A Walk in the Dark Chapter 19 by Maggie Finson

“I’d offer to share our fire, and rations.” I told them and shrugged. “But for some reason I think you’d decline both.”

Maaan. Just when you think things are starting to look up. I stared at the High Caste Dhro’aaa female who was questioning me and let out a sigh. “Well you see, it’s like this…”

“Simply, clearly, and quickly.” She interrupted me with a hissed. “Your name, all of it, your clan, and how it is that they failed to kill you when you went renegade.”

“All right.” I answered and drew in a breath. “I am Dahlia Saaa Llolth…”

I didn’t get any further as she pulled back and almost screeched. “You DARE take the Goddess’ name, renegade?”

“I didn’t TAKE anything, bitch.” I responded and felt Sssirinthsss stirring on my back and didn’t even try to stop her that time. “The name was given to me. I had no choice in it. My clan would probably scare even you to death, and I’m no renegade.”

“You lie!” She had managed to get her temper back under some kind of control, but was still very angry and readying some kind of spell then visibly calmed herself and even gave me an amused look. “Though it is a bold lie, Dahlia Saaa Llolth.

“It is no lie.” I told her evenly then shrugged, which helped my guardian to work free of my tunic. “Trust me, I’d be quite happy with another name, but that is the one I got stuck with.”

“No matter.” She shrugged in her turn while starting to let the spell she had been forming loose to work whatever nasty mayhem it was meant to do. Giving my ‘pet’ more than enough time to both tackle and pin her to the ground.

The two with her were warriors who had drawn their weapons but stopped at a warning look from me, and probably the fact that Sam had moved forward in a ready position with both his swords out. I gave the two Dhro’aaa warriors a thin smile and shook my head. “If you try, she will die in a very unpleasant manner, I think Sssirinthsss likes her food alive, by the way and truthfully, I’m not sure when she was fed last. I really should start keeping track of that a little better. Now move back, put your weapons away and hopefully no one will get hurt any worse than they have already.”

The pair did so, under Sam’s watchful eyes and I moved to where my guardian still had the female pinned to the ground. I looked at her and winced. “That’s kind of nasty burn there. Dire Spiders tend to drip a kind of acid when they’re excited. That plays nine kinds of hell with the floors at home off and on,by the way.”

She just glared up at me without saying a thing. I shook my head again, as if wondering if everyone I ran into this trip was going to be a fool about things. “Now here’s what we’re going to do. You know my name, and that has me at kind of a disadvantage. So I’d really appreciate it if you told me yours. Now.”

She still didn’t answer, and was in fact trying to work another spell.

“Wrong.” I let out a put upon sigh, and stepped on her hand, okay maybe it was little hard the way I stood on it once I had but I wanted to make sure she knew that I knew when she was getting one of those things ready. “Now I’m told that I’m a reasonably patient sort most of the time. But today has been kind of — interesting. As a result, my patience is pretty well used up. Now, tell me your name and give your oath that you won’t try anything else to harm me or my companions during this meeting, please.”

“If I refuse?” She spat back. Well I had to give her points for nerve. Intelligence I was starting to doubt, though.

“Then it’s meal time for Sssirinthss.” I told her as if that was the most obvious thing in the world, which given her position should have been that. “Then I’ll send your henchmen there back to wherever you came from with a message I’d really much rather you delivered. But if you don’t wish to cooperate, that’s all right too, I suppose.”

“Mrrthis Saaa Pthon of Clan Pthon, priestess to our Lady Llolth.” She grated out then grimaced before the rest. “I swear to you on my blood that I and my companions will initiate no more hostile actions during this — meeting.”

“Now was that so hard?” I questioned while silently telling a disappointed Sssirinthss to get off her. Once my guardian had I stood back so Mrrthis could stand up. “Now that our own introductions are out of the way, maybe we can actually talk without screaming at each other and all that threatening. Think you can manage that?”

I got a short nod in return and grinned. “Good, now I’m going to touch you, so don’t get all outraged and panic here.”

I reached forward to touch her cheek and healed the acid burn on it, but pointedly did nothing to her hand even if it did look kind of broken. “That’s to prove that I’m not going to be a completely evil bitch about this. If you behave I’ll even heal that hand. It looks rather painful.”

Sam still hadn’t relaxed, still staring emotionlessly at the other two warriors who were getting the eye from Sssirinthss. The poor thing did look hungry and appeared ready to leap at the slightest provocation. I put a hand on her (she’d grown to the size of large pony for this) and stroked her side. “No, Sirrin, you can’t eat our guests. Go hunt, but nothing intelligent today, all right? All that screaming would get on my nerves just now.”

Mrrthss touched her healed cheek with her good hand then quickly cradled the other one with a wince. “Well you certainly have an undeniable style, I’ll give you that much.”

“Okay, so now will let me tell my side of the story?”

She nodded. I gave her an abbreviated version — leaving out the part about being from another world and starting my life out as a human male. I’d disturbed her sensibilities enough for one day, I thought.

“Either you are a very good liar, are deranged, or as difficult as it is to accept, you are telling the truth.” She told me once she’d digested what I’d told her. “It isn’t uncommon for those of us with as much power as you seem to possess to go insane. Which makes them even more dangerous, by the way. But for now, I will accept that you believe you are telling the truth.”

“It’s a start.” I admitted then grinned.

“You mentioned a message you wished sent to my clan?”

“Yes I did, didn’t I?” Sirrin returned then, appearing reasonably sated, but our three guests were still very nervous in her presence. I motioned to her and she shrank back down and crawled back onto my skin. As she did that I couldn’t help but give a dreamy little smile. “Oh, the message. My apologies, when Sirrin is sated she is such a pleasure to have back.

“Just tell your council I wish a meeting, that’s all. They can choose the place, the time, and I’ll be there. You can send your answer to Kae’song’s citadel.”

“I will pass that message along.” She answered and I noted the slightest widening of her eyes when I had told her where to send the answer. “Though I can tell you they will be more than a trifle skeptical of your claims.”

“Convincing them I want the meeting is your task Mrrthss.” I shrugged. “But how many people do you know of with a full-fledged dire spider on their backs?”

“Not many, she admitted with a little shudder then a chuckle.” “I will deliver your message and you will have peace from my clan until that and your meeting, if it happens, is finished.”

“Good enough for me.” I answered. “Go in peace, Lady Mrrthss saaa Pthoh, neither I or mine will hinder your journey home.”

Then they were gone as quickly as they’d shown up. I hoped she could heal her own hand and winced when I thought about what I’d done to it.

Turning to Sam I lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “Well, I thought that went — fairly well.”

His only answer was a roll of his eyes in response.

The rest of our night passed fairly peacefully. I don’t know what Sirrin had chosen for her meal, but her presence had all the predators afraid to come near our campsite. Yeah, yeah, I know I’ve shortened her name, but she’s my pet I can give her a nickname if I want. Besides, her full name isn’t all that easy to pronounce.

Anyway, we managed to get back to Kae’song’s citadel without any more interruptions.