"Different words, Jackal, different words."
"I hope you like the words 'arrested' and 'convicted,' because that's what we're going to be soon."
"Positive thinking."
"Say that one more time and I'll break your nose, steady employment or not."
Ratti laughed and thumped his shoulder, which was hilarious, because he had to reach up significantly to do it. Hejust barely cleared Berkant's elbows. "You need to learn to relax, Jackal. All that tension will kill you before you're twenty-nine."
"I doubt tension will kill me within the next five days," Berkant said, though honestly, with this job and Ratti's dismissal of its dangers, he didn't doubt it at all.
Especially when the meeting spot came into view, and instead of the singular figure who usually met them, there were two. Berkant didn't like the look of the second man remotely; everything about his posture said 'soldier'. Worse, he was probably a royal guard, current or former, and royal soldiers were several grades above the city guards.
"The unknown is a guard," Berkant said. "Last chance before we end this night in chains."
"Just do your job and leave me to mine," Ratti replied.
Berkant sighed.
As they drew close to the pair, Ratti called out, "Seto, you have company."
"He came along for those crates. Supposed to be someone else doing the delivering though."
"Veca? That old cow never leaves her house if she can help it. I paid her, and now you'll be paying me, and I'm not a lazy old woman who's going to take pity on you because of your lentil-sized dicks."
"Always a pleasure, Ratti," Seto said with a sigh. "Fine, let's haggle."
Berkant was liking this less and less, but there was no point in arguing further, and as much as he simply wanted to leave and let Ratti reap what he was sowing, he needed the money. So he loomed and skulked and kept a sharp eye on the guard pretending to be a buyer. Hopefully the manacles his night was going to end with wouldn't damage his wrists.
When the haggling finally concluded and the money was brought out to be verified of its authenticity, Berkant wastempted to relax. Usually if the money came out, all was well. But the guard pulled out a crowbar and went to the cart, where he pried open one of the crates.
Berkant had expected something ridiculous, though really he hadn't expected to see the contents at all. In his wildest imaginings, he guessed they might be filled with bones or far more grisly body parts.
He hadn't expected the guard to pull out ababy.
"Is that— Is that achild,"he demanded. "You traffic liquor, not children! I told you I had one rule, Ratti. One rule!"
Ratti held up his hands, eyes widening in genuine fear. "Now, Berk—" he cried out in pain as Berkant punched him in the face, shattering his nose and breaking a tooth.
"That was just the warmup," Berkant hissed. "I don't tolerate harm tochildren."
He barely noticed the cries, the noise, the flurry of activity that rose up around him, until not one but four royal guards dragged him off Ratti, who was lying just barely conscious on the ground, a mess of bruises and blood.
Berkant wasn't one bit sorry. "I'm done, I'm done. I'll go peacefully. My problem isn't with being arrested, it's withhim."
He swore one of the guards laughed, but couldn't see well enough in the torchlight to be certain. As he'd predicted earlier, they clapped him in manacles—behind his back, instead of in front as was more typical, probably hoping it would keep him from doing additional harm to Ratti.
The only thing keeping Ratti alive was distance. The moment Berkant got close enough again, he wouldn't need his hands to kill the donkey-fucking bastard.
Unfortunately, the guards seemed well aware of this, and were careful to keep them separated as they were hauled away.
In the wrong direction. Berkant frowned. "Why are we headed for the palace? Last I checked, smuggling was a city problem."
"Not when it's child trafficking and you've been caught in a sting arranged on orders of His Majesty the King," replied one of the guards. "Now be quiet. Silence is your only friend right now."
Berkant grunted in acknowledgement and thanks. Certainly the city guards were never kind. They were barely human. They'd have beaten him in turn for his behavior, and he'd have been left in far worse shape than Ratti, who'd likely have bribed himself out of at least a few problems.
Though not all of them. Human trafficking wasn't something the throne took lightly. Even the laziest, most worthless kings in the history books did not tolerate it. Berkant had heard rumors that lately King Shafiq had been particularly ruthless about cracking down on the matter, but he hadn't really paid them much mind, assuming it was overblown nonsense spread by somebody who got caught by being stupid.
