Chapter 13

By Erik Brown

Rei awoke in a pleasant mood, and was more than ready to meet the morning. Skabar was already awake, and was most likely meditating, or something.

He heard the door open behind him; it was Lily. “Good morning Rei, how did you sleep?” She held a basket in her hands.

He turned and looked at her, as he sat on his bed. In reply he said, “Great. I really can’t thank you enough for all of your hospitality.”

Lily “Think nothing of it, we’re just happy to have a guest.”

She uncovered the basket she carried, exposing fresh muffins. The wonderful scent of the oven fresh muffins filled the air around him. Lily asked, “Are you hungry?”

“Absolutely.”

Handing him one, she commented, “I might make bread just a bit too hard, but I always make soft muffins. Enjoy. Oh yeah, I washed your clothes. You can change on the other side of the house when you're done eating.”

He did, they were delicious and fresh. “Thank you again.”

Leaning against the wall, he finished off the muffins he was given, then he changed into his old clothes. Lily had gone back inside to do stuff.

It wasn’t too long though that Skabar came out the door. He was dressed in armor, and carried two backpacks. One was Rei’s, the other was possibly his, but that meant that he was going somewhere.

Rei was curious, “Why do you have a pack?”

He breathed a heavy sigh; “I’m taking you to Marburg. Make sure you get there alright.”

“Well, you and your wife are plenty generous, but you really don’t have to do that.”

A near audible growl echoed in Skabar’s throat. He set the packs on the table, and took out his long sword from the equipment. As he inspected it, he said, “I have to take you to Marburg, whether you like it or not, I have to protect you.” He slid the sword back into its sheath, and connected it to his belt. Then he tightened the straps on his armor.

“Not that I don’t mind. Never know who you might run into on the road.”

“Eh.”

“So, when do we leave?”

“As soon as Lily gets our food together. Then we can leave.”

“Ah.”

…

It didn’t take too long for Lily to finish preparing their provisions. She slid the loaves of bread and pieces of fruit into the two bags. She then hitched a canteen to each, as she said to them, "Now you two be safe, and Skabar don't do anything stupid."

"Yes Lily, but do you have to talk to us like children?"

Lily grabbed her irate spouses ear, and twisted it, "Why not? You act like a child all of the time!"

She let go, and he rubbed his throbbing ear. Lily began to shoo them off of the property. She directed them off of the veranda, and soon out the front gate. As they walked out the gate, Skabar turned around and gave his wife a kiss, "I'll be back."

Smiling, she said, "I know."

…

"So where did you get that scar?" Rei pointed at an oddly colored patch of fur on the weasel.

The bird was getting on his nerves, and he was beginning to slip into a rather black mood. In a monotonous voice, he replied, "I don't know. Maybe that one was just a scab that I picked."

Rei nodded in understanding, then he tried to say, "Didn't your mother say not to…"

"Quiet!"

He fell into silence, as he stared into the distance, making out the finite drifting clouds on the horizon. Scanning the horizon, he noted that the land was empty, and there was no one else on the road. Fields and trees had given away to weeds and rotting timber. They walked through the barren countryside, leaving prints in the dusty road.

"Shouldn't we stop and rest? I think the sun's getting to me."

"Naw, we don't need to stop. Just have a drink from your canteen, that ought to cool you off."

He obeyed, and it did in fact cool him down a bit. But soon he began to grow tired as well, "Skabar?"

"What is it now?"

"My feet hurt, I just want to rest a little bit."

Skabar raised his paw to his face. Then he dropped it, and sighed, "I thought that you were a traveler. We've barely walked ten miles, and we still have twenty to go! If you want to make it to Marburg by this evening, then we have to keep moving! Okay?"

Rei sighed, "Yeah, yeah."

Then he began to grow bored.

"Skabar?"

"Gah? What is it now?"

"If we're going to keep walking, can't you at least say something?"

"No! I'm trying to think about things! Now be quiet, and just walk! Okay?"

"Tell me about some of your adventures on the road."

"No."

"Come on, just one, then I'll be quiet."

"No."

"Just talk for a few minutes, and I'll keep at your pace 'til we get there."

He thought about it, "Will you be quiet until we get there too?"

"Deal, and you can kick me if I don't."

Still without a trace of any kind of happiness, he replied to the bird's offer, "Well, you've got yourself a deal."

"Shake on it?"

"No."

"Okay."

They walked for a little bit.

"So what are you going to tell me?"

Skabar shrugged, "I don't know, what do you want to hear?"

Rei looked into the distance, as a loose feather fell off of him, and blew away on a fast gust of wind. "Tell me about you and Lily."

"Umm."

Sensing the discomfort in his voice, Rei quickly said, "After the war."

"Well, there isn't much really." He thought about after they got married, "Well not anything that would interest someone like you, I think? You got someone special, Rei?"

"Yeah, she lives over in Nogrias."

"Pretty?"

"Very pretty."

"Probably wish you could be with her, instead of me, eh?"

"Yeah, I bet you feel the same way about Lily, don't you?"

"Very much so."

"I can't wait until this is over, then I can go back to her."

"I was just about to say that."

Rei looked over, and thought that he actually saw a smile on the weasel's face. "When I get back to her, back to Chassy, I'll never leave her again."

Now Skabar actually did smile, "I know just the tale to tell you. Right after the war, you should like it."

"Well, please, tell on."

…

Zaego reclined in his office. He leaned back in his leather chair, and placed his talons on the desk. He flexed the muscles in his wings, as he placed his arms behind his head. Now he was relaxing! There were only two things missing.

He hollered out his open door, "Secretary!"

A mouse that was very pale, or perhaps just her natural fur color, peeped into the room. Timidly she asked, "Yes Sir?"

"Get me something to drink. Nothing too hard, I need to keep my edge."

"Right away, Sir. Anything else?"

"Yeah, is that one Lieutenant here today?"

"Beg pardon?"

"You know, that eagle girl. Hilde or Gretchen, or something like that? Do you know who I'm talking about?"

"I'm afraid that Miss Usaun has retired for the day, Sir."

He sighed, "Oh well. Go find the nicest looking bird from our lower ranks then." He rubbed his hands together, "Time to induct a new Lieutenant."

"Uh, Sir. You actually have an appointment with Com Harmar today. He says that he has something for you."

Zaego groaned. "You know those thieves are nothing but a pain. Always killing and raping all the time. Savages, bloody savages! That whole thieves honor, and the way they're all tough and dangerous." He turned to his secretary, who was staring dreamily off into space, "Hey! I'm not paying you to dawdle! What time is he coming?"

Snapping out of her daydream, she announced, "The Com will be here in about a minute."

"Oh." He took his talons off of the desk, and sat up in his seat. "Well, as soon as he gets here, send him right up."

"Right away Sir."

She walked back to her desk, and sat down. She was wondering if there were any handsome, swash-buckling mice thieves. Maybe she was thinking about pirates, or was it thieves that were the ones with a heart of gold. Perhaps it was neither. Reaching into the top drawer on her desk so as to consult the novel she was reading, there was a sudden knock at the door.

Looking up she said as loud as she possibly could, come on in. A coyote with a glossy gray coat, and a black cape around his shoulder waltzed in. He was dressed in fine and sharp clothes; there was not a single shred of roughness to him. Her heart leapt as he bowed close to the ground, maybe these were the brigands with a kind soul. Taking a shot at it, she exclaimed, interrupting the coyote before he could speak, "Is there anyone else?"

He looked at her, surprised by the eagerness in her voice, "Yes m' Lady. For I have brought a gift for the Chancellor Zaego."

"Oh! Bring them in!"

Com Harmar clapped, and two of the dirtiest rodents walked in. A shrew and a rat, with a large trunk between them. Dirty rags hung off of their matted fur, which in turn hung on to thin and stringy muscles. For a moment her heart felt like shattering, just as her dreams had done a moment before. Then again, it might be that one of them had a clear head, and just hadn't had the time to bathe.

"Ahem!"

"Oh, sorry. The Chancellor will see you now."

Motioning with his head, the two moved their load into Zaego's office, as Harmar followed close on their heels. They set the chest down, and Harmar hissed at them, "Scram."

The two rodents scampered out the door and shut it behind them. Harmar chuckled, and said to Zaego, "You know how long it took me to teach them to close doors. You wouldn't believe it, but most of them were raised in barns."

He was then about to bow before Zaego, but the bird dismissed it, "Skip the formality Com! I have more important matters to attend to."

Harmar smiled, exposing the many canine teeth he had. He was especially proud of the gold plated ones. "A bird of your high standing would not want to miss this precious gem."

"Come on with it then."

The coyote walked behind the chest, and unlatched it. He then turned back the top, so that Zaego could see the treasure inside. The Eclipse Stone sat there, and it gleamed the sunlight that was in the room. Zaego gasped, and for a moment forgot to breathe. "Astounding!"

"Isn't it? A most handsome treasure dropped by some traveler."

"Dropped, don't make me laugh! I swear if this is some sort of artifact from the museum, I will have your head! Do you hear me Harmar!"

Harmar waved his hands in the air, "Zaego, please! We're thieves, not savages."

The bird shrugged, as the thief continued, "We checked with several highly qualified archeologists. Many of them had gone to all of the museums that the North World could offer, and all said that if they had seen this treasure before, they surely would not have forgotten it."

"So I can trust that it is legit?"

"I guarantee it."

Zaego swiveled his seat around. He twiddled his fingers, and thought about it. This was a marvelous artifact indeed. True that he practically owned the thieves, but this one would still demand a large price. But what did that matter. In a matter of weeks, Zaego himself was destined to become the new Emperor! He turned back to face the coyote.

"You know, before we start talking about prices and such, how about I offer a drink?"

"Never could turn down the stuff, I'll have you see to that drink."

Zaego pounded on the desk, "Secretary! Hard drink and two glasses!"

There was a pause, and then the sound of a scream, "Right away Sir."

He sighed, and wondered if anything had been damaged. "I'll go see what's going on."

"Sit down. If anything gets broken I'll pay for it."

He sat down, "Thanks. You know I had pegged all of you thieves as the same. But there's something, uh, you know, noble about you."

Harmar laughed, then Zaego laughed, and then they both laughed. The coyote stopped, and so did Zaego. As he wiped tears from his eyes, Com Harmar spoke sternly to him; "Kind words and a drink won't get you this stone any easier. We had to kill one of our to get this already. Went berserk or something, tried to kill us first. Name was Rasa."

Zaego looked at the coyote, "No kidding." He shrugged, "Well, let's cut the idle chit chat, what's your starting price."

"I said that it wouldn't make it any easier, but I still want a drink."

Zaego smiled, "You're a noble thief and a shrewd at business. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Come come closer, " Harmar carefully approached Zaego's desk. The bird said to him, "In a few weeks, I shall succeed to my father's throne. I shall be the new Emperor."

"I heard rumors that the next Emperor was in this city, I didn't think that it might have been you. Though it's rather obvious."

Zaego shrugged, "Well, name any price you want. With my coming power, I'll make sure that you get what you want. But first," Zaego took in a deep breath, and yelled at the door, "Secretary, where's our drinks!"

…

After a while he just couldn't help himself. Story after story came out of the weasel's mouth, and Rei listened to all of them with an attentive ear.

"You've really been through a lot, haven't you?"

Skabar had a smile from ear to ear. The story telling had left him feeling surprisingly happy. Lily had been right, he should have told his stories more often. "Yes, I've been through quite a lot."

"I hope my life is as eventful as yours someday."

"A restless spirit isn't the best of things, but you're still young. You still have much to do."

Rei nodded, "True."

Off in the distance hovered a tall spire of black smoke. It was similar to the pollution around Blue Lake, but this had not the pristine natural beauty of a lake. This was merely a city, and a vapidly disgusting one at that.

"Hey, Skabar. Have you ever been to Marburg?"

"Yes. Long ago when it was the Capital of these lands. At that time Limeburg was still fending off against the Imperial forces. Soon it fell, and Emperor Gaides the 12^th moved the Capital there. After that it was all-downhill. Nefarious acts and persons made the once lush Utopian city, a decaying urban wreck. I would wish that I could return to those white marble buildings, back to those streets that were paved with dreams and aspirations."

"I can see it now. We are not far."

"No, we should be there in under an hour."

Now Rei was feeling very tired, but he decided not to say anything, for fear of changing Skabar's current demeanor. There really wasn't anything else to talk about, but Rei walked thinking about the stories he had heard. The weasel looked at Rei.

"You know, Rei, I want to thank you."

"Huh? For what?"

"I had always thought bad of my life, that I had not really done anything. Now I see, after having told you those tales, that I have lead a very full life."

"You are not old either, Skabar. You still have plenty of time left."

"Yes, but I am not fully able to travel anymore. I have a wife to think about, and I have a family that I hope to raise."

"Write."

"Hmm?"

"Write down your stories, and have them published. They would make a very good read."

Skabar thought about the idea, "I could do that. It wouldn't be very hard, and I could stay at home."

Rei beamed, as he felt that he might have changed someone's life, "Alright! I'll read whatever you write, okay?"

"Sure thing?"

"Yeah! But hey, while you're here at Marburg you should pick up some supplies before you leave."

The weasel was still going over it in his mind, but Rei was being extremely helpful, "That's what I'll do! Yes!"

He grew silent though, and he gloomily looked at Rei. Surprised by his sudden change of mood, "What is it, Skabar?"

The weasel scratched the back of his neck, he weakly smiled, "There's something I ought to tell you."

"What is it?"

"First I need to get something straight. Before you met me, you had never heard of the Murrieta Weasel's, right?"

"No, can't say I ever had. Call me sheltered or what not, but I just never had."

Skabar gave a forced smile, "That's okay, it's quickly becoming somewhat obscure. But there's something you should know about the Murrieta's most common tradition."

Rei cocked his head, feeling a bit remorseful about hearing more. Getting past the odd look that Skabar was giving him, Rei said, "Go on."

"Well, you see… The reason why the tribes were split is that, we had become accustomed to eating meat. Or, actually, the meat of other creatures."

He wasn't exactly sure what to feel. He at least felt a bit frightened, but mostly confused. Rei asked with wide eyes, "Does that still happen?"

The weasel nodded, "Several clans continued the tradition, even after the split. I came from one of those clans. But do not be so afraid, that was one of the practices that I renounced. Lily comes from an entire clan that gave up that characteristic."

"So, why tell me this?"

He smiled a very crooked smile, as if a wide arrange of emotions tried to control his face at once. "Rei, I have been desperately trying to hear Seprucen's words, for many years now. The moment that you came upon me, I was beginning to doubt my ideas, and felt that you may have been a sign."

Rei stuttered, his mind had been blown away, as he thought about how close he might have come to being a meal. And he had walked right into it too! Not even thinking that Skabar had been… "You said that Lily would have me for dinner!" He said it in a shriek, realizing that Skabar had planned to kill him!

"Yes," he nodded meekly, "I even told her that." He laughed, "That's why she had me come with you, because she wanted to teach me a lesson."

"But you won't eat me, right?"

"No, I like vegetables, not meat. I was just in a troubled state at the time. Besides, you're really not that bad. I've met some awful fowl before."

"You still won't eat me. I just want to get that straight."

Skabar sighed, "Don't be difficult. I'm sorry, all right. Let's just drop the whole unpleasant issue."

"Agreed."

In silence they walked the remaining mile. A large black area had begun to appear ahead, as they neared the city. Suddenly he stopped, as towering arches stood over him, and tall spires of stone stood before him. They had almost snuck up on him, and he doubted that the walk had really taken so long. "Hey! Are we here?"

Skabar stopped too, "Why, we sure are."

Rei blinked, as he stared at the monolithic peaks of stone. Not that the architecture was that different, nor were these the tallest buildings he had ever seen. It was the sheer dystopic nature of how all of the elements had been combined. From the very place where the macadam road began, wino's stretched out under the afternoon sun, and prostitutes lurked in the shadows.

"My goodness…"

In a dry monotonous voice, Skabar said to Rei with a flourish of his hand, "Welcome to Marburg my friend, where dreams are just gum beneath other people's shoes."

"It's horrible."

"Yeah, but what else is new."

He nodded in agreement. They began to walk, and began to go deeper into Marburg. Soon they found themselves on a narrow stretch that ran in between two buildings. No stores stood on the sides, and there weren't any roads at all. It was merely a large hand-made canyon, which ran for several blocks in both directions.

The street was also teeming with creatures, whom were walking this way and that. They shoved and pushed each other around, some decided to resort to a more basic animosity, and were prone to biting the ones who didn't get out of their way. Somewhere near the sides, a bum was stepped on, naturally he shouted out in surprise, but his cry fell on deaf ears, as everyone merely ignored him.

Marburg wasn't like his world's city at all, it was by far worse! This was reinforced, but the numerous curses that were exchanged by the busy people. Was this a primitive form of commerce, or was it merely lunchtime? It was eerily brutal, walking amongst those city dwellers. Was there no end to this madness, would this road ever end?

Not only that, but Rei felt thoroughly out of place. Still wearing the clothes donated to him, he couldn't help but feel the stares on him. Maybe they were staring at Skabar, who still sported chest armor and spiked shoulder pads. At least he wasn't being bumped into.

Rei said to Skabar, as he tried to be heard above the noisy din, "This is awful!"

"What was that, I didn't hear you."

Opening his beak, and ready to shout loudly this time, Rei suddenly stopped. Somewhere behind them were the sounds of people yelping in pain. A shrill voice rose above the crowd's noise, "Coming through! Out of my way!"

Dividing the traffic ahead of him, a short ferret appeared. He held a small knife in his hand, which he jabbed out left and right with. Some got of his way, and a few he decided not to provoke. He skipped over Skabar, and angrily jabbed Rei in the arm. Unable to yell out in shock, Rei instead decided to beat the hooligan to a pulp, which he did indeed announce, "You little punk! What do you think you did that for? Don't you know that hurts?"

"Huh?" He turned around, morbidly appalled that someone was actually asking him to feel responsible. Spurned on by the fear of someone as scrawny as Rei, actually standing up for himself, the little urchin broke out in a run.

"Come back here! I'm not done talking to you yet!"

Rei gave chase, as he followed the child through the divide through the people he made with his knife. On fleet feet they were soon out of hearing range of Skabar. And a moment after that, the weasel could no longer see them.

Rudely making his way to the side of a building, he began to worry. He buried his head in his hands, what was he going to do? Lily would be mightily angry with him, if she heard that he had lost Rei. Maybe he could just lie to her? No, he was never able to do that to her. Well then, he had to search for the bird! He wouldn't be able to leave a clear conscience any other way. First he had to wait for the crowds to die down. That shouldn't take long.

A hand touched his neck. Repulsed he moved away from it. He turned to face whoever touched him, and the sight made his stomach wretch. "Back you tempestuous fornicator!"

"Wha' you some sort of prude?" She stood in front of him, her face covered from snout to ear in gaudy make up. She wasn't even of his own species, just some misbegotten rabbit.

"I'm not interested in your wares! Back you cur!" He fingered the handle of his sword.

She turned around and hollered into a narrow alleyway, "Hey Bobby! This is some prude out here namin' me funny things. He's makin' fun of me!"

"What's that doll? Some jerk's botherin' ya?"

A gaunt cat appeared out of the alley. Decked out in black leather, he threateningly pulled out a switchblade. A striped tail flicked out behind him. He grabbed a turtle by the collar, and shouted at the timid creature, "You makin' fun o' my girl here?"

The poor fool cringed in the cats clutches, as the rabbit girl tugged on Bobby's shoulder. "T'ain't that guy Bobby, it's him." She pointed at Skabar.

Bobby's whiskers drooped, as he set the turtle down, and he just about bowed before Skabar. Not only a weasel, but also about two heads higher, many pounds heavier, and with a sword that could easily beat a switchblade, the cat would not have been able to stand a chance. Which is exactly what he told the air-brained rabbit, "Wotcha' doin' that guy's likely to eat me." He dragged the girl into the alleys, and left Skabar where he had been standing.

The weasel scratched his head, and came to one conclusion, "City people."

Then he began to worry. He was lucky, the spiked armor was intimidating, and the sword added action to appearance. But what about Rei? He was just some bird; he didn't even have a weapon.

"I have to find him!" Seeing that the crowd had thinned, Skabar began to push his way through. All the while he worried about the mess that Rei might be getting himself into.

…

"A bar?" Rei stood outside the squat building. Not that he wanted to find a bar, "Another stupid bar! I've walked eighteen blocks looking for a hospital, and all I find is another bar. This is like the thirtieth that I've passed. Maybe I can get some alcohol to put on this cut." He squeezed his arm just above the spreading bloodstain. Despite wrapping it with a bit of cloth he had found in his pack, it had already soaked the cloth, and was still spreading. It was also beginning to sting a bit.

He opened the door, and walked inside. The only source of light were the few weak bulbs that hung from the ceiling. All manners of creatures filled the bar, many were puffing cancerous smoke into the air. A skink bartender waited on the barflies, distributing his vile drinks.

A stoat was complaining about his something to the bartender, "Listen I gots the money to pay off my tab, but I know I don't owe that much!"

The skink made a fist, "Listen Chuck, you say one more thing without paying me, and I throw you through the window."

"But you ain't got no window, you through that rat out last night, and now all you got are boards."

And then the stoat was out the boarded up window. Rei sat down in the vacant seat. Continuing to clutch at his arm, he ordered, "Is there a hospital around here?"

"A what? I don't serve anything like that."

"Ugh! Give me something strong, something clean too."

Reaching under the bar, he produced a tall bottle of clear liquid. "Will this do?"

"Let me check." Rei rolled up his sleeve, and took off the strip of cloth. Carefully he poured some alcohol on the cloth, and then reapplied the make shift bandage. He yelled in pain. None of the patrons even batted an eye. "Yeah, that did it."

"That'll be fifteen jao," jao being the currency of the Empire. Rei knew this, but as he reached into his pocket, he realized he didn't have anything.

Rei grinned and shrugged. "Nothing. Left my wallet in my other pants."

There was a crash behind him, and he turned around to see what was going on. Two patrons were in a fight. Rei only watched for a second, but when he turned back around he was staring right at the hilt of a sword. This made him wonder where the blade might be. The skink hissed at him, "S'okay ya don't have any money. I would throw you out the window, but… you know."

Rei could only gulp, as he waited for the blade to fall. Fearing that it might be the end of the line, Rei thought about something clever to say. Some really powerful last words. Nothing came to mind. A shot rang out in the bar, as a round pellet was shot through the room, and struck the bartender in his right hand, causing him to drop the sword. The blade fell to the ground with a chink.

Everyone present turned to face the assailant. A raven woman stood with one talon on a chair, and one on the table, and a smoking gun in her hand. She wore dark colored dingy clothes, making her look like another poor drunk. Her wings were spread wide, and her long dark hair ran down her back between her wings. Rei felt she was pretty and all, but now was not the time or place to think of that. The skink, in turn, scowled at her, "Wot's the matter with you! I got my liquor license!"

"I don't care about any licenses!" There was an air of foreign mystery to her voice, a quality Rei had not heard for a long while.

"Wha'? You ain't no Winter Agent?"

"Shut up!" She shot at a bottle behind the skink. He looked at the broken bottle, the contents dripping to the floor.

The bartender glared angrily at her, "Who are you?"

She shot another bottle, "I said shut up! Don't say anything unless I ask you a question! Why were you going to kill this bird?"

Rei blinked, wondering why she was protecting him. Could she be from Sieve, might Palcos have told the group of Rei? This raven girl was some mystery.

"Jus' some bum! I don't need a reason to kill poor winos!"

She aimed her gun at some of the more restless patrons, as she leapt off of the table. She touched Rei on the arm, and said to him, "Follow me."

Keeping her gun leveled at the shifting crowd, she led Rei out the door. The door closed, and Rei turned to her, "Why did you save me?"

"No time to talk," sounds of angry drunks and an irate bartender was heard behind the door. She reached in through the broken boards of the missing window, and fired off the remaining shots she had. "Just run. This way."

Keeping her wings close to her, she broke out into a jog. Rei followed her, as he clutched at his wounded arm. He breathed heavily, after a few minutes he began to feel light headed. She lead him down so many side streets, that it would have been a wonder if anyone had been able to follow them. If anyone had dared. Finally they reached a beat up apartment building. Taking out a key, she unlocked the door, and motioned to Rei to follow her inside.

Meekly he clutched at the railing with his hand. He groaned, that wound was really beginning to upset him.

"A second later and I would have been two birds, instead of one. Thank you."

"No need to thank me, I hope. I can fix up that cut you have on your arm too. My apartments just a little bit further." She steadied him, as they continued to walk up the stairs.

They passed a door and heard the sounds of domestic anger, a bottle being thrown at the wall. Another few doors, and they stopped. "This is it."

She opened the door, and revealed a dingy room. A few beat up couches of sorts lay around the room, and a brownish kitchen could be seen across the room. Except for one other door, there didn't seem to be any other rooms. Rei muttered, "Rent must not be high."

"Not at all."

Rei looked at a far end, and saw a wooden bench covered with metal parts and pieces. A few objects looked like guns, "Hey what are those things?"

She dashed over to the bench, and covered the objects up, "Oh, nothing." She pointed at the couch, "You can sit down. Take off your jacket so that I can see that cut."

He sat down, and after taking off his jacket, rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. She sat down next to him, as he took the piece of cloth off. It had stopped bleeding.

She poked at it a bit, "Not that deep. Bled a bit, didn't it. I'll clean it up, and put some stitches in, and then rewrap it. You should be fine after some rest."

As she got up to gather the supplies, he said to her, "I'm sorry, I didn't even catch your name."

"Just call me Servan." She sat down again, with medical materials in hand.

After washing off the cut, and dabbing some actual hydrogen peroxide on, she said to him, "Turn away. This won't hurt, but it doesn't look very nice."

He looked away, as she put a thin needle through his flesh. Thinking about it, the metal and thread passing through his skin, made him cringe. "I'm a wuss."

"Yeah." She slapped it, "There! That should do it." She handed him a pill, "Swallow this, it will ease the pain. Hungry at all?"

Upon swallowing the pill, he said, "Thank you. Some food would be much appreciated too," he looked at her funny, "I don't even know why you're doing all of this."

"I do. You're a Kiljrow, aren't you?"

He was shocked. Thinking about it, he could only remember telling very few people his last name. There was no reason for her to know his name! "B-but, how did you?"

"Secrets. I can't tell you."

"At least tell me why you're doing this."

"Just a good Samaritan. Get some rest, and I'll go get some food."

"Answer my questions first!"

She took out her gun, "Rest first!"

"A bit direct, aren't you." He lay down, and wondered if he should pretend to close his eyes (he was tired only of being threatened with guns). Suddenly he felt a bit sleepy, she put away the gun, and he asked, "That was a…"

"Sleeping pill, yeah. See you in a few hours." And without wanting too, he suddenly drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

…

In a few hours he came too. It was utterly dark outside, but a pale light shone above him. For a moment he thought about electricity. Even Nogrias had had some, but he had never bothered to find out where. Then he realized where he was.

He felt his arm, the sting had gone away, and it was no longer bleeding. Looking up he saw Servan sitting on a stool in the kitchen, eating some sort of noodles from a bowl. Still she spoke in a flat voice, "Blood stains wouldn't come out of your jacket." She held up a bowl, "Want some food?"

"Yes." He got up, and walked over to the kitchen. He sat down on a stool, and she handed him a bowl.

It wasn't half bad, something about it reminded him of his own world. The kind of food that was mass produced and fried in large quantities, not grown or cooked. Something in the food was rushed, that the people serving it didn't have much time to themselves.

Sensing that she wasn't about to start a conversation any time soon, Rei decided to ask some questions. "You won't tell me how you know me, will you?"

"No."

"Well then, are you in anyway affiliated with Winter?"

"No, and I don't plan on turning you in at all either."

"If I were to guess, I would say that you were with Sieve. Outside of those two groups, you're the only other one with a gun."

"You'd guess wrong. I'm not with Sieve either."

"Do you know anything about Sieve?"

"What's with the interest in that two-bit group? They're worthless, they're not even revolutionaries. They can't even get Winter to sit up and notice them. They're pathetic."

Rei sighed, "I need their help to get me out of a bind. It's the very same weakness in Winter and Sieve that will help me."

She shrugged, "To each his own."

Seeing that it was getting him nowhere, he asked, "Do you know where Sieve is? I need to contact them."

Thinking about it, she was silent, "If you really want to get mixed up with them, then I do know where you can find some agents. Not a guaranteed thing either. These guys might kill you."

"Winter would kill me otherwise."

"Oh." She shoved some noodles into her mouth, "Straight out I can tell that you're an outsider to this city."

With a hint of sarcasm, he said, "Really? Would your deduction come from when that bartender tried to kill me?"

"How the heck did you even get this far into Marburg?"

"I admit I'm a small town sort of person." He lied, but she shouldn't know that. "This place is pretty crazy. Wish I hadn't gotten separated from Skabar."

"Who?"

"A Murrieta weasel. He helped me get here in the first place."

The Murrieta part didn't seem to interest her at all. "Look, idle chit chat bores me, do you want my help or not? Sieve has agents posted everywhere in this area. Spying on anyone they can. Sure communications are utter crud, and Sieve does not allow their field officers to exercise much decision-making. You're lucky you're in Marburg, if we do find these guys, then they should bring you straight to Sieve. Unless they kill you."

"Of course."

"We'll leave when you're finished. I need to go get some supplies."

When she said that, he thought about her gun, "By the way, where did you get that gun? The ones I've seen that Winter had were antiquated, that one you had looks fairly modern."

"Secret."

He already knew she wasn't going to say anymore, so he just dropped it.

…

She led him through the sordid streets of Marburg. It was late, and the sun had gone down, and the timid had gone to bed, and the bold had come out to do their despicable things they did so well. They walked down alleys, and they walked up streets, over bums, and under overpasses. Rei wasn't a bit surprised that he somehow felt so at home in the city.

Servan stopped, "This is the place."

They stood in front of a chain link fence; just beyond the fence was what appeared to be a large factory of sorts. The surrounding area was barren, and the buildings all around seemed desolate and empty.

Rei pointed at the factory, "What's that?"

"That's a ril processing plant." She pointed across the street, "See them?"

He looked, and saw nothing but empty and broken windows, "No, I don't see anything."

"You're not looking hard enough. Up there in the third window on the right, are a group of Sieve spies. This is one of the only things they've gotten right so far."

"What's that?"

"There are some researchers who have found rils to be addictive. I'm betting that Sieve figures the Emperor to be using them to control the population even more."

"Makes sense. So Sieve is doing what?"

"Either Sieve figures that they need more info, or they just want to steal some."

Rei thought about Palcos, "Maybe the first idea is right."

"I doubt it, they're all pretty ignorant."

She handed him her gun. It was, like the clothes in Nogrias, just one generation behind his worlds. "Yell at them to come and get you. If that doesn't get their attention, say that you are not with Winter, and then open fire on some windows. They should come yell at you after that."

"Thanks again. Oh, and one more thing. If you see Skabar, tell him I'm doing fine."

"How will I tell who he is?"

Rei smiled, "A tall weasel wearing spiked armor and a sword. I haven't been here long, but he should be pretty hard to miss."

She shrugged, and started walking away. Turning around she said to him, "Make sure you don't say anything about me. Got that?"

"You're the lady with the table covered with guns."

For the first time she laughed, and walked off into the night.

Rei stood by himself, though he knew that he was being watched. He weighed the gun in his hand, and aimed it at the windows. Lowering it, he took in a deep breath and yelled at the windows, "Agents of Sieve! Can you hear me?"

Nothing.

"Agents of Sieve, I need to speak with you!"

Again, nothing.

He raised up the gun, "Last warning!" He fired two shots at the building. Shapes began to move around in the building. "Agents of Sieve, will you speak with me? I am not an Agent of Winter, you have nothing to fear from me!"

Nothing.

He fired another shot, and waited for a sound. A deep voice split the air, "Quit shooting you moron! Drop the gun first!"

Slowly Rei set the gun down on the ground, and then raised his hands above his head. The voice said again, "If you're some kind of stool bird, you're going to fry!"

A small black painted chipmunk scurried out the building. Cautiously, yet still with great energy, he approached Rei. Picking up the gun he shouted up to building in a shrill voice, "Boss, you gotta see this!"

"Bring him up."

Chittering to himself, the chipmunk led Rei upstairs. Rei thought he heard the chipmunk say something like, "Never held a real gun before," but he couldn't be sure.

He was lead into the building, and then up the stairs. A hooded creature with a long barreled gun watched Rei, keeping his barrel centered on the bird. He warned the bird, "Don't move a muscle." Then he bent down to the chipmunk, "Gimme that gun."

An audible sound of resentment was heard, but the gun was handed over. The chipmunk said to Rei in an annoyed voice, "Right down that hall. No funny business, or we'll shoot ya dead."

Rei nodded. Again his life was on the line! He walked down the hall, keenly keeping gauging how quickly he was moving. He entered the room, and saw a portly Doberman waiting for him. The dog asked him, "And you would be?"

"My name is Rei Kiljrow."

"Never heard of you. What's your beef with our group?"

"I need to talk to whomever is in command."

The hooded creature crept into the room, and sidled behind Rei. He approached the dog and handed him the gun that the chipmunk had confiscated from Rei. The Doberman analyzed the gun, and asked, "Where in the name of Gaides did you find this?"

"In a trash can."

"Lying filth. Do you expect me to believe you?"

The dog turned to face his agent, who was tugging on his arm, the hooded creature said to him, "Check it out. The clip has been welded to the gun, that thing was only meant to be shot five or six times."

He looked at it again, fingering the burnt metal on the bottom, "So it is. Careful eye you have there. I suppose his story checks out. Especially if…" aiming the gun at Rei, which caused the bird to tense up. He pulled the trigger. There was only a click. He lowered the gun, and Rei relaxed. "Doubtless this was left by some foreign riff raff, and then this bird finds it."

Daring to speak, Rei asked, "So, will you take me to Sieve." Suddenly he was keenly aware of a creature behind him. He turned around and stared into the yellow eyes of a pitch-black lynx.

The Doberman laughed, "Sure we will. Cove will tell you how to get there."

The lynx behind him told Rei the directions, "Right around the corner from dreamland, bird." Then Rei was knocked out, hit in the head with a blackjack.