The Prisoner's Release and Other Stories (4 page)

On the previous days he’d gone out, he’d sat in the park, but it was now too cold for that. Again, he cursed Van Wyck as he rubbed his short fur. The warm fires crackling inside public houses beckoned him, but he was reluctant to go in without any money in his pocket, so he searched for a place where he could sit down and get warm without buying food or drink.

Such a place did not seem to exist in Divalia. But as he passed the Cup and Crown and glanced in, he saw a familiar muzzle. He laid a paw on the door handle, unsure whether he could presume on a semi-regular client; a cold gust of wind broke his indecision and sent him inside.

The room, half full, turned to look at him, then glanced away again. Nothing about him held their attention, for which he was grateful. He rubbed his paws together and found an empty spot at the bar.

The patrons ranged from middle-class tradespeople to nobles from the nearby palace. Some pubs catered to a particular House, but the species in the Cup and Crown ran the gamut of all six Houses. Jonas counted one other Felid, two wolves and a coyote, a pair of rabbits, a quartet of goats and another of rats, and even a raucous table of weasels and raccoons arguing amiably just behind him, not to mention Mani, the host.

Mani glanced at him and nodded as he would to any new customer, then did a double-take. Jonas was used to seeing the bear’s muzzle contort, but the open-jawed expression of surprise was so comical he almost grinned. Instead, he just nodded back. Mani got his muzzle shut, but not before a couple patrons looked down the bar to see what was so unusual. Jonas stared intently forward, not making eye contact.

“
What can I get you?” Mani moved in front of him, smiling now, but Jonas couldn’t tell if the smile encouraged familiarity or distance.

“
The thing is,” Jonas said softly, trying to keep the coyote beside him from hearing, “I can’t really pay right now. I was hoping…”

Mani nodded. “What can I get you?” he repeated.

“
Something hot.”

“
Cider?”

“
Perfect.” Jonas smiled. “Thanks.”

“
Why don’t you have a seat, sir? I’ll bring it out to you.”

Jonas nodded. The communal space around the fire was crowded with chattering wolves, weasels, hares, and mice. Looking around, he spied a table not too far away that was obviously meant for larger species. He walked over, slid into the bear-sized chair and waited, turning toward the fire to get as much warmth as he could.

When Mani brought the steaming mug to the table, he sat down in the chair across from Jonas and rested his elbows on the table. “I didn’t know you knew where I worked.”

Jonas shrugged, and sniffed the cider. It smelled delicious. “I didn’t. I just happened to see you.”

“
And you never did before?”

“
I never walked around the neighborhood before.”

“
Oh.” Mani settled back. “So you didn’t come here looking for me.”

Jonas couldn’t help but grin at the bear’s worry. “Why would I do that?”

“
Oh, I don’t know. If something were…wrong, maybe.”

Disease. Sasha. Jonas’s grin faded, and he buried his short muzzle in the mug, inhaling the cider’s fumes. “No, nothing like that. Just out for a walk.”

Mani looked away, then back. “
Is
something wrong?”

“
Everything.” Jonas sighed.

“
Want to talk about it?” The bear grinned at Jonas’s look of surprise. “I know your skills. Listening’s one of mine.”

“
All right.” The need to tell someone had surfaced again, stronger now that there was a potential listener across the table, and it took only a second before Jonas gave in to it. He told the story briefly, leaving out only Sasha’s name, and concluded with his current state of mind. “I just feel trapped. I can’t get out and I can’t keep going.”

“
Why do you suddenly feel trapped now? So your friend turned out to be not so good a friend. What’s that change?”

“
It’s not that. It’s…I…” He couldn’t verbalize how the betrayal had ruined the only good things about his job. His claws scored the table in his frustration. Mani glanced at them and paused before continuing, in a more soothing tone.

“
Can I just say that you’re pretty good at what you do?”

Jonas nodded without returning the bear’s smile. “Thanks.”

“
And you’re lucky to have a job. Half these guys in here, they won’t be in next month. Times are good now, but come the winter, most of the nobles head south, and the farmers head home. Nobody needs to hire help, so they’ll be tightening their belts.” Jonas nodded. Winter was a slower time for the Staff, too. “But you’ll still have a place to live, food on the table, and a job. Your profession and mine, they’re about the only ones you can count on day in and day out.”

“
Could I get a job here?”

“
Doing…what you do?” The bear’s eyes widened, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “I can’t. The police would take the pub.”

“
No, I mean…serving, or…or…keeping the books.”

Mani looked skeptically at him. “You got a head for numbers?”

His father:
can’t you even add two numbers together? Why can’t you be like Trias?
Two years younger and he did all his sums without one mistake! Not one!
“I’m…I’ve had experience with…”

His tongue stumbled and halted. Mani shook his head. “I got all the help I can use. I could, um, ask around…”

But it was clear the bear’s heart wasn’t in it. “That’s okay.” Jonas took a sip of the cider, then a longer drink. The fumes had given his head a pleasant spin.

“
Really, think about what I said. You’re pretty lucky.”

“
Yeah. Thanks.”

Mani got up, and pointed at the cider. “Don’t worry about paying that back. On the house.”

“
Thanks.” He put more sincerity into that one. “See you on Ursiday.”

“
Yeah.” Mani scratched behind his ear and got up, bending over a nearby table to ask if they needed any more ale.

Jonas sat at the table, letting the cider warm his stomach and head, while his thoughts continued to chase each other around and around. He couldn’t stand to keep doing what he was doing, but he couldn’t do anything else. The cider vanished quickly, the headiness more slowly, but when they were both gone, his dilemma remained.

A raccoon cleared away his mug, and Mani signaled from near the fireplace to ask if he wanted another. Jonas shook his head. He’d imposed enough, and he was content to sit in the bar, absorbing what he could of the fire’s warmth, simply being away from the Staff until he had to go back.

Tally was waiting for him when he walked into the back room. Jonas pulled his robe closed and looked at the board.

“
My office.” Tally stepped into the room without waiting for Jonas to acknowledge him. Jonas sighed, and followed.

“
So what happened to Sasha?” Tally’s arms were folded, his ears cupped forward. They were dyed light blue today, as were the sides of his cheeks. His paws were hidden in the crooks of his arms, but Jonas was sure they were dyed blue too.

He stared at them and shrugged, avoiding the other cougar’s eyes. “Family emergency.”

“
Come on, Jonas. You’re not doing him any favors by covering for him. He skipped out the night Van Wyck was here, so it’s not hard to put together what’s going on. Either he got hurt or he got sick and he didn’t want Van Wyck to know. But I know you two were close and I know you know.”

He can’t know, Jonas said to himself, but another voice spoke up and said, why not betray Sasha? He betrayed you. It would serve him right. Imagine if he came back and didn’t have a job any more. “He got sick,” he said abruptly.

“
That’s what I thought.” Tally nodded. “I’ll go back and find out what mice were here in the last few weeks and ban them. We don’t need that kind of customers. You report any sick ones too, you understand?”

“
Sure.”

The other cougar softened and walked forward, brushing Jonas on the cheek. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you, kit.” When Jonas remained silent, Tally dropped his paw. “I’ve got a client waiting for you. When you’re ready in seven, I’ll send him over.”

“
I’ll be there in a minute.” Jonas was left numb by how quickly his resolve not to betray Sasha had crumbled, but felt the stirrings of righteousness inside him; Sasha should have asked him for help, not taken it from him. The mouse had ruined their friendship, not he. His paws flexed, the claws sliding out and back in, and then he lifted his muzzle and walked through the corridors to room seven, to go to work.

His third client of the night was a familiar one, a lanky fox by the name of Alexan who had been coming to him every week for several months. Aside from his dominance habits, which he shared with many of Jonas’s clients, he had a curious quirk: a habit of calling Jonas “your highness” when he was inside him and about to come. Usually, Jonas was too distracted to think about it, and forgot afterwards; after all, people said all kinds of things when their energy was mostly focused away from their muzzles. Once or twice, though, he’d felt a sort of déjà vu, as though he’d met Alexan before somewhere else, but he’d never been able to remember where.

On this night, Alexan was in fine form, growling and thrusting hard, his teeth clamped in Jonas’s neck ruff. It was a little uncomfortable, but Jonas was lost in his own thoughts and hardly noticed when Alexan growled “yrrrf rrrnsss, rrrrf!” and shuddered above him, his knot expanding inside Jonas.

Afterwards, Alexan rested his muzzle between Jonas’s ears, the only fox Jonas had ever met who was tall enough to do so. He murmured, “Are you okay?”

“
What?” Jonas was jolted out of his reverie.

“
You seem a bit listless.”

“
Oh.” Jonas swallowed. “I am sorry. If you have any complaints, please see Tally and he’ll refund—”

Alexan nosed his ear. “No, no, don’t be silly. I’m just a bit worried. You’re usually more lively.”

“
I’m sorry,” Jonas repeated. “I have a lot on my mind.” He shut his muzzle immediately. It wasn’t good practice to talk too much to the customers.

“
Oh.” Alexan stroked his chest. “Tell me about it.”

“
It’s just been…just been a hard week.” Jonas sighed. The paw on his chest felt good. Larger than Sasha’s, but its gentle, firm touch reminded him of the mouse. “Friend of mine left.”

“
Left?”

“
Left the Staff.”

“
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Alexan’s paw continued to stroke, his claws ruffling through Jonas’s chest fur. “I suppose you two were close.”

“
Yes.” Jonas felt himself relaxing. “But I shouldn’t let that affect my job.”

“
Nonsense.” The fox nuzzled him. “It makes you seem more real. I like that. You know, you’re the best thing about this country.”

“
Country?”

“
Mm. I told you I’m Ferrenian, didn’t I?”

“
No.” Jonas had heard very little about Tephos’s eastern neighbor. He knew vaguely that there was some sort of tension between the countries. He considered whether this made a difference to him, and decided it didn’t. “What brings you here?”

“
I’m a merchant. I come here in the summers to sell and buy fine weapons and other things. But mainly weapons.”

“
I didn’t know they allowed merchants between the countries.”

“
Oh, yes, you just have to know who to get the right paperwork from. And of course, nobody here asks questions. Still, not the sort of thing you want to advertise. But it feels nice to talk to someone about it.”

“
I won’t tell anyone.”

Alexan laughed lightly and kissed him on the ear. “Thank you, sweetie. But I go back in another week anyway. Though I do hope to keep coming back, especially now that I have you to look forward to.” His paw brushed up under Jonas’s chin.

Jonas automatically said, “I hope you come back too. I’ll miss you.” Standard talk he’d learned, and learned how to put some heart into, even if Alexan would be gone from his mind like all his clients when the day was over.

“
If things keep going well, I’ll be able to. There’s a fellow here who is making some really nice designs. And I might branch out into books. Ever read any P. Zinsky?” Jonas shook his head. “Ah, you’d like him.” Alexan wiggled inside Jonas and tugged, sliding out.