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“This is all for him,” she whispered, eyes transfixed on the sky.
“You mean the dragon?” Yoren asked. “Do you think he’ll see them?”
Madja smiled inwardly. She knew that Sevrrn was fast asleep and even if the fireworks managed to wrest him from his coma, they would only serve to a
“I don’t know,” she said. “But I’m sure he’ll protect us, when the time comes.”
Despite the limited success she’d had at convincing him to protect the island, she truly did feel that he would come around. If not because it was the right thing to do, then because she pla
“I never believed in him when I was younger,” Yoren said. “I guess I was like all kids. I just thought the dragon was something parents made up to scare us into behaving.”
“But you believe in him now?”
Yoren looked down at the girls. After seeing her fill of fireworks, Ana had nodded off in Madja’s lap. Cella was still awake, but was resting her head against her father’s arm, barely clinging to consciousness.
“I don’t have any other choice,” he said. “I can’t protect them on my own, so I have to believe that he will. Otherwise…I suppose I’d lose my mind.”
Madja cast him a sympathetic look. She knew what it was like to feel powerless to protect the people she loved.
“Do you have children?” he asked.
Not a strange question, considering she was supposed to be a widow.
“No, not yet.”
“You will make a great mother someday.”
“Thank you,” she said, feeling a twinge of remorse as she said the words.
The fireworks show was still playing across the sky when they climbed down from the rooftop. Both girls were now sound asleep and Yoren decided it would be best if they left before the fireworks ended, so as to avoid the mayor or any of his staff that returned home early.
“You must live in a neighborhood like this,” Yoren remarked as they strolled through the wealthy part of town.
“You’d be surprised,” Madja said.
She wished she could tell him—or really anyone—the truth, but she’d only make herself sound like a lunatic. Besides, it was nice being treated like a normal person, even if only for a few hours.
“I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding a good husband.”
Madja covered her mouth in a poor attempt to stifle a laugh. She could only imagine Sevrrn’s reaction to suitors coming to the lair to court her.
Misinterpreting her amusement, Yoren said, “I’m making a fool of myself aren’t I?”
“What?”
“I’m not usually so forward. It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken to a woman as beautiful as you.”
Her cheeks warmed. It had been obvious that Yoren had wanted her company for more than his daughters’ sakes. She had known that nothing could come of their time together, but she had gone with him anyway. It was a little selfish, but it wasn’t often she had the opportunity to put her own needs first, and she had desperately needed human company.
“Now, I am making an ass of myself,” he muttered.
She placed a hand on his arm. “You seem like a wonderful man, Yoren, truly. You will make some woman very happy. Not me though. My life is a bit too complicated.”
He looked as though he were about to protest, but their attention was drawn to a nearby alleyway. Madja realized that they had transitioned into the more unsavory area of town. A glass bottle rolled from the alley, followed shortly thereafter by three men dressed in ragged clothing.
They were drunk to some degree. One of the men didn’t seem to be able to walk on his own and was being held up by the second, who was stumbling himself. The third man appeared to be the most lucid of the group, though as he spoke, he sounded no better off than his friends.
“Oy!” he shouted, spotting Yoren. “Thought I smelled fish.”
Yoren looked intensely uncomfortable and Madja could see why. She recognized the third man as the drunk who had been helping himself to Yoren’s fish cakes earlier that afternoon.
“Ignore them,” Yoren said, nudging Madja away from them.
The men refused to be ignored.
“Is that any way to treat a customer?” one of them bellowed.
“Business hours are over,” Yoren said tersely.
The street was narrow and the men easily cut them off. Their stench was almost overpowering.
“I remember you,” the surly man said as he closed in on Madja. “You were’n the market today. What sort of high-bred lady walks around town with a fish peddler?”
He placed a meaty hand on Madja’s shoulder. She tried to smack it away, but with limited success. As he spoke, his sour breath clung to her face.
“Unless, you’re one of ‘em ladies of the evening.”
She rolled her eyes. The robes she was wearing were worth more than the average prostitute’s a
“Leave her alone!” It was Cella who came to Madja’s rescue first. She shook a small fist at the man, her green eyes blazing with fury.
Until that moment, Madja had not recognized the severity of their situation. They were being cornered by three drunks on a dark street, with two vulnerable little girls in tow. She glanced at Yoren to see that this had long-since occurred to him. Beneath a mask of anger, she could tell that he was afraid.
Madja turned her attention to the surly man. “How about we let this nice man and his girls leave, and then we’ll talk business?”
The surly man appeared suspicious. “He goes and you stay?”
“No,” Yoren protested. “I’m not leaving you with them.”
Madja kept her expression neutral. “I can take care of myself. You worry about your daughters.”
On his shoulder, Ana began to whine. Yoren gave Madja a desperate look, but she shook her head. After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped away, taking his daughters with him. She couldn’t possibly fault him.
“I’ll be back,” Yoren called out. “And I’ll be bringing the guards with me.”
One of the men cackled at the threat. “Then we’ll have to be quick, won’t we?”
When Yoren and the girls were out of sight, the men began to close in around her. The situation should have been terrifying, but Madja had talked her way out of a dragon’s claws—this would be child’s play.
Holding up a hand to stop them, she said, “All right, you’ve had your fun, but I know three handsome men such as yourselves don’t go around raping women on the streets. If you want the pleasure of my company, it’s going to cost you what it costs any other man. Thirty silvers. Each.”
“Thirty silvers?” they exclaimed in unison.
“Horse shit,” the surly man said, spittle flying out to hit her face. “Ain’t no whore in Bern worth half that.”
Madja put her hands on her hips. “Fine. For all three of you together, I’ll accept twenty-five silvers each, but I won’t go a copper lower.”
They exchanged glances, grunting and grumbling at one another. Madja tapped her foot impatiently.
“Well, gentlemen? Either whip out your silvers or stop wasting my time.”
The three drunks spent the next several minutes counting out the meager contents of their purses. They were still trying to argue down her price when Yoren returned with two armed guards.
“Ma’am, are these men causing you trouble?”
Coins fell and scattered on the ground as the men scrambled to get away. The guards easily apprehended them. Madja knew that having them jailed could only cause trouble for Yoren down the line, so she decided to cover for them.
“No, no. They celebrated a little too hard and seemed to have gotten lost. All they’re in need of is a good night’s rest.”
Yoren went to Madja’s side as the guards ushered the drunkards away.
“I’m so sorry to leave you like that, Madja.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine. Where are the girls?”
“I left them at the guard post,” he told her. “Are you all right?”
“I told you, I’m fine,” she said, smiling. Admittedly, it was a little nice to have someone worry over her. “My father was an appraiser. I spent half my life down by docks. I know how to handle a few drunks.”