Sekali, "The Sister City"

 

                                Chapter 48

 

     Finyat entered the provisions shop, feigning weariness. He plopped down his pack and walked around with his hands clasped behind his back, studying all the items in the shop. He was being watched by an older gentleman, who did not take his eyes off him. At length, he spied out a nice grappling hook, fancying it highly. He did not know what he would do with such an item, but he liked it. It folded up, and would fit nicely in his pack. He turned, grabbed his pack and left the shop, finding two more provisional shops on the same avenue not very far from the first.
     In these two shops he noticed they were selling exactly the same grappling hooks. At the last shop he bought one and headed to the inn where he met Uther, who was waiting for him on the porch just outside.
     As he approached, he handed Uther his pack and the grappling hook without a word, winked, and took off at a jog, heading back the way he’d just come. Uther looked at the pack and grappling hook, puzzled for a moment.
     “Finyat, Finyat!”
     The Shallant stopped and made a cutting motion quickly across his neck. Uther understood and entered the inn, and put Finyat’s items in his room, grumbling the whole time about becoming a Shallant servant.
     In the meanwhile, Finyat reentered the first provisions shop and once again began walking up and down every aisle in the store, the man watching him intensely. When the man began to help another customer, Finyat seized the chance to expertly snatch up the grappling hook and walk out of the shop.
     He returned to the inn triumphantly and handed Uther the grappling hook, who took it and re-entered the inn without a word.
     Then Finyat returned the way he’d come and entered the provisional shop that he’d not visited yet, spying out the same item he’d just stolen from the last shop. When he saw the chance, he grabbed the grappling hook, which made three now, and exited the inn, wondering if the woman behind the counter saw him. As he walked there was no outcry.
     Pleased with himself, he made his way back to the inn. He’d gotten away with three grappling hooks for the price of one; not a bad discount he thought to himself. As he approached the inn, Uther could be seen standing to bar his way, arms folded across his chest, a very gruff look upon his face.
     “And I suppose you think you are very clever, my good friend!” Finyat stopped in front of him.
     “Hey, I paid for the first one, just in case I got caught taking the others. You know, a back up plan . . . so don’t give me any moral lessons. Get your belly and your arm ready to be beaten at every turn.”
     Finyat’s brightening smile melted Uther. As Finyat passed by, the dwarf slapped him on the back hard and laughed as he looked down toward the docks.
     “Hurry, or the elf will stop us! Here he comes now; I can spy him out a mile away. Come Finyat, we will start with a drink and some dice!”
     Finyat glanced down the street, cradled his grappling hook and quickly entered, the inn after Uther. Shortly after the two entered, Sekali did also.

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