“Then I suppose you’re prepared to pay the price.” Elder Orora rubbed her hands together gleefully. “That is my job, after all: collecting all the debts and fees and fines.”
Augustin sighed and rolled his eyes. “You can take the pirate off the ship, but you can’t take the ship out of the — no, that’snot it. What I mean to say is that you’ve always loved your booty, Grandmother. Doesn’t matter if it’s coffers or treasure chests. Gold glitters just the same, doesn’t it?”
Elder Orora grinned. “Oh, Augustin. You know me too well.”
“Is Elder Bahul a former pirate, too?” Braiden asked. “Someone you know from your seafaring days?”
“Actually, I only met him here on the council. He’s a transplant, like me. A smuggler from Il-Venesse.”
Of course, he was. A pirate on the council, and a smuggler, too. That explained the gigantic chest. Well, sort of.
“And speaking of Il-Venesse — don’t think I’ve forgotten about those dragons that you owe me.”
Before Augustin could protest in his favor, Braiden reached into his coin purse, grateful he’d had the foresight to pocket the ancient currency on the way out the door. This was a good a time as any to return them. He placed them on the table, the old metal cool to the touch as he arranged them into a little mound.
“I didn’t spend a single one of them. I always meant to give them back.”
Orora’s eyes narrowed into slits.
“Very sneaky of you, Grandmother,” Augustin added, “trying to bribe Braiden like that.”
Elder Orora swept the coins into her lap, lips pursing as they tinkled. She counted them one by one, biting into their rims as she went. “And to think you could have cleared all your penalties in one fell swoop. Shame, really. Bahul isn’t as spry as he used to be. He could have used an escort.”
Braiden glanced from her face to the window in disbelief. Spry was an understatement.
“The man carries a mountain on his back,” Augustin said. “I somehow have to believe that he’s going to be all right.”
“He only takes it off to sleep,” Orora said. “Or so I’ve heard. Perhaps he’ll find the right adventurers to go with him. I’ve never seen him so upset.”
Braiden blinked. How could she even tell?
“I hope the two of you know what you’re doing,” Orora said, still civil after gouging the pair for all they were worth. “The dungeon is here to stay, you know? You’ll go back down some day. You’ll get bored of brewing elixirs and casting out flyers, too.”
Augustin lifted his nose. “If you say so, Grandmother. Now, if you’ll excuse us? We have businesses to run. Can’t pay your exorbitant fees if we don’t make any money.”
The elder steepled her fingers and smirked. “Then I wish the two of you the very best.”
Augustin somehow turned his nose up even higher, grabbing Braiden by the hip and guiding him toward a window. Panic rippled through Braiden’s body. Where were they going?
“What are you doing?” Braiden stammered.
“Just trust me,” Augustin whispered with a wink.
The wizard held Braiden by the waist and stepped out the window.
Braiden yelped as they plummeted from the tower, his heart racing in the terrifying span of seconds before Augustin’s flying spell kicked in. His voice splitting the air outside the Lighthouse, Braiden hung on for dear life.
“Why doesn’t anyone ever use the damn stairs?”
Chapter
Three
A seagull squawked in surprise,diving out of the way in the nick of time. “Sorry!” Braiden called out, wondering why he was apologizing for the wizard. The seagull glared at him accusingly before flapping off to find breadcrumbs again. Now why was this Braiden’s fault, all of a sudden?
He remembered flying for the very first time, down in the Weathervale dungeon as Augustin scooped him up and off the ground to save them both from a messy death under the foot of a giant ice elemental. That had been exhilarating enough on its own.
But this? Gods, but Braiden never could have dreamed of such a sight, a literal bird’s-eye view of the only home he’d ever know. Weathervale spread out in all directions beneath him, the great roads splitting the town into its eight districts more prominent than ever. The ocean — gods, the ocean! How it sparkled like rippling sapphires, how the boats bobbed so peacefully.
