Page 59 of Sorcery, Swords & Scones
Val released a breath. “I like that. More dwarf wisdom from your mum?”
Sass’s throat was thick as she nodded. “I’ve been missing her advice lately, but I just realized something.”
“That you don’t need your mum to be here for you to hear her wisdom?”
Sass scrunched her lips to one side and quirked a brow at Val. “When did you get so smart?”
“You’ve been quoting your mum since I met you. It seems like the part of her you miss is already inside you.”
Sass’s eyes burned with unshed tears, but she blinked them away. “If she were here, she would tell me that a dwarf isn’t measured by the notches in their axe but by the warriors by their side.”
Val put an arm around Sass’s shoulders. “Just like the best hearth isn’t the one with the biggest fire, it’s the one that’s surrounded by your friends.”
Sass tipped her head back to look at Val, wondering if she’d picked that up from Vorto and Klaff. “Orc wisdom?”
The guard winked at her. “Val wisdom.”
Forty-Five
The lute playerhad long since left the tavern, and even the rowdiest patrons had drunk their fill and devoured the last of Lira’s meat pies. Only Pip and Tin rested on a back table, their heads cradled in their folded arms and their snuffling snores wrapped up in the hiss and sigh of the dying fire. Even Rosie and Rog were tucked away in their wagon, and Iris had returned home in the moonlight with a sleepy Cali accompanying her.
Sass stopped swiping at one of the dirty wooden tables and put her hands on her hips. “I’ve made a decision.”
Vaskel glanced up from where he was swabbing the bar, and Thrain woke with a start, jerking so straight he fell off the barstool.
“Orc’s blood!” He caught himself before he landed on his face, snapping to his feet and swiveling his head as if searching for an incoming attack.
Val stopped knitting by the fire, and Korl’s mouth gaped into a yawn.
“What was that?” Lira emerged from the kitchen, untying her apron as she walked.
Vaskel cocked a thumb at Sass. “She’s decided what she wants to do.”
“About Florin?” Lira’s face brightened. “Whose plan are you choosing?”
Vaskel’s blue eyes flashed heat. “Should I prepare to sneak into the dwarf camp?”
“And attempt to get the amulet onto Florin without her or any of her guards hearing you?” Sass shook her head. “Absolutely not. I’m not sending you on a suicide mission.”
Vaskel braced his hands on the bar and leaned forward. “You have no idea how stealthy I can be.”
“I have never doubted your ability to be sneaky, Vaskel.”
The Tiefling frowned, not sure if he was being flattered or insulted by the dwarf—or a bit of both.
“I’m not ignorant of everyone’s talents and skills,” Sass continued. “I know Lira can pick any lock, and Cali can shoot a fly through the wings at fifty paces. I’m vague on all the things Vaskel can do, but I have no doubt it’s an impressive list.”
The Tiefling preened at this, and Thrain cleared his throat.
Sass tipped her head at the dwarf. “And I know all too well that Thrain can swing an axe with the best of them.”
“Too right,” he rasped, sleep still blanketing his voice.
“It doesn’t matter if we can defeat Florin,” Sass said, her gaze meeting Val’s for a beat. “I can’t risk losing any of you in the trying.”
“Let us defend you,” Lira said. “Don’t think for a moment that we’ll let you do this alone.”
Sass crossed to Lira and took her hand. “I’m not suggesting I go alone. I’m suggesting I don’t go to meet Florin with battle on the mind.”
