Chapter 16
Faron appeared several times in the following week, often joined by Eddard or Waylon.
Tonight, the three of them joined her crew for an ale at the tavern.
Eddard and Egan were deep in conversation about fresh water in the mountains while Waylon failed miserably at making Sybil blush.
Faron sat across from Tal, matching sip for sip until their cups were both empty.
Without a word, he followed her to the bar, smirking as she turned to catch his gaze.
“Don’t you have crime to fight somewhere? Or maybe some court banquet to attend?” she teased.
“I’m not dressed for any adventures tonight.
” Faron gestured to his handmade trousers and white shirt.
Indeed, he didn’t even have his rapier or smallsword with him, though she doubted he’d arrived completely unarmed.
He dropped a few coins on the bar top and ordered a round of drinks for their table.
“Keep paying for our drinks, and the night might get adventurous either way.” Tal immediately regretted her words. Her cheeks heated and she avoided the suggestive grin on Faron’s face, allowing herself to become distracted by conversations around her.
“That’s what I’m saying! Two men came in buying drinks and left this here gold coin.” The bartender stopped filling their drinks in order to slap the coin on the wooden counter.
A rough-looking man squinted at it. “The king’s seal?” He met the bartender’s prideful expression. “Where they get a coin like that?”
All mirth escaped Tal. The king’s gold made its way into taverns now. When did these two men come here? Were they the same men she encountered a few nights ago? How did they obtain the coins with the blazing willow tree?
The bartender pocketed the coin. “Who knows. Maybe the king himself was here!” He finished filling the drinks and thunked them down in front of Faron.
“Come on, princess,” Faron called, hugging enough pints to his chest to refill the whole table’s drinks. “Let’s go see what mischief awaits us tonight.”
If he noticed Tal’s frown or the sudden change in her focus, he didn’t say.
While Faron laughed at something Carrick said, Tal sipped her drink and stared at a knot on the wooden table.
Days had gone by since she’d found someone with a connection to the mages, and nothing had yet come of it.
Her nail scratched the surface of the table.
She detested inaction, but they were exhausting all their resources with zero results.
Rainier’s sources remained tight-lipped, and Egan found nothing unusual of Gully and his associate’s recent behavior.
She reached into her pocket and rubbed her thumb over the crested coin she’d gotten the night of Pochette’s deal.
“She’s brooding, Carrick,” Faron said loud enough for Tal to hear, nudging her friend in the arm.
“You know, I think she is.” Carrick flicked a bit of his ale at her.
Tal flinched. “Do not waste good ale.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s that good.” Faron sniffed his drink and grimaced. “But it may be your foul mood that’s turned it sour.”
She dropped her cup on the table loudly, spilling some of her drink.
“Who’s wasting ale now, Tal?” Carrick took a mighty gulp.
Faron leaned closer to Carrick as if sharing a secret. “I think she likes to be angry.” The nobleman’s eyes twinkled, making Tal bite her lip to avoid smiling. “See?” he said.
“Continue talking about me, and we’ll see how long that pretty hair of yours lasts, highness.”
Faron gasped. “You think my hair is pretty?” He played with the strands that fell into his eyes. “Carrick, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she likes me.”
Carrick’s amusement rumbled over the noise of the boisterous tavern. “You poor soul.”
She grabbed her drink again. “I hate both of you.”
Before Tal finished her drink, Faron managed to get a laugh out of her.
She soon forgot about the king’s coin and the lack of action with the mages.
Several hours and rounds of drinks later, Tal and Faron walked together toward one of the tunnel entrances.
Several paces ahead, Carrick helped Eddard stumble over the cobblestones.
Beside them, Waylon and Sybil walked arm in arm, giving a rowdy rendition of a ballad about an alchemist who never dies.
Rainier and Egan followed close behind, deep in conversation.
Faron’s pace was considerably slower than the rest of their party. If she didn’t know any better, she would have guessed he wanted to prolong the inevitable end of the night.
“Thank you for allowing me to join you tonight,” he said.
“Am I to believe that you lowered yourself to come to the docks simply to have a few pints with us?” Tal hated that she liked the idea of the noble seeking her company.
It had been over a year since she told Daire not to come by anymore, an order that he often ignored.
Tal quite liked the freedom of being on her own, but something about Faron excited her.
Her mind swam with thoughts of him, especially after the day in the woods.
“My hope in coming tonight was to gaze upon a beautiful woman and engage her in pleasant conversation.” He winked.
“Then why did you waste your time at a table with us?”
Since meeting him, Faron often said ridiculous things.
She frequently rolled her eyes at his poetic musings.
However, if she was being honest, she’d smiled more since meeting him than she had in the last few years.
He was smooth where Tal was all rough edges.
He teased while Tal insulted. He laughed and Tal grumbled.
Despite her resistance to his charm, Faron kept coming back.
Since she’d met him, Tal noticed her hard exterior softening, and she didn’t quite mind it after all.
An easy smile pulled at Faron’s lips. “Because you are a beautiful woman, and conversation with you is pleasant.”
Tal did laugh this time. “You’re drunk.”
“I’m relaxed and happy to be alive tonight.” He opened his arms, palms up. “It is a good day.”
She didn’t respond, only watched him stumble a few steps with his eyes closed, enjoying the silence of the night and the peace of the moment.
He stopped and opened his eyes, meeting her gaze. “Don’t you agree?”
While Faron managed to ease Tal’s frustrations over the course of the night, she also came to the realization that she needed action. She sighed heavily. “I’m going to ruin your good day.”
Faron raised his brows in response.
“I’m going to get information out of those men. And you’re going to help me.”
His widened smile came as a surprise. “My day just got even better.”
Talwyn, Carrick, and Egan met up with Faron and Eddard the following night outside Gale’s tavern.
Instead of his typical maroon suit, Faron wore fitted brown pants and an oversized, hooded black cowl that made him appear even larger, almost sinister.
Tal eyed his new attire appreciatively and received a knowing smirk in return.
“I thought you might like tonight’s look. My leather suit got a tear,” he explained.
Tal nodded. She willed herself not to be distracted.
Sybil had warned them she could see something unexpected but couldn’t identify the finer details. She and Rainier were off searching for more clues into the mages. Carrick had insisted on coming, and Egan, while less insistent, wanted to help.
Eddard must have heard Tal asking how Faron found the men. “I grew up a few streets over. When Faron described them, I knew.”
Tal’s steps faltered. She noticed Carrick and Egan hesitate as well. “You grew up here?”
Eddard nodded and pointed east toward the water. “Just over there. I joined the guard when I lost my mother and sister. There was no one left for me here. I thought the guard would give me the chance to see the other kingdoms.”
“I’m sorry about your family,” Tal said after a pause.
He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. I’ve made my peace.”
Eddard often hung around when Tal spent time with Daire. His blissful disposition always grated on Tal’s nerves. Now, she wondered if his eternal optimism actually masked the horrors he’d faced as a child.
“Anyway, these guys always caused trouble as I grew up—always picking on women and children. I found them in the same house they’ve always lived in.”
Tal eyed the building in front of her, a short walk from where she’d been attacked.
It looked much like any other house at the docks, wedged between similar buildings on either side.
They were in the belly of the residential area, where Pochette’s men and the rest of the disreputable poor lived.
All the buildings along both sides of the street sat in varying degrees of disarray.
And, though Tal had grown accustomed to the stinking smell of garbage and stagnant water, it was especially rancid in this part of town.
They crouched on the roof across the street, debating a way in when Faron relayed the information he’d gathered.
The two men were in one of the lesser gangs, though they had such low rank it wasn’t worth noting.
Around the docks, they went by the names Badger and Gully, with Badger being the stockier man and Gully the taller one.
It was during Faron’s explanation that company arrived.
The sight of the cloaked figure sent a wave of unease through the group.
She twisted and hissed at Faron, “Did you know anything about this?”
Faron returned her gaze, stunned.
“There’s been no communication between them and the mages, I swear.” Egan’s tone turned apologetic.
“Dammit, we’re not prepared for this.” Tal’s inner thoughts warred over giving up on her revenge scheme tonight or risking a battle with a mage.
“Well, we were waiting for this.” Egan seemed too eager to engage their enemy.
Eddard’s middle finger tapped nervously on his knee. “Are we changing the plan then? No torture?”