“Do they have a tavern here?” I asked.
Aiden cut a glance at me.
Nikella nodded. “Beards & Barleyon the north side of town.” Her gaze flicked down to where I grasped the hilt of one of my small knives. “Be on your guard. Herd drivers make little coin, and they don’t like to lose it. Especially the men.”
“Do they ever?”
“I’ll go with you,” Aiden said.
I frowned. “For my protection?”
“For the Death and Four. There’s bound to be a few games I can win.”
Maz smirked. “And you two will get to cozy up in a tavern while poor Ruru and I do the back-breaking work.”
I offered him one of my knives. “By all means, Mazkull. But have you ever beaten me at throwing?”
“No.” He grinned. “I was thinking of using my other talents on a lonely barmaid or two. Get some food and a nice bed out of it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Kind of defeats the idea of hiding that you’re a Dag.”
He shrugged. “I’ll leave my shirt on, as disappointed as she would be. I haven’t gotten that tattoo on my ass yet,” he added with a wink.
I laughed. It sounded strange after such a horrific night, like a note of melody in a cacophony of screams.
Aiden quirked an eyebrow. “What’s this now? An ass tattoo?”
“Just a wager between friends,” Maz said.
“Enough.” Nikella pointed to a signpost that announced the ways to the Medria River, Twaryn, and Calimber. “Meet here at midday. Then we’ll go back for our weapons and sleep elsewhere.”
We split in three different directions when we entered Norford. I peered after Nikella as she headed for a squat stonebuilding with saddled horses out front and a quill-shaped sign above the door. Hopefully, I would have a letter to send soon.
Beards & Barleywas easy to find. It was the largest building on the street with a painting of a large, bearded man drinking beer on the front.
Aiden and I tied up our horses and ducked inside. The thick smell of smoke and body odor made me cough.
Gods, how can anyone sit in here without convulsing?
But no one else seemed to mind.Theydidseem to mind two strangers walking into their tavern. Everyone stopped smoking, drinking, and talking just to stare at us like we’d come in brandishing our swords.
Most of them didn’t seem heavily armed. Some didn’t even look like they could stand up if it came to a fight. A few women were scattered here and there around the tables, so at least I wasn’t the only one.
My muscles loosened a bit when I saw a target near the wide hearth. A few knives stuck out of it, but no one was playing.
“Norford must not get a lot of travelers from outside Winspere,” I muttered out of the corner of my mouth as we claimed a small table in the back.
Aiden’s gaze wandered around the crowd behind me. “They’ve probably had their fair share of soldiers. They drive their livelihoods through these lands. They don’t want any troublesome newcomers risking that.”
His suspicion was confirmed a moment later when the barkeep stalked over. He folded his arms over his burly chest and glared down at us over a thick beard. “You with a drive?”
“No,” Aiden said with a smooth smile. He laid his hand over mine on the sticky table. “My wife and I came this way from The Hollow to visit her great-uncle Caddik.”
His wife?
I gaped at Aiden, then quickly shut my mouth when his smile sharpened. It was a risky lie, but hopefully we’d be long gone before they heard about Caddik. As for being convincing...
I smiled up at the barkeep. “Yes, Uncle Caddik never leaves his manor, as you must know. But we wanted to visit as my mother worries for him.”
