A Lucky Bet

a Damara story
(c) 2000 Deb Atwood

from Chaos Theory by Michael McGovern

Agrivar sat back in his chair, studying his cards. His feet were propped up on another chair, his own chair leaning back just a bit, the front feet off the ground. I couldn't resist. I put both hands on the back of his chair and leaned down, hard. "Hiya!" I chirped, right in his ear.

He sat forward fast, before the chair could tip back too far. He closed the hand of cards and slapped them face down on the table, turning to glare at me. "Damara!" he scowled. "What're you doing?"

I pasted a hurt look on my face, one I knew he couldn't resist. "Aggie, I was bored, and tired, and *hungry*. Are you going to play cards all night?"

I heard a deep chuckle, and I looked across the table. There were three other men there, all much older than Agrivar and hardened. Tanned, weathered skin. Gruff and brusque. And all three staring at me in some inscrutable way.

"Yeah, *Aggie*," one of them rumbled, his voice deep enough to shake me to my roots. Agrivar winced at the use of my name for him. "Make your bet so you can take your little girl home and put her to bed."

The other two chuckled at the implication, and I stared from one to the other, not quite getting it until I saw how Agrivar's skin reddened. "Damara," he told me through clenched teeth, "go home. This isn't the place for you."

I shook my head. "Not without you." I was still young, but I saw how they looked. And I knew right then that I'd stumbled into something really bad. Really dangerous. And I wasn't about to walk out of there without Agrivar by my side. Together we might have a chance. Alone I wasn't so sure. I was cocky, but I wasn't dumb.

"Hey, little girl, do you play cards better than this boy here?" one of them asked me. He smiled at me, trying to look friendly, but his blackened teeth looked like holes in his head and only scared me.

I shook my head quickly. "Uh-uh. I always lose. Agrivar practices on me and…" my voice trailed off as I looked at Agrivar. "Aggie, are you *losing*?" I wailed. "I'm *hungry*. You were s'posed to buy *food*."

His flush deepened. "Shut up, 'Mara. You aren't helping me."

I let my anger show on my face, all the fury I could summon as a hungry child who knew she wasn't eating anything, again, that night. I turned entreating eyes on the three men. "Please don't do this. He's losing everything we need and we're going to get stuck sleeping in the gutters. Again."

The one who had spoken to me chuckled, his laughter rumbling in his deep chest. With his mouth closed, his smile was almost friendly, blue eyes piercing me. His hair was so blond it was almost white, pulled back from his head in a long ponytail, tied with a black leather thong. But then he grinned again, and those ghastly teeth were there. Dark holes. Blackness. With a slight whimper, I clung to Agrivar's knee and tried to get closer to my brother.

"Don't be afraid, little one," he said, his voice almost soothing. Deep and a bit dark, there was something about it that echoed around me. Made me pay attention. "We've almost taken everything your brother has to give us. We'll be done with him soon."

That wasn't at all reassuring. And I was suddenly very frightened. After the money, there was only one thing Agrivar had left to give. His life. And mine.

"I'm in," Agrivar growled, dropping two coins into the pile in the middle. I moved a little, getting behind him as he leaned forward, picking up his cards again. I looked at his hand, biting my lip so that I didn't let any expression show. The cards were bad. As usual. I didn't groan. Or cry, which is what I felt like doing. My stomach was empty, and growling, and I knew that eating wasn't going to be possible that night.

They went around the table, everyone adding coins to the pot, and upping the bet. I saw the coins left in Agrivar's hand. They weren't enough. He was going to have to fold, and lose everything that was already there. But then he dug into his pocket as it came back to him, and somehow pulled out enough coin to make it. He picked two cards out of his hand, tossed them to the guy with the ponytail, who was watching me more than Agrivar. He pulled two cards from the deck then, sending them back to Agrivar.

I watched closely as Agrivar slipped the two cards back into his hand. And I almost smiled. For once… for once… the hand was good. Really good. He might even win. My stomach growled in response.

When the bet came around to Agrivar again, he growled. He searched his pockets, then stared at his cards, then the pile of coin on the table. He didn't have enough. His one chance to win, and he simply didn't have enough coin to match the bid.

I didn't have more than a few pennies in my pocket either. I brought them out, tentatively offering them to Agrivar.

One of the men rumbled with laughter. "Look, Brock, the girl thinks she can help."

The blonde man was laughing as well. "I see, I see." He smiled at me, closemouthed again. "Perhaps she can."

I shrank back, barely peering at him over Agrivar's shoulder. "What's he mean?" I whispered to Agrivar.

"What d'you mean?" Agrivar leaned forward, listening to Brock attentively.

"I mean, what'll you take for her?" Brock shrugged, casual. "Just for the night, of course. I'll hold onto her until you get the coin to take her back."

I started to shiver, but snapped at him, "I'm not for sale!"

Brock chuckled, rumbling. "Consider yourself a marker. He can have you back soon as he has the coin to buy you."

"Don't do it," I pleaded with Agrivar. "Please… please don't do it."

Agrivar brushed me off. "Fine. Until I get the coin you've got Damara. *If* I lose."

I couldn't conceal the shock on my face. I just stared, open-mouthed and terrified. Even with that hand… Aggie couldn't mean it. Couldn't be doing this to me. I… I trusted him. I started to step back, to step away, but Brock moved more quickly than I could, his hand reaching out to grab my arm. "Don't go anywhere, little one," he told me quietly. "This isn't over yet."

I was shaking, trying to hide my fear, my chin up firmly in the air. "May the gods strike you down and tear you apart at their leisure," I cursed him. Brock only laughed.

Brock turned to Agrivar, that smile still upon his face. "What've you got, boy?"

Agrivar grinned suddenly, and laid down his hand, proudly displaying the hand he held. It was a good hand. Maybe the best he'd ever had.

It wasn't good enough.

My heart sank as Brock laid his cards down upon the table. And Agrivar's fury rose. "You cheated!" He was barely fifteen, half the size of all three men. Still, he was on the table, leaping at them. The two held him back while Brock scooped me up, flinging me over his shoulder and walking out, leaving Agrivar yelling behind us.

"Gods damn you to slow death, eaten alive by nightmares," I screamed, pounding my small hands into Brock's back.

"Stay quiet, little one," he rumbled at me. "You'll be back with the boy soon enough. And hardly worse for the wear."

"What?" I choked on the question, remembering some of the things I'd seen on the streets. "What are you going to do to me?"

He chuckled. "What do you think I'm going to do?"

I reddened. "You were looking at me! I'm only *ten*!" I shouted at him. We were making our way through the streets, heading out of town. "Where're we going? In the *woods*?" I gasped. I was scared. Terrified, really.

"Little girl, I am not going to do anything to you," he said firmly. We stopped at a stable and he waved to the boy, who brought out a horse. "But you're stuck with me until the boy brings me my coin. Do you ride?"

He put me down on my feet and I stared up at the horse. I was tall, for a girl my age, and scrawny, but that beast looked more than twice my size. Or more. It snorted at me, and swished its tail, and I shrank back. "No," I had to admit. I knew if I tried faking it, I'd fall flat on my ass and it wouldn't just be embarassing, it'd *hurt*. "And I'm not going to learn now."

He laughed aloud. "You're going to be a royal pain in the ass when you grow up."

He was smiling at me again, and all of a sudden the darkness in his teeth didn't seem scary. It seemed fake. I stood on my toes, peering more closely at him. I was right… he'd blackened his teeth for some reason.

Brock looked down at me, his brows furrowed, and then he shook his head. He lifted me like I was nothing, then mounted the horse behind me. One arm went around my waist, holding me firmly. And then the horse began to move.

I couldn't help it. I shrieked as I felt the powerful muscles bunch underneath me. I leaned back, and with a deep laugh, Brock held me more tightly. "Are you more afraid of the horse or of me?" he asked with a rumble.

"Not a bit of either," I said, my chin in the air. "I can kill you before you can get your hands on me in any way that I won't like."

"Oh really?" His laughter rumbled in his chest, and I could feel it against my back. "You're skin and bones, brat, and the knife you have plastered against your thigh would hurt you more than me. I could break your wrist before you'd have a chance." Another laugh. "But don't worry, I've already told you. You've got nothing to fear from me. I'm not interested in a child your size."

"You looked at me back there. Just like they did," I pointed out still just enough afraid to let go of the point.

"So I did," he agreed. "And if I hadn't, they'd wonder why not. Just consider yourself damned lucky the lad bet you to me, not to one of them. They'd have you on your back and split before you could blink."

I shivered at his words. A vivid image came to mind... Sally... I remembered her screams when she joined Miss Maggie's house. I heard them still in my nightmares... wondering if I'd ever have to do it too. If we'd need the money that badly. Every night I prayed to the gods that Agrivar would make it into the army, and I could go with him. Prayed I wouldn't have to sell myself. That I wouldn't have to do what Sally did... wouldn't scream like she did.

Brock urged the horse faster, and it felt like we were flying. Despite myself, I was fascinated. I sat forward, watching the landscape flying by me as we thundered down the road, heading out of town. "Where... where are we going?" I asked, twisting around so I could see him and almost losing my balance.

"Just outside of town. Practice field," he told me. "I've had it with this place, and I'm moving on as soon as I've got my coin. The lad can bring you back in when he's come. If he doesn't, well then, you can come with me."

"No!" I shouted, pushing away from him. I twisted in the saddle, and the horse, startled, balked beneath us. It mis-stepped, and then it stopped, rearing. I had pushed out of Brock's restraining arm, and with the movement of the horse, I went flying through the air. I had a moment to scream, then I hit the ground and my breath was gone in a sudden rush of pain.

"Dammit, girl!" He was kneeling on the ground next to me, lifting my arms, checking for broken bones. I grimaced as he had me sit up, and then he let me lay back when my eyes rolled back and I nearly passed out. "You'll be fine," he growled. "Don't you know any better."

"Never rode before," I muttered, closing my eyes. The vision of him leaning over me still swam before me, even with my eyes closed. "Told you that. Why'd you do that to your teeth?"

He shifted his weight next to me. "Do what?"

"Make them look ugly." My whole body ached, and I just wanted to lie there and concentrate on something else. Anything else. His teeth would do for now.

"When you travel a lot, kid, you'll learn how to fit in. Do what you need to do to blend in with the locals."

It didn't make sense to me then. I just nodded, then regretted it. There was a pain in my head, throbbing in it's intensity, and just moving it made my stomach lurch. I rolled over and promptly lost the contents of my stomach.

"Sit *still*, kid," he told me, picking me up and holding me steady, my head between my knees. "Chrissake, you'd think you had no sense. No more sense than that brat who's raising you."

"We're fine!" I snapped, angry with him for no real reason other than that my head hurt, and as far as I was concerned it was all his fault. And the world was starting to be a bit blurry. And spin.

"Hmph. No, you're not. Not right now. Close your eyes, little one," his deep voice was soothing, and it was more than a suggestion. My eyes closed despite myself, despite the fear that I'd never open them again. That he'd slit me throat to crotch and leave me there. I felt my body curling up, leaning against him, the world still seeming to spin even though I couldn't see it.

And then nothing but darkness.

"'Mara?"

I opened my eyes cautiously, expecting more pain and relieved when it didn't come. Agrivar was smiling down at me. He had folded his lanky frame to kneel beside me, and the setting sun framed his face, giving him a reddish aura behind the dark hair.

"Thank the gods," he gathered me in his arms. "He said you'd be fine, but I've been trying to wake you up."

"Where's Brock?" My throat was dry, my voice hoarse. My head still hurt, and so did my body. "I fell off the horse," I added.

Agrivar looked surprised at my statement. "That's what he said. Wasn't sure I should believe him."

I nodded. "Sorta my fault. I got scared. The horse reared. I went flying. Everything hurts."

He cradled me into him. "Poor kid. I'll get you back into town, and I've got a room at Miss Maggie's for a bit."

I shivered at the name, and Agrivar shook his head quickly. "No, no, not what you think. She was worried about you when she heard what happened. We've got the room for a week, free, until get everything worked off. I'm going to do some cleaning and stuff for her. To pay her back for the coin she gave me so I could get you back."

"Oh." My eyes were still closed, and my head on his shoulder as he carried me. "You gonna carry me all the way back to town?"

He laughed. "We don't have a horse, and I don't think you're fit to walk."

"Not really." The motion of his gait was soothing to me, and his arms around me comforted me. This was Aggie. My big brother. My saviour. I could feel myself dozing off again. "Hey, Aggie?"

"Mm?"

"He wasn't so bad really. Didn't do anything wrong."

"Good." Agrivar's voice was harder than I'd heard it before. "If he had, I'd have hunted him down."

I shook my head against his shoulder. "Don't do that. I think he liked you."

"Hmph. Whatever you say brat." I could see him, in my mind's eye, rolling his eyes at me. As always. And then, safe again with Agrivar, I fell asleep.

If you are a member of the Chaos Theory campaign, please do not read these stories unless specifically directed to by the player or GM. These stories contain background information about Damara which is not generally known.