Chapter 17
Janin begged Tal not to leave. “Please play with us! We’ll give you honey tarts!”
“Why don’t you go play with the other children?” Tal suggested. The brother and sister had settled right in according to the baker’s wife. She smiled at Evania, who hid behind the older woman’s skirts.
Tal spoke to the baker briefly about the ongoing search for his niece.
It had been nearly a year since the man’s brother had beseeched Tal for help.
The family had stopped asking for updates, but Tal still informed them every few weeks of her continued search efforts.
The baker thanked her, his resigned tone sobering her mood.
She tried to offer money to cover the children’s needs for the next few weeks.
The baker refused, saying they were more than compensated.
Tal assumed Rainier had taken care of it and bid farewell.
It had been two days since their decision to continue watching Badger and Gully. Her mind wandered while visiting the children. Her daggers hung heavily in their sheaths, almost commanding her to bring the men to their knees. It wouldn’t be easy to sit back during her watch today.
The door to the baker’s shop smacked against its frame.
“I’m not answering that, Faron.” Carrick’s unmistakably deep growl carried over the noise of the busy street.
“I can’t help you if I’m left in the dark. Is this because of Nola’s rescue? Are they looking for revenge?” Faron’s back faced Tal. She didn’t expect his concern.
She could see the tension in his shoulders through his thin white shirt. Her stomach squeezed at the sight of him—the first time since Badger and Gully’s house. She pursed her lips and fought the urge to get his attention.
Carrick’s eyes flicked to her, but he didn’t acknowledge her presence. His hulking form leaned against the front window. “You can help by keeping your mouth shut and finding the mages.”
Faron ran a hand through his hair. “You’re almost as impossible as Tal, do you know that?”
Tal scoffed. “Is that what you think of me?”
Faron spun, shock quickly morphing to delight when their eyes met. “There you are! I was just telling Carrick—”
“I heard. Are you ready?” Faron had offered to tail the two thugs alongside her. The anticipation of spending nearly a whole day with him caused her to toss and turn all night.
“Once I learn what it is you’re not telling me.” The corner of his mouth quirked.
Tal crossed her arms and met his unwavering stare. “We only found out they were after me the night of the fires. I don’t know why yet.” She could feel the heat creeping up her neck. Dammit, she thought. She was usually an excellent liar.
“But you know something,” he drawled.
“And we don’t have time to discuss this. We’re going to be late.” She brushed past the noble, a shock of electricity jolting down her arm at the contact. “I’ll see you at the tunnels,” she called to Carrick.
Tal sipped her ale in a shadowy corner of the run-down tavern.
Badger and Gully blathered to nearby patrons while she and Faron sat in near silence all afternoon, a small relief.
Faron had plagued her with questions the entire walk to the dodgy side of the docks.
More than once, she stopped herself from blurting about her power. The man was nothing if not persistent.
He gained focus once they’d taken the watch from Egan and Sybil.
Her mind warred over the decision to tell Faron.
He’d proven to be trustworthy time and time again, but revealing her magic would be putting her life in his hands.
Does he deserve to know? she asked herself.
Do I want him to know? Her finger tapped the metal cup, and she was reminded of Eddard.
She’d known the guardsman for longer, and he seemed to trust Faron.
Tal bit her lip and turned her attention to the noble beside her, catching his stare.
“You’re supposed to be watching them.” She lifted her cup in the direction of the men sitting by the barkeep.
“You’re unusually broody today.”
“You pestered me the whole way here,” she shot back.
“Pestered is a strong word. I like to think I… questioned? Interrogated? Asked when you were being less than forthcoming?” He drank his ale, hiding his smirk.
Tal ignored Faron and focused her attention on Badger. He was in a particularly jubilant mood. The two men had done little more than spend their coin on food and drink for the last two days. They’d become predictable and gave no indication they’d see the mage or its apparition again.
Unbridled laughter drowned out the rest of the tavern.
“Hey Gully, tell us again how you lost your finger!” someone called over the chatter.
“I heard it was a woman!” another called.
“Fuck off!” Gully threw his drink at the responding chorus of jeers. “I told you; it was some bastard with a sword! Besides, the bitch is about to regret it. They both are!”
Faron stiffened beside Tal. The tendons in his hand strained as he gripped his cup.
“Oh yeah? How do you figure that?” The barkeep’s tone belied his lack of patience for the man.
“We got big friends—powerful friends. Ain’t that right, Badge?” He nudged the man next to him.
“Yeah, where do you think we got the money to pay for these drinks?” Badger held up his ale.
“Next time we see her, we get to keep her for a night before handing her off.” His dark chuckle set Tal’s teeth on edge.
Her fury crashed against its walls. The single mug of ale she’d drank that day did little to tamp down its influence.
Beside her, Faron leaned forward on his elbows, his gaze fixed on Gully. A muscle in his jaw flexed.
Someone threw food at the goon. “Like you would know what to do with a woman!”
Tal couldn’t listen to Gully’s reply. She gripped the dagger sheathed to her thigh. They needed him alive to find the mage. She inhaled the stale air, which did little to quiet her turbulent fury.
A hand on her arm pulled her from the inner turmoil. “They will not touch you.” Faron’s voice hovered barely above a whisper, his rage simmering behind each word.
She held his gaze. The noise within quieted to a simmer. “I know.”
Cheers of greetings reached her ears. Daire entered the tavern in plain clothes, a frown on his face. He ignored the heckling crowd and searched around the tavern.
Tal swore and sunk into her chair. She pulled her hood further over her face. She noticed the way Faron angled his body, concealing both himself and Tal from view.
“If he sees me, the whole tavern will know I’m here,” Tal spoke into her cup. Her eyes darted between Daire, Gully, and Faron. The tavern had only one exit and nowhere to hide. Their presence could not be revealed if they hoped to continue monitoring the two men.
When Daire stepped away from the door, Faron grabbed her arm and, in unison, they rose to their feet.
His hand slid to hers, and they picked their way around the outer edge of the establishment.
Every step closer to the door felt like the beat of a warning drum.
Five steps, and she would be out the door.
Daire spoke to the barkeep, his back to them.
“Hey, Captain!” a man shouted as Tal passed. “I hear your fancy lady dumped you at the king’s ball! Gully has one he can share with you!”
Tal tripped over the leg of a chair and knocked someone’s drink over. A cacophony of yelling and wood scraping on stone pulled everyone’s attention. Faron tugged her through the door. She lost sight of Daire around the outside wall as he turned toward the noise.
Faron pulled her around the side of the tavern and swore. “What are the chances the captain stumbles into this tavern?”
Tal let her head fall back against the building. “He’s always around the docks. And no matter where I am, he always seems to find me.”
“How unfortunate for us.”
The door to the tavern burst open and slammed against the building. Tal and Faron’s heads both snapped toward the sound. When the chatter from inside the tavern faded as the door closed, slow footsteps clomped on the cobblestones. They approached the alley where Faron and Tal hid.
Faron turned his back toward the entrance, blocking Tal from view.
He towered over her. Their eyes met, the alarm on Faron’s face mirroring her own.
The footsteps reached the alley, and Tal froze.
The stifling air surrounded them like an invisible, clove-scented cocoon.
Tal hadn’t noticed exotic spice on the noble until now. She found herself drawn to it.
Faron reached an arm around her waist and gently pulled her into him.
Her eyes flicked toward the movement and back to his face.
His lips parted in a silent, “Shhh.” When the intensity of his stare remained, she understood. Two lovers locked in an embrace would be less conspicuous. His muscled abdomen pressed against her. Chills washed over her as his other hand came up to her neck, sliding into her hair.
She exhaled, leaning into his embrace.
“You there!” Daire called from less than ten steps away.
Faron’s hand tensed against her neck. His shoulders curled around her further.
The tavern door slammed into the building again. “Hey, Captain! Come have a round!”
Faron shifted again. His fingers disturbed her hair, sending another wave of chills down her back. His eyes scanned her face as if searching there for an escape.
She bit her cheek, willing herself to remain focused.
Daire’s footsteps retreated. “One drink, and I’m not paying this time.”
The tavern door slammed closed, and Tal breathed a sigh of relief.
Faron’s hold on her relaxed. “That was closer than I would have liked.” His voice rumbled in his chest.
“I’ve never had so many close calls until you arrived. I’m beginning to think you’re bad luck.”
Faron pulled back, clutching his chest. “Now, now, beautiful. As I remember it, the danger is all brought on by your associations.”
“Call me beautiful again, and you, too, will lose a finger.” Her words sobered her.