The shoemakers closed down for the evening. Even the pubs retired early for the night as the streets were unoccupied and silent other than the sound of rain, pounding against stone like stampeding elephants. Lief woke up from a drunken nap when the dock bell tolled three times. It was a warning for the inner villages of minor flooding. But water was no threat to the fisherman. He lived on a boat secured to the docks of Bulbin Lake, a mile west of Ikarus. The storm reminded the fisherman of the day he and the Speaker of the Council supposedly murdered the boy—the King. At least that was what Mongs pushed him to believe. Even though they never found the body Lief had convinced himself that the boy was dead. The young King had never returned to Ikarus and was never seen again. …show more content…
That bitch. His groin was sore from Anna Lott’s well-placed kick, but he still had the urge to reminisce about the good old days when he was young and would seduce women into pleasuring him, and his needs only, before kicking them out to the cold in the middle of the night when he was finished. Now he had to pay whores for sex. The fisherman prepared his dinner while he entertained his mind with fantasies. Perhaps, he thought, after his meal he could visit the local brothel for a quick release before bed tonight. First, he scaled the trout with his newly-sharpened knife then separated its flesh from bone. He seasoned his meal with a touch of basil and a pinch of salt before placing the pan over fire. Men shouldn’t have to cook, he said. I need a woman to serve me. As the fish cooked, Lief gathered the entrails and brought them out to his garbage in the shed at the edge of his dock. He laughed again and again, still reminiscing about women he used to enjoy. But the excitement of his dirty thoughts made his groin swell and hurt even more. When he got back to his boat, the smell made his mouth water. With crispy skin, the fish was ready to