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Kipp seemed offended by the accusation and promptly drained his tankard, a good portion of it slopping down his front.

With a roll of her eyes, Thea went to the bar and refreshed both her friends’ drinks, vowing that her next would be her last. She wanted to actuallyrememberher time here, after all.

Sliding the fresh tankards in front of Cal and Kipp, she waited.

Looking suddenly very serious, Kipp got to his feet, swaying slightly as he took up his drink using two hands. His eyes met Thea’s and then moved to Cal as he bumped his tankard against each of theirs.

‘May you walk amidst the gardens of the afterlife a whole half hour, before Enovius reads your ledger of deeds.’

Then, with utter seriousness, he tipped his head back and downed the entire tankard again, mead sloshing down his front and onto the table, before he dropped into the booth dramatically.

Thea and Cal locked eyes and roared with laughter.

‘What?’ Kipp shouted.

Thea’s face was aching from smiling so much. ‘Well, that was a toast alright.’

A moment later, several servers emerged from the crowd, their arms laden with trays of food.

Thea gaped at the sight of it. ‘Kipp, you can’t be serious. We can’t eat all of this!’

Kipp had a pork knuckle in his hands before the plates had even touched the table. ‘Watch me.’

The food was some of the best Thea had ever eaten. The roast boar was succulent and rich in flavour, the potatoes were delectably crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, while the sticky toffee pudding was made by the gods themselves.

When at last Thea couldn’t eat another bite, she rested her hand on her now swollen belly with a contented sigh. She turned to Kipp, who was miraculously pouring another pot of gravy over his plate.

‘You’re going to make yourself sick,’ she told him.

Kipp merely laughed and replied between mouthfuls. ‘Thea, my friend, it’s not my first time at the Fox.’

Cal rubbed his gut with a grimace before surveying the tavern again. ‘So, the Laughing Fox is real, the food is real… What about these so-called beautiful —’

As the words left his lips, a stunning raven-haired woman carved through the crowd and made a beeline for Kipp. She closed the gap between them and planted her hands on the table either side of the shieldbearer as Thea and Cal watched on in amazement.

‘Kristopher Snowden, you told me you would write,’ she declared, her face close to his.

Thea whirled round to face Cal.‘Kristopher?’she mouthed, eyes wide with disbelief.

But Cal was too busy half shoving his fist in his mouth to keep from laughing.

Kipp’s hands went to hers smoothly. ‘I’m so sorry, Milla. You know how unpredictable the life of a Thezmarrian shieldbearer can be. I was injured in combat —’

‘You were injured?’ her lovely face softened at once. ‘What happened?’

‘Oh, it was nothing,’ he replied. ‘And it’s no excuse for not writing. How can I make it up to you?’

Milla was already dragging Kipp away from their booth. ‘I can think of a few things,’ she told him, her voice sultry.

‘I’m at your disposal.’ Kipp gave a wolfish grin.

Thea watched them go, Kipp’s long arms snaking around the woman’s waist and ample curves.

‘I don’t believe it,’ Cal said as the pair disappeared up a spiral staircase. ‘He was telling the truth… About everything.’

Thea was shaking her head. ‘Did you know his name was Kristopher?’

‘Apparently, I knewnothingabout him at all.’ Cal took a long drink.