Page 58 of Sorcery, Swords & Scones
“Didyou have your fill of spiked chai?” Sass asked, shifting on the thatch to make room for Val, who had scooted onto the roof without standing. Her heart fluttered at the press of the guard’s shoulder into hers, but she kept her voice steady.
Val made a face. “Rosie’s apple brandy will cure what ails you—and polish the tarnish off a dagger.”
Sass muffled a snort. “Or your insides.”
Val laughed, the sound low and throaty. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Sass curled her arms around her knees again and rocked back, as the two sat in quiet and observed the comings and goings of the village below. “I like to come out here to get away from all the hustle and bustle downstairs.” She cut her eyes to the guard. “Don’t get me wrong. I love the tavern, and I even love how busy it’s gotten, but sometimes it’s nice to come up here and get a little perspective.”
“Perspective, eh?”
“Lira was the one who taught me that rooftops were the perfect place to escape. Sometimes, seeing your world from a distance helps you understand it better.”
“Makes sense. Things seem less intimidating from up here.” Val inclined her head toward the blacksmith shop and the green figures shuffling outside it to hitch a cart. “Even Korl’s dads don’t seem so big.”
Sass wasn’t sure she agreed with that. Even from the roof, the orcs looked big to her.
“I hope I’m not ruining your peace and quiet,” Val said as she stole a glance at Sass, “but I wanted to make sure you were okay after everything that happened.”
Sass slunk a smile in the woman’s direction. “I’m okay. Overwhelmed, I guess. I’m not sure of the best way to handle Florin.”
Val nodded. “Everyone has a different idea of what you should do, and they’re all certain their way is the best way.”
“I can see advantages and disadvantages with every plan, but I keep thinking about what will keep everyone here safe. It’s no good if she attacks our group when I confront her, and it’s even worse if we convince Florin to leave but she comes back and wreaks havoc on the village when we least expect it.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Sass felt the tightness in her chest melt as she leaned into Val. “Your being here and asking helps.”
Val gave her a shy smile and leaned into Sass, almost knocking over the dwarf with her bulk. Sass caught herself with one hand before tipping over completely.
“Sorry!” Val reached for her and yanked her back, sending both of them flailing to the other side.
Sass dissolved into giggles as they thrashed on the thatch for a few moments, finally wiggling themselves back to sitting. Despite having been in some actual danger of rolling off the roof, their laughter had lightened the heaviness of her worries.
Val plucked a bit of thatch from Sass’s braid. “That would have been embarrassing.”
“Sliding off the roof and landing on a departingtavern patron?” Sass teased. “I think we would have had some explaining to do.”
Val put a hand over her mouth as her shoulders trembled with laughter. “Imagine poor Pip or Tin if I’d landed onthem.”
“Bless the stars!” Sass imitated Pip’s higher voice, which sent Val into another fit of laughter, which Sass joined in on.
When the pair finally stopped laughing, Val grinned at Sass. “It’s not everyone who can make me laugh.” She nudged the dwarf gently with one elbow. “I’m very particular about who I spend my time with, you know.”
“Aye, I’ve noticed. You and Korl are thick as thieves, but until Lira turned his head, it was always the two of you doing everything together.” Sass ventured a questioning look. “For a long time, I wasn’t sure if you wanted more friends.”
Or something more than a friend, she thought, but didn’t say.
Val’s expression turned serious. “You’re right. For the longest time it was just Korl, because I had known him for so long and I could trust that he cared about me. With other folks, I could never be sure. Too many had walked away from me for me to trust my own judgment. My parents didn’t have time for me. I think my mother’s giant lineage didn’t give her much in the way of maternal instincts. It wasn’t until Korl’s dads took me in that I knew what it was like to be cared for. I guess I learned young not to hope for too much, and to be happy with what I had.” She sighed. “Which until I met you and Lira and the rest of the gang, I was.”
Sass’s heart twisted as the guard kept her gaze on her own hands. “It isn’t only Korl and his dads who care for you, Val.”
Val tilted her head to meet Sass’s eyes. “I know that now, but it took a bit of time for it to sink in. If I’ve been hard to read, that’s why.”
Sass understood more than Val could know. For most of her life in the Ice Lands, she hadn’t felt seen, although she could never claim that she’d been cast aside like Val.
Sass put a hand over Val’s. “Home isn't where your axe hangs, but where your heart feels light enough to set it down."
