Page 46 of The Thrice-Bound Fool

I lowered my bow a bit.

It seemed pleased and came closer.

“What do you want, monkey?” I said.

It put its wee hands together now and started moving them up and down. As if begging.

“What, are you hungry?” I said. “Might be I have something for you, Monkey-Monkey.”

“Do not give this jilnaedu any of our food,” Galva said.

“Just a crust wouldn’t hurt,” I said. “Maybe it will give us something in return.”

“Please tell me you are not serious.”

“Well, you never know,” I said.

“What would a monkey have that you might want?”

“Maybe it knows where water is.”

So I lay my bow and arrow aside and took out a wee piece of dried meat I still had from the bandits’ cave and held it up. The monkey moved its begging hands faster. It wanted the meat, of course it did. But I wanted something, too. I said water in as many languages as I knew, but it just cocked its head at me.

I held the meat up again, then took out my waterskin, which sloshed with snowmelt from the northern Thralls. I pulled out the stopper and let a few drops fall on my tongue so it could see. Fuck if it didn’t nod at me, then move closer.

It looked at Galva with her sword in hand, then motioned down at her. She lowered the sword just a little, still wary.

“You know where water is, don’t you?” I said slowly, as if to a child.

It got a soulful look in its eyes and began feeling around on its arse.

“Take us to the water,” I said.

“It is not going to take us to any chodadu water, you fool.”

“Fool yourself, it fucking understands me,” I said.

“How does it speak Holtish? Here?”

“I don’t know, but I’m telling you it does,” I said, giving her a look. I shouldn’t have taken my eyes from the karker, because at just that moment, Galva said, “Watch!” and the monkey ran at me.

It put its nasty hand in my mouth.

“FUGHKH!” I said through a mouthful of shyte, and while I spluttered spit and feces, the little bandit ran off with my water. The other monkeys screamed and leapt with excitement.

I picked up my bow, loosed an arrow at it, but I was too angry. The arrow hit a stone and broke. One of the other monkeys ran down and took the feathered shaft of the arrow, in case it was valuable, I suppose, then they all ran up over the ridge and out of sight.

I ran up to the top of the ridge and thought about chasing them, but they were so much faster than me. And they knew this place, where I was a stranger. I walked back down to where Galva was, defeated.

“Now you are going to want to share my water,” Galva said, angry.

I put my hands together and moved them up and down like the monkey had, putting that false soulful look in my eyes.

Galva punched me, hard, but just in the shoulder.

We kept walking.

Fuck, I was thirsty.