Chapter 14

Zhevyk pulled Eyrmysse to her feet by her tangled and unkempt hair. "You worthless slut!" The merchant slapped her across the face, drawing blood and sending her to the floor. Looking around the small room he commented "It is still filthy, just as you are." He kicked her and was about to add another when he heard raucous noise from the front of the shop. The merchant turned to see who was disrupting his shop and saw the bodies of two burly men fill the privy doorway. Zhevyk's face was immediately drained of all its color.

The larger of the two men folded his arms across his chest and laughed saying "You did not expect to ever see us again, huh, qyqyx." (Qyqyx was a term that, roughly translated, referred to the maggot infested excrement of an anally diseased prostitute.) Zhevyk's mouth moved frantically but no words came forth.

"It has taken us a long time," said the other intruder, brandishing a golden dagger. "Many seasons have passed since we began tracking you from Rheg Nhor to Sevhert'ah and this shack of a shop. And each day I thought of how you cheated us and how we would repay you."

Zhevyk was so stunned he couldn't even come up with a decent lie. He faltered again, then began, "Surely you do not believe—"

"Shutup!" said the one with the blade. "There are no excuses for you little qyqyx."

Zhevyk went wild-eyed looking for a way out. He knew his life was on the line. Suddenly he dragged Eyrmysse to her feet by her hair. "The girl! You can have the girl!" he cried with hope in his eyes.

The brigands seemed to notice Eyrmysse for the first time. The one with the blade began to express his disinterest but was stopped by his companion, who was now wearing a sinister look. He turned to Eyrmysse and looked her body up and down then asked, "Does Zhevyk own you?"