“No.” Benji shrugged again. “I figured if he really had a prince, it’d be more of a political statement to capture him instead.”
Loth took a step back.
“You can’t,” Calarian said. “He’s part of my quest.” He clapped Benji on the shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re living in the Swamp of Death. That’s so hardcore.”
“It’s pretty great,” Benji said. “I don’t have to talk to people. I can just work on my manifesto in peace.”
Grub swayed alarmingly in the saddle.
“Excuse me,” Loth said. “Calarian? I think Grub’s about to pass out again.”
“Right!” Calarian widened his eyes. “We really need to get out of this swamp gas, Benji. How do you, you know, not die?”
“My house is built on a pit full of charcoal,” Benji said. “It’s also built out of charcoal. And all my furniture is charcoal. Oh, plus I paid a witch to perform a spell of purification around the house, but I think she was talking a lot of bullshit, so I mostly rely on the charcoal.”
Well, that explained why he dressed entirely in black.
Benji eyed the group again. “Whichever one of you is the prince, don’t think you’re getting any special treatment. I despise your system of government, and when the revolution comes, you’ll be first against the wall.” Calarian elbowed him in the ribs. “But since you’re part of Cal’s quest, I suppose for now you can come with me.”
Loth took a cautious step forward. “I have no intention of standing in the way of your revolution, I promise. But if we don’t get out of this gas, my young companion won’t be alive to see it.”
Grub made a noise of protest, but it was overshadowed by him sliding right out of the saddle, forcing Loth to catch him before he hit the ground.
Again.
Benji’s house was indeed made entirely out of charcoal. It was a squat little cottage that had been built on a small piece of raised land within the Swamp of Death. Half-dead trees surrounded it, with wreaths of grey moss hanging from their branches. The cottage was only two rooms. One was filled with charcoal-smudged books, and one was Benji’s bedroom. He had, for very practical reasons, an outdoor kitchen.
The cottage wasn’t as cold as the swamp outside, but it wasn’t a lot better either since there were no open flames allowed. Jars full of fireflies, which gave the light a flickering, ethereal quality, illuminated the interior. Benji huffed and grumbled as he dug through his things, eventually dragging a few grubby blankets out of a trunk and thrusting them in the party’s direction. His angry expression softened slightly as it fell on a very woozy Grub.
“I’ll get him some water,” he said. “And a charcoal tablet.”
“He could probably just nibble on your bookshelf or something,” Calarian suggested. He narrowed his eyes at Benji. “Oh, where’s Scott, by the way? The human you abducted?”
“Tied up around the back,” Benji said. “He was covered in shit. I wasn’t going to let him inside my house.”
Dave and Pie went to see to Scott, Pie trilling as he perched on Dave’s shoulder.
“Please don’t let your dragon burn down my house!” Benji yelled after them.
For all that Benji was an antisocial arsehole, he put on a decent spread for dinner. Even Grub, once he’d had his water and his charcoal tablet, rallied enough to enjoy the food that Benji cooked on the outside grill.
“So you’re the monster,” Loth mused as he chewed on a piece of fried turnip which was a lot better than it sounded. Benji knew his way around spices.
“There was a monster, I think,” Benji said. He flicked a shank of black hair over his shoulder. “But he was either dead or retired by the time I moved here. He had claws the length of ploughshares, apparently. Anyway, I like it here. The human soldiers are too scared to come here, and so are the other elves, mostly. I’m ‘too radical’ for them.” Air quotes.
“You burned down a school classroom,” Calarian said.
“That was one time.”
“It was three times!”
“It was one classroom!” Benji countered. “If they didn’t want me to keep burning it down, they should have stopped rebuilding it.”
“The collective kicked him out after that,” Calarian told the others.
Benji smiled proudly.
Loth hummed consideringly. “If you’re the vicious swamp killer, why were you so nice to Grub, getting his water and charcoal? Those don’t seem like very homicidal actions.”
Benji rolled his eyes “Well he’s obviously oppressed right? I’m not gonna kill the oppressed, am I?”
“I don’t buy it,” Loth declared. “You don’t seem like a killer.” Benji looked distinctly shifty, so Loth prodded a bit more. “What really happens to your victims?”
“I mean I never claimed I was a killer. I just let the rumours do the talking. Mainly, if anyone’s stupid enough to come this way, I seduce my victims and then take all their money while they’re rolling in the afterglow.” Benji smirked and winked. “I have an afterglow that leaves them dazzled for days.”
Loth didn’t doubt it.
Calarian nodded. “You always did have a reputation as a ladies' man.”
“And a man’s man,” Benji said. “An anyone’s man, really.” At Loth’s raised eyebrows, he shrugged. “It’s a great way to pass the time.”
“But not Scott?” Calarian asked.
“Have you seen him?” Benji shuddered. “Even I have limits. Anyway, the point is, there was a deadly swamp monster here once, but it left, or died, or retired, or something. The only monster here now is the one in my pants.”
Grub’s jaw dropped as the elves high-fived.
Moments later, Scott bustled through the door. He stank of swamp water. His clothes were soaked, and his hair was dripping. “Dave threw me in the swamp!”
Dave lumbered in after him. “You smelled like shit.”
“My Prince!” Scott exclaimed, his gaze falling on Loth. “You’re alive!”
“No thanks to you, I hear,” Loth said, and Grub snorted beside him.
Scott affected a look of wide-eyed innocence. “I don’t know what you mean, your Highnessness?”
“The little matter of offering to sell me out to your captor? Ring any bells?” Loth arched an intimidating eyebrow.
Scott paled. “What? Oh—no, I was—that was—a misunderstanding, my liege! I was warning the monster to leave you alone, that’s all. Alerting him to your presence so you could pass through the swamp safely. Yes, safely,” he repeated, his gaze darting around the room.
“Really?” Benji asked, scowling. “You're going with that, Mr I'll give you the prince if you let me go?”
Scott licked his lips nervously and sidled closer to Dave. “Um…”
Loth decided abruptly that Scott wasn’t worth his time right now. He was more concerned about how they were going to get out of the swamp. “Tell me Benji, I don’t suppose you have a map out of here?”
Benji frowned. “You don’t have a map? What kind of idiot doesn’t have a map on their quest?”