding upon their sanctuary?”

“Nah. It’ll be fine,” Fenric said with a wave of his hand. “They won’t mind you spending the night, so long as you don’t have problems with their way of life.”

“I appreciate your warning, sir. I guess most people would judge you harshly for just being who you are, but my worldview was turned upside down this week. I find myself now questioning long-held beliefs regarding justice. At least villains like yourself are not hypocrites.”

Fenric had the strangest impulse to give Maxie a hug. “You sound like you’ve had a shit week. Then again, considering where I found you…”

“Yes, it was indeed a shit week.” Maxie stopped walking and raised wide eyes to Fenric, who had also stopped and turned back to stare at him. “Do you know that’s the first time I’ve cursed?”

“Gods and goddesses, just how sheltered were you?”

“Very. Damn!” Maxie made a smacking noise with his lips as if he were tasting those new curses for the first time and found he liked the flavor. “Bugger! Nuna’s tits!”

Fenric snorted, nearly choking on a laugh. “All right. It’s clear we’re going to need to give you a proper lesson in swearing.” Fenric walked back to Maxie’s side, grabbed him lightly by the back of the neck as if he were picking up a puppy by the scruff, and got him moving again. “And I’d keep that Nuna’s tits to yourself. Rain is a pirate, and they can get testy about who’s talking about the goddess of the seas’ tits. Try Edur’s balls,” Fenric said, suggesting the god of wine instead.

“Edur’s balls!” Maxie tried to shout it, but it came out more as a giggle.

Fuck him. This was ridiculous.

“But you’re right. I’ve come to discover exactly how sheltered I was the hard way. I do not want to continue in that vein, either. It did nothing to protect me.”

Fenric dropped his hand back to his side. Maxie really, truly reminded Fenric of himself ten years ago. Damn. Poor kid. Fenric knew from aching experience how rough it was to have your worldview turned on its head—to realize you’d been lied to or misled most of your childhood and nothing was as it seemed. He’d gotten over it, mostly, but still. He only wished that experience on his worst enemies.

“I was thrown out of my family,” Maxie said, smile dimming as his lips tugged downward. “Out of my house. No one helped me—not family, not friends, not a single person who had sworn loyalty to me.”

And there went any thoughts of ransom. Ah, well. Fenric had money on hand from his time in the tavern, so it wasn’t like he was currently desperate for coin, anyway. “Was your family always so rough on you?”

Maxie shook his head, sending his matted curls bobbing again. “No, not at all. My parents were always rather supportive and understanding, though not outwardly affectionate. Everything about the day seemed very normal.” His lips pursed, and even his hands balled into trembling fists at his sides. He remained silent for several seconds, as if replaying the events of his last days at home. In the end, he released a violent rush of air. “I don’t even know what I did wrong. No one explained it to me. I was just tossed into a wagon, bound and gagged, taken as far from the capital as they could traverse over the past week, and then knocked out and buried here. I don’t understand why here or where here even is.”

“Pomor,” Fenric supplied, stepping over a deep rut in the road. “It’s a smallish town on the coastline.”

“Oh, thank you. I feel more oriented now. I know where Pomor is, although I’ve not been here before.”

“You’re angry about what happened to you?”

“Very much so. At first, I thought maybe it was all a cruel test of my knowledge and skills. But when I awoke in the coffin, I came to the understanding that their true goal was my death. I have no idea what to do about it though.” Maxie stared at his hands. “I have no allies, no useful fighting skills, no money. How could I possibly take revenge?”

“By acquiring money, allies, and fighting skills.” Fenric clasped his shoulder and gave him a shake. “You’re at the start of a road, young pup. You no longer have rules or family obligations tying you down. You can do and be anything. Trust me, I’ve been in those shoes. Thrown out with no real rhyme or reason, not having anywhere to go or anyone to turn to. I chose to become powerful enough to teach those bastards a lesson. Get your revenge.” Fenric threw up his hands and grinned at Maxie. “Or you can say Fuck ’em! and go your own way. The world is yours now.”

There was a tinge of bitterness to his words, but Fenric also remembered the swelling of freedom in his heart. When the blinders had come off and he’d seen the world for what it truly was. There was a value in that realization, and now Maxie could claim it too. It had lightened the load on Fenric’s heart, and he hoped it would for Maxie as well.

“That is incredibly heartening to hear. Thank you so much for sharing your own journey with me.” Maxie walked for another moment before tacking on, “Do you think I can be evil, too?”