“Nevillian wines are good!”
“Not this one. Anything from Onesse vineyards is tainted. Everyone knows this,” she said, she waved her hand as she spoke.
Stron put the bottle down. “The lady isn’t interested,” he said.
He took her arm and they started to step away.
“Wait, wait. You want the best, I show the best!”
“I doubt it,” Adryel said.
He reached into the back of his stall and pulled out a different bottle. “What about this one? Nevillian from the Treviss region. It’s better.”
She shrugged. “Meh,” she said.
“For you, I’ll give you a discount.”
Adryel waved her hand. “Nevillian wine, though. I just don’t think?—”
“Half off!” he said.
She tilted her head.
“Do you want some wine?” Stron asked.
“It’s not bad. Fair. Ish.”
“I throw in the glasses!” He picked up two wine goblets, trimmed in silver with crests that matched the logo on the wine bottle.
“I guess,” she said.
Stron said nothing, and paid the male.
The vendor went on and on about how good the wine would be especially in the special Nevillian glasses.
As they walked away, Stron glanced at her. “Is this wine worth the price?”
“That one? Oh yeah. It’s typically triple the price, it’s one of the best wines out of Neville.”
He shook his head. “You are devious.”
“I’ve been around enough to know how it’s done.”
He kept his arm around her, and she held the wine in between them. He kept watching the crowds.
“We need to move. Can you walk faster?”
“Don’t be rude.”
“I’m not. I don’t think we’re unnoticed here.”
“I had that feeling myself,” she said and started to increase her pace.
He didn’t like the eyes on them.
Whether she saw it or not, he did, and they absolutely were being watched.
20
