Chapter 18 #2
“Yes, of course, Lord Dragon.”
“What matter?” Tassani asked.
Jildarin skewered him with his glower, but Tassani merely raised his eyebrows. By then, the wagon had arrived. The dwarf stopped the horses, then climbed into the back to untie the tarp.
“What are you having delivered this late at night?” Rylana asked.
“Furnishings.”
“Furnishings?” Rylana envisioned new tables for the diner. Or had he, perhaps, purchased items for the rooftop terrace?
“Furnishings.” Jildarin nodded firmly and pointed at the closest elves. “You will carry them inside.” He raised his voice and looked straight toward the shadowy alley between the coffee shop and the bakery. “You with the toolbox. Come. You will assemble the furniture.”
So that was where the saboteur had gone.
Tassani gripped his chin and watched as, after a few glances at each other, the elves tramped toward the back of the wagon, their weapons either sheathed or set aside. The dwarf removed the tarp to reveal…
Was that a bedroom set?
As Rylana gaped, Jildarin turned to open the door, making only the slightest of irritated noises at finding it locked.
With a surge of magic that she sensed, the lock clicked under his grasp before the door swung open.
He touched Rylana on the arm, guiding her to step aside as the first elf approached carrying a headboard that the dwarf had lowered to him.
“Take all the items into the back corner of the storeroom behind the diner,” Jildarin commanded.
Chin still between his fingers, Tassani watched as his troops walked past carrying nightstands, the rest of the bed frame, and two lamps on wrought-iron stands. Two elves joined together to tote a heavy wardrobe.
“You’re adding bedroom furniture to your lair, Lord Jildarin?” Tassani sounded bemused.
Rylana felt a little stunned herself and didn’t know what to say. When he’d left to think, she’d thought Jildarin was having doubts about keeping her close and wanted her to move out of the storeroom.
“To the corner of my lair where my business partner sleeps,” Jildarin said. “Her kind are not accustomed to slumbering on cave floors. To ensure her comfort and ability to properly run calculations for the diner, she requires a nest.”
“A bed,” Rylana said.
“Yes, a bed nest. Made by a talented dwarven craftsman whose skills are coveted by nest-buyers from many of the intelligent species that reside in Tranquility.”
The dwarf, who was apparently the craftsman and not a mere assistant, saluted Jildarin from the back of the wagon.
He also pointed to the remaining item, a mattress.
A large mattress. Rylana had never had a bed of such size in her life.
During her years as a soldier, she’d slept on a cot or the ground or a floor with just the thin pad from her bedroll.
As a child in her father’s castle, she’d had a comfortable bed, but it hadn’t been large.
The mattress could easily support a rotund troll couple—and a passel of family pets, as well.
“I’m touched,” Rylana said. “Thank you.”
“Yes.” Jildarin pointed at Tassani. “You have not made foolish choices this evening, but if you are honored to serve, you may carry the soft wool nesting pad to place on the wooden frame.”
“Oh, it would indeed be my honor to carry Sergeant Rylana’s nesting pad.” Eyes twinkling now, Tassani asked Rylana, “Are you certain you two are engaged in a platonic partnership?”
“Reasonably certain,” she said.
“Huh.” Tassani headed to the back of the wagon.
“Hm,” Jildarin rumbled, doubtless picking up that Tassani had said it was his honor to serve her and not a dragon.
Or maybe his question met with Jildarin’s disapproval.
But when Jildarin came to stand again beside Rylana, all he said was, “Because the dwarf is a master craftsman and more aged, I loaded all the items myself. It is good that these elves were conveniently located to serve us by unloading the wagon.”
“If stalking me in order to swing swords at me is considered convenient, I suppose,” Rylana said.
“Their behavior was unacceptable. After we forage tomorrow, I will speak to the elders in the enclave.”
“Make sure it’s not the elders who are aligned with the Shaldona family,” Rylana said.
“Yes, I believe that is correct.”
Though Captain Tassani was strong, he wobbled a bit as he carried the awkwardly sized mattress. Jildarin left Rylana’s side to help him maneuver it through the front door and down the hall.
Wondering how much Jildarin had paid for the bedroom set, Rylana gave the dwarf a tip before following them. Hopefully, he’d received enough to make up for the fact that he’d been forced to make his delivery in the middle of the night.
By the time Rylana reached the storeroom, numerous lanterns lit to brighten the cavernous space, the elves had set up all the furniture, arranging it around the corner where she kept her pack, weapons, and blanket.
If they thought anything of carrying and arranging furniture for the person they’d been attacking scant minutes earlier, they said nothing of it.
After Tassani and Jildarin thumped the large mattress down on the bed frame, the elves departed. A couple of them sent dark looks toward Rylana, but Jildarin growled, sounding almost as ominous as when he did so as a dragon. Looking away, the elves jogged for the door.
“I hope you sleep well in your new nest,” Tassani said, bowing again toward Rylana as he also headed for the exit.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “And thank you,” she added when she and Jildarin were alone.
“You are welcome. Now, you will sleep.” As he headed for his own section of the storeroom, he added, “Do not forget we will leave early to follow the log-inspecting hound through the woods to acquire the enchanted morels.”
“Yes, of course.”
“And tomorrow night, the elven queen will feast on the magnificently prepared mushroom dish that I have planned.”
“I’m sure she’ll look forward to it,” Rylana called, then lowered her voice to add, “As soon as she learns she’s coming.”