Above, a white hawk shrieked. Roar had seen the bird circling the village and the surrounding mountain side for an hour, no doubt looking for mice or something else to eat. Roar took the bird’s call as a sign to do something. A sign to act from one predator to another.
“Tell His Majesty I’ll return soon,” Roar threw the command to the Clawsguard who was waiting outside the coinary with him.
He walked toward the Frozen Toes Tavern, the best tavern in the town and with an attached inn, or so he’d been told. It wasn’t much to his eye, but as Roar opened the door, he found two dozen fae staring at him. Whispers ran through the crowd as he approached the bar.
“Mi lord? What can I get you?” The dryad barkeep stood at attention, his skin bark-like and arms looked rather like stiff branches but were ready to serve all the same.
Roar leaned over the countertop, seemingly at ease in this place. Though his face was now scarred, he remained handsome and charming, and he intended to use each quality and anything else he might need to gather information.
“Your best ale, is it local?”
“We grow everything in greenhouses outside of town. The water is fed straight from the mountains.”
“Perfect. Your favorite local ale then.”
The barkeep poured the ale, frothing at the top, and set it before Roar.
A gold bear slid across the barter, and the tender’s eyes widened.
“It’s only a copper, mi lord.”
“I’m looking to purchase more than ale.”
The barkeep pocketed the coin. “What else do you need?”
“Information.”
“‘Bout?”
“Word has it that a prince and princess came through here recently. Did they stay here?”
“They did.”
“Were you working?”
“I wasn’t. My brother was. They stayed in three rooms.”
Yes, Sir Caelo had been with Vale that night, and one human—the same one Prince Gervais had brought to court. Isolde’s friend, he later learned. Roar remembered the slave’s face. The dark upturned eyes, the raven-wing hair, and the small stature.
But three rooms would not fit the humans they’d liberated.
“How many were in their party?”
“Four.”
So they’d put the humans somewhere while they stayed at the inn. Kept them in the woods?
“And they came from what direction?”
“West. From the deep mountains.”
Roar took a drink of ale. It was rather good. He lifted his horn, which pleased the dryad.
“What’s to the west of here?”
While this was his territory, Roar was not as familiar with the few villages dotting the mountain ranges.
“Nothin’ much.” The dryad shrugged. “Mountains all the way to the other kingdoms.”
