“We know Thusk ships goods to Jaelport, but his warehouse was clean,” Cole said. “We’re fairly certain prisoners are being taken from Ice Island through that tunnel, but we don’t know who’s doing it or where they’re taking them. We know Verdot is hiding something?—”
“Many somethings,” Kurtz added.
“And we know Drustan is somehow connected,” Cole said, “because he threatened Tom Raven’s daughter.”
“We also know there are runes on some of Thusk’s wagons that match those at the prison,” Mistel said. “But there are none on his warehouse.”
“He must have another warehouse,” Cole said. “We should search the town until we spot more of those runes.”
Kurtz leaned back in his chair. “That’s not a bad idea, but it’ll take a while. Tsaftown is not exactly small.”
“We also know Cole’s father doesn’t trust Thusk,” Mistel said, “and that Thusk is being blackmailed by Lord Falkson.”
“Right,” Kurtz said, “and we still have no idea who framed West or why.”
“Or how the Black Boar ties into any of it,” Cole said. “Apart from Drustan running the place.”
“And Fenris living there,” Kurtz added. “And Crow and all the Howlers too.”
“And Lady Viola’s visit,” Mistel said.
The tavern door swung open, letting in a chilly gust of air. Lovell Dunn and Jol Quimby entered.
Merrygog, who was sitting with a group of old timers over by the fireplace, gestured toward Dunn with his mug, sloshing a bit of ale over the side. “What’s all this ruckus I’ve been hearing about, then? Half the town’s buzzing like a kicked beehive that Lady Viola is in trouble.”
“Yes, Master Dunn,” Rilla piped in as she filled a man’s tankard with ale, “do tell us what’s happened.”
Dunn spread his arms wide and let out a booming proclamation. “Good people of the Ivory Spit, rest assured that the trouble has been resolved! Lady Viola is home safe, as is Miss Nevandra. Alas, Fenris Yarden and Joonas Erlichman are dead.”
A ripple of shock ran through the room. Arbin Roxley stopped playing his fiddle, which made the silence in the tavern even more pronounced. Cole tensed, his gaze snapping to Kurtz, who leaned an elbow on the table, his eyes narrowed.
“Was Sir Fenris the one who waylaid her ladyship?” Rilla asked.
Dunn sank onto a chair at the table beside theirs. “As you all know, Lord Livna and Sir Fenris fought a duel yesterday in the Dale. While that was happening, some of Sir Fenris’s Howlers sneaked into Lytton Hall and abducted little Nevandra.” He paused for effect, and the collective gasp he drew from the crowd seemed to spur him on. “The fiend wanted a way to blackmail his lordship into handing over rule of the city.”
Mistel grinned at Cole and whispered. “You were right.”
“Not a chance.” Merrygog slammed his mug on the table. “Our lord bested that scoundrel fair and true. I saw it myself!”
Dunn leaned forward. “Picture this, my friends,” he said, his voice low and dramatic. “While his lordship was locked in a duel with Fenris Yarden, that villain had already ordered his men to sneak into Lytton Hall like shadows on a moonless night. They snatched young Nevandra, intending to use the wee lass, should Fenris lose the duel, to twist Lord Livna’s arm into surrendering the city.”
“Hunxes, all of them,” Mistel mumbled.
Dunn paused, waiting, it seemed, for the crowd to finish reacting. “Fenris underestimated the courage of the women of Lytton Hall. Lady Viola discovered the abduction before her lord returned, and with Lady Lathia by her side, the pair rode out to confront the blackguard. They stormed Fenris’s camp—two noblewomen against a den of wolves! And when it came to saving her daughter, Lady Viola didn’t hesitate. She traded herself for Nevandra’s freedom.”
Cole’s heart hammered as he imagined such a thing. He could almost hear music building as Dunn told the story. What a song this would make!
Dunn raised his hand. “This dawn, Lord Livna, Captain Demry, and the Fighting Fifteen marched up the mountain to rescue her.”
“Dunn and me with them,” Quimby piped in.
“But Fenris was a clever fox,” Dunn said. “He’d set traps to slow us down. An avalanche, my friends. Snow and ice came crashing down the slopes, nearly swallowing us whole.” He mimed the roaring cascade with a sweep of his arm, earning a few startled flinches.
“But the Fifteen pressed on,” he continued, “their hearts as fierce as their blades. And because of our lord’s and lady’s diplomacy skills, the Poroo joined them in the fight, and together, we outwitted Fenris’s men. Yet the fiend didn’t go quietly. Oh no. Sir Fenris fled with Councilor Erlichman across the frozen lake, taking Lady Viola with them, thinking the ice would hold. But ah, the warmer days of late had thinned it, and as they neared the center, the ice gave way. Erlichman and his festrier fell.”
“He was killed?” Merrygog asked.
“Aye, that he was. But our lordship…” Dunn stood and spread his arms as if to embody Lord Livna himself. “He raced onto the precarious ice to save Lady Viola from going under. Fenris tried to stop him. And to save his beloved bride, Lord Livna, brave and true, tackled Fenris into the icy waters.”
