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After Earth Went Dark; Part II Chapter 8
It didn't take Tyr more than a few minutes to gut Elliot's kill. He hung it from a tree branch to let the remaining blood drain out before they carried the carcass back to camp. Elliot still had blood on his hands, literally, and Tyr was covered up to his elbows. Tyr located a small, quickly running stream. It never ceased to amaze Elliot how easily Tyr found himself at home in the wilderness. It seemed like he could locate water sources anywhere he went, and the idea of Tyr ever becoming lost was almost laughable.
The two quickly cleaned off in the cool water. Tyr pulled his shirt over his head to clean some of the blood off that had managed to drip onto him.
"Very soon it will not be warm enough to do this anymore." Tyr remarked as he rung the shirt out. "It's going to be a hard winter."
"How can you tell?" Elliot asked, trying not to become distracted looking at Tyr shirtless and kneeling by the stream.
Tyr pointed up to the sky that was visible in large patches through the canopy. "What do you see?"
Puzzled, Elliot examined the unbroken swath of blue overhead. Eventually he shrugged. "Nothing."
"Exactly." Tyr stated. "No clouds. Very little rain this summer." He pointed to a demarcation close by the stream where the grass suddenly looked fresher. "This is usually wider. No clouds suggests high pressure. That will cause the winter to get colder faster."
Elliot found himself wondering how someone as immaculately handsome as Tyr managed to also be so smart. The experience with the deer had left him emotionally drained and seeking comfort. Tyr stood and was about to pull his wet shirt back over his head, but Elliot tugged on it gently, stopping him.
Looking down at him, it was obvious Tyr could tell exactly what Elliot wanted. Slowly, Tyr reached out and pulled him in close.
"You did well today." Tyr told him quietly and stroked his back. Elliot said nothing. He hung on to Tyr tightly. Eventually he allowed his hands to roam upward, feeling their way up Tyr's back and grabbing his muscular shoulders.
"There's no bed or anything." Tyr reminded. "It might not be as comfortable."
Elliot shook his head, still keeping a tight grasp on his protector. "No..." He said quietly. "I think I want to try... something different." Only then did he look up into Tyr's eyes.
Tyr met his gaze questioningly but said nothing. Elliot's heart was pounding as he felt his way down Tyr's chest to the front of his pants. He undid them and pulled them open, gently feeling the bulge underneath. Tyr shut his eyes briefly and sighed in contentment.
Just as he had accidentally seen Marcel do in the woods, Elliot slowly sank down to his knees in front of Tyr. Jay's guidance spun around in his head.
As soon as he dropped down Tyr frowned in surprise. "Elliot you don't need to..."
Elliot shook his head and tugged gently at Tyr's pants. "I want to." He said just above a whisper. It was the truth, but that didn't prevent him from feeling incredibly nervous.
When Elliot finally pulled it out, it looked even bigger than he remembered. As it hardened fully to his touch Elliot guessed that it must be nearly twice the size of his own. Tyr grunted softly as Elliot tentatively ran his fingers along the length.
"Are you sure?" Tyr asked uncertainly. Elliot nodded. Now that it was right in front of his face, the thing he was about to do seemed more alluring than anything in his life.
He began the rhythmic motion of his hand first, slowly, and was rewarded by a soft exhale from Tyr that told him he was on the right track. But now the moment was at hand. Elliot knew what came next and closed his eyes to gather his nerves. Quickly he leaned in and kissed the tip.
And nothing happened. What had he expected to happen? He didn't know. Maybe Tyr finishing then and there? Maybe some sort of magical jolt through his body? Or at least some foreign taste. To Elliot's surprise, it felt almost no different than the times he had kissed Tyr on the cheek or anywhere else. His mind reasoned that this was just another part of Tyr's body and there was no reason for it to feel different.
Emboldened by this discovery, Elliot's curiosity kicked in. Coming forward, he kissed it again, and this time held it for longer.
"Mm..." Tyr's hand drifted down to gently massage his cheek and Elliot looked up to see the handsome face gazing back at him.
He wondered if he was moving too slowly. Giving it another kiss, he experimentally licked the tip and was intrigued to feel it pulse under his tongue. Feeling impulsive, he planted several quick kisses along the length of it down almost to the base. He then looked up at Tyr, put his tongue out, and in one long motion licked all the way to the tip.
Elliot could feel Tyr shudder at the knees and was amazed at how much it turned him on. Knowing that he had this kind of power of the single most powerful person he had ever known was... intense. He gave Tyr a sultry look and repeated the motion, drawing a long sigh of pleasure from the usually stoic figure.
It was, Elliot decided, time to pick up the pace. He began to lick around the tip more earnestly as his trepidation faded and teenage instinct began to take over. Tyr gasped several times and ran his hand through Elliot's long hair, pulling on it ever so gently.
"Fuck..." Tyr swore quietly when Elliot finally put the very tip of it into his mouth. Instinctively he swirled his tongue around the tip. He was again surprised to find that it did not taste particularly strange, or really like anything at all.
Continuing to work it gently with his hand, he began to use his lips and tongue on the tip. Jay had given him vague instructions which at the time had seemed almost absurd. Now however, it only felt natural. And Tyr responded by pushing forward slightly.
Elliot found himself becoming hypnotized by the repetitive erotic action he was performing and became more ambitious. He let more of it into his mouth and continued to make good use of his tongue. As he tried to take even more of it however, he felt it hit the back of his throat and he gagged a little. A strange feeling of disappointment came over him as he realized he had managed to take in less than half of the impressive length.
As Elliot pulled back off of it, Tyr placed both hands softly on the back of Elliot's head and applied gently pressure. Obediently, Elliot went back down, taking in as much as he could until his gag reflex kicked in. This time however, he tried to hold it there for a few seconds. Realizing however, that there was no way he would be able to take the whole thing, at least not on his first try, Elliot pulled off entirely and went back to licking all the way from the base to the tip.
He wasn't sure why, but a part of him felt that he needed to pay equal attention to every part of it, and if he continued to suck only at the very tip then he wouldn't be doing a good job. With that in mind, he began to use his tongue all around it. To his surprise, Elliot found that he was really enjoying what he was doing. When Jay had first described it to him, it sounded like something that he would only do because he wanted Tyr to be happy. Something about the feeling of being on his knees in front of this powerful man and satisfying his needs though made Elliot feel almost lightheaded.
The quiet noises of pleasure from Tyr, encouraged him. Elliot took his hand away and braced himself against Tyr's muscular thighs with both hands as Tyr began to thrust gently into his mouth. He could feel the strong hands on the back of his head, gripping his hair tightly. But he also could tell that Tyr was holding himself back still. His thrusts were shallow and gently, even though Elliot could almost sense the tension inside him begging to be more aggressive. The very thought of what a more aggressive Tyr might look like, might feel like, almost brought Elliot to climax then and there.
"Fuck..." Tyr whispered again, and his pace quickened a bit. Elliot could tell he was getting close and began to try swirling his tongue around every single time Tyr thrust into his mouth. Finally, Tyr thrust one final time then tried to pull out. Jay had told Elliot about this and Elliot kept his hands on Tyr's thighs and kept his lips wrapped firmly around Tyr's length as he felt it pulse in his mouth.
The feeling of Tyr shooting inside his mouth drove Elliot wild. Able to contain it no longer, he reached down between his legs and with two quick rubs of the front of his pants, finished himself off as well. A wet stain formed in the front of his pants as Tyr continued to fill his mouth.
Jay had told him that if he wanted to impress Tyr, he would swallow. When he had heard that, Elliot had been unsure. But as he felt it in his mouth, he found that he didn't have much choice. It continued to shoot out of Tyr and almost instinctively Elliot began to swallow as his mouth was completely filled twice.
As he felt Tyr finally slowing, only then did Elliot pull back. Some of it dribbled down from the corner of his mouth and without really thinking about it he licked it back up, panting to catch his breath. He could see that Tyr's chest was heaving also.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Tyr asked breathlessly.
Elliot smiled shyly up at him. "Well... Jay told me what I should do... Was it good?"
Tyr pulled him up to his feet. "It was amazing." He kissed Elliot deeply and Elliot melted into his strong arms.
The two sat back against a tree, coming down from their high together. Tyr held Elliot close as they listened to the birds in the trees and the wind through their branches. In that moment, everything seemed just right.
Some time later they returned to camp with Tyr carrying the large deer that Elliot had brought down. The group ate well that afternoon and Tyr had time to provide some training as well.
Dusk was beginning to fall, and Tyr was instructing a small group in the use of their makeshift weapons. His techniques were swift and brutal, designed to kill or maim as quickly and cheaply as possible. Elliot watched closely even though he was already familiar with most of what the group was rehearsing. Mostly he just enjoyed looking at Tyr.
Suddenly, Tyr stopped in mid-sentence and cocked his head to one side. The group floundered in the middle of their patterns and waited curiously.
"Put the fire out!" Tyr yelled suddenly, startling the expectant fighters. Quickly, Tyr wound his way through the disorganized huddle and snatched up the bucked of water near the fire. He dumped it on the crackling flames and stamped out the remaining embers as a plume of smoke went up.
Elliot had been watching in somewhat alarmed curiosity. Tyr never reacted this way unless something serious was afoot. As he watched however, he gradually became aware of some kind of buzzing or humming sound in the distance.
Tyr motioned for Marcel and Ida to follow him and made his way crouched low into the woods in the direction of the road.
"Everyone stay here." Marcel instructed as calmly as he could before following after Ida.
Elliot looked around the camp, judging if anyone was looking his way, before quietly melting back into the woods and swinging around wide to follow the three of them.
As he trailed them, the sound grew from a quiet buzz to a rumble that Elliot recognized. It was the sound of an engine. Wait... not an engine, several engines, all roaring at slightly different pitches as they came closer. He found Tyr, Marcel, and Ida crouched just inside the tree line, waiting and watching.
"What are you doing?" Tyr demanded in a fierce whisper. Elliot should have known it was pointless to try to sneak up on him. "Never mind, just stay in cover." He ordered.
Something whizzed by on the road so fast that Elliot could barely track it. It was followed by several more, zipping down the road at high speed. It took Elliot a moment to register that they were motorcycles. Nearly a dozen of them flew by only a few yards from their hiding spot.
The vehicles themselves were far from the pristine black and chrome motorcycle that Hermod had rode on. Elliot briefly wondered what had happened to that. These ones looked like they were cobbled together from spare parts causing them all to be different shapes and sizes, some with sheet metal jutting out at odd angles. Thick black smoke rose from their roaring exhaust.
The riders matched their motorcycles in that they did not match at all. They wore raged leathers and padding that may have once been sporting gear. Much of their attire had metal studs or spikes fixed to it. Some of them even had what looked like bones decorating their clothing. They all had helmets or masks that made their faces undiscernible. Furthermore, each rider was heavily armed with an array of weapons. Many of them were obviously homemade from scavenged handles fitted with crudely sharpened blades or heavy bludgeons.
It took only a few seconds for the riders to pass them by, but Tyr held up his hand for silence for almost a full minute as the sound of their vehicles faded into the distance. When he finally let his arm fall, Elliot exhaled the breath he didn't know he had been holding.
"Who was that?" Marcel asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Trouble." Tyr replied simply. "Probably friends of this Killian character. Just as well to keep clear of them."
"Why?" Marcel asked with a frown. "You said you did not think they would harm us."
Tyr shook his head. "I said once we we're in town I don't think they will bother. Out here on the road we're and easy target. Besides, regular soldiers don't get motorcycles. Those are likely a special patrol of some kind."
"Do you think they were looking for us?" Ida asked with some concern.
Shaking his head again, Tyr began to head back toward the camp. "No. If they were then they would have seen the smoke from the fire. They were obviously in a hurry somewhere and not interested in searching the woods."
Elliot hoped Tyr was right. Men like that were not the kind he would want to wake up to find standing over him at night. The camp lay in confused and frightened silence when the four of them returned. Marcel assured them that it had just been a passing group that would not be returning, and Tyr gave the go-ahead to start the fire again.
As darkness properly set in, the camp took on a lively atmosphere, with small groups near the fire practiced what Tyr had been teaching them. There was nothing quite like a good scare to motivate people into working. Even just the sound of the motorcycles passing had been enough to encourage most of the group to put off sleeping for an extra hour or two.
Elliot noticed that, although he had encouraged the group to relax, Tyr remained on high alert. He could tell by the way Tyr's head rarely stopped moving for more than a few seconds, constantly scanning the area. It was also evident in the fact that Tyr took regular short walks around the campsite, occasionally disappearing into the woods only to reappear a short time later in a different spot. Most would not have noticed this behavior since Tyr was a man of odd habits at the best of times, but Elliot was beginning to be able to recognize strategic maneuvers when he saw them in action.
Tyr didn't seem overtly worried, just cautious, and Elliot supposed that should make him feel even safer. For some reason however, it did not. As the fire began to die, Elliot could swear that he felt eyes on him from the darkness of the forest. When he finally got to sleep, he was tormented by horrible nightmares.
He found himself lost in the woods, back in time all those months ago, being chased by those men. Men from the same group that had killed his father. Now however, they wore helmets and masks like the motorcycle riders had. All of them were twisted into malicious smiling faces. Elliot knew they would catch him. They always caught him. But this time there was no Tyr to save him. And since his chat with Jay he knew all the things these men had in store for him. The rough hand around the waistband of his pants felt so real and he jolted awake in terror.
Tyr was there. Like a guardian angel, kneeling beside him. The sky was a dark blue-purple color in the hours where the sun is fighting for its return. Tyr leaned in and put a hand to his shoulder.
"You're alright." He assured. The dream must have been so intense that it had been visibly disturbing his sleep.
Elliot tried to speak, to thank Tyr for being there for him, but he was suddenly so tired. His eyes were heavy and all he could do was offer a weak smile. The relief of seeing the kind stoic face looking down on him sent a feeling of calm washing through his whole body that was impossible to resist. He felt Tyr's hand gentle on his cheek before he drifted off, soundly this time.
"Now then, my friends!" Marcel stood atop the wagon once more. "Our time has come sooner than we thought!" His voice carried clearly through the early morning air. "We are entering the territory of a very evil man, who cruelly calls all these lands and people his. It is men like this, like those that fought against us already, that are the reason this lighthearted legion was started in the first place." Marcel took one of his long dramatic pauses. "We will be liberating this land and giving it back to the people!"
There were several cheers, but it was hardly unanimous. Jim stepped up closer. "You know we're with you. But there's not so many of us. Maybe we should recruit more first? This seems like a tall order." Elliot could hear murmurings of agreement from the crowd.
Marcel smiled down at them. "Ah, but you see that is the beauty of it. We will be recruiting from within. You are right of course. We are too small to fight them in the open, but we will be at war, nonetheless. Fortunately, we already have a very convenient disguise. Ladies and gentlemen, the Traveling Theater is back in business!"
Now that the people were beginning to see what Marcel was driving at, their support was more enthusiastic. Already Elliot saw mischievous grins spreading through the group.
"We will be under cover, and we will bring down these brutes from their foundation!" Marcel continued on to describe what he, Tyr, and Ida had discussed the other day about subversion tactics and subtlety. "It will take time." Marcel told them. "But if we are truly committed to this goal, now is our chance to make a real difference."
There were multiple affirmative nods throughout the group and some scattered mumbled conversations, but Marcel held up a hand for silence.
"There will be danger involved." He said soberly. "Tyr has told me that if they discover what we are doing, they will certainly try to stop us. Nonetheless, this is the new path of the Traveling Theater. I've never forced any of you to follow me, and I will not start now. We move into town at midday. Those of you that are coming should be prepared by then."
As Elliot expected, not a single person broke off from the group. For better or worse, they were committed. Midday rolled around quickly, and they all stowed their weapons in the wagon so as not to arouse suspicion. Tyr kept ahold of his boot knives but surrendered the rest of his arsenal.
This new town was much bigger but felt eerily similar to where the group had been attacked. The streets were only sparsely populated, and many of the buildings were boarded up. Elliot began to get deja-vous as a group of four rough-looking armed men stopped them on their way down the street.
"What's your business here?" One of the men grumbled. His manner was a bit different than the man who had confronted them in the previous town; less aggressive and more bored and annoyed.
Marcel enthusiastically explained the purpose of the Traveling Theater. Of course, leaving out the bit about attempting to overthrow a hostile regime.
The man looked at his companions and snorted a laugh. "Cheer, huh? Good luck with that. It don't matter what you do, but everyone that comes through here pays tribute to Killian. One way or the other." A wicked grin spread across his greasy face as he cast a lecherous look toward Ida, who stared daggers right back at him.
"Of course, my good man!" Marcel said cheerily. He held out a small sack, and the man took it and stuck a hand in, pulling out a handful of ammunition. "That is all we have, but we can also offer you a portion of our daily hunts while we're staying in your lovely town."
The man grunted, seeming almost disappointed, but took the sack and nodded before he and his companions trudged out of their path.
"We're giving them ammo!?" Elliot whispered incredulously to Tyr.
"Hush." Tyr warned, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. "They're an uncommon caliber. Unlikely they have anything that will fit it here. And if they do, you can leave them to me."
Elliot smiled at that. Now that he thought about it, if he had to choose sides between Tyr with a knife and any three others with guns, he would still pick Tyr every time.
The group found an old parking lot near the center of town that they claimed for their base of operations during their stay. Marcel had some of the members post up fliers advertising for their show that evening.
Elliot saw Tyr and Ida talking in low voices by the carriage. He felt a flare of irritation when Ida put her hand on Tyr's upper arm and Tyr made no move to stop her. Tyr had assured him there was no interest between the two of them, but that did not prevent Elliot from feeling a bit protective. After all, Ida was closer to Tyr's age and she was, if he was being honest, very beautiful. That thought caused him to wonder what exactly Tyr saw in him that Ida wasn't better at. She was tall and graceful, and her hair was long and silky. Elliot thought as he ran his hand through his own that by comparison it was shaggy and unkempt.
"What were you two talking about?" Elliot asked Tyr when the conversation broke up.
Tyr gave him a curious look. "Plans for this town. Eavesdropping?"
Elliot blushed and shook his head. "No, I..."
"I think that Marcel has a job for you." Tyr gave him a half-smile and ruffled his hair gently as he passed by. "Wouldn't want to keep him waiting."
Elliot scowled at Tyr's back. He knew Tyr had promised him there was no reason to be worried, but there were times when he wished their relationship was more public so that Ida would know for sure that Tyr was not hers. He shook his head trying to clear it of the unwelcome worries and began to look for Marcel.
"Ah, good, Elliot." Marcel waved him over when he saw him approach. Jay was there as well. "I have a task for the two of you that I think you will be perfect for. What do you say?"
"Well actually," Elliot began. "I was just about to practice my..."
"Excellent!" Marcel carried on with a grin. "You two are the youngest members of our little group, so I want you to try to find the places where the young people hang out. It's a large town, so there is bound to be some around, and they might be more willing to hear about our mission than others."
"You want us to try to recruit?" Jay asked.
Marcel shook his head. "No, no. Not yet. I want you to find the spots, and maybe talk to some of them. Invite them to the show tonight. See what they think about Killian and his men."
Elliot frowned. He didn't know how he felt about this task. Talking to strangers had never been one of his strongest suits. Starting conversations with people around his own age that could possibly turn him in to those brute-like men seemed terrifying.
"Consider it done!" Jay agreed enthusiastically, and placed a hand on Elliot's shoulder, roping him into the deal.
Looking seriously at Jay first then at Elliot, Marcel's tone turned more somber. "Be careful out there. They know we're here so they shouldn't give you trouble. But if you ever feel like you're not safe you come back here immediately, do you understand?"
Jay nodded in agreement before motioning for Elliot to follow. They collected some easily concealed weapons from the wagon to take with them just in case.
"So..." Elliot started as they began to wander the streets. "What are we looking for exactly?"
Jay shrugged. "Usually in bigger towns there's a place or two where the local kids and younger people kinda hang out. Sometimes it's an old playground or a spot by a river. Anything where people won't really bother them."
"Why are we looking for kids?" Elliot wondered aloud.
"Just like Marcel said, they'll probably be more open to joining up with us, just like you were. They probably hate the people running the town more than anyone."
Elliot said nothing. He supposed that was probably true. Most of the Traveling Theater was comprised of younger people who had nowhere else to go or just wanted more adventure in their lives.
"So, while you were out hunting..." Jay gave Elliot a mischievous look. "Anything fun happen?"
Elliot looked at his friend and sighed. "Is it that obvious?"
Laughing loudly, Jay jostled Elliot with his shoulder. "Probably not. But Tyr wouldn't stop looking at you for the rest of the night."
"Really?" Elliot had not noticed that. It made him feel much better about seeing Tyr with Ida earlier.
Jay nodded. "Whatever it was must have been good." He smirked.
With a blush, Elliot shrugged. "I might have... tried some of the stuff we talked about..." He fumbled out in embarrassment.
Jay's grin widened. "I knew it. What did you do?" He stopped himself. "Wait, don't tell me. Was it good though?"
Hesitating, Elliot nodded. "Very."
"Well you're welcome." Jay chuckled. "I'm sure he'll be coming back for more anytime."
That was a welcome thought indeed. Despite the embarrassment evident on his flushed cheeks, Elliot had to grin conspiratorially.
"Let's check out behind these buildings." Jay suggested. "Sometimes people will hang out off the street instead."
Just as Jay predicted, around behind the main stretch of abandoned businesses there were two flights of back stairs that faced each other and created a small alcove. Hanging around on the steps sharing a single cigarette were four boys a little bit older than Jay. Elliot guessed that they were probably in their late teens.
Although the small group did not look overtly hostile, they certainly did not seem welcoming as the two strangers approached. Elliot unconsciously fell in a little behind Jay. He did not know where Jay's confidence came from, but it was definitely impressive.
The boys barely looked up at them as they neared the stairwell. Jay flashed an amiable smile to the boy who looked like he was probably the oldest.
"Wouldn't happen to have any more of those, would you?" Jay asked, nodding at the nearly spent cigarette being passed around.
The oldest boy frowned down at him. He had a good two inches of height on Jay. "They don't come cheap." Elliot could tell that the boy was purposefully trying to sound intimidating.
Jay shrugged and pulled out a small pouch. Opening it up, he pulled out a long rectangular brick that brought back memories for Elliot. It was covered in a shiny wrapping. With a twist of his wrist and an audible crack, Jay broke the brick in two and took the larger half out of the wrapper. It was a chocolate bar.
Elliot's eyes widened when he saw it. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten chocolate. Even the sight of it made his mouth begin to water.
The older boy seemed impressed as well, as did his friends who drew in for a closer look. Jay put the rest away and held up the half of the treat as an offering. The tall boy produced another cigarette from inside his thin jacket and Jay accepted the trade.
Elliot was glad to see that the boy immediately broke up the half chocolate bar into four pieces and doled them out to his friends. Despite his intimidating aura, he couldn't be all bad.
"Got a light?" Jay asked, and the boy tossed him a book of matches. Elliot watched as Jay expertly lit the cigarette in his mouth while shielding the match against the gentle breeze. It was obviously a practiced action.
"Kind of a shitty town." Jay remarked, leaning against the stairwell.
The boy seemed about to argue but then gave a low chuckle and shrugged. "That's fair. I hear most towns are shitty these days."
Jay took a long drag of the cigarette then offered it to Elliot. Elliot frowned and shook his head. The smell of it quickly dispelled any curiosity he might have had.
"What's the matter, your friend never smoked?" One of the other slightly younger boys piped up.
"Oh, he's not my friend." Jay replied. This immediately caused a sting of hurt for Elliot, who had definitely considered the two of them friends. Jay's next words confused him though. "He's my bodyguard."
This got a round of laughs from the boys on the stairs and made Elliot's face go red.
"He doesn't look much good in a fight." One of the boys laughed.
"Are you kidding?" Jay replied incredulously. "This kid can kill a man from twenty yards before he has time to blink." He leaned in and half whispered. "I've seen him do it."
The older boy scoffed. "Yeah, right. He looks more like he'd wet himself first."
Elliot, who had begun to slowly understand what Jay might be getting at, let his hand fall to his belt, where the dagger Tyr had given him lay concealed.
Jay shrugged before turning to Elliot. "Go on, show them."
Throwing a knife from the belt was not usually as accurate as taking the time to line up the throw, but it offered the element of surprise, and furthermore Elliot found, it looked really really cool. With enough practice, one could usually get a relatively precise throw. Elliot quickly found a target with his peripherals. A wooden pallet leaning against a wall about twenty feet away. It wasn't as far as Jay had boasted, but he hoped it would do the trick.
The boys had already begun to chuckle amongst themselves, thinking this was all some sort of joke to make Elliot look foolish. Suddenly, Elliot whipped around and launched the heretofore unseen knife at lightning speed toward the pallet. With a loud thwack it sunk into the wood almost two inches.
The laughter stopped. Jay continued to take casual drags off his cigarette as if nothing had happened.
"Holy shit." One of the boys finally remarked, bringing a smug grin to Elliot's face that he tried to hide. He retrieved the blade from the pallet.
"That's just the beginning." Jay said with a chuckle. "He usually caries five of them."
"And you've... killed people with those?" The oldest boy asked in something resembling awe.
Elliot didn't want to lie, so Jay gladly did it for him. "It's part of traveling these days. Sometimes you've gotta do things you don't want to do. Like deal with those obnoxious shits running this town."
The boys laughed nervously at this and Elliot was worried that Jay might have overplayed his hand.
"Yeah." The tall one agreed eventually. "Things here were better before them."
"Well," Jay finished his cigarette and flicked the butt over his shoulder. "We've gotta get back." He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the artistic hand-drawn fliers that the Traveling Theater used. "Come out tonight and you'll get to see that." He hitched his thumb at Elliot. "And you'll get to see the guy that taught him. He's basically a god of war or something."
Jay bid farewell to the small group before leading Elliot back the way they had come. When there were out of sight and earshot he turned to Elliot with a broad grin.
"That was amazing!" He told him, clapping him on the shoulder. "You just shot it right from the hip, they didn't even see it coming!"
Elliot beamed at the high praise. "Do you think they will come?"
"Oh, they'll come." Jay assured. "And I bet tomorrow's rations that they bring friends too."
"They don't seem to like Killian's men too much either." Elliot said thoughtfully.
"No, they do not." Jay emphatically agreed. "I think Marcel was right, this place is practically a tinderbox." He gave Elliot a cheeky grin. "Just waiting for a spark."