Darkest Before Dawn

Darkest Before Dawn, Chapter Two
See part one for disclaimers and such.
A/N: Apologies for this taking so long to update, I've been having trouble with the site but apparently it's cleared up now. The next part may or may not come sooner, depending on whether my muses want to cooperate or not.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gimli stared hard at the man. "You what?" he said blankly.

"I think I may know where yer friend is," the man repeated. "May."
Gimli felt like he had been hit over the head with an anvil. Cautiously, he responded. "If you have any information about my friend, I beg you tell me now."

The man leaned back a little, crossing his arms across his chest. "What is it worth to ye?" he repeated.

Now Gimli understood--it had taken him awhile to understand what the man was after because his brain was so suddenly clouded with thoughts of Legolas. "If your information helps me to find my friend," he promised, "I will pay your price." Gloin would have been disgusted at his son's lack of attempts to drive a bargain, but this was Legolas they were talking about. Even information was worth any price.

The man scratched the side of his nose. "I want payment in gold," he said flatly. "And another thing," he added, as though something had suddenly occurred to him.

"Name it," Gimli said brusquely, irritated at the delay.

The man pursed his lips, took a swig of his ale. Gimli waited impatiently, boring holes in the man with his eyes. The man fidgeted. "Name it," Gimli said again, sternly.

The man fiddled with his ale mug. "Supposing I had seen yer friend," he mumbled. "Supposing I hadn't seen him in what you'd call the best of circumstances. You wouldn't take it out on an old soul like me, would ya, if you thought I shoulda helped him and I didn't."

Gimli felt himself grow hot. "If you've brought any harm to my friend then-"

"Now you promise you're not going to hurt old Billy, or the deal is off."

Gimli gripped the edges of the table hard. He forced himself to take deep breaths. "How about this deal, then," he said mildly. "If you do not tell me everything you know, right now, I will be forced to mar my friend's wedding day with your blood. If you tell me, though, I may be persuaded to give you a head start away from this place. Do not, however, think you can escape from this table if I do not permit you to leave."

Billy paled. He seemed on the verge of telling Gimli, but then he squared his shoulders. "If you kill me for not tellin' you then you still don't know what I do," he said grimly. "It's no use to either of us. Kill me now and you may never know." His words were tough, but his voice was shaking.

Gimli felt anger boiling up in him that this pitiful creature might have harmed Legolas, might have seen harm coming to the elf and not offered aide. "You will have the gold," he said evenly, "and one day's grace. After that day I may consider you fair game--depending on what you have to tell me."

The man scratched the side of his nose. "An' if I don't accept?"

"Then I kill you, now."

The man continued scratching. "Sounds fair," he finally said. "I'll take it."

"Good," Gimli said grimly. He reached into his money pouch and produced enough gold pieces to make the man's eyes widen, laying them on the table. "Twice that when you've done speaking. And you'd best tell me everything."

The man reached out his hand for the gold, but Gimli stayed his motion with a shake of his head. "Talk, now."

"Right." The man leaned forwards conspiratorially, lowering his voice. "There's a town 'bout sixty miles north and west of here in thnlannlands what they call Herthdale. You go there, and you find yourself an inn called the Cat and Cheese. Then you ask abouts the inn for a man by the name of Chezner. Got it so far?" Gimli nodded urgently. "Right then. What you do with Chezner, is you tell him this--gotta remember the exact wording, now. You tell him you got a buddy who said he had new wares from Berkand and that you'd like to take a look at 'em."

"Where on earth is Berkand?" Gimli asked.

The man grinned, revealing teeth in various stages of rotting. "Ain't no such place. It's a code name. You tell him that and follow his lead, and I reckon you'll see your friend before too long."

"Now wait just a minute," Gimli said ominously. "That isn't the deal. You tell me everything, not just enough to send me off half-blind. What is 'Berkand' code for? And what makes you think I'll find my friend in this Herthdale?"

Billy regarded him evenly. "No tricks, now. You give me the gold and one day to get away."

"On my honor," Gimli said grimly. "Tell me what you know."

"Chezner owns the local brothel," the man said bluntly. "Finest whores in Dunland. But he runs a business on the side for folks as wants a little pep in their bed partner--maybe folks who want a partner that ain't willing, if you know my meaning. He's been bragging about ketching himself an Elf during the War. I seen him--blond as they come."

TBC

A/N: My apologies for this being such a short chapter. I am at a loss as to what happens next; I know how I want it to end but not how to get there. I don't usually do this but if this has sparked your interest and you have some suggestions for story content I would like to hear them. Let me know on review here or write directly to eyethatblinks@yahoo.com. ~