Runes, Stones, Matted Hair

"I like the look of the girl--don't you." A short squat man stood his feet wide apart and arms crossed. "I think we need to have a run at that." He eyed Gavin's sword. "How about a wager old man?" He held out a handful of runes worn and greasy as his face.
Gavin relaxed moving his hand away from the sword, "I don't think you carry anything valuable enough against that." Gavin snorted. "Not that she's worth much for your purposes hasn't been out of the nursery and out with the men long enough.
The short man frowned scrunching up his face tight like a pigs. "Really, what a waste, makes her worth less doesn't it? I think we could put enough to match such inexperience." He smiled wide until his eyes folded up into their own flaps.
"More actually, where I am taking her the Shiku's will give common man's wage for ten years ten times over." Gavin smiled his teeth flashing in the flickering light like a wolves.
"One, two," the short man was pointing at his fingers, "three...No one, two..." he looked confused then glared at Gavin, "that's a lot right?"
"More then will flow through your fingers in an entire lifetime." Gavin intoned, "of course to collect you would need the cunning of a wolf, the ferocity of a bear and strength of a dragon. They prefer to cut out the throats of those who visit them and take what they like." He looked down at the man, "you'd likely be buried in sand, covered in honey and sacrificed to ants."
The squat man blanched at this clearly able to follow the last part of the conversation no matter how slow his brain. Gavin reached into his cloak and brought out a small sack letting the coin inside jingle throughout the room. "I've brought better currency in any circumstance." The sight of gold coins clearly mezmerized the crowd. When the inner circle clearly those closest to the fat man were seat they became serious.
Sarah for a moment was uncertain if she should feel insulted at they way they had spoken of her, disappointed that no one appeared interested any longer, or frightened that maybe he was actually telling the truth. She moved closer so she could watch the game as it was played.
There were seven runes: Fire, Sky, Night, Woman, Hero, Wolf, Dragon. Each was cast simultaneously by the players. Everyone it seemed had a place at the table, and there were seven players. Gavin played the dragon. His casts were always higher than every other player his eyes closed and one hand in the air two fingers clenched, the other two skyward. As they fell he dropped his hand, but not with out subtle movements that Sarah barely caught. The rules seemed very complex, two absolutes stood out to her. The first was that to have every player on the table cast your rune was good. The second was to have your rune turn up absent eliminated you from the round. If you cast your own rune up you could use your combination almost as a tool against another player, and possibly eliminate him. Every round it seemed brought up a question on the rules, one player said you could do this, another said it had to be done a certain way. Either they rolled around on the floor fighting while everyone else drank, smoked, or it was put to a vote and the matter was decided, argued about and quickly forgotten.
Money shifted around the table like a ball inside a bowl whichever way the wind turned a large amount of cash rolled their way. Usually it was all lost quickly. No one it seemed was allowed to leave the table with money. That all went to the winner of the final round who having eliminated the reserves of the entire table was left standing. Sarah watched the rune throwing with some interest. No one had ever gambled around her before.
One, by one they left the table...Night, Hero, Fire, Sky. Only the Woman, the Wolf, and Gavin the Dragon remained. Gavin paused as he gathered up his runes. The Short squat man laid a hand on his arm. "What say you we raise the stakes?" He nodded towards where Sarah sat. She became aware quickly of if not everyones eyes their interest laying on her.
"What do you have that you intend to offer?" The short man snapped his fingers and held out his hand. Someone in the crowd slipped him a shimmering sack lined with bright silver and rubies. Inside an object brimming with power lay just beyond the light cloth. Sarah stared transfixed. It was as if she could see through the sack and past the hard outer covering. Something inside was alive. Sarah gripped the chair tighter and glanced nervously from Gavin's chiseled glare to the squat man's smug and confident smirk.
"No, I think not." Gavin rubbed his three runes together. "throw." He tossed high his runes and watched them come tumbling down with a bang and a flourish. "Dragon, Woman," Gavin crowed. The squat man was late to the throw his rolled and spun on the table as the other man called out, "Woman alone." Two runes showed blank. The final rune upright showed Wolf. Gavin took his woman rune and slid it towards the squat man, "Woman chokes the wolf--you're done." The squat man cursed. he fumed for a moment then brought the sack back out. What if I were to wager this as buy--in. Gavin looked from the sack back to the man cheery around the eyes but his hand shook with the rage within him. Sarah cursed him with her eyes. "Let's see whats in there."
The Wolf set the bag on the table and turned it upside down letting the contents slide slowly to the table. A rock dark blue with shimmering patterns of forking light crossed over the surface. Sarah felt drawn to it at once, but as she leaned forward something seemed to the push her back and she drew back hidden and forgotten once more.
"Now, shall we?" His face drew twisted with a grin and his body seemed far more reanimated. They cast once more. "Wolf, Dragon, Woman," Gavin announced. "Wolf, Woman," the squat man replied. "Blanks." A pair of you shall produce no future. The squat man slid his woman towards Gavin. He took his share as well as the Woman's share. "Wolf and Dragon." He announced. It would now end very shortly for either player to draw a blank on his rune would not be difficult and victory would be sealed. The both cast Gavin high the squat man low. The squat drew blanks. Gavin's Wolf turned up, his Dragon tumbled down last spinning on one edge then hoping quickly to the other. Down meant defeat, up was a recast. Gavin's hand seemed to quiver with effort as they watched the piece wobble on its side. The squat man's eyes came up and met Gavin's. The piece fell down. Gavin stared across the table his face unreadable, but his eyes. Sarah could always read eyes. Gavin bowed, stood and walked to the stairs. Sarah slipped after him trying to avoid the crowd on the way.
Sarah frowned when she entered the room hesitating by the doorway. "There is only one bed." Wrapped in the corner and clearly made of the softest down feathers it seemed to call her name with promised lush embraces.
"I'll keep watch, I'll have need of very little in the way of rest." Gavin jumped up into the window ledge and shutting it tightly folded up into a sitting position his hands together. Sarah regarded him for a minute and then closing door behind her dragged the mattress to the far side of the room and let it unravel. It was the first bed of any comfort she had slept in for many years. She had chosen a much harder mattress of matted straw at the castle. The feathers seemed to embrace her body like a lovers arms and sleep called her name while curving a seductive finger deep within her mind.

In the darkness a light emerged, but it was blood red and seemed to cloud everything that she could see. A fox appeared dark brown, crafty and hungry, it ran at her and she scurried away from the spot where her eggs were laid. A hand reached out and she went to it beak open hungry and tired. The hand reached forward but as it did so it turned black and out into ashes. While she pranced around the ashes the fox came from behind to her eggs. Sarah awoke with a snap. Daylight had already come and scattered clouds could not fend back the gathering warmth and light. Sarah jumped upright and scrambled to her feet. He had cracked the window and left while she slept. Dashing towards the door Sarah stopped at the silver water basin by the door. Plunging her hands into the cold water she slapped it across her face. Very much awake she glanced into the basin and stopped. For a moment she thought there was some kind of image on the bottom of the basin, but found to her surprise that it was her own reflection. Dirty matted hair clotted with leaves and sticks stuck out angrily in every direction. She glared at herself and found the smudges which surround her eyes wrinkled and cracked. She splashed her face once more trying to rub away the mire which clung stubbornly. It seemed to smear it around and leave dark blotching stains. The hair was no better.
"Come down to breakfast, we'll make you female again later." Sarah jumped to find Gavin standing in the doorway watching her unsuccessful attempts. With a sigh at her appearance and a silent glare at him she followed. Down in the common room the excitement and revelry of last night appeared to have profited most of the participants in drunken hangovers and empty pockets. Stepping over a pair of drunks parked in the doorway they made their way to a table. This mornings breakfast was glop. It was a gooey sickening mixture created from oats, goats milk, and flavored heavily in Paragi a local spice. The innkeeper explained it was a local delicacy with swiftly shifting fingers and the laughter of everyone nearby who heard his description. It's proper name was gechi-ru he grew red when Sarah asked what they really called it. Several voices quickly filled her in--glop. Sarah wasn't sure she wanted to call it anything.
"Why are we here?" Sarah asked stirring her glop around in a circle considering eating it.
Gavin grunted, "place to rest for a night." He frowned at her turning spoon, "eat...it's better hot than cold."
She giggled, "not saying much though is it?" she took a bite completely uncertain what to think of the tangy aftertaste of Paragi. "You don't like people, or villages, and you hate inns so why here today?"
Gavin laughed, "you think you have me figured out do you?" He arched a brow at her, "you may find many things about me in the future, but you cannot know me as well as you seem to think."
Sarah shook her head, "you have many secrets and a brain that is dark and murky," she pointed her spoon at him the glob hanging down off the spoon in a yellow string which bobbed and stretched as she shook it. "But you came here for something besides a bed, which you didn't sleep in, or food which you don't like any better than I do." She tapped the spoon to her bowl the gooey mess catching the edge and dragging the spoon down faster, "you have eaten all yours though haven't you?"