Page 22 of Sorcery, Swords & Scones
The sharp edge of protectiveness in his voice caught her off guard. She'd known Vaskel liked her well enough, but he’d been Lira’s friend and crew mate. They were the ones who’d run together, the ones who shared a past. Until that moment, she hadn’t known that Vaskel considered her part of his circle.
“Thanks, Vask,” she said quietly. "That means more than you know."
But even as she spoke, she knew it wasn't only the possibility of Florin's arrival that had her stomach in knots. It was the emptychair by the hearth where Val usually sat, the absence that seemed to taunt her.
Korl had stopped by earlier and tried to make excuses for Val, saying that she’d had a long day on watch. But Sass knew better. She could see it in the way the orc's eyes wouldn't quite meet hers, in the slight hesitation before he spoke. Val was avoiding her, and Sass knew why.
Vaskel cocked his head at her and stepped closer, lowering his voice. “It’s more than the dwarf hunting party closing in on you, isn’t it?”
Sass wrenched her gaze from the chairs nestled by the fire, but she wasn’t quick enough.
“Ah.” The edges of Vaskel’s mouth quirked as he let out a breath. “You’re afraid your secret might impact your knitting lessons.”
She snatched the rag that was tucked into her waistband and swatted him with it, but it was the loud thunk of pewter on wood that made them both glance up. Cali had dropped her ale, which had sloshed onto the bar, and her eyes were wide.
Orc’s blood! How had Sass not remembered that the Tabaxi had enhanced hearing?
“Did you say dwarf hunting party?” Cali asked before cringing. “I swear I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but…” she gestured to her ears, “Tabaxi hearing, you know."
Sass’s face warmed as Iris shot a look first at Cali and then at her. "It's all right, Cali. Actually, I was going to tell you and Iris. Both of you deserve to know the truth."
Iris had yet to blink. “The truth about what, pet?”
Sass took a deep breath, glancing once more at the empty chair. "About who I really am, why I’m here, and why I might be putting all of you in danger by staying.”
Sass was encouraged when neither Cali nor Iris gasped in horror once she’d unspooled her story to them. It wasn’t lost on her that Cali’s eyes narrowed, and when she slipped away withouta proper goodbye, Sass suspected that her secret might have bothered the Tabaxi more than she’d let on.
“She’ll come around, love,” Iris said quietly, as she slipped off her stool later in the evening.
“Thanks, Iris,” she said, and her thanks was for more than the reassurance about Cali. Then again, Iris had kept secrets from Lira when she’d first arrived, so she understood that the truth wasn’t always easy to share.
As the night wound down, Sass reminded herself that Cali and Iris weren't the only ones who deserved the truth from her. She needed to tell Val.
But first, she’d have to find her.
Fifteen
When the lastof the evening's patrons had finally teetered out the door and into the night, a comfortable quiet blanketed the tavern. Sass moved through the empty great room, collecting abandoned tankards and wiping down tables that still bore the sticky rings of ale and the crumb trails of quickly devoured pies. The fireplace had burned down to glowing embers, and wax candles had melted into misshapen nubs and pooled into their brass holders.
She slid chairs and benches under tables with brisk movements, but her mind wasn't on the familiar routine. Every few moments, her gaze would drift toward the door, as if willing it to open and reveal Val.Sass told herself she was being ridiculous to miss the guard’s presence—they were friends, nothing more—but the hollow feeling in her chest told another story.
Clangs and clattering came from the kitchen, a good reminder that Lira was still cleaning up. Sass was hooking the last errant tankard on her pinky finger when her friend emerged through the swinging doors, carrying a cloth-wrapped bundle that smelled distinctly of spice.
“Here," Lira said, extending the bundle toward Sass. "Take this with you."
Sass clunked the dirty tankards onto the bar and eyed her friend and the bundle. "Take what where?"
"Apple cider cake.” Lira jutted the wrapped cake toward Sass again. "And as for where, well... Vaskel might have mentioned that you needed to find Val.”
Heat crawled up Sass's neck. "He told you?"
"Only that you wanted to explain everything to her, which I get. You are good friends, after all.” There was no tone of mockery in her voice. “And if I know Val, she's where she feels most at home, and that means Korl's dads. I thought that if you were going there, you should take this.” She cut her gaze to the bundle. “It's their favorite."
“You made me a bribe?” Even as Sass raised a brow, she had to admit this wasn’t Lira’s worst idea. It was loads better than her vanishing spell that almost became biscuits.
“If you ask me, a slice of cake and a sprinkle of kindness can solve any problem.”
Sass eyed the cake. “And you didn’t do anything funny to it?”
