“Thank you.” Neve sighed wearily. I doubted she noticed the nymph eyeing her, but I noticed him look away and become engrossed with the glasses on the other side of the bar.
If the nymph wasn’t so handsome, I wouldn’tcare, but nymphs were known to attract all sorts, and my emotions around Neve were raw. Hot-blooded, but raw.
“Hang mine up too.” Caelo tossed me his cloak with a wink.
I rolled my eyes but took the furs to the fire where they would warm and dry. Along the way, I listened. Gathering news was one reason we were here, but I heard nothing of value, only normal village gossip, so I rejoined Neve and Caelo and found an ale waiting for me.
“Bottoms up,” Caelo said. We toasted silently to being warm and eating a full meal for the first time in days as Neve sipped her hot, spiced wine. “We ordered bowls of stew and rolls. If you want something else, they have roasted boar.”
I salivated but shook my head. Stew cost less than roasted meat. And though we needed a full meal to keep our magic strong, I saw no need to go overboard.
“Here you go.” The female nymph approached, flowers growing out of her long pink hair. She set two bowls down, which I insisted Caelo and Neve take as the nymph returned to the kitchens for the last. When the barkeep arrived with my steaming bowl, I thanked her and she turned to leave, but Neve lifted a hand.
“I was wondering, is there a crier in the village with the latest news from around the kingdom? Or a pamphlet? We’ve been on the road for so long, and I’m curious if anything has happened.”
“Like?” the barkeep arched an eyebrow.
“Well, I’m quite interested in the Courting Festival.” Neve ducked her head as if embarrassed to say as much. Asif she was some romantic female drooling over the idea of an event.
The nymph softened, and a smile grew on her heart-shaped face. “Aye, the balls and the betrothals. I can understand wanting to know more about that! So romantic!”
I forced myself not to scoff. As the king strong armed matches he preferred, the Courting Festival was anything but romantic, though I supposed that, to the commonfae who had never so much as visited Avaldenn or seen the inside of the castle, such an event would draw the imagination.
The nymph wiped down the bar top. “And since you’re asking, Ididhear a bit of news two days back.Scandalousnews!”
“Is someone already wed?” Neve asked.
No doubt she was thinking about Sayyida Virtoris or Marit Armenil, both betrothed against their will for bearing witnesses at Neve and my wedding.
“Not that! Better! The Warrior Bear and his new bride are nowhere to be found!” The nymph leaned a hip against the bar, happy to indulge Neve in her gossip.
I started in on my stew. Caelo had already demolished half his bowl, and fat dribbled down his chin.
“Oh, do you hear that, Trahal and Týriel!” Neve’s face relaxed as she dropped our middle names, the first false cover trail. Like me, I doubted she’d considered news of us had reached this far west. “Do you have any idea where they went?”
“No,” the nymph said. “Though some are guessing theyleft the city because the new princess was already with youngling. Lord Roar’s youngling!”
The barkeep looked scandalized, and my wife proved she could have acted at the Royal Theater for she clapped a hand over her mouth.
“No!”
“Yes! Maybe they’re going to the midlands to have the child and leave it somewhere. Old King Magnus wouldn’t abide bastards in his castle. Ironic, wouldn’t you say?”
Itwasironic, though not for the reason the barkeep surmised. And apparently, she wasn’t done, for she leaned closer to Neve. “I wish there would be a sighting of them. They?—”
The tavern door banged open, startling me so much that I dropped my spoon into my bowl. “A healer! We need a healer!”
Everyone spun to find a brownie yelling at the door.
The barkeep straightened. “Yeel, what’s going on?”
“Gerda had her youngling!” Yeel said. “Born with no wings and a horrible gaping hole in her chest. The healer who delivered the babe needs help. Another knowledgeable set of hands.”
A patron stood. “I’ll help.”
They swept out the door, and the barkeep let out a long, sad sigh. “It’ll be Winter’s magic acting up again. The last three younglings born here weren’t right either. No wings or, if they had them, they might as well not. Shredded to bits, the poor things. And a dryad was recently born with hair as black as the night. An oddity if there ever was one!”
“That’s so sad,” Nevesaid.
