The Price of Lunch

The priest hurried through the crowded streets, weaving between merchants, wagons, and pedestrians who seemed determined to stand exactly where he needed to walk.

"Hey! Wait!"

No answer.

He squeezed between two women arguing over the price of fabric, nearly collided with a cart full of melons, and turned sharply into the next street.

Nothing.

Kah had disappeared.

The priest stopped in the middle of the road and looked in both directions.

"...Where did he go?"

His stomach growled.

He looked down.

Then the smell of grilled meat drifted through the market.

His attention shifted immediately toward a row of food stalls where smoke curled above iron grills and vendors shouted over one another to attract customers.

"...Well. Finding him can wait five minutes."

Moments later, the priest stood eagerly at the front of one of the stalls.

"I'll have—"

His eyes wandered farther down the line.

He stopped.

"...Oh."

There he was.

Kah stood at a nearby stall with his hood pulled low, waiting while the vendor removed two steaming meat skewers from the grill. Fat hissed against the hot coals, filling the air with smoke and spice.

The vendor placed them on the counter.

"That'll be twelve silver."

Kah reached into his pocket and emptied several coins into his palm. He counted them once, frowned slightly, then counted them again.

"I'm two silver short."

The vendor's expression immediately hardened.

"No money?"

Kah looked at the two skewers for a moment before quietly placing one back on the counter.

"I'll just take one."

"I'll pay."

Kah closed his eyes.

Of course.

The priest appeared beside him wearing the brightest smile imaginable.

"I'll have the same."

The vendor looked ready to complain until his gaze landed on the white robes.

His entire expression transformed.

"The Glory Priest!"

Several people nearby turned.

"Oh, Father! It's an honor!"

The vendor hurriedly wrapped both meals before pushing them across the counter.

"No charge. I couldn't possibly accept money from our town's savior."

The priest placed a hand over his heart.

"Your kindness is appreciated."

Kah picked up his food without a word and walked away.

"Hey!"

The priest grabbed his own meal and hurried after him.

He found Kah sitting alone on a wooden bench overlooking the busy street, quietly eating while merchants shouted prices and wagons rattled over the uneven road.

The priest sat across from him.

Kah continued eating.

The priest waited.

Nothing.

He leaned forward.

"...How about a thank you?"

Kah took another bite.

"Don't you have any manners?"

Without answering, Kah reached into his pocket, pulled out several coins and tossed them across the table. They scattered in front of the priest with a series of metallic clinks.

The priest stared at them.

"You think I need your money?"

Kah kept eating.

The priest looked offended for approximately two seconds before gathering every coin, counting them carefully and slipping them into his pocket.

"...Thank you."

Kah didn't react.

The priest unwrapped his own food and leaned comfortably against the table.

"You know, I've been thinking."

"That's unfortunate."

The priest paused.

"...Was that a joke?"

Kah kept eating.

A grin slowly spread across the priest's face.

"I knew you liked me."

"I don't."

"Give it time."

Kah sighed.

The priest took a bite of his skewer before continuing. "I think we'd make an excellent team."

No response.

"Think about it. The money. The fame..." He gestured vaguely with the skewer. "...the people you could save."

That got Kah's attention.

He looked up.

The priest smiled.

Kah let out a small laugh, but there was nothing amused about it. He finished his food, stood and walked away.

The priest immediately grabbed what remained of his meal and followed.

"Come on. Think about it."

Kah didn't slow down.

"You save people. I make money. It's the perfect partnership."

"Why would I work with a scammer?"

The priest looked genuinely wounded.

"A scammer? No. I'm an entrepreneur."

Kah kept walking.

"I simply recognize opportunities," the priest continued, easily falling into step beside him. "And right now, I'm offering you one. You'd be a fool to turn me down."

Kah ignored him.

The streets gradually grew less crowded as they approached the train station. Passengers waited beneath the afternoon sun while porters moved luggage between carts and platforms.

The priest finally noticed where Kah was headed.

"You're leaving town?"

Kah joined the ticket line.

"Really?"

No answer.

The priest glanced toward the station, then back at him.

"You're going to leave without helping the people trapped inside the old hospital?"

Kah's eyes shifted toward him.

"The old hospital?"

There it was.

The priest smiled.

"A group of amateur ghost hunters went inside three weeks ago. They never came back."

The line moved forward.

Kah moved with it.

"The town sent guards after them," the priest continued. "They disappeared too. Then the church sent priests."

Kah said nothing.

"They didn't come back either."

Another person purchased a ticket and stepped aside.

Kah moved closer to the window.

The priest watched him carefully.

"No one is willing to go inside now."

Still nothing.

"...Which means no one is coming for whoever might still be alive in there."

Kah stopped.

The priest smiled.

"There you are."

Kah slowly looked at him.

"You do care."

"Get to the point."

"Gladly."

The priest stepped closer, lowering his voice as though proposing a highly respectable business arrangement.

"You save the people. I cleanse the hospital. The whole town hears about it. Another miracle. Another legend..."

His smile widened.

"...Another generous donation."

He leaned away and muttered under his breath.

"...And I keep all the money."

Kah looked toward the ticket window.

"Not interested."

The person ahead of him stepped away, and Kah approached the counter.

"One ticket to the capital."

The clerk reached beneath the counter.

"That'll be fifteen silver."

Kah placed the coins down.

Behind him, the priest's smile faded.

Until now, everything had been a game. Kah had ignored the money, the fame, the partnership, even the possibility of survivors.

The priest needed something stronger.

His eyes settled on Kah's back.

"What would your father do?"

Kah stopped moving.

The station seemed to disappear beneath the sudden rush of blood in his ears.

His hand shot out.

Before the priest could react, Kah grabbed the front of his robes and lifted him from the ground.

The priest froze.

For the first time since Kah had met him, the smile disappeared completely.

"Leave him out of this."

Kah didn't raise his voice.

He didn't need to.

The words came out barely above a whisper, cold enough that the people nearest them instinctively stepped away.

Even the ticket clerk stopped moving.

For several seconds, Kah held the priest there.

Then he slowly lowered him back to the ground and released his robes.

The priest remained still.

He glanced down at the wrinkled fabric, carefully straightened it, then brushed imaginary dust from one sleeve.

"...Noted."

Kah turned back toward the ticket window.

The priest studied him.

He had pushed too far.

He knew that.

Unfortunately, knowing when to stop had never been one of his strengths.

He reached into his sleeve and produced a small card.

"The Amazing Glory Priest."

Kah didn't turn around.

The priest held the card out anyway.

"Exorcisms. Blessings. Weddings. Funerals..." He paused. "...Negotiations."

Kah finally looked at the card.

Then at him.

Then walked away.

The priest lowered his hand.

"Tomorrow."

Kah continued toward the platform.

"Sunrise."

Still nothing.

"I'll be at the old hospital."

Kah kept walking.

The priest watched him disappear into the crowd of passengers.

Then he smiled.

"If you really care about saving people..."

His voice was too quiet for Kah to hear now.

"...I'll see you there."