Haymon, Eric K, Hasler [books to read in a lifetime TXT] 📗

changed. I wouldn't be surprised if he's here as a spy for Semiazaz."

Damson let out a little chuckle, "Oh please," he squealed, "I'm good with Semiazaz!"

"That's not a bet I would take!" Jekar said softly. "Those two apes are Jabula's boys, and Jabula is Semiazaz's boy. I wouldn't be surprised if they're here to undermine what we're doing."

Damson furrowed his eyebrows, "I think you need to explain that a little more my friend!"

Jekar took another deep breath, "well, if I was here for Semiazaz I would be looking for advancement. To accomplish that I would need to take your position. That means I would only turn in half of the collections and continue to bash more silver out of the customers. That makes you look bad and me look good!"

The look on Damson's face was something rare. The depth of Jekar's though was even rarer! Damson had to give it to the man though, it was a well though out idea and, whether it was right or wrong it showed that Jekar was more than just a big lump of scary muscle.

Damson placed his right hand under his chin, which is something he did when trying to show himself to be a thinking man. "What about the two in the other room? Are they? Can we trust them!"

Once again Jekar took a deep breath, "Are you thinkin aloud, or do you want an answer?"

Jekar smiled to himself. It had been a long time since anyone had asked what he really thought. He loved the idea that he was respected. The thought that Damson, quite possibly his only friend, respected him was more than gratifying.

Damson took the hand away from his mouth, "Oh, I'm sorry Jekar. I didn't hear what you said because I was thinking aloud!"

Jekar flinched ever so slightly, "I said nothing!" His voiced thundered throughout the room once more causing Damson's eyes to widen at his words. "I'll tell you what. Once Jabula and his apes get back we can wrap things up here then head over to Doogal's tavern for a feed and some wine." Damson was feeling a little generous after looking over the scrolls and it sounded as if Jekar could do with a little bit of relaxation.

Jekar smiled, "sounds good!" he thundered.

The sound of a door opening and slamming shut in the outer room gave reason for Jekar's smile to widen, "sounds like them now!"

The words, "who the blazes?" followed by a crash, followed by a shout and another crash could be heard echoing through the door from the outer room.

"What in the name of Maweth is happening out there?" squealed Damson.

"No idea!" replied Jekar.

Damson looked at him with a worried look on his face, "I think maybe you're right in stating Jabula is here ot take our position!"

Jekar's eyes widened a little. A smirk etched its way across his mouth, "I told you so!"

"Yes, yes," said the frustrated Damson, "never mind that now! How would you like to break your old friend?"

"He was never my..."

"I don't care!" interrupted Damson, "Just break the gwok!" he shouted in an unnerving tone.

Jekar grinned as he walked through the outer room door. What he saw didn't take time to register. He was grabbed and thrown against a wall and punched three times in the abdomen. As he attempted to gather himself he was yanked from the wall and thrown back into the inner room.

Damson couldn't believe what he saw. Jekar came almost tumbling through the door, then a black shadow came diving through, connecting with Jekar around the waist knocking him flat on the floor. The black shadow then twisted itself into a crouching position and threw a flurry of punches into his face. The sound was sickening. The cracking of the nose and teeth and whatever else was breakable on a man's face. Damson moved behind the black table and started to squat down, when the sickening sounds stopped. He saw the black shadow thing stand and turn towards him. It pointed as it stalked ever so silently towards him. When it reached the light drifting down from the chandelier he could see the shadow for what it really was. A man in a black, or was it a red hood and matching outfit. It was hard to tell in the wavering candle light.

Damson jumped to his feet, "You!" he squealed.

"Yeah, me!" growled the hooded man. 

Damson quickly moved to his left of the table when the hood rounded the right side, "Come here, you little butt squirt!" rumbled the hood as he quickly changed direction to launch himself at Damson. Taking hold of Damson's shoulders the hood lifted then slammed Damson into the multi-layered, rug infested floor. Wind involuntarily exhaled through Damson's mouth, his eyes were wide and watery with the shock of being slammed back first to the floor. The hood slowly but calmly positioned himself into a sitting position on Damson's chest, planted both his knees into Damson's elbow sockets and cupped both hands around his neck and started to squeeze.

ASK HIM A QUESTION

"Get out of my head!" growled the hood.

Damson's eyes couldn't get any wider at the shock of hearing this crazed man talking to himself. Makes sense he thought. The things people are saying about this idiot, but what in the name of Maweth have I done to deserve this treatment?"

ASK HIM...

"Alright!" he growled, "I'll ask if it shuts you up!" He got of Damson, grabbed hold of the right arm and dragged him to his feet. The trembling Damson took a quick look a Jekar, then back at the hood.

"Don't worry about him," rumbled the hood, "he ain't waking for a while yet!" He laughed, "what you should be worried about is what I'll do to you if you lie to me!" Grabbing Damson by the throat with his right hand, lifting him ever so slightly off the floor, he moved to the black table. "What's on these scrolls?"

Damson attempted to speak but the only sound he made was a kind of gurgle. The hood released his grip on the throat and asked again. Damson's purple reddish complexion had turned to more of a pale white, "It isn't my place to tell..." but his words were interrupted with a solid left jab to the face followed by the words, "It's your place now!"

"It's just records!" Damson winched as he said it, knowing that things will go sour when Semiazaz hears of his betrayal.

"Records of what?" roared the hood.

Damson looked shocked, not at the force and volume of the hood's words, but because he didn't know what it was they were doing here. Damson smiled with a quiet confidence that there might be a possibilty of winning this situation. "They are the records of all our customers," he said as pleasantly as was possible with a voice like his.

The hood just stared at him, "you mean the records of those you extort!"

The quiet confidence that Damson had vanished along with his smile. Grabbing him by the shoulders the hood once again threw him to the ground, raised a fist but was interrupted by

TAKE THE RECORDS

ecohing through his head. The hood roared, "what do you think I was going to do, leave them here?" As he stood up and moved towards the black table, Damson released a deep breath. The thought of getting hit by this mad man was more than he could handle. He stood up and etched his way to the table. The hood turned to stare at him, "This is mine!" he rumbled as he scrunched up the stretched scroll and jammed it down his jerkin.

"Fair enough," said Damson with a smile.

YOU SHOULD TAKE THEM ALL echoed in his head. The hood laughed, "good point head!" he said as he grabbed the stack of scrolls and started jamming them down the front of his jerkin. Damson dropped his smile, took two shaky steps forward, pointed a finger which was shaking wildly at the hood, "do you know who owns those scrolls?"

"Me!" growled the hood.

Damson laughed, "you don't want to mess around with these people! Just put the scrolls down and leave, I will say nothing."

The hood turned to face Damson and roared, "I already have one voice telling me what to do, I don't need another!" He threw a right hook that flattened Damson, then took a couple of steps to the left side, placed his right foot on Damson's neck. "All debts are cleared, from now on you repay what you've stolen!" He put pressure on the right foot, "do I make myself clear?" He waited a few moments then roared, "do I make myslef clear?"

RELEASE YOUR FOOT SO HE CAN ANSWER echoed in his head.

The hood sighed while shaking his head and removed his foot allowing Damson to sputter out the words, "You make youself clear!"

The hood grumbled something inaudible as he turned and left.

 

Standing outsode wondering what was happeing, Hayman contemplated leaving. After all, he thought, I have had more than enough excitement for ten days, let alone one day. His head swivelled left then right, he looked down at his feet and came to the decision to leave, when the hood walked out the door. "You're back!" said Hayman, "what happened? Did you sort it out for me?"

The hood smiled to himself as he came closer. Then from out of nowhere his right fist hit Hayman in the teeth knocking him to the ground.

Looking up Hayman asked, "Why in the name of Sin did you do that?"

"You deserve more!" rumbled the hood.

"What makes you think that?" he said, then shuddered as he watched a smile spread like a disease across the hood's face.

"It was you I followed into the alleyway," rumbled the hood. "It was you I was after!"

Hayman slaowly got to his feet, wiped a trickle of blood from his lips and asked, "Why?"

"Two days ago I saw you steal a loaf of bread from the bakery." The hood grumbled then spat a glob of phlegm onto the cobblestones, "I see now why you did. One punch is enough justice for you, this time!"

Hayman stood there with furrowed eyebrows, "well, thanks, I guess!"

The hood groaned, "Think about what you did. Steal from the baker and he can't make his payments then ends up coming to these faecal punchers! All because of people like you." The hood spat again, "you make me sick!"

Hayman scratched the bacl of his head, "why didn't you stop me two days ago?"

The hood took a step closer and shouted, "why did you steal?"

"I was hungry!" replied Hayman with a slight squeal in his tone.

"That's no excuse!" growled the hood.

"Well, I suppose I could ask for bread as payment for some kind of work around the shop!" replied Hayman.

"I don't care," rumbled the hood. "But if you steal again I'll break you in ways you never thought possible!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Publication Date: 03-18-2017

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