If only he had been some sort of savant card player in his former life and even just that solitary skill had returned to him. But, alas, that was not the case.
Instead, he found a table and ordered himself a pint of ale and got comfortable. He started small, wanting to wait until Freya had arrived before attempting any of the tricks she had taught him. He figured that was the least he could do, so as not to make a total and complete fool of himself.
She arrived some time later, and they locked eyes the moment she entered. His question was silent, but she understood easily. No, the inn keeper hadn’t known anything about a ship either. Freya walked around the room until she found a table that seemed to have slightly higher stakes, and then they started. As they had planned it, Freya wasn’t the one who was supposed to be making the big earnings. Certainly not because she couldn’t but because Nathan didn’t want to have to be accountable for what he might do if another man dared to look at her like the sailor on the boat had.
After winning a few hands, Freya took to mingling around the tavern, giving him stolen glances and ensuring she knew what was in his hand, making subtle gestures and clues to help thepair of them win enough money for the next leg of their trip, if nothing else. Perhaps, if this next town didn’t yield any results, they could just do this for a couple more nights in order to earn enough coin to start a wholly new life all over again.
Nathan finished his ale, slamming down the empty tankard before happily sliding over his most recent winnings when the man beside him reached over into his personal space, and plucked up the cards that Nathan had not yet played. The man flipped them over, examining them and spreading them between his fingers before he hissed a displeased breath and shook his head.
“It just daesnae make any sense!” The man proclaimed, eyes narrowing into beady slits as he watched Nathan. “I dinnae ken where ye came from boy, but I ken there’s something nae right about ye!”
Nathan shook his head. “Nae need to be a bitter loser. We all have our off days.”
Perhaps he was playing with fire, but their plan had been working so well up until that point that he didn’t want to stop. If only it wasn’t also making him feel terribly arrogant as well.
Another stood up. “Aye! Nay outsider is going to come in here and take all our coin!”
Nathan huffed. “That’s exactly what it looks like is happening, isnae it lads?”
The man didn’t care for that one bit, and it was very obvious from the way his clenched fists started to shake and tremble as he fought to contain himself. He didn’t look like he had seen a single moment of combat in his entire life, however Nathan could feel the challenge starting to radiate off him in waves.
“I willnae be spoken tae like that by an outsider!”
“I’m sensing this ‘outsider’ thing is really a sore point fer ye, hm?” Nathan continued as he slipped the coin into his small coin purse.
“Hey! Give that back!”
Nathan shook his head. “I willnae. This might be a valuable lesson fer ye tae learn that ye cannae just go losing tae everybody at cards and then think it isnae fair. Ye lost yer coin because ye’re bad at cards. I won fairly because I’m nae bad at cards and that’s all there is tae it.” Nathan leaned forward as he spoke. Even though the man was standing, and he was still seated, they weren’t that far apart in height.
The first man reached over and clamped a bony hand down on Nathan’s shoulder as if he could possibly have any hope of holding the man in place while the other cocked his fist back and aimed to strike. His swing was lazy, and easy enough to dodge.
“Well now, if ye cannae handle losing, then ye shouldnae be playing cards in the first place.” Nathan continued, his eyes alight with amusement.
“Who dae ye think ye are tae speak tae me like that?” The man shouted, his voice rising at the same speed his words were starting to slur together.
“A man with a heavy pocket, thank ye fer asking,” Nathan said as he easily shrugged out of the hand on his shoulder. The man beside him seemed rather shocked that he could be dislodged so easily. The others at the table all stood at the same time as Nathan did—but he was nonplussed.
He knew when to leave a game before things got ugly, and just to make things more interesting, he pulled a single small coin back out of his pocket and placed it on the table for those who has lost. “Ferr the fun game, enjoy the rest of yer evening lads.”
“If ye ever come in here again, I’ll?—”
The second man was silenced by the first. He grabbed onto the man’s wrist and yanked him back into his seat so firmly that the wood seemed to rattle against the floor, but Nathan didn’t look back.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“What was the point of any of that?”
Freya stormed into their room ahead of Nathan, not even knowing how to properly express just how upset with him she was. She didn’t know how to put the feelings that were growing inside her into words.
“Isnae that what we wanted in the first place?” Nathan asked, sounding far too chipper for her liking. She didn’t care for that at all, not when she was so upset with him.
“Nae like that! What is it inside ye that makes ye feel as if ye need tae start a fight at every possible opportunity!” Freya huffed.
Nathan caught the door before it could rebound and hit him in the face. He closed it behind him softly and flipped the latch lock into place before turning to face her. The fact that he was taking his sweet time in getting things done was only serving to fuel heranger just that much further. “I’m at a loss as tae what part ye’re upset about.”
Freya’s eyes widened incredulously. How could he possibly not know what she was upset about? How was it not abundantly obvious? “The whole reason ye were the one playing the cards was because ye didnae want tae see the men get upset with me again… and then ye turn around and start a fight anyway? How was that any different?”
She was trying not to yell, because she knew that raising her voice at him was only going to cause additional problems neither one of them needed right now. She was frustrated enough that nothing they had done thus far had worked. At the same time, she was scared that somehow it was going to work. She had been standing there in the tavern, watching those man rise from their seats and start to raise their voices at Nathan, who was far too calm in that situation. She had watched, feeling ever the more helpless with every passing second, as the men had moved closer to starting a fight with him, knowing that if they joined together maybe even Nathan wouldn’t have been able to fight all of them off. She couldn’t help then, and she didn’t want to do what they were doing without him. The thought of having him unconscious again was a bone deep terror she hadn’t fully realized until now.
