Page 61 of Shadows and Flames
As I took a seat beside the witch, I watched him scowl over the table at me, maybe in a bit of confusion, but I grinned right back. Meline and Tana glanced between us, questions in their eyes.
“Where have you two been?” The witch asked as Elián and his queen stared at each other.
I didn’t wait for him to respond, just relaxed into the creaking wooden seat and answered, “Rat hunting.”
The tavern was busy, lively with inebriated conversation and brimming with the aroma of hearty food. Humans clothed in sturdy leather and sun-weathered skin signified the clientele that frequented this place.
Our mark, however, was not here. I’d spent enough time with him to catalogue his scent. And the bit of reconnaissance we’d done upon disembarking, checking the various ships docked at port, sneaking into the offices of the customs officers who logged all departures and arrivals, proved he arrived. And with no planned departure for another three days.
“You got them all?” Meline asked, moon eyes all on my brother.
We’d mutually decided to not escalate the events of our voyage to the Vharan city guards. Though most around the realm were shit anyway, these were mostly concerned with the theft of the goods that kept their economy churning. A bit of intimidation and attempted murder of people passing through? They’d probably somehow make it worse.
“Yes.”
“A few we hunted down, the nastiest three coming straight to us. A bit of swordplay to work up the appetite. And you lot?”
And the competitive air descended once again as the females shared a beat of silent communication.
Taking care of Von Herron tonight would hopefully lighten the mood. Maybe we could have a bit of fun before the long trek back to more desirable places.
When was the last time I’d visited the beautiful Sjatas? Or the wondrous desert of Banfas? Now, there some cities with good food. Curious little goods abound, like the wooden puzzle sphere Noruh brought for the lad after her trip back home to Trylas. They had such things in Banfas, and he seemed to like those more than the metal trinkets.
“We rented some rooms, bathed the ship air off of us.”
Someone stumbled behind our table, jostling my seat in their wake. They were too far gone for a sharp word to matter, so I redirected my annoyance to the far less experienced mercenaries. “Sure. And what about the other hours you had? Care to share?”
Nogón and I had our descent ready to execute for the wee hours of the night. If all went according to our meticulous planning, we would end one more life tonight.
Now, he rested his arm behind his queen, and both of their bodies shifted subtly into each other. Besides the visceralShadow urge to complete what we’d started, the drive to finish the contract now was mostly an afterthought.
“How about you share what you have planned, oh so impressive Shadows.”
The queen’s challenge went unanswered by my brother and me, just as they’d done to us, because we were nothing if not competitive. It wasn’t even about the coin, at least, not for Nogón and me.
In a corner of the tavern, a bard took up a lively song, accompanied by a few red-cheeked musicians on lute and drum. Not long after, an adolescent came by to take our orders. There wasn’t much to pick from the limited selections, but that was to be expected in a place like this where the main draw was a good brew.
Said ale came by quickly, as did a small cauldron of stew with four wooden bowls and spoons. While we took turns scooping out our portions, Tana, seated beside me, kept our conversation on lighter topics.
“Where have you both enjoyed traveling most?”
I used a bright red crab leg to idly stir the steaming contents in my bowl. Nogón paused his devouring of his meal, mentally flitting through all the places he’d been before.
“Zonoras, I think.” The desert city had been hidden, just on the other side of a mountain range that bordered the kingdom of Banfas. My brothers’ birthplace was small but mighty. Once.
Nogón swallowed his food and sat back. “I do miss it. Very much. I would say that or Ralthas.”
I cracked the leg and plucked out the supple white meat from within. Yes, as far as we’d traveled in our years as Shadows, we still spent our days yearning for ghosts.
“Ralthas? Why there?” Meline was intent, leaning even further to hear Elián’s answer over the roar of the tavern.
“My father was from Ralthas,” he said and continued eating, but his queen looked… surprised. As if there was more to this information than the simple response that it was.
The initial question made rounds to the two females, though their answers felt stilted. I frowned into my meal. It was flavorful, but the curiosities around us grew. Though they had a pull toward one another, there was certainly a great deal more my brother and his queen had to learn about each another.
Aeras and Thryx, let this whole journey have not been in vain.
After the four of us drained the vat of stew, sucked the meat from every crab leg and swallowed every drop of broth, we had another round as the crowd surrounding us loosened.
