A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

When her eyes met Beam's, her expression softened. "Ah, Beam," she said with a smile. "You can come in, if you like. It's fine isn't it, Greeves?"

Beam heard Greeves' gruff reply in response. "Fuck it. Let the lad see that I'm not the worst the world has to offer."

"C'mon then," Loriel said, with a motion of her head, her curly black hair swaying from the movement. Beam noted the exhaustion in her eyes as he passed her. It only heightened his curiosity further.

Inside the room – along with Judas, standing with his arms folded against the wall – was a woman that he did not recognize, sat on a chair beside the roaring fire, a meek expression on her face. She glanced up at Beam with something close to fear, biting her lip.

As she turned her head, Beam saw the awful bruise that ran down the side of her face. Beam sucked in a breath and turned his eyes towards Greeves, unable to stop the anger that rose up from them. He saw Loriel flinch to his right, as Greeves defensively put his hands in the air.

"Hold your horses you little bastard, it wasn't me, was it?" Greeves said. "C'mon, you speak up as well, Charlotte. I know he looks about as much use as a blade of grass, but it's worth telling him all the same."

The girl that Greeves had called Charlotte nodded timidly. With her short curly blonde hair, and her small nose and face, she reminded Beam of a mouse, both in appearance and in temperament. Beam could see her hands quivering as they lay clasped together on her blue skirt.

"One of the soldiers… Hit me," she said. Beam continued to listen, expecting more, but that was where her talking ended. He looked to Greeves for further explanation.

"One of the bastards refused to pay – and when she insisted on the payment, he beat her. It's not just her face – the bastard went on like he was trying to kill her," Greeves said, seething with anger.

Loriel looked at the angry merchant with kind eyes, resting a gentle hand on Beam's shoulder. "I can see you struggle to understand him," she said. "But he's more loyal than he would have you believe. He's always got angry on our behalf."

Greeves tutted and turned his head away. Beam wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or not. "Of course I would. You girls work for me."

"I don't think you've ever got angry like that for me," Judas broke in with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

It worked – but only for a second. "That's because you're so fucking ugly," Greeves said back, with just the barest hint of a smile.

Beam watched the exchange. "You wanted me to hear this… So do you have a plan?"

Greeves paused a moment, as his hands drummed against the desk. "I told you I'd attack that which was above me, and at this moment, I intend to do just that… The villagers are with me on this. The soldiers are only getting worse. They're getting cockier the longer they stay here and more daring. Lombard seems to be letting them do whatever they like."

"Lombard is strong," Beam noted. "You'll never be able to attack them directly."

"You think I'm fool enough to do that?" Greeves said. "No, I intend to do something more subtle to inconvenience them and benefit ourselves, though I haven't quite decided what."

"There's still the threat of the Yarmdon," Beam reminded him. "Why not just stop sending your women to make a point?"

"If I could have done that, I already would have," Greeves complained. "It's a deal with a noble. I don't have the authority to back out. If I cut off the deal without his permission, he can call that a slight and execute me."

"To be honest, I think the soldiers are going to have their hands full already," Beam said. "If you want to retaliate, you're going to have to retaliate without weakening our defences, you're going to have to be super subtle."

"You think I don't know that?" Greeves said, slamming a fist against the desk in frustration. "Damn it. How can they be so smug to merely be in the serving class? They're still dogs, just like the rest of us." Greeves looked up again suddenly, as though just realizing something. "What do you mean they're going to have their hands full already? Has something happened?"

Beam nodded. "Gorebeasts and horned goblins."

Greeves recoiled. "I know what a gorebeast is, but what the fuck is a horned goblin? Wait… Do you mean that thing that you fought, there's more of those running about?"

"Nah, not exactly. I only saw them this morning. They seem to be infected with whatever that hobgoblin had. They've got the same horn on their foreheads. They're stronger and smarter for it. They ambushed me this morning with bows," Beam said.

"Goodness," Loriel murmured, holding a hand over her mouth. She looked at Beam with worried eyes. "Things have certainly got dangerous, haven't they?"

"That doesn't make sense though… There's never been a gorebeast sighted around here," Greeves murmured. "I suppose the same can be said for those horned goblins though. What the fuck is going on?"

"There must be something drawing them in," Beam guessed. "But I have no idea what, nor do I know how many are going to come sweeping through. I saw the soldiers struggling to fight against the gorebeasts this morning – if many more monsters come through, then we'll be having bigger problems on our hands than just the Yarmdon."

Greeves shook his head. "When it rains it pours, eh lad? What a fucking mess. You came here looking for my help in dealing with it then, mm? I'm not sure what I can do, apart from getting some information to you from the lasses. I imagine this will mean some better-quality corpses coming my way, aye?

Consider my assistance the little added benefit of our continued business."