Chapter 9

“Well,” said Andrew, “best be getting this done.”

From his main pack, he pulled out a set of clothes that he could use until he washed and repaired the ones he currently wore. He had found they had several cuts and tears that needed tending too. He reminded himself to get the damaged tunic from Brena before she ran off so he could fix it as well. He drew out a small cloth sack from a side pocket and placed the dirty road clothes in it. Next, he looked the door over, seeing if it could be secured while he was away. He spotted a key hanging on a hook next to the door handle. He took it and pocketed it, hoping the door would be secure while he was out. He listened at the door for a moment and didn’t hear anything in the hallway. He started to reach to open the door and stopped himself. Returning to his gear, he pulled the sword’s scabbard out and put it on. He attached two daggers to the belt, then a third behind his back. Feeling less naked now, he slowly opened the door. He peeked around the corner, looking and listening for anybody in the hall. Not seeing or hearing anything nearby, he quietly stepped out with the laundry bag and pulled the door shut behind him. He used the key, turning it in the lock and heard a solid click from the lock. He tried to open the door but it seemed held fast. He turned the key back and it clicked again and he was able to open the door. He took a second to examine the door and saw the lock was heavy deadbolt. He re-locked it, and pocketed the key and made his way to the stairs with his load.

The stairs went back down to the common room and he saw that most of the folks that had been in the tavern section had left. Only one man and a woman remained and Jessa behind the counter. She was busy cleaning plates and mugs in a washtub with what seemed to be quite hot water. The two guests ignored him, so he asked Jessa, “Miss Jessa, is there a place I could clean some clothes here?” She glanced at his bag and nodded towards a side door. “Thank you, Ma’am.” She snorted at that and smiled, went back to her chores.

Andrew opened to the door she had indicated entered after looking in carefully for any notable dangers. What he saw surprised him. A large barrel in the center of the room was full of fairly clean if soapy water. It had a hand-cranked agitator that would help in washing the clothes. The rinse barrel next to it was empty, but a nozzle on a hose that freshwater came out at a good rate. He was happy when he felt the water heat up and was soon more than hot enough to wash clothing. The final surprise was the hand-cranked clothes wringer. This setup made him feel right at home. He emptied the bag of dirty clothes into the washtub, added some of the hot water and threw the bag in as well. He started cranking the handle around and stopped as the water started to splash out of the barrel. Water would fly all over the place if he didn’t find a way to cover it. A quick examination of the area around the tub and he found the lid. Placing it on and securing it with the straps on the sides, he cranked the handle. He heard the swishing and splashing of the water in the barrel indicating it was working. He did this for what he felt was about five minutes and took the cover off. The water had foamed up and was somewhat darker now from the road grime on his clothes. Rather than go straight to the rinse, he ran all the items through the wringer to get as much of the soapy water out as he could. The rinsing went much quicker this way.

It took close to half an hour for him to wash, rinse and wring out his clothes, but he knew it to be time well spent. There was one cabinet in the room he hadn’t looked into yet. He opened it and saw it was a barrel on its side and the air coming from it was very hot. He smiled at this and saw a hand crack on the side once he knew to look for it. Placing all the damp items in the barrel, he closed the door and started turning the handle. He knew he would need to spend time studying this setup. Andrew also wondered where she had gotten all the enchanted parts to make hot water and hot air.

He checked the clothes several times until they felt and looked dried out. As he removed the clothes from the dryer cabinet he folded or rolled them. As he finished each item, he placed them in the now cleaned sack. As he exited the washroom, Jessa called out, “Pull the drain plug on the wash barrel kid. It needs to be refilled in the morning.” He went back in, found the plug on the lower side away from the door. He spotted a small door at the floor level and opened it as well. The water would run out there. When the barrel was empty, he rinsed it out with the water hose and drained it again. When the water was running clear, he reset the plug and left the room again.

“Thanks, kid, that’s one less thing for me to worry about tonight,” said Jessa.

Andrew smiled and nodded, “My pleasure Ma’am.”

“Call me that again and I’ll Ma’am your hide black and blue,” she growled with a smile.

Rather than poke the tigress, Andrew withdrew from the field of battle with all due haste and headed back up the stairs. Using the key, he was able to get back into his room. Before he closed the door, Brena stepped out of her room and joined him. “Where were you? I knocked and you weren’t there,” she asked.

Andrew smiled when he answered, “This Inn has a working laundry Brena. I was cleaning my travel clothes. Now I just need to make some repairs and I will be done for the night with that chore.” He unloaded the sack of clean clothes onto the bed and went on, “Now, what can I do for you Queen of Thieves?”

“Don’t call me that!” Brena snapped.

“Ok, ok. No problem, Brena. Now, again, what do you need?” he asked while trying not to laugh.

Brena looked ready to burst but clamped down on her temper, “I have to go out. I need to meet up tonight with the local Chapter House of Thieves. They already have some word of events out East. I need to bring them up to date on what happened and why.”

“Tonight?” asked Andrew.

“Yes, tonight. One of the patrons downstairs, when we came, is a high member. Jessa pointed me out to him. I guess giving the high sign was a bit much.” As she spoke Andrew could tell she was troubled.

“Do you need me to come with you for protection?” he asked.

“No, it would be a very bad idea if you came along. I’ll be fine Andrew, so don’t worry.” She got a pensive look again for a few seconds. “Andrew, if she comes to you tonight or any night, learn from her.”

Andrew looked blankly at Brena for a moment, then the light dawned and his face went red from embarrassment. “Brena, I’ve never been ... well, I have no experience with a woman.” he stammered.

Brena smile a sad smile at him. He’s a sweet kid, innocent as hell, but he needs to lose that if he’s to survive the coming months. Even though they had just met, and she knew what her mission was, she knew that Andrews would be worse. His choice did not leave room for innocence. “Andrew, just go along with anything she wants to teach you. You will thank me later if you do.” Now she gave him a wicked smile, “Survive and someday I may thank you too.” She turned to go when he stopped her.

“Brena, I know you and Jessa mean well, and I just might take her up on that offer. Understand this Brena, I will not be a plaything. I saw what can happen to a girl that tries to pull that stunt and fails. She is most likely still pulling her father’s plow as part of her punishment.” He grabbed Brena’s free arm that wasn’t holding a small pack and pulled her to him. Not giving her a chance to protest, he laid a scorcher of a kiss on her. She struggled for a few seconds then seemed to melt into him. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but to Brena, it seemed like several minutes. He let her go and she was gasping for breath as she stepped back, pushing away from him with her free hand on his chest.

“Oh you naughty boy you, not so innocent now are we, I know I’m not. I need to get going.” She turned to leave, still flustered by the unexpected kiss.

“You be careful Brena. By the way, I need the torn tunic so I can mend it while I work on mending my clothes.” She stepped back into her room and came back with the torn shirt and handed it to him. As she started to leave Andrew said, “Don’t forget to lock your door and take your key with you.”

“Lock? What lock?” she asked.

“The key should be on a hook next to the door,” he replied.

She looked in and saw what he was talking about. Without a word, she closed and locked the door then fled down the stairs. When she was gone, Andrew closed and locked his door. If Jessa wanted to visit, she would have to use a key or knock tonight. He sat down on the bed and gathered his sewing kit and damaged clothes. He began repairing the tears and holes on the pants first. These required the most work as the leather and fabric was thicker and harder to work. The shirts just needed the rips stitched closed.

Brena’s took a bit more work as one part that had been torn loose had been lost in the struggle. The left sleeve was entirely gone and he didn’t have any matching material to replace it. “Well Brena, I hope you like vests, because that is the best I can do for the moment,” he said.

He carefully ripped the seams in the right sleeve and removed the material. He then re-stitched the edges to keep them from unraveling. He had just finished the last bit when he heard light footsteps coming up the stairs. The old wood creaked as the person did not attempt to hide that they were there. He waited but no knock or attempt was made to open his door. The steps continued down the hall and he heard the door to the room next to his open then close. He relaxed, hoping that nothing bad would come of this night. Not that he minded if Jessa did visit him, he just didn’t want to get involved and have to run away from another woman. He was still hurting from what Kaara had tried to do to him.

When Brena arrived downstairs, she met the man from earlier in the common room. He motioned for her to join him in the back corner at a small table. Once seated, he spoke. “Now girl, I heard your name and it is known to us. Why are you here now?”

Brena knew to hold back would lead to many bad things happening to her and Andrew. “I was forced to flee Planes Guard. An unknown thief broke into the royal treasury, not one of ours nor was it sanctioned by my father. The thief took a ring that has a reddish-orange gemstone that glows and flickers from an internal light.” She waved for Jessa to bring drinks. Jessa brought a pitcher of water and two mugs. Once gone and thirst taken care of she went on. The Duke lost his mind over the theft. He blamed my father for the theft.

The guild sent word that we didn’t have any part in the theft. He responded by having my Mother captured, publicly raped and beaten by the city guard. Then he sent her head in a box to my father. Before we could react, the guard stormed the sewers and captured several of the leaders, including the Day Master. My father sent word for all members to flee the city, get away as fast as they could. The few Freelancers in the city had fled as they were being hunted as well. The worst part though, he rounded up the street children and had all of them killed. When the guard made it to the hall, my father and his guards held as long as they could while I was sent down a tunnel I’d never seen before to escape the danger.”