Page 46 of Sorcery, Swords & Scones
Korl folded his arms across his chest armor. “Do you know where they are now?"
Erindil sniffed delicately. "In my campsite, naturally. It was beautifully cleared and leveled, with lovely acoustics for evening entertainment. Not that the brutes would care about such refinements."
"No offense taken," Sass said quickly, before Erindil could add his usual disclaimer.
“Speak for yourself, lass,” Thrain growled.
Val rested a hand on Sass’s shoulder. “That’s what Korl and I suspected. At least we’re now certain about where they are.”
Sass nodded, the weight of Val’s hand grounding her. The fearstill lay coiled in her chest like a sleeping serpent, but she had a new sense of certainty.
She knew exactly where Florin was now. She knew where she could find her former fiancée and make a deal that would protect everyone she loved.
Thirty-Five
Sass yawned so widelythat her jaw made a small popping sound as she sat perched on her usual stool in the tavern's kitchen, her feet dangling above the bottom rung. The morning light filtering through the windows was soft, but it did nothing to ease her bone-deep weariness after being up all night.
She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I don't suppose you secretly held back any of those apple crumble bars from the Harvest Festival? Right now I'd trade a battle axe for something sweet."
Lira looked equally bleary-eyed as she moved around the kitchen. Her messy bun was secured with what appeared to be a wooden cooking spoon, and the purple beneath her eyes spoke of too little sleep and too much worry.
“I wish I’d had the forethought to hide some away, but no.”
Sass glanced at Crumpet, who was grooming himself fastidiously in his bed of dishrags, looking remarkably refreshed and alert. "At least someone got some sleep. He’s bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, the lucky wee beastie.”
Crumpet paused in his grooming to fix them both withwhat Sass could have sworn was a smug look before returning to cleaning his whiskers with tiny pink paws.
"The crumpets should be out of the oven in a few minutes," Lira continued, moving to check the copper sauce pot simmering on the stove. “In the meantime, can I interest you in more chai?”
The rich aroma of cardamom and cinnamon wafted through the kitchen and tangled with the savory scent of the baking crumpets.
Sass took a tentative sip of her chai, letting the spiced warmth roll across her tongue and down her throat. Despite her initial hesitation about the milky drink, she’d grown fond of it. "I might need a bucket of this to keep my eyes open.”
Lira turned from the stove to give her friend a concerned look. "Why don't you go take a nap? Now that it's daytime, the chance of a dwarf gang sneaking into Wayside is much less of a threat. Even Florin wouldn't be bold enough to attack a village in broad daylight."
She moved to the oven and pulled out a pan filled with perfectly golden crumpets, their surfaces dotted with the characteristic holes that would soak up butter and jam like tiny, delicious sponges. The yeasty scent that rose from them was intoxicating and made Sass's mouth water despite her exhaustion.
"Besides," Lira continued as she carefully transferred the crumpets to a woven basket, "Korl went to his dads’ to ask them to alert us to anyone coming over the bridge, and Rog is sleeping in his wagon while Rosie keeps watch. We're well-protected."
Lira set aside a crumpet on a small plate, tearing off a corner for the flutterstoat, who chittered his appreciation and flew down to claim his portion. "Would you mind taking this basket out to anyone who's still awake in the great room? I need to start on the next batch. But be sure to take one for yourself.”
Sass slid off her stool, grateful for something to do that didn't require deep thinking. The basket was warm in her hands, and shecould feel the heat seeping through the woven bottom as she pushed through the swinging doors into the great room.
As Lira had guessed, not everyone in the rest of the tavern was awake. Thrain was folded over one of the smaller tables, his arms pillowing his head as soft snores rumbled from his chest. His beard fanned across the wooden surface, and one of his hands still loosely gripped an empty chai mug.
Cali had claimed one of the overstuffed chairs near the hearth, her slender form curled into an impossibly compact ball. Her tail encircled her, and her ears twitched occasionally as if she were chasing dream foes. Sass thought there was something deeply reassuring about watching her friends sleep safely.
Vaskel hadn’t succumbed to sleep, though, and he still stood behind the long wooden bar even though most of the guests from Erindil’s party had drifted off to sleep or to talk quietly elsewhere. Sass suspected his alertness had less to do with Tiefling stamina and more to do with the fact that Iris perched on one of the bar stools facing him.
The apothecary's cheeks were flushed a delicate pink that complemented her dark curls, and Sass wondered when she’d arrived and how long she and Vaskel had been deep in conversation. She reminded herself that not everyone was immune to the Tiefling's considerable charms like she and Lira were. In fact, she suspected that most folks relished his sultry smiles and potent attention.
"Crumpets, anyone?" she offered, approaching the pair with the basket.
Both Vaskel and Iris looked up, and Sass didn't miss the way Iris's hand moved to smooth her hair self-consciously.
"Oh, wonderful," Iris said, accepting one of the toasted crumpets. “I was just about to pop into the kitchen and check on Lira.”
Vaskel took a crumpet and eyed it with devilish desire before taking a ravenous bite.
