Page 62 of Echoes of the Raven
“That male is dangerous,” Gaspar says at last. “But…” He trails off, looking confused.
Esmeralda peers at me as if I’m the stupidest person she’s ever met. “Didn’t we just get you out of that mess? And now you want to get tangled up with him again? You must have a death wish.” She turns back to her friend. “Gaspar, we better steer clear of this. Even with the gold, this smells bad.”
“There are many forces at play, chavé,” he says. “I can’t see straight, but I got a feeling if we don’t help, this won’t turn out well for no one.”
“Danger lurks. Ready yourself,”those words, that message that he once delivered through Esmeralda, ring inside my head, and for some reason, his expression right now seems to carry the same dire warning. Whatever his skills told him just now was grim enough to scare him. I don’t like it, even if this might turn out to be the reason they decide to help us.
“What are you saying?” Esmeralda asks. “That we’re getting involved in this mad business?”
They exchange a loaded glance, then he nods slowly.
Esmeralda stands up abruptly. “Not even for another bag of gold!” she exclaims. “No, count me out.”
Gaspar looks down and rubs at his temples.
“How about two more?” I ask.
“Two more?” Esmeralda looks down at the gold on the table. “Same as that one?”
“Same as that one,” I answer.
“We’ll do it,” Gaspar says. “Lay out what you need us to do, clear as crystal.”
So I do, and after I finish explaining everything, Jago and I walk them out of Nido through seldom-traveled passages to evade detection.
As we watch them walk away, Jago ruffles his hair. “I don’t know about you, Val, but I think we just got majorly fucked. Three bags of gold?” He whistles. “They played us just right.”
“I know, but I don’t care.”
“Gaspar is good at what he does, but I’m sure they’re used to conning smarter people than us.”
Gold doesn’t matter to me. The amount I promised them will keep their troop for a number of years, and I can’t regret the immense difference it will make for them. Yet, I don’t believe it was all a show meant to con us.
“I believe Gaspar saw something that truly made him afraid,” I say.
“Nah, don’t be so naïve, Val. He’s justthatgood.”
“I’ve been around him more than you have. I’ve seen him do things. He warned me once before, and he was right.”
He shrugs. “I suppose he’s bound to be right half the time. Don’t you think so?”
“For all our sakes, I hope, this time, he’s wrong.”
That afternoon, I spend hours in one of the libraries, reading all I can about Tirnanog and its king. A meeting with Korben Theric may lie in my future, and the more I know about him, the better.
24
VALERIA
“Would to the gods I had never met you, Saethara!”
Rífíor - Veilfallen - 21 AV
Later, as I make preparations to leave, I run into Amira and Renata. Though I try to relax, I stiffen as they approach. It takes a big effort to put on a smile when we meet in the middle of the hall.
“I was told the Romani were here,” my sister says. “Did they agree to help us find the veilfallen’s new hiding place?”
I swallow thickly before responding. Lying to my sister doesn’t come easy. “They… did. They’ll let us know right away if they discover their location.”
