Page 14 of A Fable of Riddles and Redemption

He had even tried to follow the red panda to determine where she’d stashed her stolen goods, but to no avail. She was far too quick as she darted off each time he’d made the attempt.

As for the shopkeeper herself, she was as evasive of his questions as ever. His suspicions that she was hiding something only continued to grow as she dodged his pointed queries. When asked, he told his captain as much.

Captain Firmin pursed his lips as he ran a hand over his bald head. “This Zorina seems to know more about magic than she wants to admit. How can you wheedle it out of her?”

Herrick huffed out a sigh. “I’ve tried, but being charming is not my strength.”

The captain raised his eyebrow. “Have you tried flirting with her? It may be the quickest way to get her to trust you.”

Herrick blinked in surprise. “Uh, no. I don’t know how to do that.”

Nor did he want to learn.

Flirting? No thanks.

Captain Firmin gave him a blank look. “You’re a handsome and strong young man. Why not?”

Not wanting to dig into his inadequacies, Herrick simply shrugged. “I’d rather stick to fighting than flirting.”

“You are a skilled fighter. But sometimes a different, more subtle approach is necessary. Adael is in need of a barrier, and your Zorina may be the key to making it happen.”

Herrick scoffed. “She’s hardly mine. The woman can’t stand me.”

And I can’t stand her…even though she is beautiful and intelligent and—

The captain arched an eyebrow again, his next words interrupting Herrick’s unwanted thoughts. “Then make her fall for you.”

Herrick swallowed the lump in his throat. It was not a welcome interruption, after all. “I don’t know how.”

“Talk to the other guards. I’m sure they’ll have plenty of advice to give.”

Trying to hide his grimace, Herrick nodded. No words were forthcoming in reply, however. It was too awkward to think of a response, but not as awkward as it would be to ask his peers for romantic advice.

A smirk lifted one corner of Captain Firmin’s mouth, as if he were fully aware of Herrick’s discomfort. “In the meantime, Duke Armand will put out a missive for a mage to assist in creating a magical barrier as your Zorina suggested. With any luck, either your shopkeeper or a mage will show up. I’ve heard that the queen of Delmyra has such powers, though her husband is rather overprotective of her. There are also the court wizards of Caledonia, Delmyra, and Avalon. Unfortunately, mages are quite rare, so it may be challenging to find one aside from them. It would be far more convenient if a citizen of Adael—like this Zorina—could make the barrier we need, just in case something goes wrong or it needs maintenance over time.”

All of what the captain said made sense, and Herrick agreed. For his part, he would prefer to avoid relying on foreign dignitaries with his past being what it was.

Which meant only one thing.

Flirting with Zorina it is, he thought darkly. Though I may be in need of a barrier myself—around my heart.

Herrick

Herrick was wrong. Asking for romantic advice from his peers wasn’t merely awkward—it was substantially worse than he’d even imagined. The moment he opened his mouth to ask his fellow guards about how to flirt during dinner that evening, he regretted it.

“Oh ho ho, Handsome Herrick is in need of advice, is he? To woo a woman? You’ve come to the right place, my friend,” Metin said.

“We’ll help you get that woman in your arms in no time at all!” Cadby exclaimed, slapping Herrick on the back encouragingly.

“The most important question is: is this a short-term flirtation that leads to a few clandestine kisses before you move on to the next girl, or are you looking for something more permanent? Or perhaps something somewhere in between?” Jupp wiggled his eyebrows at his last question, sending all the other men into guffaws.

“Give him a break,” Berenne, one of the few female guards, said. “Herrick, don’t bother asking those morons for advice. Have you seen their attempts to attract women? Hilarious, abysmal failures, every time. No, you need a woman’s input. And no, you can’t court me or another female guard.”

“Ha! You think he’d want to?” Metin cried.

“Pretty sure he’s got his eye on that gorgeous little shopkeeper at Jurian’s,” Jupp added. “I’d go after her myself if she wasn’t so cranky. But maybe her kisses are all the better for it?”

Herrick wanted to smack the man upside the head for that comment. Instead, he glared at him and said, “Keep your ugly mug away from her.”