About a girl
Pem and I walk with Rogger, and I ask, “So who is the Maiden in Black Mail?”
Rogger pulls a pipe and packs it. “Don’t know, Will.”
“But she’s hunting you?”
Rogger nods. “Yes, she is. Has been for a few moons now.”
Pem says, “She’s the harbinger of death.” She looks at me. “Don’t you remember?”
“I don’t.”
Rogger strikes a match on the side of the pipe, then lights it, filling the air with the sweet smell of smoke.
“Pew!” Pem says. “It stinks!”
“Smells nice to me,” I say.
“Well you used to smoke,” Pem says. “Also, not a cat. We’ve got sensitive sniffers.”
Rogger says, “I’ve heard it told different, Pem. About the Maiden, I mean.”
Pem tilts her head, ears up and whiskers forward. “Yeah?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that she’s broken hearted and hell-bent on revenge.”
“After the man that done her wrong?” Pem asks, seeming suspicious of Rogger.
Rogger chuckles. “I’m a woman, Pem.”
Pem stops.
Me too.
Rogger notices, then stops. She’s smiling. “I know, we dwarfs all look the same, don’t we? It’s the beards that throw most people. But you know, Pem, cats look an awful lot alike, too.”
Pem starts again. “That’s true.”
Rogger and I start again.
“You were saying, Rogger,” I say. “About the maiden …”
“Ah yes. They say she’s out for revenge for the kingdom stolen from her, for the land lost and the people put in the ground. And that she’ll stop at nothing until those responsible have paid.” Rogger takes the pipe from her mouth. “In full.”
“Oh my,” I say.
“Indeed,” says Rogger.
Pem perks up. “Wait … so what did you do?”
Rogger puffs the pipe.
I feel bad for her and say, “It’s okay, Rogger. You don’t have to tell us.”
“No,” Rogger says. “It’s not that. I don’t mind. It’s just I feel the heft of it on my heart.”
“So?” Pem asks. “What is it?”
“I made weapons for them,” Rogger says.
“Weapons?” Pem asks.
“Yes. Fine axes and hammers. Some rifles, too.”
“Who’s the them, we’re talkin’ about here?” Pem asks. “Is it the Slax?”
“No, no, dear, no,” Rogger says. “I may be stupid and stubborn, little kitty, but I am not evil. No, mine was a crime of negligence and greed. I was making so much money, I just … lost track.”
“So who was it already?” Pem asks.
“The Princess Replete.”
“Oh,” Pem says. “Her.”
“Who’s that?” I ask.
Pem and Rogger look at one another.
“She’s the owner,” Pem says.
“Of what?” I ask.
Rogger puts a hand on my shoulder. “The world, my dear boy.”
