Thick as Thieves (3 page)

“Gurgh. Or more to the point, Rattail Alley in Sewerside.”

“You brought us to the city? I went to the wilderness to get away from here —”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re here now.” Madd began walking through the gloom toward a half-toppled archway at one end of the alley. “Well, are you coming or not?”

Vorgell glanced down his body. He’d lost his trousers and loincloth back in the forest and his nakedness was sure to draw attention. “No,” he said, “I think I’ll stay here.”

Madd stopped walking and snapped around to glare in warning. “The fucking baron is after you, and—”

“I thought he was after
you
. After all, you escaped.”

“And took you with me.” Madd frowned, his dark gaze traveling down Vorgell’s body and taking in his state of undress. “I guess we’ll have to find you some clothes.”

Vorgell liked that idea. “You could just hand me your cloak.”

“No!” Madd clutched the garment closed at the throat. “We’ll… find you something else.” He sighed. “You don’t get it, do you? We need to disappear. You consumed an entire unicorn horn, and—”

“And I’m horny all the time now. I
know
.” As if to confirm that point, Vorgell’s cock twitched and plumped at the sight of his companion. Even wrapped in shadows and with a water stain from the puddle on his ass, Madd was bewitching. Vorgell’s blood warmed just to look at him. “But I don’t see what that has to do with—”

“Are you really so gods-addled clueless? A mere sliver of unicorn horn makes a man horny for days. You consumed the
entire horn
! You filled your gargantuan body with so much fucking unicorn magic you’re now a walking, talking reservoir of enchantment! And you’re not a magician, are you? You’re like a toad sitting on gold coins! You can’t get rid of your pot of gold because you don’t know how to use it!”

Vorgell blinked at the little guy’s rage, struggling to see past the fact that Madd looked unbearably cute when he gestured and paced and sputtered. So cute Vorgell wanted to push him against the moldy wall and silence him with kisses while he pushed his cock against that delectable, lithe body. He fought to keep focus as his cock stiffened to full engorgement.

“I can do magic?”

Madd rolled his eyes. “No. You fucking
are
magic. Like a unicorn. Your blood, your bones, every living part of you, is filled with the shit.” He sighed. “Why the hell do you think I bit you in the tower, except to get at the magic? Or sucked your cock just now? Which, by the way,” he added, “I don’t plan on doing regularly.”

“But you’re good at it. And, well, I thought—” But then he realized he hadn’t been thinking for some days. It was time to start doing it. “So you are using me?”

Madd looked him in the eye. “Yes. And you’re fortunate in that. Because although I’m not a particularly good magician, I’m much more ethical than the baron or his like. Or any of the Wizards’ Guild. That lot would be bleeding you by now and amputating toes to suck on for a little extra spell power.”

Vorgell considered this. He distrusted magic users. He also knew a thing or two about unscrupulous men and could be one himself when the situation demanded. He hadn’t carried Madd away from their prison out of gratitude, but for purposes of ravishment. The latter still sounded like a good idea.

“So you’re saying the baron is after
me
?”

“And me too. I’m high on his list of people he wants dead, especially now. I was busy, and not exactly praying for his good health, my last few days in that cell. For better or worse, we’re both hunted men. We’re in this together, so we might as well make the most of it. Let’s get you something to wear, and—”

Shouts for help broke out from the direction of the archway at the alley’s end, accompanied by screams and the clashing of swords. Vorgell’s nerves leaped. At last! He’d had enough of unicorn horns and talk of magic. A good fight was something he understood.

“Battle!” he cried. He ran toward the melee.

“Vorgell, no! Oh, for fucking hell!”

A street opened up just past the archway. Two sword-wielding brigands had already dispatched several men and now advanced upon a curtained litter and the quaking slaves chained to its poles. Already two of the slaves writhed on the ground, clutching bleeding legs. The litter’s curtains hung open, revealing an old man and a half-naked woman cowering within.

“Your coin! Your jewels! Resist and we’ll carve them from you!” an armed villain snarled.

“Take the girl and carve ’im anyway, that pervy old Sun worshipper!”

What sport! Thugs for the taking! Vorgell swept up a sword from one of the fallen guards and raced toward them. “Look up! Your worst nightmare is upon you!”

M
ADD
couldn’t believe it. He’d spent his life running away from trouble, and Vorgell was running toward it. Cursing—because the damn barbarian was magical, not immortal—he raced in pursuit. Vorgell’s bellow and the clash of steel ringing on steel sang out as he rounded the corner. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of Vorgell, muscles bulging and impressive even when clothed, engaging two well-armed men.

Idiot.
He looked around for a weapon and took one from a man the ruffians had killed. Lifting the blade in both hands, he charged at the nearest thug. Already startled at being beset by a naked blond giant with a massive erection, the brute never saw Madd coming up from behind. Madd’s blade cleaved deep into the brigand’s spine, sending him staggering against a rubbish cart. Rotted meat, spoiled vegetables, and blood spilled into the street.

Vorgell finished off his thug with two more slashes. Then he delivered the final blow to the man lying on a bed of bloodied greens. Crimson spattered the barbarian’s fair skin and the gauzy curtain of the nearby litter. To judge by the slain guards and wounded slaves, there had been an ambush… probably for robbery, but Madd knew the city too well to rule out other, more nefarious reasons. At least a quick examination of the bodies showed the men weren’t mercenaries, so there’d be no trouble from that quarter.

He looked up from the carnage to see Vorgell grinning at him.

“Good work, little mage!” the barbarian chortled.

Madd bridled. “I’m
not
little, you reckless ox!”

The curtains on the litter fluttered, and a man with a truly astonishing paunch climbed out, staring at them with amazement and gratitude. Other passersby, drawn by the altercation, crowded near.

“Thank you, good strangers. Thank you!” Casting a wary glance at Vorgell, whose erection had flagged but whose body was now a blood-streaked mess, the man edged toward Madd. He probably hoped the fellow with clothes would be the more rational rescuer. “These brigands intended to have our lives. What can we do to repay you?”

Vorgell gazed down on him benevolently. “No—”

“We could use a few coins to buy this oaf some clothes,” Madd interrupted, nodding toward the naked man. “Might you be able to help with that?”

“Well, I—”

“If you don’t have money, maybe I could have one of your curtains?”

High female laughter rolled out from someone still seated in the litter. Madd looked over into lovely almond-shaped eyes set in an oval, youthful face. She immediately looked past him.

“It would be shame to cover up so glorious a body,” she purred, her gaze sweeping Vorgell’s figure.

“Don’t encourage him,” Madd warned. The barbarian’s grin stretched into a feral look he knew too well. The stiff new erection spoke for itself.

“Take this.” Removing the long veil that concealed her flame-bright hair, the young woman handed it to Madd, who passed it to Vorgell. The big man drew the cloth between his legs and wrapped it snugly around his hips. “The men who attacked us were assassins. They meant to abduct me from my husband.”

The older man nodded grimly. “I am Thencu Lustre, and it is my honor to be consort to one of the Sun Virgins.”

“A virgin?” Vorgell’s smile dimmed.

“I’ll explain it later,” Madd volunteered. For Gurgh’s legions of status seekers, Sun Virgins stood atop the ladder of desirable wives, no matter that any man who breached their sacred maidenheads died on the spot. Incineration, the rumor went. Sun Virgins were intact unto the grave. “Lady,” he made the respectful gesture, fingers to heart and then open hands, “my friend and I—”

Thencu spoke. “You will both be well rewarded. However, we still need to reach our home, and our guards are slain. Escort us, and you shall leave with a handsome purse.”

Madd eyed the growing crowd. Word about the nude giant was sure to attract attention. The sooner he and Vorgell collected their reward, the sooner they could work on vanishing back into the city’s underbelly. Escorting these folk would be easy work. Blood-splattered Vorgell looked dangerous with a sword in his hand, and his physique alone would frighten off any but the most determined rogues.

After making arrangements for the dead men and wounded slaves, Thencu returned to the side of his virgin wife. With two men from the crowd serving in place of the wounded slaves, the litter lurched on its way.

T
HE
grand house in the Quarter of Nightingales closed its gates as soon as its master had entered. Madd and Vorgell stayed outside in the courtyard, watched over by brightly burning torches and wary retainers until Thencu returned with a purse. Madd reached out his hand, accepting it before Vorgell could do something crazy such as give it back.

“My wife and I were talking. This experience was harrowing! Between the thieves in the street and the Wizards’ Guild trying to bring about the death of the Sun, well, there’s no end to the danger! Naturally, we will have to hire more protection and we thought it might be possible…. Let me just say we would like to hire this man”—Thencu indicated Vorgell—“if he’s for hire, that is. He’s a foreigner, that’s plain to see, but does he speak Gurghali?”

“I do,” Vorgell said. “However, you would have to hire my friend also.” He grinned at Madd’s look of surprise. Torchlight sparked on his large white teeth.

“I apologize, Thencu Lustre,” Madd spoke up before the barbarian could say something to make matters worse. “My friend here mistakes our situation. We could use the coin and thank you for your generosity, but we aren’t seeking employment.”

Vorgell’s face fell, and he looked skeptical, but wisely didn’t say anything.

“No?” Thencu clearly regretted the news. “Well, situations change. Should yours change, please let me know.” He paused before adding, “There are still advantages in these dark days to being on good terms with followers of the Sun.”

Madd thanked him and nodded. He had nothing against the Sun. Especially now, with night having come. Night was a bad time to be out on the streets of Gurgh. Things had only grown worse since the Wizards’ Guild had gained influence over Gurgh’s boy ruler and controlled the Seat of the King.

“And you, good man,” Thencu spoke directly to Vorgell, though slowly, as to a child, “I saw you kill three men. That’s impressive.” He bowed. “May you both bask in the Light and prosper.”

“Prosper,” said Madd, employing the traditional response. Thencu returned to his house, and one of the retainers opened the gate so they could leave.

Once on the street again, Vorgell had plenty to say.

“We could use a job, you know.”

“We? I don’t recall there being a ‘we’. I only said that to get some coin.”

“Now that we have it, we can spend it. I always have a great thirst after battle”—his eyes gleamed—“and a hard cock in need of release.”

Madd rolled his eyes. “Well, this purse isn’t heavy enough. Besides, we can eat later. Right now, we’re attracting attention because you aren’t wearing clothes.”

During the day, Gurgh milled with color, wealth, and life. At night, the city became a deadly playground for the dregs of its society. Wizards wandered the streets with their fiends, looking for the insane and those with visible magic. Caped lords and corseted ladies paraded among revelers, panderers, and thieves. The sound of scuttling on a roof or in an alley might mean rats—or assassins. The woman in the shadows might be a whore—or a priestess of the deadly goddess Kom. Painted and false, Gurgh laughed and taunted and wheezed its way through the night.

Madd had never had more of a plan than getting out of that cell and away from the baron. He’d succeeded in doing that, though he had somehow picked up a giant oversexed barbarian in the process. Worse, he had to protect the oaf. If the Wizards’ Guild got wind of him….

In that event, Gurgh would be ruled by wizards and their fiends within the week. Madd clutched the pouch of coins and kept to shadows and alleys, because it was urgent they get off the streets.

T
HEIR
reward from Thencu purchased a closet of a room slapped up against the back of a completely disreputable tavern. It was better than sleeping on the street, but just barely. The only things in the room’s favor were a silent owner and easy access to ale.

“We’re partners, get it?” Madd was determined to firm up his bargain with Vorgell. Clad in just-purchased clothing, complete with cuffed boots and a couple of leather straps to augment his already mighty chest, the big man looked almost handsome despite the lustful glint in his leer. “Here and there I’ll suck your dick, but just for the magic.”

“I don’t know if I’m happy with that.” Vorgell awarded him a lopsided and slightly inebriated smile.

“What’s the problem? It’s not like you won’t get off on it.”

“But I expect more from my boys.”

If Madd clenched his teeth any harder, he would break them. “First off, I’m not your boy. I’m no one’s boy. And you are not my master.”

“But you’re trying to be mine. Setting rules. I don’t like rules. Rules are just a way for some men to impose their wills on other men.”

“Fine, be an anarchist. But your anarchy stops within an arm’s length of my skin. I’ll suck you for magic, or if I’m feeling in the mood for it… but not just because you have a perpetual hard-on.”

“Fine for you, but what about me? Shouldn’t I get something from our partnership?”