“You’re killing her, Kaz.” Zorinna reached up to tap him on the shoulder.
I was breathless and dizzy by the time he set me back down on my feet. “Uh—do you greet everyone like that?”
He grinned from ear to ear, but ignored my question. “I heard you showed some impressive swordplay during your first lesson.”
Had Alandris told him that?
“I practiced with my Captain.”
“Right! You’re a badass pirate now!”
“Kaz,” Zorinna cut in, a threat in her tone.
“It’s not all that,” I added. “I was the ship doctor. I only learned a bit of self-defense. Besides, we are more of ‘noble thieves’, if I’m being honest.”
“Why don’t we get a drink together? I know where they keep the good stuff.”
Zorinna scowled. “Kaz!”
Alcohol made for loose lips. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my evening than with this overly friendly oaf.
There was something about Kaz that was instantly likable. I’d agreed to drink with him, hoping he’d accidentally say too much while under the influence of alcohol, yet I found myself genuinely enjoying his company. It was a nice consolation since he tolerated his drink much better than I’d been counting on. He was doubling my intake, possibly even tripling, but you would never know it from his behavior.
He’d brought me to a private sitting room in an abandoned hallway of the Consortium. This was where the supposed ‘good stuff’ was located, and it wasn’t awful, but it certainly wasn’t good. It was an amber liquid, with a bittersweet liquid that burned the entire way down. In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t drink something a stranger had handed me, but if I wanted to figure this place out, I needed to take some risks.
Zorinna had opted not to join us after grumbling an incoherent flurry of insults and curses at Kaz. Frankly, I hadn’t minded; she would impede my goal to get him talking, and I wasn’t exactly a fan of hers after how she’d treated Lorian. I knew little of his past, but I knew he’d taken to a life on theseas after something had gone down at home. I couldn’t fault anyone from running away when I’d done the same exact thing. Defending him was defending myself, in a way.
I tipped my glass back, letting the last bit of drink burn a hole in my throat. To avoid arousing Kaz’s suspicion, I needed to maintain a steady pace. I’d drunk with the crew enough to know my limits—had used it as a tool on several occasions to outgamble them, too. Kaz was facing a master of the long game, and if he kept tipping them back like they were water, he was going to play right into my hand.
“What do you do for the Consortium, exactly?”Keep it light. Casual. Test the waters.
“I’m a mercenary. I help with odd jobs, occasionally train the Mages in hand-to-hand combat if they are lacking.” He sipped from his glass, leaning back in the ivory velvet armchair.
“How did you meet Alandris? I didn’t think mercenaries took jobs from a singular employer like that.”
“Nowthatis a long story.”
I quirked a brow. “We have all night. My life isn’t nearly as interesting. I’d rather hear your stories.”
“I don’t think that’s true, but…”—he took another sip—“we met over twenty-five years ago. He needed a sword, and I needed a job. It was one hell of an adventure, but not everything goes as planned. We lost a lot—him more than anyone. At the end, I promised I’d stick by him.”
“Twenty-five years?” I looked at him in doubt. He didn’t look a day over thirty.
A laugh exploded from his chest. “Another funny story. Made a joke once about my ma fucking a Giant.”
I gasped without realizing it and quickly covered my mouth with my hand. “No way. You’re a half-Giant?”
“What a way to find out, huh?”
And then we were both laughing, choking on our drinks, and struggling to breathe. By the end of our outburst, I’d almost forgotten my purpose. Regardless of how kind Kaz was, I had to press him. I needed to know.
“What do you think of Alandris?”
He looked at me as though I’d asked him the most idiotic question in the world. “He’s the best male I’ve ever met.”
“Why did you want to meet me?”A more dangerous question.
A sorrowful look passed over his face, and his eyes went somewhere far, far away. “I missed… an old friend. You remind me a lot of her.”
