Dustland Requiem (A Bard's Folktale)

  * * *

  A small hand shook him, but wasn’t worth getting up for. He waited it out, and the hand eventually stopped, allowing him to fall back asleep. A moment later, the hard sting of a crutch hit his spine. He forced his weary eyes open; Lorena stood before him.

  “Glad yer back.”

  She hobbled to his bedside, inviting herself onto it. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, squeezing as if he might never return. Adelais struggled to break her grip, the tightness of her embrace hurting his gut.

  “Oh, yer stomach. Sorry.”

  Now awake, Adelais had a moment to look around. He looked to Siggy’s bed, empty, and then to the empty bed Alma had been resting in as his eyes came to meet Lorena’s.

  “Who’s Alma?”

  “Oh, my cousin.”

  “Yer cousin.” As they spoke, Adelais could see the reservation in Lorena’s eyes. He took a deep breath before asking. “He here too?”

  Lorena looked away before answering. “He’s upstairs. Been comin’ an’ goin’.”

  Adelais took to his feet, brushing Lorena aside. She hobbled up, grabbed him by the shoulder and, using his injured gut against him, forced him back down. She took a seat beside him.

  “You’ve been runnin’ yourself ragged fer days. You ain’t in any shape ta’ fight. We can deal with Jake soon enough, but ya’ ain’t goin’ anywhere right now.”

  “We wait too long, Lore, an’ there won’t be a soon ‘nough to deal with.”

  Lorena leaned back on her hands, cocking an eyebrow. She looked at Adelais, then around the room. Her gaze lingered on the bed full of trinkets before bringing herself back to him.

  “Ade, I know how much trouble he is. Ya’ know I do. But there’s a lot more goin’ on than normal. Maybe best we wait and sort things out fer once. Figure out some kinda plan.”

  “And how do we do that, Lore? Only one ever good at that is rottin’ dead in his hole.”

  The hurt in Lorena’s eyes silenced him. He hesitated, gruffly patting her on the back and giving her a minute to recompose herself.

  “’Tween Kody, Alma, and Jake—like ‘im or not”—Lorena turned to Adelais—“we could probably put somethin’ decent together.”

  “Soon as Jake gets involved, all we’re puttin’ together is our own funeral.”

  “Just this once, Ade, listen to me without fightin’, ‘kay? We’re both tired, and I don’t have it in me ta’ go back and forth with ya’. Ya’ have such an issue with Jake, work it out with him straight. Then we can talk.”

  Lorena grabbed her crutches, helped herself up, and headed back upstairs. Adelais checked around his bed, looking for some kind of weapon. Unable to find any, he turned his attention to the thud of heavy boots hitting the stairs and waited as Jake approached.

  “Lookin’ for your sharpies?” Jake smirked, holding out a knife.

  “An’ here comes the bullshit.”

  Jake raised his hands. “Hey, wasn’t my plan to be here. I hate here.”

  “So leave.”

  “Will soon as I can, believe that. And I’m sorry to hear about little man. Not sure what kinda brain damage made you think goin’ after the Romeros was a good idea—I mean, seems obvious at least one of ya’ would get popped tryin’ to pull that off—but I hope you ain’t plannin’ anything like that again.”

  Adelais picked up a nearby chair and threw it at Jake’s head. Jake narrowly dodged the chair, watching it splinter as it crashed into the wall. The debris hit him in various places, a piece catching underneath his boot, causing him to slip and fall onto the floor. Adelais stomped over, dropping his knee into Jake’s chest.

  “I’ma say this slow so yer dumb ass don’t miss a word. We. Ain’t. Friends. This entire goddamn mess is yer fault. Lore is the only reason I ain’t killed yer ass yet, and that don’t mean I ain’t gonna change my mind. So shut your fuckin’ mouth ‘bout the things ya’ don’t understand.”

  “Get off my brother, big man!” Alma shouted from the top of the stairs. She ran down the steps, pushing Adelais off Jake and helping her brother up. Jake cracked a provocative grin at Adelais, kicking Adelais off himself as he got free. Adelais, regaining his footing, lunged for Jake. His fingers made contact with Jake’s shirt as he fled upstairs, but Adelais couldn’t get a grip with Alma jumping in his way. He snorted, grabbing Alma by her shoulders.

  “Get outta my way!”

  “Adelais, enough!”

  Lorena watched from the top of the stairs, letting Jake through. “Let her go, now.” Lorena spoke slowly, through gritted teeth. The two stared each other down, Alma taking the opportunity to break Adelais’s grip and free herself, heading back upstairs. The man himself remained on the stairs.

  “Get rid of him, Lore. ‘Less ya’ want him puttin’ more blood on yer hands.” Adelais threatened. Lorena crutched her way to the head of stairs, shaking her head.

  “Get outta my house Ade,” she muttered. She moved aside, making way Adelais. He remained on the stairs, staring up at her. She raised her voice.

  “What, ya’ deaf now? If you’re gonna start beatin’ up on women and tryin’ to run my house, then yer no better than a bandito. I want ya’ outta my home, now.”

  “Lore, I’ve lived—”

  Perrito came to his lady’s defense, bearing his fangs at Adelais. Jake and Alma lined up behind Lorena, staring down at him. He slammed his fist into the side of the stairwell. He tore his hand away from the wall, the wood bloody and splintered, and stomped his way up the stairs and through the bar.

  Heading out through the kitchen into the early evening, he passed Kody, who stood gazing beyond the back porch. Adelais stopped in front of his truck.

  “Goddamnit…I ain’t Sig. I can’t get all touchy-feely. Second I do, the banditos’ll kill us all.” Adelais pulled something from the pickup and turned back, looking to Kody. He approached the urban cowboy. Standing in front of Kody, he held out a goldenrod flower.

  “Uh…thanks Adelais, but I don’t really think about you—”

  “Shut up, smart ass. It’s fer Lore. Ya’ been workin’ with me long enough ta’ know we can’t fuck around out here. We sit back thinkin’ everything’s all right, the people should be livin’ get killed. Ya’ wanna be part a’ the family, then it’s time ya’ earn yer place. Make sure she stays safe ‘til I get back.”

  Kody nodded, taking the flower. Adelais climbed into his dirty red pickup, and looked over the hand-drawn map resting in the passenger seat. He looked over the few places that took in vagrants, and examined the route to the Hacienda. Slamming the truck into overdrive, he took off into the night.