Shadeborn: A Book of Underrealm Read Free Page B

held her peace, excusing her silence with a mouth full of food, which she chewed slowly so as not to obligate her answer.  
    Albern caught Loren’s unease, and likely Xain’s dark look, for he shrugged and said, “You shall all set forth when you are ready. There is no great rush. Certainly, Mag enjoys your company.”
    “But she cannot enjoy the food we eat, the wine we drink, nor the rooms we sleep in without so much as a copper penny in exchange.” Despite his words, Chet took a deep pull of his ale before continuing. “Still, I do not know why she refuses our coin.”
    “Mag and I have long been friends, and your comfort is her pleasure,” said Albern. “Do not inquire again, or she might bring her sword from retirement; then you would be doomed.”
    “I can look after myself,” Chet muttered.
    “Not against her,” said Albern. “Years might have passed since she wielded a blade, yet I would wager all my coin upon her if she were to fight any man across the nine lands. You would too if you were wise. When we were young, Mag was renowned as the greatest fighter in our company, and when she hung up her shield—”
    “Every mercenary captain across the land poured a cup of wine into the dirt,” Chet finished. “As you have said so many times before.”
    “And do you doubt the truth?” Mag had emerged from the crowd to stand over their table. Gem and Annis both turned toward the sound of her voice with delighted smiles. She fixed them with a stern look and gestured at the table. “Where is my plate? Where are my mug and chair? Surely, the two of you know better courtesy than this.”
    Gem scuttled off toward the kitchen while Annis ran to fetch an empty chair—few and far between in the crowded room. She finally found a drunkard slumped unconscious over a table and tipped him from his seat.  
    “Our apologies, Mag.” Annis pushed the chair up to the table. “We thought you were busy in the kitchen and did not guess you could sup with us.”
    “Sten finally rustled his useless hide out from the stables and came to relieve me. My company is yours, if you will have it.”
    “We will, and gladly,” said Gem, who had returned with a bowl and a mug. He set them down with reverence, as if serving a king. “And mayhap you can settle a matter over which I have spent much thought. None of us doubt Albern when he calls you the greatest fighter he has known. But how can that be, when you look no mightier than most in this room? Why, your arms are not even so thick as the bowyer’s.”
    Mag arched an eyebrow. “If you think me a weakling, mayhap we can wrestle.”  
    Gem stammered, stuttered, and finally fell silent, eyes to his lap.
    Albern laughed out loud. “Come, Mag, leave the boy alone. You cannot blame the child for wondering when he has seen only the sort of fighting you get from common street thugs and the footmen of a city guardsman.” He leaned over to speak conspiratorially to Gem, as though confiding a great secret. “Not in strength of arm, little master, but more often in skill will you find the greater warrior. What use is a man’s brawn when his blade cannot come within a foot of our Mag? The most dangerous fighters are those who dance with their foes like lovers and can stay on their feet swinging long after the other man has soiled the ground with his vomit.”  
    “Surely, you have seen this truth,” said Loren with a halfhearted smile. “If all things depended on strength alone, you and I would have died in a ditch long ago.”
    Albern shook a finger at Loren and nodded. “Just so. Why, once our company was fighting in the kingdom of Calentin, putting down the insurrection of some upstart who thought he could seize the throne with a flock of pretty knights at his back. One of these dullards came riding down on Mag with lance lowered, but she—”
    A fist crashed on the table and threw their party into silence. Xain held his hand to the wood, eyes raking their faces. Loren’s