Dreamer's Throne

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ryn asked, pushing Garrett’s repaired wheelchair around a cart in the street.

Twice now, Garrett’s wheelchair had been broken by Awakened with ill intentions, and he was seriously considering asking for his next chair to be made from metal rather than wood.

“As sure as I am about anything,” Garrett replied calmly, eliciting an eyeroll.

“You’re certain about everything though, that’s the problem. I never know when to take you seriously.”

Turning off the main thoroughfare, Ryn pushed Garrett toward a large group of buildings that looked like they were being used to warehouse goods.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Garrett asked, looking around the quiet street they’d just turned onto.

“As sure as I am about anything,” Ryn said snidely, mimicking Garrett’s voice.

“That’s not what I sound like.”

“Oh, believe me, it is. I have to listen to your voice all day, I would know.”

This time, it was Garrett’s turn to roll his eyes. He and Ryn were currently on their way to the Swamp Shark’s main base, a risky prospect for a cripple and a woman at any time due to its location near the docks, but even more so when their gangs were about to break out into open war. The Swamp Sharks controlled a large swath of land along the river and the inlet where the river met the swamp. According to Obe, they had been interested in expanding their influence since long before Garrett had arrived, but standing in their way was the Dreamer’s Inn and the Ghoul’s Tooth gang.

So far, their attempt to pressure the smaller gang hadn’t been working, but with two of the Ghoul’s Tooth Awakeners dead or missing, Vic, the leader of the Swamp Shark gang, thought it was time to pull out all of the stops. Ruel had lost almost a third of their men in his ill-fated ambush, but since then their numbers had filled back out and they were up close to eighty people. Eyeing the dozen or so men who stood outside of the building, Garrett picked out the one who looked least likely to need to prove himself and waved him over.

“Excuse me, sir, are you a member of the Swamp Sharks?”

Hopping down from the barrel where he sat, the middle-aged man strode over, his eyes raking over Garrett and Ryn. The other men who were lounging around also got up, interested in whatever scene was about to start.

“Not every day you see a cripple and an ugly woman out for a walk,” the middle-aged man said, eliciting laughter from the others.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Garrett said quickly, feeling Ryn bristling behind him. “I have an important matter to discuss with Vic, can you get him for me?”

“You want to see Vic? Sure, he’s inside. Help yourself.”

Moving aside with a wave, the man smiled mockingly at Ryn. The entrance to the building was up a set of stairs and piled high with boxes, barrels, and other debris, making it impossible for Garrett’s wheelchair to fit, a fact the man clearly knew.

“I’ll never understand people’s willingness to die,” Ryn said dryly, causing Garrett to chuckle.

“It’s true. Though his commitment to comedy is admirable.”

Not following their conversation, the middle-aged man’s expression warped and he took a threatening step forward, his hand going to the hatchet on his belt.

“Who are you saying is going to die?”

Completely unafraid, Ryn pointed her finger at him.

“You, obviously. Vic is going to string you up by your toes and feed you to swamp leeches when he finds out that you blocked us. We come here with a tremendous opportunity for him, and you just start flapping your big lips, ruining it for him. Good luck with what little remains of your life.”

Even before she’d finished speaking, she’d turned Garrett’s chair around and was starting to push it away. Behind them, the middle-aged man was caught in a conundrum. The men around him had all backed up slightly, as if to distance themselves on the off chance that what Ryn said was true, leaving him alone in the middle of the street. Torn between his desire to maintain his tough face and a nagging worry that he had just made a mistake, he stood frozen as Garrett and Ryn got further away.

“What’s going on here?”

Hearing a voice behind him, the middle-aged man acted like he’d found his lifeline. Turning around, he saw a hulking woman who stood six and a half feet tall. Her body was thick and her shoulders broad, and the giant war pick on her back was enough to strike fear into even the most battle-hardened warrior.

“Hollice! Those two said they wanted to see Vic. Something about an important matter.”

“And you told them to leave? Are you an idiot?”

Pushing him aside, Hollice strode after Ryn and Garrett, who were slowly walking down the street.

“Hey! Turn around and let’s talk.”

Hearing her shout, Ryn looked down and saw Garrett’s subtle nod. Stopping, she turned to examine the large woman, a sliver of fear running through her eyes when she saw who it was. According to the script she and Garrett had practiced, she was supposed to make a smart remark about not being welcome, but staring down Hollice’s notoriously short temper and penchant for physical solutions to problems, Ryn opted to just do as she was told.

“You wanted to talk to Vic? About what?”

Lifting a folded piece of paper, Garrett offered it to her without saying anything, causing her forehead to furrow in annoyance. Snatching the paper out of his hand, she opened it up and stared at it, her expression growing incredibly dark. Shooting a suspicious glance at Garrett’s calm face and Ryn’s nervous one, she shook the paper at them.

“I asked you what this was!”

Not daring to contradict her, Ryn got up her courage and coughed lightly.

“Would… would you like me to read it for you?”

Much of the frustration on Hollice’s face melted away at Ryn’s offer, and a thread of curiosity appeared in her eyes as she reevaluated Ryn.

“You can read?”

“A little bit, yes.”

“Good. A woman should have something besides a man to rely on, and since your muscles are pathetic, reading is a good choice for you. What’s this say?”

Clearing her throat, Ryn took the paper and began to read it out loud.

“Ghoul’s Tooth, in light of the recent unjustified attacks mounted on their territory by the Swamp Shark gang, formally requests a gang brawl to settle the issue. Location of the battlefield, the trade location that the Ghoul’s Tooth used previously. Date, nightfall, two days from now. Wager, all territory, possessions, and personnel of the losing gang. And then it’s sealed with the Ghoul’s Tooth insignia.”

“You’re requesting a full battle? Like, all of us against all of you? Are you insane? There are three times as many of us. And we have more Awakened than you. And what’s with the battle location? You want to fight an all-out battle in the crypts?”

“I didn’t get a say in it,” Ryn said, shrugging and pointing at Garrett. “Talk to him.”

From the building behind Hollice a thin man walked out. Droopy eyes gave him a sleepy look, and the long goatee on his chin reminded Garrett of a stoner from Earth. Yet even with his lazy look, there was no way Garrett would underestimate the man in front of him.

“Garrett, right?”

“You must be Vic the Blood Shark.”

“It’s been a while since anyone used that name for me. Most days people just call me Vic. But I’ve been hearing all sorts of things about you recently. It was a surprise to me when I heard that Ghoul’s Tooth got a new strategist, even more of a surprise when I heard it was a crippled nobleman.”

“One has to do what they can with the resources they have,” Garrett said, shrugging.

“That’s true. Speaking of resources, did I hear that you came over here to offer up your gang to us?”

“We came with a formal battle declaration.”

“Right, same thing. Hmm, it makes me wonder if there’s a trick.”

Taking the paper from Ryn, Vic stared at it for a moment before nodding.

“Fine. We’ll agree. Not that we have much choice, right? I’d guess that we’re your last stop today. Is that right?”

“Indeed,” Garrett said, smiling slightly. “We’ve already advertised our challenge to most of the surrounding gangs. They’re all eagerly awaiting the outcome of this battle.”

“Hah, and circling like the scavengers they are. Don’t worry, we’ll devour you cleanly so you don’t have to worry about getting torn apart in the feeding frenzy that will follow. You do realize, however, that this challenge means that all of you will have to be down there? Your whole gang will need to be present for it to count. That means you both will need to be there, even if you have to drag yourself.”

“We’re aware. That’s why we chose a date so far from now,” Garrett said with a wry smile, tapping on the arm of his wheelchair. “It takes me a while to get anywhere.”

Laughing, Vic shook his head.

“You know, I feel like it’s a shame that we’re against each other. How about you just join us and we skip this farce?”

“Thank you for the offer, and the esteem it represents, but we’re committed to our sovereignty. In exchange for your kind words, I have an offer of my own,” Garrett replied, his voice calm and quiet. “Agree to avoid us and our territory for the next ten years and you can keep both your lives and your gang.”

Taken aback by the implied threat, Vic stared at Garrett for a moment, his expression shifting between confusion and fury. Looking up, he scanned the street but couldn’t see anything that would give Garrett such confidence. Next to him, Hollice’s expression had turned murderous, but Vic held up his hand to forestall the violence about to errupt.

“You’re either brave or foolhardy to utter such garbage in front of me. Do you really believe you have even a sliver of a chance to beat us?”

“Not beat,” Garrett said, shaking his head calmly. “Destroy. It seems we will not come to an alternative agreement, so I’ll wish you a pleasant afternoon and see you in two days. Ryn, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Gripping the handles of Garrett’s wheelchair tightly to hide the tremble in her hands, Ryn gave the two incredulous Awakened a slight nod and began to turn the chair around. Her heart was beating so strongly that Garrett could feel it radiating through the wood of his wheelchair, though it may have just been his imagination. Watching them go, Hollice, who was practically breathing smoke, turned to stare at her boss.

“Are we going to let them just walk away after threatening us like that?”

Holding up his hand for her to be quiet, Vic’s expression grew darker with every step Ryn took. It was against his nature to allow a direct challenge to his prestige and strength go unpunished, but his instincts were currently screaming at him that now was not the time to start a fight. It was strange enough that a cripple and a young woman had walked into the jaws of the lion, so to speak, but for them to threaten him and then simply walk back out as if they hadn’t a care in the world was setting off alarm bells in his head.

“Forget it. Let them live in their delusion for a few more days,” he said, dropping his hand. “We’ll eat them up soon enough.”

At the end of the street, Ryn was resisting the urge to run, but her back was soaked with sweat. Rounding the corner, she sagged, the strength in her legs fleeing.

“You really are mad,” she said, her voice catching. “They could have killed us!”

Frowning, Garrett shook his head.

“It would have been much better if they’d tried. I would have much rather seen a lack of restraint than that.”

“Are you seriously complaining that those two Awakened didn’t attack us?” Ryn asked, pulling herself up and starting to push Garrett forward again.

“Honestly, this was the worst possible outcome,” Garrett replied with a sigh. “Given his nickname, I had guessed that Vic was more impulsive. Still, at least we achieved our main objective. We’ll have our showdown in two days.”

By the time they returned to the Dreamer’s Inn, word had spread all across the surrounding neighborhoods that the Ghoul’s Tooth gang had challenged the much bigger and stronger Swamp Shark gang to an official battle. Most gang wars were fought under the surface, with both sides making sure to cause as little fuss as possible, so as to avoid the eyes of the city guard. When gangs reached the point of no return, however, the generally accepted method was to take the fight underground, into one of the large chambers in the crypts or surrounding tunnels.

There, the two sides would square off in a number of potential ways. A champion fight would pit one side’s best fighter against the other side, while a parley would invite the members of other gangs to witness the two feuding gang leaders hash out an agreement. The most dangerous option was that of a mass battle, called a gang brawl, where both sides would send all their members to fight against the other side.

Even though gang brawls were typically less fair than champion battles or even parleys, they came with advantages of their own, chief among them being the general amnesty that the two gangs would enjoy for the few days on either side of the fight. Since the gangs would be bringing all of their members, their territories would be left undefended, making them ripe for the picking. To resolve this, the city’s gangs had established a rule that neither gang could be attacked forty-eight hours before or after participating in a gang brawl. This rule not only allowed gangs to fight without worry, but also gave other gangs the opportunity to discover how things had shaken out after the gang brawl had finished.

Two days wasn’t long, and as busy as Garrett was, they passed even quicker. Every moment was spent setting up for the coming fight or developing contingencies just in case everything went south. He was betting everything on the coming fight, and if it failed it wouldn’t just be his life on the line. Finally, the day came, and after meeting one last time to eat the large lunch Francis had prepared, the gang set off, cracking the seal the exorcists had set and climbing down into the basement.