Tender Mercies: Book 1 - Epilogue

Epilogue

Using her magic to help instead of hinder, Garrick, Kelnozz, Alesha, and Pamela had returned to Ireland easily. They had left Jason behind in America to return to his home and normal life. Or at least, what sense of normality he could accept, given what he had seen and experienced. Then it was Pamela's turn to be left behind at a blank stone wall near where she had first encountered Kelnozz and Garrick.

She stood there with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes as the three travelers walked into the stone wall and disappeared before her very eyes. Pamela reached out and touched it after they had gone, encountering only hard rock. Smiling again at the magic of it all, she turned away to leave. She stopped when, just for a brief moment, she thought she had seen something out of the corner of her eye. Looking back, she once again saw the rocky cliff face. Shaking her head, she realized she must have imagined the doorway she thought she had seen. Sighing, she began to concoct the details of the visit to her cousins in France that she had told her husband she was visiting. Snorting, she realized he probably would not even ask for any. Pamela stared back at the wall in a moment of longing, then sighed again and returned home. At least she could go back to her friends on the internet and her imaginary affair with Jason.

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"You do deserve to die, you know," Kelnozz said to Alesha while they sat around the table in the common room of the inn.

Alesha glanced around, surprised to see so many varying races getting along together. At one table, a finely dressed ogre and a fully armored troll sat playing cards. At another, humanoids the size of men with the head of a wolf drank and ate and caroused. At other places humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and even a woman covered in soft white fur with the head of a rabbit interacted with one another as though nothing was amiss.

"You keep saying that, but you don't do anything about it. If you're going to kill me, then get it over with already," Alesha responded, tired of not knowing what Kelnozz had in store for her. "Otherwise, let it go and shut up already."

Garrick slapped the table and laughed at her outburst. A dark look from Kelnozz made him hide his mirth behind a mug of ale the serving wench had brought over.

"What is this place?" Alesha asked, changing the subject.

"This, my dear, is the Tavern of the Broken Axe," A man said, coming over to join them. "And my name is Rizzo, I am the proprietor of this not so humble establishment."

"Our thanks for the use of these, Rizzo," Kelnozz said, taking his fish shaped earring off and sliding it across the table to him. Garrick did likewise.

"I am glad they served you well. Is this the woman you spoke of?" Rizzo asked, eyeing Alesha appraisingly.

"Aye, she's the one. A troublesome wench, to be sure!" Garrick said, enjoying the scowl Alesha sent his way.

"Well then, my dear, let me explain a few things," Rizzo began. "You are now an employee here. I'm not quite sure what to do with you yet, but I'm sure we'll get that sorted out in due time. This tavern rests on a sort of a hub or extra-dimensional pocket. Hundreds and thousands of other worlds can be accessed from here, and likewise others from any of those worlds may gain entry to here, if they can find the way."

"The tavern has many different prospects to it. Down those stairs over there," Rizzo pointed to a large stairs descending from the back of the tavern, "is an arena for sparring and training and the like. Up those stairs," he pointed to a different staircase that was on a different wall, "are the guest rooms and the baths. Elsewhere here you will find a rather large brothel, fully staffed and with accommodations to fit nearly any fantasy or desire. Another room has a eutopic garden with a rather pleasant grotto in it. It's really quite impressive, all the things here, and my words alone cannot do it justice. But rest assured, you'll have plenty of time to see it all, as you will be staying her from now on."

Alesha looked to Kelnozz with an alarmed look on her face. "What is this? You think to imprison me as a common tavern wench?"

"Hardly common, my dear," Rizzo said, smiling at her without malice.

"Here you will be safe," Kelnozz said. "Bavorish and his minions can not reach you here. Rizzo alone holds dominion here. Should any who know you or seek to harm or help you enter this place, their powers will be largely negated."

"You see, I don't allow any violence in here, save for in the arena, and even in that instance, I can't think of a single time when a fight to the death was sanctioned. That man, over there," Rizzo pointed to a large man sitting at the card table with the ogre and troll, "his name is Lazim and he is my bouncer. You see, he's immortal, can't be killed. It is amusing to watch people try sometimes though. I remember this one time we let him walk around for nearly a week with a sword stuck through his head. He didn't even realize it, and we didn't have the heart to tell him - ah, but that was funny." Rizzo chuckled at the memory of it.

"So I'm sentenced to menial labor until I grow old and die here?" Alesha was torn between outrage and shock. Her knuckles were white gripping the table and her face was flushed with heat.

"Actually, that's not the case either, you see," Rizzo explained. "Time doesn't function quite normally here. For some reason, those that are here don't seem to age. A day still passes, or so we think, but nobody gets older. A candle will burn down, and food and drink will go bad, but aging doesn't seem to happen. Not quite sure how that works, but I always believed in not looking a gift horse in the mouth, you see."

Alesha ground her teeth in frustration at the cheery man and turned back to Kelnozz and Garrick. "Are you serious? You're leaving me here with him? I surrendered to you, Kelnozz, I thought I meant something to you!"

"Have you noticed any difference in yourself since leaving Viconia?" Kelnozz asked her, ignoring her ranting.

Glaring at him, she answered curtly, "No."

"Perhaps that was because you still had Talifernon's influence. Now you are separated from both Bavorish and Talifernon, it is my hope that you will remember the woman who you used to be and remember kindness and fairness. That is why you are here, and your term of service is dependant upon your behavior accordingly," the elf told her.

"If I returned you to Viconia, Bavorish would continue to corrupt you, and history would repeat itself. I am giving you another chance, which is far more then any of the thousands of peoples you have wronged would give you, and perhaps even more then you deserve."

Garrick winked at her and smiled. It was a cold smile and it sent chills down Alesha's back to realize that without Kelnozz's protection, Garrick would be the first one in a long line of people ready to repay her for her harsh deeds. She nodded at last, slowly and hesitantly. "Alright, I suppose I don't have a choice. I have no weapons and even my armor you've taken. My powers are weak, I'm at your mercy." Alesha sighed forlornly, glancing down at the simple boots, breeches, and blouse that she wore. "Well then, Rizzo, what will you have of me?"

Rizzo smiled broadly, "Excellent, I was hoping you'd see things through. You'll go far, my dear! Now then, as for what to do with you, I'm not sure quite yet. I suppose I'll have you try a little bit of everything so I can get a feel for what you are good at."

Kelnozz slid a pouch filled with gems in it across to Rizzo, "Here's payment for her training, room, and board. I'll check in on her from time to time as well, bringing more if need be."

Rizzo chuckled and stood up. "I'll take your gold, elf, but don't you worry, she'll be earning her own keep right away, I'm sure." Holding out his hand to her, Rizzo led Alesha back towards the kitchen to meet the rest of the staff before putting her to work.

Kelnozz and Garrick sat silently at the table, finishing their drinks. Finally Garrick spoke up, "You think she'll change?"

Kelnozz sighed. "No, not really."

Garrick chuckled softly then said, "Then why this elaborate ploy? Why not simply kill her?"

"That'd put me out of a job," Kelnozz said, his dark humor not lost on Garrick.

"Hardly my friend, with Alesha out of the picture, there are plenty of things awaiting the Protector of Viconia. Take Ancaruin, for example."

Kelnozz looked sharply at Garrick. "What do you mean? We slew him!"

"You killed his body, aye," Garrick responded. "That dragon helped create Viconia, he's not so easily destroyed."

Kelnozz cursed under his breath. He raised his beer mug and noticed it was empty. Setting it back down, he idly fingered the glowing pendant he had taken from Alesha. "So much for a vacation," He muttered.

Garrick laughed then and rose up from his seat. "Aye, now you begin to see why I gave Nordan my powers! To much responsibility, I'd rather be wenching and fighting!"

Kelnozz laughed and followed Garrick to the door. Once there he spoke to Lazim and said, "We need to go to Viconia, good sir."

Lazim nodded and reached for the door. Pausing a moment in indecision, he finally opened it up for Garrick and Kelnozz to walk through. In moments, they were back on the streets of Sanctuary. Turning around, they saw the Tavern of the Broken Axe behind them, though it looked nothing like the one that had just emerged from.

"Magic," Kelnozz whispered, impressed at how Rizzo's tavern worked. Garrick grunted without interest.

"I think I'm going to go steal a ship and become a pirate again," Garrick said to himself. "I miss those days."

Kelnozz chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Be well, new old friend, I must find Luingirth and be off to Innowendyn."

Clasping hands, the two parted. Garrick wandered through the streets of Sanctuary, looking for a tavern, a whore, a ship, or a fight - in any order. Kelnozz headed towards the wilderness, already calling out to Luingirth over the bond they shared.

---

"Find this man, his name is Jason," Brian said to the other people sitting around the table with him. He showed them the picture on the computer screen and made sure they all memorized it. "Find him and tell me where he is, but do nothing else. He is the key to finding Alesha."

They nodded to him and, as one, got up to indicate the meeting was adjourned. Brian alone remained sitting at the table in his house. With Alesha gone, Brian had learned how best to use his powers quickly, and already he had gained control of his father where Alesha's had left off. The man continued to work and function somewhat normally, completely ignorant of anything out of the ordinary. Most of the time he now slept at his office as well.

Brian toyed with the idea of finding a woman to fuck, but discarded it quickly. He had more important things to do. It was not every day that a sixteen year old boy had the power and control that he had. He smiled and decided that it was far more important for him to begin to build back the following that Alesha had before she had been taken away from him.

Continued in Book 2

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