"Esmeralda's Story"

Compiled from events in the Golden Unicorn Tavern
Written by Richard Ryley

Most situations and dialog originally by Stephen Everett
----------

     Near the entrance to the Golden Unicorn Tavern, a pretty young
lady stood near a tall warrior and a swordswoman in blue. The newcomer
had been telling a story, and the Tavern's denizens were always eager
to hear a new tale.

     The blue-garbed warrioress greeted the visitor with an extended
hand. "You are new here. I am P'lair, and you are...?"
     
     "I am Esmeralda," she said, curtsying. "I'm a storyteller."
     
     "No kidding." Brandon chuckled. "I am usually the one who tells
stories around here, but I'm just an amateur."
     
     "I am pleased to meet you," P'lair added, "and I love your story
so far. Where do you come from?"
     
     "I came from Ravenloft," Esmeralda replied. "I came across the
tavern on my way between villages and came in. I did not know that it
had been torn away from this place by Lord Strahd. When Lord Strahd
was flung from this tavern and it returned to Phantasia, I came along
with it.
     
     "I've heard many fantastic tales about this Inn and this city. I
am eager to explore and learn."

     Behind the others, a tall, striking woman with waist length hair
approached. "Are we telling stories? What have I missed?"

     "Not much. Esmeralda, why don't you start over." He paused a
moment. "Is this Merrily a friend of yours?"

     Esmeralda smiled and shook her head. "I don't know if she truly
even existed. This is a story I learned about Phantasia."

     Brandon chuckled again. "Most stories about Phantasia really
happened -- although the storyteller may embellish a bit..."

     "... And sometimes a tale has to be toned down from the truth to
make it believeable to the listeners." Esmeralda finished, with a wink
for the big man.

     Brandon gestured at the lady beside him. "This is Sandra, by the
way. She comes from the same world as I do." He then looked over at
Sandra. "San, this is Esmaralda."

     "Pleased to meet you," the woman said, with a winning smile. "I've
always loved a good story."

     Esmeralda curtsied again. "Thank you, milady."
     
     The storyteller smoothed out the fabric of her skirt before
folding her hands upon her lap. She paused for a moment, her eyes cast
downward. Her bosom rose up and slowly came back down. And then she
began.
     
     
     *     *     *     *     *


     It was dawn in the Golden Quarter, the end and the beginning of a
day, depending on your profession. The bakers and market hawkers were
stoking their ovens and readying their goods whilst fighting off the
final remains of sleep. Tavern maidens and barkeeps were closing up
their stores and readying themselves for bed. Thieves darted or slunk
from shadow to shadow, their movements decided by their success or
failure. A young journeyman raced down the street, hoping he will beat
his mistress to work. A pair of adventurers held each other up as they
staggered in every direction but the way home.
     
     Two others walked along that street together. Her name was Shiny,
his Thump. Those were not the names given to them by their parents,
but then their parents were long gone, whether by accident or by
design. They were not truly brother and sister, but they were as close
as if they had shared the same womb. Thump was a bodyguard of sorts,
making sure no harm came to Shiny from the Golden Quarter's less
savory inhabitants. Shiny was a prostitute, up late from taking those
same inhabitants to bed.
     
     It was a good night for them. The night was uneventful but
profitable, made more so by it being the winter season, the slowest
time for business in the Quarter. But travellers were arriving in
Phantasia from all over, following a rumor that a great festival was
going to be held.
     
     Alas, the two sides of this time of day held true for Shiny and
Thump, for in the midst of their good fortune, they became oblivious
of the misfortune that was about to befall them.
     
     They came from behind, jumping out of the alley's shadows as the
two passed. There were three of them, one of them grabbing Shiny and
dragging her back into the alley while the other two pummelled Thump
with saps. As soon as Thump was down and unconscious, his two
assailants withdrew to join their companion and his prisoner.
     
     
     Barnaby Snopes threw Shiny against the alley wall. "You ain't
going anywhere, girl, til I gets what I want."

     "This is Street Rat territory," Shiny snapped back. "You Barrow
Boys have no right to be here."

     Snopes sneered. "I says where we have rights to, and you weak
little mouses can't do a thing about it."

     "Barrow Bane made peace with King Rat! You break the peace and
there'll be war again!"

     "Bane was a fool to make peace. I says so and me boys follow me.
Bane won't be Bane for much longer. I'll be the new Bane and I'll
squish you mouses under my feet." With that, he signalled his two
henchmen. The moved from behind Snopes and toward Shiny.

     "Come here, l'il mousey," said one of the boys whom Shiny knew as
Red Jake. "We won't hurt you. You'll like what we're gonna do to you."

     The other one, called Orcface, guffawed and said, "yeah. You'll
like it."
     
     Thump was raising his head up off the street, his vision filled
with spots of black, when a sharp kick to his already pained ribs
brought him back to full consciousness. "Trash is in the alleyway," he
heard a voice say. The voice said something else but it was made
insensible by laughter. Thump made it up to his elbows when another
kick knocked him over onto his back. He looked up to see the three
Barrow Boys hovering above him. Snopes was looking into a pouch. Thump
recognized it as Shiny's moneybag.

     "Sure makes a lot of coin for a cheap tramp," Snopes said to
Thump. He then reached into the pouch and pulled out a coin. He
dropped it on Thump and said, "give it to Shiny. For the good time she
showed us."

     Thump began to utter a curse when all went black again.


     "Hey. Hey."

     Thump was jolted back to wakefulness by someone poking his sore
enough ribs.

     "Hey," a raspy voice said for the third time. "The girl's hurt.
Help her."

     The girl? Shiny! Thump bolted upright, only to fall back again as
a wave of nausea hit him.

     "You're not much better," the voice croaked, helping Thump back
up into a sitting position. Thump looked to where the voice came from
and saw a figure wrapped head to toe in rags. A bum, Thump thought.
Although most of the man's face was hidden by wrappings, Thump could
see the eyes were yellow with jaundice.

     "Get up," wheezed the bum, struggling to help Thump to his feet,
only to be rewarded for his efforts with a fit of racking coughs.

     As the stranger coughed, Thump staggered into the alley and
toward the prone form of Shiny. Shiny was strewn in a pile of rotting
garbage, her face bloody, an eye already swollen shut. A rat sniffed
at a breast bared by a tear in her dress. As Thump moved closer, the
rat skittered away.

     "Shiny!" Thump kneeled down beside her, taking Shiny's head in
his arms.

     Shiny's good eye opened a crack. "Money?" she croaked. Thump
shook his head. Shiny closed her eye again and muttered, "bastards."

     "I got to get you home." Thump bent down and tried to scoop Shiny
up in his arms. As he started to lift, the alleyway twisted, spun, and
went black.

     
     Thump awoke to see Shiny staring down at him. "You're as bad off
as me, " she said, a smile almost imperceptible between her swollen
lips. "We're gonna have to help each other home. Can you sit up?"

     "Lemme help ya." The bum scuffled over, grabbing one arm as Shiny
grabbed the other. With considerable effort by all three, Thump was
able to get back to his feet. Once again, the bum broke into a fit of
coughs.
     
     "You alright?" Thump asked. The bum waved him off. Thump saw that
the rags around the bum's mouth were spotted with red.

     "Get out of here," the bum said. "Before they come back to finish
ya for good."

     "Thanks," Shiny said. "Is there anything--"

     The bum snorted. "They took your money, so there's nothin' you
can do for me. Get goin'."

     The bum stood and watched as the pair helped each other out of
the alley. As soon as they had turned the corner and disappeared, the
man pulled a coin from his rags, the same silver coin Barnaby threw on
Thump. The bum coughed as he whispered to himself, "whiskey."


     Merrily was getting mad. Shiny and Thump were supposed to be back
by now. If I don't get to Seamstress Mathers on time, she thought,
that cursed Lily will get to make the deliveries and I'll be out a
farthing. Those two better have a good--. Merrily's thoughts were
intrerrupted by a tug at her sleeve.

     "Me'hly." Little Tween looked up at his big sister. "Where's
Shiny? She's gonna take me to Ganma Ann's today. She promised."

     Merrily knelt down and wiped a smudge of dirt from the boy's
cheek. "She'll be here. She wouldn't break a promise to you."

     "Where is she?" he asked again.

     Turning one last trick, she thought. "She must be fighting the
giant dragon that's trying to eat the city."

     Tween's eyes grew wide. "A dragon?"

     "Uh-huh. A big dragon with big green scales, and long claws, and
sharp teeth to eat little boys with!!" Merrily grabbed Tween and
pretended to chew on the laughing boy's arm.

     "Merrily."

     "It's about ti -- Merciful Mother!"

     Shiny was brought into their home in the arms of Pounder, a gang
brother, and was laid down on the straw mattress in the corner.
Pounder had to catch himself from falling as Merrily pushed past him
to Shiny.

     Merrily was barely able to hold back the tears. "Shiny, what
happened? Oh gods, who did this to you?"

     "Did you kill the dragon?" Tween asked. His question fell on deaf
ears.

     "I'm sure I look a lot worse than I am," Shiny replied, wincing
at the pain of smiling. "Go get the Rat King. Hurry."

     "Already on his way," replied Flick, who was helping Thump into a
chair. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Hellfire, Thump. For someone
who's fine, you sure left a big crick in my neck."

     "I'm just a little dizzy," Thump replied. He hoped no one noticed
who hard he gripped the table.

     "Not surprised," Flick snorted. "What in the hells did you do,
Thump? Let a blacksmith use your head as an anvil?"

     "Barrow Boys," Shiny said. "At least Snopes and his henchlings.
They were waiting for us in the alley by Garrick's Tavern. They got
our money."

     Flick clutched her dagger. "Did they . . ?"

     Merrily shook her head. "Snopes must get off on beating his
women."

     "You sure it was Snopes?" The Rat King stood at the doorway. He
was short and emaciated-looking, dressed in dark, well-worn clothes,
but many a dead man mistook that for weakness. Everyone moved out of
his way as he made his way over to sit next to Shiny. "Tell me
everything."

     "She fought a dragon," Tween said. The Rat King smiled down at
him and ruffled the child's hair.

     "Merrily," said Shiny, "take Tween to Granma Ann's."

     "But --"

     "Tell Ann I said for her to take care of the boy until I come get
him," the Rat King said. "Now do as your sister said."

     Merrily bit down on her tongue. She couldn't disobey an order
from the Rat King, but she didn't want to leave her sister.

     She did what she was told.

     
     When Merrily returned, they were there waiting. Thump. Pounder.
Flick. Even the Rat King. They all looked at Merrily when she came in.
     
     "Tween's at Granma Ann's," Merrily stammered. Something was up.
Then she noticed Shiny was not there.
     
     "Sit down, Merrily," the Rat King said. His voice was somber.
     
     Merrily's heart leapt into her throat. Something's wrong. Shiny's
missing. Where's--
     
     Shiny appeared from the back. Upon seeing the expression on
Merrily's face, she smiled and said, "I don't look that scary, do I?"
     
     The Rat King repeated, "sit down, Merrily." When Merrily had
taken a seat, he continued. "Merrily, what was done to your sister was
wrong. You know that. She must be avenged. Since you are her oldest
charge, you must be her avenger."
     
     "But I can't yet!" Merrily protested. "I'm only--"
     
     The Rat King held his hand up, stopping her. "You have not yet
had your First Rite, but vengeance waits only for opportunity. The
opportunity is now. You must go and seek vengeance before the Barrow
Boys grow bolder and strike again.
     
     "You're a good fighter, just like your dad," said Flick. "You
handle the knife like a fighter and you throw better than most. Catch
Snopes unawares and he won't stand a chance. Slip the knife right
between--"
     
     The Rat King held up his hand again. "You do what you have to.
You will leave today. The girl Merrily will never be welcomed back to
the Nest, but the woman Merrily will." With that the King stood up and
went for the door. He pointed at Pounder and Flick, motioning for them
to leave with him. They left Merrily with Shiny and Thump.
     
     Shiny knelt down in front of Merrily and hugged her. She looked
at her young charge and smiled, stroking the girl's hair. "Flick's
right; you are a fighter. Just like your father. You do Snopes and the
Rat King will have no choice but make you a fighter like Flick. You
won't have to become a whore like me."
     
     Merrily began to cry. "I'm scared Shiny. I can't fight Snopes.
Look what he did to you. Look what he did to Thump."
     
     "Hey," Thump said, "there were three of them They jumped me.
Snopes is a coward. If he didn't have those two --" Thump grabbed the
edge of the cot he was sitting on. He slowly leaned himself back to
rest against the wall. "If he didn't have those two others with
him...."
     
     Shiny snorted. "Thump's hurt pride is right. Get Snopes alone and
he'll be weak. He'll be weaker still because he won't feel threatened
by you. This is your advantage. You have to take him with your first
strike. That's your only chance."
     
     Shiny held up a dagger in it's sheath. Merrily had never seen it
before. She could tell the dagger was expensive, but it was a fighting
dagger. "This was your father's." Shiny said. "I was saving it for
your Rites." Shiny held it out for Merrily to take.
     
     Merrily's father. A great hero, they all said. A famous
adventurer. Until the day he never came back. Dragged beneath the
waves by a marauding band of sea devils, they said. Dead for certain.
     
     Merrily barely remembered him. She was only four when he
disappeared. She remembers his big hands. His big laugh. His thick
blonde beard that tickled her face.
     
     Tears were began to roll down Merrily's face. Shiny started to
cry as well. Merrily took the dagger.
     
     "Go," Shiny whispered. "Go, and when you come back, you'll be a
hero."
     
     
     "Where is it, beggarman?" Snopes hissed into the bum's rag-
covered face. "What did you do with it?"
     
     The bum was held up against the alley wall by Jake and Orcface.
Snopes threw a hard right punch into the bum's gut. The bum doubled
over in pain, coughing heavily and to gasping for air.
     
     "He ain't talkin'," Red Jake said, lifting the bum back up
against the wall.
     
     "Then I'll loosen his mouth," Snopes sneered. He delivered a left
cross to the bum's chin. A thick stream of blood arced out, splashing
Orcface.
     
     "Gor, Barnaby!" Orcface exclaimed. "I got beggar blood all over
me!" Orcface kneed the beggarman in the abdomen. "Spit on me again,
beggarman, and I'll kill you myself!"
     
     Barnaby turned away, scratching his head. Where the hell is that
blasted chain? That chain was his good luck charm. It was the first
thing he ever stole. It's always brought him good luck and now it's
gone. That bitch Shiny must have torn it off me, he thought.
     
     He walked over to where he had thrown Shiny. As he leaned down to
see if he could spot it, he heard a hissing. He looked over to see a
scrawny white cat, it's back arched and ears folded back, hissing at
him.
     
     "Leave her alone!" the beggar groaned.
     
     Barnaby looked back at the beggarman and smiled. "This your cat?"
     
     "Leave her alone!" the beggar said again, "leave her alone or
I'll--"
     
     "You'll what?" Snopes laughed. "You'll hurt me?" Snopes turned
back and reached for the cat, only to get clawed. "You goddamned--" he
went for the cat again. The cat clawed at him, but this time Barnaby
didn't retreat. He seized the cat around the neck.
     
     As the cat struggled to get free, Snope's lifted it up and
carried over to the beggar. He held the cat up in front of the
beggar's face.
     
     The beggar could see from the cat's outstretched tongue that
Snope's was strangling it. The beggar fought against the hands that
held him to the wall, but he was too weak from sickness and too hurt
from the beating.
     
     "Hey, look at this!" Jake laughed. "He still has some fight in
him!"
     
     The beggar saw only one chance to save his beloved cat. His foot
flashed out and kicked Snopes in the groin.
     
     Perhaps if the beggar was stronger, that would have worked.
Snopes doubled over in pain, but he still kept his grip on the cat's
neck. He straightened back up and sneered at the beggar. "That's going
to cost you, beggarman." Snopes grabbed the cat's head in his other
hand and began to twist. The beggar's cries didn't drown out the wet
crunch of a breaking neck.
     
     Snopes threw the dead cat into some refuse in the corner. As he
began to turn his attention back to the beggar, a rock caught him
square on the side of his head.
     
     It took Barnaby a few seconds to get past the pain in his head
and turn to face whomever threw that stone. He saw a little girl
standing at the alley entrance. His hands still clenched tightly over
the rapidly growing weal, he stared sidelong at the girl and let out a
low hiss. "You're dead, bitch! Dead!"
     
     Merrily flashed her biggest smile and waved Barnaby on. "Come and
get me! I ain't afraid of you!" She was lying. She could feel every
bone in her body shaking, but she knew she had to go on.
     
     Merrily hurled another stone at Barnaby. Barnaby dodged it,
unknowingly placing himself in the path of a third stone. The stone
broke in half against his shin.
     
     Barnaby crashed to the ground with a howl of pain and fury. "Get
her!" he screamed.
     
     Merrily watched as Jake and Orcface charged up the alley towards
her. Merrily turned and ran. They were only a stride behind her when
she reached the entrance to the street. They were only half a stride
away when she dropped to the ground to avoid two wooden planks
whipping around the corners of the alleyway.
     
     The first plank came in high, catching Jake full in the face.
While his face was held in place by the board, the rest of his body
was unimpeded, continuing to travel forward and up. Gravity then
overcame momentum and it pulled Jake down dropping him flat onto his
back, unconscious and bloodied.
     
     The second plank came in low and sideways, the blade of the board
smashing into Orcface's belly, folding him over the board. Unlike
Jake's quick descent, Orcface's collapse was a slow crumple as he slid
off the edge of the board and onto the ground.
     
     Stepping from the two corners came Pounder and Flick. The two
grabbed their two victims and dragged them back into the alley before
anyone took notice, not that anyone cared what the streetgangs did to
each other. Halfway down the alley, they stopped and dropped their
loads. Pounder bent down and lifted Jake's bloody head up by the hair.
He looked at Jake like an artist examining his work. He then landed a
quick jab straight to Jake's mouth and pushed his head back into the
ground.
     
     "Missed one," Pounder said to Flick, showing a smile that had as
much broken and missing teeth as he just dealt his victim.
     
     "Orders?" Flick asked Merrily.
     
     Merrily looked over her shoulder at Snopes, who was crawling to
the back of the alley. "No shivs, bobs, or cracks," Merrily
instructed.
     
     "Caps?" asked Pounder.
     
     "Caps?" Merrily repeated.
     
     "This one tried capping Gutter while back." Pounder snapped a
little kick into Orcface's ribs.
     
     "Hey! No cracks, she said." Flick exclaimed. "The Rat King sent
us to help her take out Snopes's boys, so we follow her orders."
     
     Thump rolled his eyes. "You're just loving this, eh Flick? Your
favorite student's doing her Second Rite before her First and you're
here for it."
     
     "Best student," Flick corrected, smiling at Merrily. "We doin'
caps, Leader Merrily?"
     
     Merrily looked at Flick for guidance, but Flick didn't give any
indication of an answer. Merrily sighed and said, "I guess it's okay.
Cap one." Merrily held up a finger to Pounder for emphasis. "One."
     
     "She got you down," Flick snorted at Pounder.
     
     Pounder glared at his lover. "Shut up," he said.
     
     "So, General Merrily," Flick asked, "what do we take for Shiny?"
     
     Merrily looked at Flick. "She said they only held her down. Only
followed orders. Finger?"
     
     "That a command or a question?" asked Flick.
     
     Merrily bit her lip, she knew the Laws of Retribution by heart,
but she couldn't think straight. Too much was happening too fast.
"Command." She finally said, holding up her left pinkie. "This one.
Two knuckles?" She corrected herself. "Two knuckles."
     
     "Anything else?" asked Flick.
     
     Pounder slapped Flick in the arm. "No helpin'."
     
     Flick slapped him back, glaring at him. "I ain't helpin'. I'm
askin'."
     
     Merrily didn't know. Was she missing something? Was she being too
easy? "Why you wanna cap him?" she asked Pounder.
     
     "This 'un tried to cap me a few back," Pounder responded. "Do 'em
as they'd do you."
     
     "Who's helpin' now?" said Flick.
     
     Pounder stuck out his tongue.
     
     Flick smiled. "Don't stick it out 'less you plan on usin' it."
     
     Pounder stuck his tongue out further and wiggled it.
     
     "Stop it!!" Merrily exclaimed. She was scared to death and these
two were joking around. "Cap one."
     
     "Go take care of Snopes," Flick said, smiling at Merrily. She
held up a fist. "Be strong. Strong and fast."
     
     As Merrily turned and started walking toward Snopes, Flick
whispered to Pounder. "She's good. She'll be a pack leader for sure.
And I taught her everything."
     
     Thump leered at her. "Everything?"
     
     Flick slapped Thump in the arm again, stifling a laugh. "Pig."
     
     Merrily walked toward Barnaby, who had crawled up against the far
wall of the dead end alley, one hand holding his head, the other his
shin. She took a deep breath and moved toward him.
     
     "I'm collectin' for Shiny, Snopes. You broke the law. You pay."
     
     "And you're collectin', little girl?" Barnaby sneered. "You the
best the Rats have? Whassa matter? The Rat King too afraid to come out
during the day?"
     
     "Shiny's my sister. I'm getting revenge for her. You gonna pay."
     
     Suddenly, Barnaby sprang up and grabbed the girl, tackling her to
the ground and knocking Merrily's dagger out of her hand. Before
Pounder and Flick could react, Barnaby had his own knife held to
Merrily's throat.
     
     "You don't play games with me, girl. I don't pay. You pay."
Barnaby struggled up to his feet, pulling Merrily up with him. "Call
your mice off. Yo u and me are walkin' out of here. I get free, you
live. They move, you die."
     
     "They ain't movin'," Merrily replied, her heart beating wildly in
her chest. What was she going to do? She can't fail Shiny. She was
about to panic, until she got an idea. She relaxed in Barnaby's grip
and said, "This you and me. You payin'. I'm collectin'."
     
     Merrily kicked her foot back with all her might, hitting
Barnaby's shin in the exact spot the rock had. As Barnaby's legs
buckled, Merrily twisted out of his grasp and dropped down, grabbing
her dagger. As she spun around to pounce on Snopes, she noticed the
beggarman standing in front of her. In the beggar's hand was a stone.
She glanced over at Snopes and saw he was unconscious.
     
     "You 'kay, girl?" the beggar rasped. The beggarman was slowly
rocking back and forth. He looked as if he was about to collapse.
     
     Merrily flashed her knife out. "Stay back."
     
     "I hit him," the beggar said, "thought you could use the help. I
guess you didn't. Kick was smart."
     
     Merrily lowered her knife a little. "Thanks."
     
     "This about that girl this mornin'?" he asked.
     
     Merrily nodded. "She's my sister."
     
     "Sorry I couldn't help her," the beggar said. "Haven't been
myself lately. I used to rescue pretty . . . girls --" The beggar
doubled over, his body racked by a wave of coughing. Merrily moved
toward him, but the beggar waved her off.
     
     "Merrily."
     
     Merrily turned to see Flick standing next to her. Flick nodded
toward Barnaby. "Finish it," she said.
     
     Merrily knelt down and placed her knife at Barnaby's throat.
     
     "One quick stroke," Flick said.
     
     One quick stroke. One quick stroke and vengeance would be hers.
Merrily couldn't do it. She pulled the knife away.
     
     "What are you doing, girl?" Flick said. "Kill him. You earned the
right."
     
     Merrily still held her hand. It was her right. Vengeance was
hers. But she didn't kill Barnaby Snopes.
     
     Merrily flicked the blade across Barnaby's cheeks, cutting
deeply. Two thickening lines of red traced up diagonally from the
corners of Barnaby's mouth, giving him a cartoonish grin. "Be merry,
Snopes," she said.
     
     As Merrily stood up, she became dizzy and stumbled slightly. Her
rage was spent, and so was she.
     
     "You 'kay?" Flick asked.
     
     Merrily nodded quickly, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I . . . I just couldn't kill him."
     
     "We're glad you didn't," came a voice from the alley entrance.
The three Rats spun around to see six Barrow Boys. Six Barrow Boys and
the Barrow Bane himself.
     
     Pounder spun, his knife at the ready. Two Barrow Boys were ready
to charge him when Bane held out his arms, holding them back. "Your
Rat King said we could be here," Bane said. "Seems a couple of my Boys
don't follow my orders too good. When I say no Boys on Street Rat
turf, I mean it. Seems these three are gonna need some retraining. Let
me collect them and we'll be on our way."
     
     "What about us?" Flick says, waving her knife at Bane. "We gonna
get 'collected ' too?"
     
     "We got no truck with you, Flick," Bane says. "We're in the wrong
here. I said no Barrow Boys on Street Rat turf and I meant it. Your
Rat King said we could have whatever remained of them after you were
done. That's fine. You're done."
     
     "We ain't done yet," Flick sneered.
     
     "We're done," said Merrily.
     
     Flick spun around to look at the girl. "What?"
     
     "We're done. Revengin's done."
     
     "You haven't killed--"
     
     "It's done!" Merrily locked her eyes on Flick's. Flick was one of
the toughest Rats, not afraid of anything, and yet she was the first
to look away.
     
     Bane laughed. "Taking orders from a child, Flick?"
     
     "This child sure did a jobbie on your boy, Bane."
     
     Bane smiled, though his eyes gave a frosty glare. "She did,
didn't she? It see ms Barnaby is going to need some extra retraining,
hmmm? First breaking my rules, now getting beat by a baby--"
     
     "I'm not a baby!" Merrily exclaimed. "I beat him fair. I'm a Rat
now."
     
     "Rat. Baby. No difference."
     
     "Not unless you want it on the street," Pounder said, "that a
Barrow Boy was beat by a Mouse."
     
     Now it was Bane and Pounder locked in a staring duel. "Get 'em,"
Bane said to his underlings, his eyes still fixed on Pounder. "Do it
fast. This place stinks."
     
     "It was fine 'fore you got here,"Pounder said.
     
     "Don't push me, Rat. It'd be a shame if we went back to your
Mouse King and said we found you all cut up into tiny bits when we got
here."
     
     "There ain't enough of you to even scratch me."
     
     "Pounder!" Flick exclaimed. "Shut up!"
     
     "I'll cut you up myself," Bane said.
     
     "You couldn't cut a fart."
     
     "Pounder!" This time it was Merrily. "I'm leader! Shut up! Don't
say another word."
     
     Pounder snarled his lip at Bane, but said nothing.
     
     "Pounder," Bane laughed, "called to heel by his baby master."
     
     "Least Rats can obey leader's orders," Pounder said.
     
     "Pounder!" Merrily yelled.
     
     "We're ready, Bane," one of the Rats said. Bane spat at Pounder's
feet and said, "Some other time, Mouse."
     
     "If you live that long --"
     
     "Pounder!"
     
     Bane smiled and turned away. Soon the alley was free of Barrow
Boys, leaving Merrily, Flick, and Pounder. And the beggarman.
     
     The beggarman was curled up in a corner of the alley. He wasn't
moving. Merrily crept in close to him. "Beggarman," she said softly.
The only sound from his was the low rattle of his breathing.
     
     "Merrily, come on," Flick said, eager to go. "There ain't nuthin'
you can do for him. Look at him. He's got the yellowin'. He ain't got
long."
     
     "He helped us," Merrily said over her shoulder. She turned back
to face the beggar. "We gotta help him."
     
     Merrily touched the beggarman on the shoulder. "Beggarman. You
awake?" Nothing. As she looked at the beggar, she felt a twinge deep
inside herself. There was something about the beggar.
     
     "Merrily," Flick said, growing impatient. "Let's go."
     
     The beggar opened his eyes. They were yellow and swollen with
jaundice, but those eyes, those eyes looked so familiar.

     Merrily extended her hand slowly. Her fingers quivered as they
touched upon the dirty rags that covered the beggar's face. The beggar
didn't move, his gaze still on Merrily. Merrily cautiously began to
pull the rag away from the beggarman's face.
     
     Merrily fell backwards in shock. It was him. His face was thin
and jaundice. His hair was matted and dirty. But it was him.
     
     "Merrily, what's wrong?" Flick asked.
     
     Merrily could only point. "It's . . . it's . . . .
     
     Flick looked at the beggar. "What about him?"
     
     Merrily told her.
     
     Flick looked closer. "It can't be --"
     
     "It is! " Merrily cried, her words tinted with the start of
hysteria. "I know it is! I know what he looks like!"
     
     "Merrily--"
     
     "Flick, we can't let him die! We can't!" Flick reached for the
girl, but Merrily jumped to her feet. "We gotta bring him to the
Tavern! They can save him!"
     
     "Merrily, we're not going to the Tavern. They ain't gonna help
some beggarman!"
     
     "He's not a beggarman!" Merrily screamed, tears streaming down
her face. "You gotta save him! He can't die again! He can't!"
     
     Pounder scooped the beggarman up in his arms. "She's the leader,
Flick. Gotta follow orders."
     
     Flick looked at him. "Are you nuts?"
     
     "Look, she ain't gonna let us out of this. We bring the beggarman
to the Tavern. If he even makes it that far, I'm sure someone at the
Tavern will tell her he ain't wh o she says he is. Then we're done.
She'll cry for a few days but then she'll forget about it."
     
     "Hurry!" Merrily cried from the alley entrance.
     
     As Pounder carried the beggar to the exit, the beggarman reached
out a hand. "My . . . my cat," he wheezed.
     
     Flick went over to the mound of fur lying next to the alley wall.
She prodded it with her toe. "Cat's dead, beggarman," she said.
     
     The beggarman seemed to grow ten pounds heavier in Pounder's
arms. The beggar looked at Flick with tear-streaked eyes and
whispered, "I know."


     *     *     *     *     *


     Esmeralda smiled and said, "and that is my tale."

     Sandra looked blank. "What did I miss? I don't get it."
     
     Brandon nudged her. "The beggar? Merrily's father had vanished,
remember? He was a great fighter, like Merrily... and everyone thought
he was dead."
     
     "Ah... That must have been before I came in..."

     Brandon looked back at Esmeralda. "I am right? The beggar was
Merrily's father? I assume he got healed. Is he one of the regulars in
the Tavern? Or am I reading too much into it?"
     
     A strange look came over Esmeralda's face. With a mysterious
smile, she looked back at the tavern's front door.

     The door to the Golden Unicorn burst open and a small girl flew
in, frantically looking about. Behind her stood two somewhat older
youths, carrying a body wrapped in rags.
     
     "Katarina! Katarina!" Merrily cried. "Niall's sick! Help!!"