Page 61 of Shardless

“Cool it, Dimas.” Taly stepped between the two men. “Any idea where Brenin was headed?”

Dimas’ face relaxed, and he went back to picking at his nails. “Strio, I think.”

“Why the hell would anyone go to Strio with the grendels moving in?” Skye asked, unable to hide his surprise. The little village on the east side of the island had been evacuated almost two months ago when the southern grendel population had finally encroached on the town border. The local fire brigade still hadn’t managed to put out all of the fires.

“He told his guide he wanted to inspect the farmland, but I don’t buy it,” Dimas replied. Having grown bored of trying to antagonize Skye directly, he let his eyes drift down the length of Taly’s body suggestively. She had no doubt that the smile hovering around the edges of the trader’s mouth had everything to do with the way Skyestarted to bristle beside her.

Taly arched a brow. “Is that so? Well, don’t keep us in suspense. What do you think he’s after?”

Dimas shrugged indifferently. “Strio is situated near a tear in the veil. Fewer people means better salvage, and some very valuable items have been known to fall through so close to a gate connection. You tend to be the high-risk, high-reward type,Taly.” The trader leaned back as he spoke, his coat shifting to reveal a gnarled wand. Judging from the clumsy rune engraved on the scratched surface of the fire crystal, it had probably been illegally modified. His fingers drummed against the shaft, and his eyes flitted over to Skye before landing back on her. “I’m surprised you haven’t made an attempt yet.”

Taly laughed. “I might be crazy, but I’m not stupid.” She saw Skye shift his weight, casually moving a hand to rest on the blade strapped to his waist. Patting the edgy highborn on the shoulder, she said, “Sorry, buddy. No more guides means you’re stuck with me.”

“Where are you headed?” Dimas interjected, leaning forward.

“Ebondrift,” Taly replied as she turned back to the trader. “I need the latest reports.”

“Sure.” Dimas reached underneath his table and pulled out a small roll of papers. “That’ll be three gold.”

“I’ll give you one,” Taly stated simply. She pulled out a single gold coin and threw it on the table.

“No deal.” Dimas’ eyes dropped, lingering on the swell of her breasts revealed by the slim cut of her leather coat before meeting her gaze again. “Imight consider two, but only because it’s so rare that I get something soniceto look at it.”

Skye frowned and took a step towards her. Before he could say anything, Taly scoffed and placed both hands on the table. As she leaned forward, she subtly pushed her breasts together. She knew Dimas could see down the front of her shirt, but she wasn’t above exploiting hercharmsif it helped her get what she wanted.

“One gold. And before you give me any more shit, I know that your business has been a little lean lately. Especially since the guides haven’t been back in… what? A week you said? More? And I didn’t see any other salvagers out front. I’d be willing to bet you’d go as low as 50 silvers, but I don’t have the patience to sit here and haggle with you all day. So, you’ll take the coin, and I’ll take the papers. Deal?”

Dimas grimaced, glaring at her for a long moment. She saw him glance discreetly behind her, most likely trying to ascertain what kind of threat Skye posed. His eyes then flitted to the shiny viridian dagger strapped to her thigh before sliding back up to her chest. After a pause, he laughed, revealing a toothy smile as he placed the papers on the table. “Always nice doing business with you,Taly.”

“I wish I could say the same, but…” Taly gave the trader a subtle wink, earning her a genuine laugh from the man as she stood. Stuffing the papers in her pack, she turned to leave. Skye followed her as she led them back towards the main room, his hand finding its way to her shoulder as he walked a step closer than he had on their way in.

Taly could tell that Skye was irritated as theyconcluded their business at the Swap, but that couldn’t be helped. Dimas was the best information broker on the island, and everyone knew he gave better deals to anyone that flirted with him a little. While she might have shied away from dealing with someone like Dimas when she was first starting out, having the lecherous trader in her corner had proven useful on more than one occasion.

When Skye stopped at one of the crafting tables at the front and began negotiating for a new set of quills, she wandered through the rows of stalls, following the scent of food. Despite Eliza’s very generous portions at both breakfast and lunch, Taly’s appetite was already back.

The harpy meat was by far the freshest offering. As she purchased a large slab of meat sandwiched between two thick slices of bread, she secretly hoped that this was the same bird that had attacked her. That would be fitting.

She met back up with Skye at the shadow crafting booths, and the pair made their way outside. The air was still damp and cool after the rains, but the warm afternoon sun felt like heaven on her skin as she guided them over to a shaded area away from the main thoroughfare. Throwing her pack on the ground, she gracelessly plopped down against the trunk of a nearby tree and started tearing into her simple meal.

“Are you going to stop to chew?” Skye teased as he sat down beside her, leaning back against the old oak.

“Who has time to chew when there’s eating to do?” Taly mumbled around a mouthful of food. Swallowing, she said, “Leave me alone. I’ve been starving all week—even with that awful nutrientpaste Aiden’s been shoving down my throat.”

Skye watched her curiously, one brow raised, but said nothing. A slight frown creased his brow.

“Also, stop judging me,” Taly grumbled, turning back to her sandwich and pulling out the papers she’d purchased.

Skye cleared his throat. “So, about… what was his name? Dimas?"

“See, there’s the judgment. Right on time,” Taly interjected without looking up. She had been expecting this. “Look—Dimas might be a pervert, but he’s a useful one.”

“I don’t like the way he was looking at you,” Skye protested. He sat up and peered over her shoulder at the handful of papers in her lap.

“And how’s that? Like he wants to sleep with me?” Taly finished off the last of her sandwich and started licking the juice off her fingers. She only half-registered the low growl coming from behind her as she continued to study the newest scouting reports.

“Yes. I mean, no. I…” Skye huffed out an irritated sigh. “I just don’t like it. Even if you were already doing that sort of thing, that Dimas guy isn’t good enough for you.”

Taly let out a loud bark of laughter and turned to look at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Are you kidding?If? C’mon, Skye—I’m 21 years old. And while I’m not some fey beauty, I’m not completely terrible to look at either. Give me a little credit here,” she muttered, turning back to the scouting notes.

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