Sabit looked askance at the muscular man before her. Unclenching his fists, he slipped the hood off of his head. A mane of thick, black hair covered his head, with a single streak of grey shooting back from the left temple. At the base of the streak, an ugly scar continued down his tan forehead, splitting his bushy left eyebrow in two. But his dark eyes flashing with pleasure, sharp cheekbones, and broad smile adorned with a single dimple on the right were indelibly burned into Sabit’s memory. “Kehnan! You’ve gotten old!”
The man laughed and threw his arms wide. “Bah! ‘Tis merely the curse of a scheming sorcerer. Pay it no mind.” Sabit embraced him. Kehnan was one of the few people Sabit had met who stood a full head taller than she, and the feel of his powerful arms around her was unique. It brought back the memories of their days together, and their nights.
“I never thought to see you again, Kehnan.” Sabit said, pulling away to look him in the face, even as her arms lingered on his shoulder and hip. “You were half a world away when we parted.”
“I am still the mercenary I always was, Mongoose,” Kehnan replied, his hands just as reluctant to leave Sabit’s skin. “You left the company to be guard dog to the Prioress of Ghabar, not to wander the bazaar of Bahteel all alone. What’s the matter? Didn’t she pay you enough?”
Sabit looked away to hide the sadness in her eyes. “Things did not end well in Ghabar.* And don’t call me ‘Mongoose.’”
“You live by the spear again?” Kehnan went on, his eyes alight with excitement. “The blessed beasts have smiled upon me. I am here looking to hire skilled warriors. My lord pays a fortune for fighting skill, and I have never seen a better warrior than you, Sabit. Not even me.” He grinned a grin that affected Sabit more than she would ever admit. “What do you say, Mongoose? Care to get rich for doing what you’re best at?”
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*-Sabit’s time in Ghabar was detailed in Wayfarings of Sabit: Blossom of Ruin.
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Wayfarings of Sabit: Bazaar of Death is copyright (c) 2017 by Michael S. Miller. All rights reserved. New chapters post every weekday. You can support this and other stories on Patreon: https://patreon.com/michaelsmiller or http://ipressgames.com/fiction/