Page 24 of Compass Points
Rose laughed. She was never sure how seriously to take Arie. Did he really think he could fight the Suden Point?
“I’m good. I still need him at the moment to see if there is a way to save Tara.” That brought back the reality of the situation. She had known this was a risk. She hadn’t been near another fae for over ten years. While very good at not using her magic, she was bound to slip up.
“I’m glad I still have some value to you,” Luc cut in, looking at her. He arched an eyebrow. “Who knows, if you tell me more about yourself, maybe I can help you in another way. I am the Suden Point.”
“Pass.”
He shrugged. “I appreciate what you told me tonight, even if your companion isn’t thrilled with it.”
Arie seemed to ignore Luc and looked around, taking in the small room. Rose hadn’t even had time to evaluate her settings, but she saw Arie’s eyes lock and stay on the one bed that Luc sat on.“This keeps getting better and better.”His voice held a smile that the bird’s face couldn’t replicate.
“Grow up, Arie.” Rose tried to brush it off but couldn’t help a glance at Luc. His eyes bounced between the bird and Rose, and finally settled on the bed as their source of conversation as a half smile appeared.
“I’ve been a perfect gentleman, Arie.”
“Stop it.” She wasn’t sure who she was snapping at, but they both stopped. “Don’t we have a person to find? What do you know about them?”
“A person?”Arie focused on the task.
“Yes, the seamstress purchased goods from the trader today and heard his story. We need to visit her.”
“It’s getting late. What exactly are you thinking will get her to open the door? And while I’m asking, do we even know where she lives?”
“Yes, and that’s where Arie comes in. Arie, can you take any shape? I think we need an adorable, unassuming, lost dog.”
“I think I missed something, but I want to know what this boy is up to, Rose. Tell him I’m in.”
Chapter Fourteen
Luc didn’t take long to walk them over a street to the house he deemed “the one.” It was a modest house like the other dozen in the village. It was late enough that most families were having their evening meal, though hopefully not late enough that one would be too scared or nervous to open the door to a stranger.
Arie transformed into a small dog and chased them down the cobblestones. Luc picked Arie up as they headed for the front door.
They didn’t have to wait long for a middle-aged woman to answer their knock. She had a discerning look about her as she appraised the two strangers and a dog on her doorstep. Not opening the door fully, she could still slam it in their face if necessary.
“What can I do for you?” She was polite but showed a hard edge that said they would only get a few moments of courtesy before the door closed.
“We’re travelers, staying at the inn for the night en route to Sandrin. This dog followed us as we were taking an evening stroll. He stopped here, and honestly, I know this is a little strange, but we wanted to see if he was yours. We don’t want to leave him outside all alone.”
“I’m insulted by this storyline. I can, of course, take care of myself,”Arie remarked mentally to Rose. She struggled to contain her eye roll.
“Not mine,” the woman said as she reached to pet Arie’s head.
“Oh, no! We were sure this was his home. Do you mind holding him for a second?” Luc lightly brushed her bare wrist as he placed the dog in her arms.
That glazed look overtook the woman’s eyes as she held and mindlessly stroked Arie for less than a second. Luc faked a sneeze into his elbow, and then reached to take Arie back.
Arie, however, had different plans. He wiggled out of their grasp, falling to the floor. He took off at a run into the woman’s house.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Luc murmured. He must have realized Arie’s fall was intentional and was trying to make sense of what Arie was doing.
“Tell him I’m just checking for others in here. What if she’s told someone else since she saw the trader?”
Rose lifted her hand to her mouth to cover a laugh. She, of course, couldn’t tell Luc that with the woman standing before them, but she appreciated Arie’s commitment to his role.
“Well, I’ll be,” the woman said as she turned to yell after the dog, but she didn’t move from the door. She still used it as a partial shield, clearly not wanting to give the strangers an opening to get in. Rose guessed from her behavior that she was likely alone.
“Do you want me to try and collect him?” Luc offered.
