Page 71 of Faerie Hunted

Then again, we were out of other options. We had no money and no food, no place to stop for the night. And I knew the chill off the ocean would be worse at night. I forced one foot in front of the other and followed Bronwen and Onyx into the local faction of the Claw & Fang.

Finding it had been much less work than stepping over the threshold. The fluttering red and black flag above obscured the words of the pub until we were directly in front of it.

Sea’s Deep.

I shivered at the words as though there were some sort of deeper meaning hidden in there somewhere. The interior of the pub offered a nice respite from the wind, though. The walls were wooden and stained a rich oak that offset the darker, wider planks of the floor.

A stone fireplace took up much of the wall to my left, and the flickering flames of golden, amber, and crimson heated the place to the perfect temperature with fae magic.

Several pairs of half fae rested at the bar with their elbows balanced on the polished top. They turned our way and I found myself freezing beside Onyx. Even Bronwen had a hitch in her step and her habitual cheerful grin faltered.

The bartender straightened out of a conversation with several others and approached us cautiously. His nostrils flared when he got close enough to draw in our scents and some of the flint from his gaze chipped.

“Members?” he asked in an undertone.

“We’re from Eahsea,” Bronwen answered for us. “And we, ah, need sanctuary. We’ve traveled a long way and have nothing to offer.”

The bartender’s grin widened enough for me to see an empty space where one of his canines should have been. “Sea’s Deep welcomes everyone in need,” he replied, much louder this time. “Please, come in. Make yourselves comfortable and I’ll see about getting you something from the kitchen.”

He gestured toward a number of empty tables.

We chose one toward the back of the pub and within a few minutes, the bartender—Benjamin, as he introduced himself—set several plates of food in front of us. He returned shortly with three glasses and a pitcher of fresh water, lemon slices floating across its top.

Caution would have been advisable, but my hunger got the better of me and I tore into the fresh bread, the steaming plate of roasted vegetables, and the tender slices of cold beef and cheese.

The others did the same and I spared only half a thought for Noren as I gorged myself. He had any number of options in the forest. He’d be fine.

They welcomed us, I thought as I finished gnawing on one of the slices of sharp cheddar. Just like that, with no questions asked. Benjamin somehow knew exactly who we were even when others took one look at us and saw nothing but what they wanted to see.

“You lot look hungry.” Another patron of the pub turned his chair around and straddled it, his arms looped over the back rungs and his features lifted pleasantly. He blinked all three eyes at us. “What brought you here?”

I swallowed hard, glancing around at the others before I answered him. “We’re looking for someone.”

“Seems like your journey has taken you far from home. My wife and I understand.” The man glanced up at the arrival of a woman in a sheer seafoam-colored sheath with real flowers holding the straps over her arms together. “We’ve traveled from the Dasha Plain.”

“You’re looking for something too,” Bronwen noted as the woman seated herself gracefully at her husband’s side.

They must be half shifters as well, to be here. I wondered if Benjamin got many people wandering in off the street, with his location, or if those in the city automatically knew something set this place apart.

“A place where we can be accepted,” the wife answered for both of them. She wrapped spindly fingers around her fluted glass of liquid and lifted it to her lips. “We’re on our way to find Dorian Jade.”

“Surely you’ve heard of him,” the husband pressed with a wide smile.

My back stiffened and I hid my reaction in another bite of cheese.

“Why are you searching for Dorian Jade?” Onyx asked, with much more diplomacy than I might have managed.

Even Bronwen hid a cough behind her fist.

“He protects people like us. It’s only natural to ally ourselves with him. Most of the half shifters in our acquaintance are joining forces with him because of all the good he’s done.” The wife offered us a kindly expression colored at the edges with concern.

I wanted to shake the look right off her face.

“How many people do you know who’ve found him?” Onyx asked.

I applauded his neutrality because just the mention of Dorian Jade had my hands balling on my lap and my cheeks flushing with heat. They were joining the man under false pretenses. Hopefully they saw through him quickly enough. The couple seemed like nice people, if misguided.

They continued to chat with Onyx while the three of us finished the food on the table. Soon there was nothing but empty plates between us and I rubbed a hand over my full stomach. We barely noticed when the door to Sea’s Deep opened, bringing with it a gust of salty air.

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