It had been almost a decade since Amberlee and I had spent a night together. We were living in Hogsport, a city built on the banks of the Tarkin River, in a one-room loft above a tobacco shop. That's were I developed my yen for smoking. She was working as a barmaid and I labored the streets filching wallets and housebreaking. We were both very young then. Two teenagers filled with angst and passion. Unburdened by life's heavy weight and invulnerable to its hardships. It's painful to admit: I loved her with my heart and soul. But, she wanted more than I could give. More than I could steal. More than I would ever have. And one day I returned home to find her gone. She took with her the slender curves I had grown accustomed to caressing, the warmth of my bed, and the money I had saved. From that point forward my life was a swirling blur. I became a wounded animal: vicious, guarded, and pitiful. I left Hogsport behind, trying to escape the memories, and wandered the Southland looking for something I couldn't name. Over time, in my solitude, I suppressed my pain and became human again. It took a very long time. It was no use. I couldn't sleep. I was staring at the shadowed ceiling above my bed, thinking of Amberlee. The floodgate had broken and my memories were pouring back to me. And with each thought I felt that wounded beast returning. Pulling on my shirt and boots, I decided to leave the tavern and walk about the wooded groves that surrounded the River Rat. It was afternoon now and the sun was starting its plunge. Darkness would be coming soon. The tavern's door opened onto a long, wooden pier built directly on the Tarkin River. The planks echoed beneath my feet as I headed down the dock. Several barges were moored to the pylons and workers were busy unloading cargo. They sang a river-song as they labored, keeping the beat with the kegs they slammed on the pier. Another raft, carrying haggard passengers, was approaching on the water. The passengers' faces were etched with the lines of fatigue and boredom. The innkeeper would be thrilled; more patrons were arriving. I reached the end of the dock and stepped onto solid ground. The view was the same as I had seen from the barge I has arrived on the day before. On all sides except the riverside there were waves of pine trees. Massive trees that towered over my head like the fairy-tale giants I was told about in my youth. The ground was covered with needles and cones, a thick carpet of green and brown that crunched beneath my boots. The air was like perfume, a fragrant smell of the outdoors, of life anew. From my perch beneath the trees, smoking my pipe, I watched the sun descend. The water's blueness melted into gray and then black as the sunlight vanished. Its rays inched their way backward across the flatlands beyond the river. In the gathering gloom another barge arrived. One by one the tavern's windows shimmered with firelight. And inside the tavern there was singing and shouting and mirth. "Take the day," Amberlee had said to me, "but don't make me wait a second longer." I smiled as the sun disappeared; as night claimed the world. Around me the trees had become black pillars in a shadowy lake of gray mist. Overhead, through the branches of the wood-giants, I saw the stars beginning to shine. My hand fondled the few remaining gold coins in my leather pouch. They wouldn't last much longer. With a heavy sigh I hoisted myself up and headed back toward the river. I had made her wait long enough. The tavern was abuzz with activity. Patrons were drinking and laughing as barmaids hustled about the crowds. The smoke of several pipes clung to the air like a fog. I inhaled the fumes. The smell was intoxicating. It didn't take me long to find Amberlee. I just followed the eyes of all the drunken men. She was seated at a table with her legs crossed and she wasn't wearing the same blouse I had seen that morning, but rather a thinner, tighter shirt that clung to her curves. Her hair was combed back. The crimson seemed to glow in the firelight. As I approached her table, I realized she was sitting with someone. The man was weather-beaten and leathered, with thick arms and a face like iron. He sported a shaved head and a thick beard. Some people may have considered him handsome. Tenseness overcame me. "Ah, there you are," she said with a smile as she caught my eye. "I told you not a second longer." I took a seat across from Amberlee, the stranger to my left. He looked at me with cold eyes and I returned the stare. "T'liern, this is Barkorcghasse," she said. "Ghasse, this is T'liern." We both nodded. The silence was immediately clear. "So," she laughed, seeming to enjoy the awkward moment, "have you given any thought to my offer?" "I have," I answered. My eyes moved from the stranger's leathery face to the delicate features of Amberlee. The contrast between the two was like night and day. His stern, weather-beaten mug was chiseled with sharp features. Her face was soft and placid, dotted with only a few tiny freckles around her nose. "I've decided to decline." "Really? My offer not good enough?" There was a hint of surprise in her voice. "Perhaps for some." "T'liern, can you get me an ale?" Amberlee asked. The man looked at her and then at me. Slowly he got to his feet. "And get one for Ghasse, too." A strand of hair fell across her eyes. She let it hang. Stunned, the brawny man stomped away toward the bar; he looked back only once. "Don't let T'liern get to you," she laughed. "He didn't get the same offer you did." "Who is he?" "He's another hand I hired. I told you I needed the best of the best. T'liern's the best at what he does." "And what does he do?" "What I ask him to." She laughed and touched my hand. "Come, Ghasse, help me with this job. I need someone I know I can trust." "Sorry, I can't." I started to push my chair back but her fingers grasped my wrist. Dozens of drunken eyes were watching me, as if waiting for me to leave so they could pounce. "Do you want to scavenge all your life? Laboring for every coin? I know the life, Ghasse. It's not for you. You can't be happy." "It's worked for me so far," I snapped. I was angry but not at her. At the fact she was right. The last few years had been miserable and hard. And, I didn't want to do it any longer. "Well, it won't work forever. Eventually you'll run out of coins or you'll find yourself dying in the wild, in a black, empty hole." There was a hint of concern in her voice. I could feel her hand tighten on my arm. "That life's not for you, Ghasse," she said. "You deserve better than to crawl through swamps and bogs. You always have. Do this one job and you'll never worry about money again. Neither of us will." "Tell me what we're doing." "I can't." She said releasing my arm and leaning back in her chair. "Not until I know you're in." "If you want my trust you'll have to give some in return." T'liern returned with three flagons and took his seat. His hardened face bore a curious stare. Amberlee took her mug and immediately drank some of the frothy brew. The suds clung to her nose and she wiped them away with her fingertips. Her smile had returned and her eyes were wide and flickering. "Well, Ghasse, T'liern here's a mercenary like you. Perhaps you've traveled the same ground." "I doubt that," the rugged man said right before he guzzled some of his ale. "I'm not a swamp-crawler." He looked at me snidely. "I earn my coins. I don't hunt for them in the wild." I drank my ale. It tasted bitter and smelled like almonds. If I hadn't already become familiar with the house-flavor, I would have sworn T'liern had poisoned it. "What kind of work do you do?" "Caravan work, mostly," the big man said. "I've spent the better part of five years guarding the Eastland routes. The routes through the mountains." "That's dangerous country." I took another gulp of ale and glanced toward Amberlee. Her eyes were studying my face. "Takes a strong sword to survive out there." I was becoming convinced that Amberlee was serious about this job. It was clear she was hiring the right sort of people. Dangerous people for dangerous work. I was starting to reconsider my refusal. "It's a hard land," he responded. "And a hard way to live." He finished his ale in another gulp and wiped his face with the back of his sleeve. "That's why I took the lady's offer." "I don't blame you." I muttered. "It's tempting, I must say that." "So, Ghasse." Amberlee said in a softened voice. "Do you want part of a fortune? Or do you want to go back to the marshes? Last time I offer. What will it be?" I gulped down the last dregs of my brew and looked once more into Amberlee's emerald eyes. She was offering me redemption. A chance to enjoy life. And, I thought to myself, that things could go back to the way they were. I rubbed my chin with my palm. "Count me in." I said. "Excellent," Amberlee said. "I know you're both curious as to what we're doing, but I cannot talk about it here, in public. We'll discuss it tomorrow while moving northward on foot. So, be up early and ready to move." There was a sparkle in her eyes and I could not help but smile. "Make sure you get some sleep," she said to both of us as she stood from her chair. Heads all around the tavern turned in her direction. Her red hair fell about her shoulders and several strands draped down her face. She removed them and tucked them back. "And you," she said looking in my direction, "make sure you take a bath. I don't want to smell the Blood Marshes one more day." She turned to leave but then glanced over her shoulder. "And after your bath stop by my room. I have something I want to show you." 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