Zilek grinned and wandered down the street, whistling cheerfully.
Why didn’t Rylana feel like she’d won a victory?
5
Jildarin had leftone of the carriage doors open, and Rylana was about to venture into the storeroom when Sylin walked out of the alley with their belongings and joined her. She looked down the street to an intersection where Zilek was disappearing around the corner.
“Other than arranging meals, you didn’t discuss salary or benefits,” Sylin said.
“How long were you spying on us?” Rylana asked, though it wasn’t as if she could be affronted when she’d spied on the dragon brothers for twenty minutes herself.
“I was observing potential targets to determine if my blade services might be needed to protect a colleague.”
“So… five minutes? Ten?”
“You should be grateful that I care enough to bother. Except when orders from a superior officer were involved, I’ve bestirred myself for few others.”
“Was your bestirring prompted because you got kicked out of the coffee shop?”
“Certainly not. I’m a polite, quiet, and well-paying customer.”
Rylana squinted at her.
“An elf walked in,” Sylin said. “Though he didn’t speak to me, he gave me a long, thoughtful look, so I decided to leave. After seeing an enemy recognize you, I judged it possible that even in this northern locale, many hundreds of miles from the war, I might also be recognized.”
“And you don’t need the entire elven enclave after you.” Rylana took her bow, quiver, sword scabbard, and pack from her friend. “I’m going to look at Jildarin's books. I trust that won’t interest you.”
“Unless you refer to mystery, history, or adventure books, not in the least.”
“Financial books.” Rylana mimicked a pencil solving equations in the air.
“I will leave those to you. But did you get a sense that you’ll be safe in there with him? Alone?” Sylin arched her eyebrows. “Tranquility law allows dragons to change into their native form within their lairs, doesn’t it? And it sounds like he’s sleeping in there.”
Rylana hesitated. Was it possible Jildarin had invited her in simply so he could change without alarms going off? And then blast her with fire and chomp down on her with that great fang-filled maw?
“He seemed more concerned aboutmeattempting to killhim,” she said.
“We accuse others most often of what we’ve contemplated doing ourselves, that which is top of mind.”
“I’ll risk it.”
Sylin cocked her head. “Why?”
“I told you why.”
“Guilt?”
“Yeah. It’s a powerful human emotion. So is a desire for bacon.” Rylana had been intrigued when the brother had mentioned seasonings. And a bourbon rub?
“If you say so. I’ll leave you and check a few more hostels to see if there are any rooms available. If not, I suppose we can sleep in a park or in the woods or farmlands outside the city. It isn’t as if we’ve gone without shelter before.”
“True, but it rains and snows a lot up here. A roof would be nice.”
“There’s always your family’s castle.”
“I told you I’m not going over there, not even to sleep on the lawn outside.”
“Maybe the dragon will let you stay in his lair. Ask him that when you’re inquiring about benefits.”
