MERCY AND THE MERCENARY

MERCY AND THE MERCENARY, by A.J. Dalton

 

 

Silent hisses of sellsword! assail him

as he takes his measure

from the tankard and watches them

through hooded lids, though none dares

look in his direction

save the newly arrived holy man

Are you proud, my forbidding fellow,

of what you have done?

Pride does nothing to serve a man

unlike a certain reputation

to make opportunists hesitate, priest

Yet are you not at all sorry?

Tis only my enemies who repent

I would hire you for the Church, then

One should not smile wryly at such, of course

And would you not then be as guilty as me?

Not if in the service of God:

thus this work will offset your sins

I’ll need more payment than that,

preacher, and your deity must live

with their own conscience

Tell me of these dark deeds

you desire to commission

but buy me a drink first so

I will have other entertainment

while I listen to your furious faith.

 

________________________________________

A J Dalton is a UK-based writer. He’s published the Empire of the Saviours trilogy with Gollancz Orion, The Satanic in Science Fiction and Fantasy with Luna Press, the Dark Woods Rising poetry collection with Starship Sloane, and other bits and bobs. He lives with his monstrously oppressive cat named Cleopatra.

 

Caterina Gerbasi is a transgender painter and writer from Argentina obsessed with grimy knights and nasty monsters. Also loves to dress in bright pastel purple. Her favourite color is brown.