Across the room, a young woman with waist- length copper braids and bright freckles on her cheeks lights up. “Malin!” she squeals. “You came back.”
Apparently, the barkeep’s recognition has relaxed the tenor of the room, because the low rumble of conversation picks up again. But beside me, Malin’s cheeks are turning red. “Silver hell,” he mutters under his breath.
“I guess you found alittletime to do more than just shovel manure,” I say.
“I hate you.”
Then Wenda appears in front of him, all but grabbing hold of his sleeve. “So many stripes,” she breathes, batting her eyelashes up at him. “You must have accomplished a lot while you were gone. But I knew you’d be back.”
I clap him on the shoulder. “Go catch up with your . . . friend,” I say. “We’ll find a table,Captain.”
Wenda’s eyebrows go up, and her voice goes even more breathy. “Captain.”
Malin glares at me, but I smile and look at the others. “Come on.”
But when we reach a table, I realize that this has left me with Leo, Jax, and Sephran as my companions. When we sit down, silence drops like a blanket thrown over a fire.
I think of that moment when Malin caught my arm and said he’d have to fix this, and I said I would handle it. I guess that means I have to.
So I sigh and unbuckle a pouch on my belt, withdrawing a deck of cards— though as soon as I start to shuffle, I wonder what I’ll do if theyrefuse to play. I hate that my thoughts are so full ofdoubt. I shuffle longer than I need to.
A different barmaid stops by the table, skirts swirling around her legs. She sets a basket of crusty bread in the center of the table, along with a small pot of honey. “Ale for you boys?” she says.
“Yes,” I say gratefully. “Please.”
Maybe I sound too desperate, because Sephran and Jax exchange a glance, though Leo gives her a smile and says, “Sure.”
Jax finally looks up. “Hot tea. Please.”
“Same,” says Sephran.
I have no idea why that sounds significant, but it does. I should be making easy conversation with the barmaid about the goings- on in Willminton, but instead, my thoughts lock on whatever just happened between Sephran and Jax. In my silence, the barmaid gives them a nod and scurries off, leaving me with an overly shuffled deck of cards in my hands.
I need a scraver to tear through the ceiling or Truthbringers to storm through the door or even just a random patron to start a barfight, because this is brutal.
My eyes stay fixed on my hands as I deal, snapping out the requisite cards for Mules and Mares. I brace myself, ready for them to shove the cards back at me— or, worse, simply ignore them.
But no, they all pick up their hands easily, reminding me that soldiers can quite literally be in the midst of a war, but a chance to play cards or dice is always welcome.
“Mules and Mares,” I say to Jax. “Do you know it?”
He inhales to answer, but Sephran says, “He knows it.”
His tone is sharp, and I really don’t understand what I’ve done to cause so much aggravation. I can feel my hackles rise.
But Jax glances at him, then back at me. “Yes, Tycho. I know it.”
Something in his voice pulls the aggression out of me. Every timehe speaks Emberish, it’s so unexpected. It’s fascinating to hear his Syssal accent curl around the words, softening every edge. I wish things weren’t so rocky between us, because I long to hear itmore.
I clear my throat and look at my cards. I have a queen and a three— a mareanda mule— which is a fairly good hand. I chose this game because it’s slow and calculated, with several rounds of betting, and it’ll be easy for Malin to join us when he’s done with Wenda. But when I toss a copper on the table and glance over, Malin has actually taken a seat at the bar, and he’s talking to the barkeep now. Maybe they’re catching up on old times, but I know Malin pretty well by now, and I’m sure he’s fishing for information.
At least one of us is getting something done.
Jax tosses a copper to match my bet, but Sephran tosses two in the middle of the table, upping the ante. Leo raises his eyebrows and lays down his cards to fold.
Sephran is staring at me boldly.
Prick, I think. I toss another copper in. Jax glances between us and does the same.
