“That’s the one, yes.”
“I was well paid with bonuses for my work, sometimes from multiple employers.” Sylin shrugged. “I’ll be fine for a while.”
Rylana couldn’t say the same. They’d lived frugally as they’d traveled, recovering and relaxing and seeing some of the world to help put the horrors of the war behind them, but her funds were nearly depleted. Since the prosperous city of Tranquility, tucked away between two mountain ranges along its northern lake, hadn’t been touched during the war, she’d believed opportunities for employment would be many. It hadn’t occurred to her that hordes of refugees and veterans would come up here first.
“Even if you were foolish enough to want to work for someone who couldn’t pay his rent,” Sylin said, “that dragon doesn’t desire to hire you.”
“Only because he doesn’t know about the years I spent being tortured by mathematics and business tutors. I’m an excellent bookkeeper and can do numbers in my head.”
“You almost shot him in the eye. He’s not going to care if you can do the most elaborate and complicated…” Sylin waved her hand vaguely in the air. “What’s something fancy you can do with numbers?”
“Get someone out of debt.”
“That’s not as fancy as I imagined.”
“We could talk about derivatives and differential equations, but I can’t imagine that impressing a dragon. But if I could help him to reconcile his books and streamline his business so he could come up with the money to pay his landlord…”
“When you walked in, there were only three customers, and he threw two out. No amount of streamlining will help that diner.”
“Are you talking about Jildarin's place?” A woman with curly black hair, creases at the corners of her brown eyes, and a broad face walked up to take their empty cups and place cookies they hadn’t ordered on napkins on the table. “Free samples,” she said, though Sylin delved into her purse to rest two silver coins next to the sweets.
“Yes,” Rylana said. “Do you know anything about the dragon?”
“He keeps to himself. I just know he makes wonderful food and doesn’t charge enough for it. He would have armies of people visiting if not for the reputation of the place. Well, actually people are awfully curiousbecauseof that reputation, but then he drives them away when his dishes work as… one would think as he wishes.” The woman slid the coins into a pocket in her apron. “Thank you, lady elf.”
“As an aphrodisiac?” Rylana asked.
“It’s mostly the soup that has that effect. And sometimes the stew. He puts his special dragon spices in them, and most people find them, er, invigorating.”
“It makes them want to have sex,” another woman called from across the shop, heads turning to regard her curiously. She was dumping burlap bags of beans into the great roasting apparatus.
Their server waved at her with a shushing motion. Despite having a head of gray hair and a motherly and mature figure, the other woman stuck her tongue out at her. There weren’t any other employees in the room, and Rylana wondered if they might be the owners rather than staff.
“The spices tend to make people amorous, yes,” the closer woman said. “I’ve heard they can affect dragons, too, but only in much greater quantities. I believe dragons only use the spices as a seasoning. I’m Tezilly, by the way. That’s my loudmouthed partner who tells it like it is, Brella. Do you want another cup? Or something else? We’ve got more goods from the bakery next door too.”
“These came from there?” Sylin, perhaps thinking of the lewd goblin cake she’d seen, eyed the cookies with more wariness, but there wasn’t anything phallic or otherwise sexual about them. Inoffensive disks of chocolate were embedded into the tops and framed by sprinkles.
“Yes, Mya is a wonderful baker and makes treats for everything from children’s parties to holiday festivities to…”
“Goblin stag gatherings?” Sylin asked.
“Quite. Let me know if you need anything else.” Tezilly left the cookies and took the empty cups to the kitchen in the back.
Rylana again considered the Dragon Diner through the window. She hadn’t seen any new customers go in. Jildarinneededhelp. She was sure of it.
“Why don’t you give up on the job hunt for today?” Sylin suggested, watching Rylana's gaze. “You said you’re tired of sleeping on the ground and want to find a place in the city to stay, right?”
“Yes. I checked a number of hostels this morning, but rooms are as infrequent as jobs right now. MaybeIcould stay at the elven enclave.”
“They don’t take boarders, and they would be offended that you not only know me but deign to have coffee with me. Assassins are vile, you know.”
“Oh, I’m aware. Where areyouplanning to stay?”
Sylin waved airily. “I’ll find a place. I suppose there’s no room for us at your family’s estate? It’s a castle, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s almost directly across the lake from us, on an elevatedpoint that overlooks the water from three sides, offering wonderful views of the magically glowing blue, green, and purple fish and plankton that give Luminous Lake its name. Androomwouldn’t be the problem there, even if my father has remarried or has guests.” Rylana grimaced at the thought of a strange woman wandering through the stone halls. “There are eighteen bedrooms and twelve bathrooms. It was reputedly one of the first manors to be remodeled with indoor plumbing when that was invented last century.”
“It’s amazing that you’re not dreadfully spoiled. We worked together for years before I had any idea of your family’s vast wealth.”
