Still, I engaged. “She? Elaborate.”
“It’s gonna cost ya,” he said, a smirk on his lips as he ogled the barkeep’s chest, who turned away to avoid his unwanted attention. I got the sense this man was a usual customer up to his usual lewd endeavors.
I inched closer until we were shoulder to shoulder and discreetly slid a single Iron across the counter under his wrist.
He laughed bitterly into his mug. “You’re going to have to do better than that. Not every day a man like me is in a position like this, you know.”
I pulled a blade out faster than he could blink, pressing it sharply beneath his unkept beard. Blood oozed as he winced.
“Trust me,” I growled. “It’s not a position you want to be in.”
I didn’t care if anyone else beyond the barkeep noticed the hostile interaction at this point. There weren’t any guards stationed nearby.
He gulped for air. “Alright. I’ll tell you about it.”
“It?” I shook him, voice low. “Is it an object? Something that only pathetic men like you desire?”
“All women are objects.”
I thrust his head down, pressing his cheek firmly into the counter. The nearby drinks rattled from the force. “One more chance.”
He choked out a laugh. “You must be desperate if a man like you is threatening someone like me in a place like this. You won’t kill me. Not when I know something you’re so clearly in need of.”
“Who said anything about killing?”
I unsheathed a smaller, stealthier blade from my belt and swiped at his index finger. His nail skidded off, bouncing to the ale-soaked floor. His howl echoed around the room.
I now had the attention of the entire tavern. I had to move quickly.
“I can do this to every finger and toe. I’ll move on to your tongue and then your teeth. You don’t need those for talking, do you?”
He whimpered. “She’s a dancer.”
“A dancer,” I repeated. “Where? What’s her name?”
“I don’t know. No one does. People have spoken of a dancer with hair like that of a blackened rose somewhere in the royal city. She’s… she’s said to be the most beautiful woman. Immortal, even.”
“Immortality does not exist. How do you know about her?”
“She’s whispered across the kingdom. Some say all of Gaianos knows of her. What man wouldn’t fantasize about such renowned beauty?”
“If you’re lying to me, I will come back here and make you regret it. There will be nowhere to hide from amanlike me.” Not after catching his putrid scent.
“I swear,” he wheezed.
I released him, taking back my coin and sliding the bloodied blade on the counter toward the trembling bartender. “In case he tries anything on you. Don’t be afraid to use it.”
“How did…?” she started before reaching for it. “Thank you.”
I moved swiftly under the glares of the entire room. If the bastard was telling even an ounce of truth, he’d helped narrow my search greatly.
With no other options, believing him was a risk I had to take.
Chapter 14
Rahzlyn
Basil was gone.
