Page 19 of Sorcery, Swords & Scones (Tales from the Tavern #2)
Nineteen
The afternoon chai and scone service at The Tusk & Tail was winding down as Sass made her final rounds, gathering empty mugs and crumb-scattered plates.
The late afternoon light filtered through the tavern's windows and illuminated dancing dust motes that Sass suspected were mostly sugar and cinnamon.
Sass paused when she noticed that Korl and Val remained in their usual chairs by the hearth. The sight of Val sent a flutter through her stomach, made even more pronounced when the guard caught her eye and gave her a sly wink that sent a flush of heat slinking up her neck.
She still wasn’t entirely sure where she stood with Val, but the fact that the woman was here meant she could breathe easier. She’d hated the thought of Val being upset with her, and clearing the air meant she could face whatever might come for her with all her friends by her side.
Lira emerged from the kitchen with Crumpet perched on her shoulder.
The flutterstoat stretched his white wings as he chittered softly, apparently pleased to be out of the steamy kitchen now that the day's baking was complete. The creature was so adorable, with dark markings around his eyes that made him look like he was a tiny bandit, that Sass couldn’t imagine any of their patrons having an issue with him, but Lira had made a good point that not everyone was open-minded about enchantments.
The last thing any of them needed was unwanted attention on the tavern and the village, especially since Crumpet wasn’t the only enchanted creature in Wayside.
"Just us left then?" Lira asked, looking around the nearly empty tavern as she wiped her hands on the front of her apron.
"Just us," Sass confirmed, settling the last of the mugs onto the bar. "And our favorite guards, of course."
Lira immediately crossed the tavern and perched on Korl's lap, which made Sass's heart twist with a mixture of happiness for her friend and longing for the same love Lira had found with the orc.
Some might say they were an unusual pairing—a half-elf former rogue and a strong, silent orc guardsman—but they complemented each other perfectly.
And Lira made a point not to mention any of her law-breaking adventures when Korl was within earshot.
Vaskel stepped from behind the bar where he'd been cleaning glasses, walking with Sass to join the others at the hearth. His tail slashed behind him, which meant that there was something on his mind, something that worried him. “Lira mentioned there was a stranger in the village this morning.”
Korl and Val immediately straightened, their relaxed demeanor shifting in an instant.
“What stranger?" Val asked, her gaze darting to Sass.
Korl leveled a look at Lira. “You did not mention this.”
Lira shrugged. “I’ve been busy. It’s not like we’ve seen each other since this morning.” She nudged him. “You were still tinkering in the shop when I left.”
Korl cleared his throat. “I got distracted fixing a contraption Tin brought me.” Then he frowned. “But that doesn't mean I don’t want to know if there are threats to the village. I am still a guard. ”
“I know, I know.” Lira patted his chest. “But it’s not like the stranger was a threat. He wasn’t even a dwarf.” She glanced at Sass. “Sass didn’t seem worried, so I didn’t want to make a big deal about it.”
Everyone looked at Sass as if asking if this was true.
She flipped her braid off her shoulder. “He wasn’t a dwarf, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been thinking about him.”
She described the well-dressed man she'd seen at Pip's bakery and the fact that he’d purchased more bread and pastries than one person could eat. Most importantly, she told them about watching him leave the village and detour into the woods.
"It just struck me as odd," she concluded. "Why would a traveler buy that much bread and then head into the forest unless he was returning to a group camping there?”
Vaskel’s crimson brow bunched, but he rocked back on the heels of his boots. “It isn’t unusual for groups to camp nearby.”
“No, it’s not,” Cali said as she entered the tavern. "I was just coming to tell you all that I can hear sounds from outside the village. Not only is someone camping in the forest, I’m positive it’s several someones.”
Val leaned forward. “What kind of sounds? Does it sound like a hunting party? Even if the man from the village wasn’t a dwarf, he could have been an envoy for them.”
Sass scrunched her nose at this. A dwarf hunting party would never have an envoy who wasn’t a dwarf. That went double for Florin, who believed that dwarves were innately superior to all other species.
Cali's ears flicked as she considered the question. "That's the strange part. I would swear I'm hearing lute music."
"Not singing?" Sass asked, the tightness in her stomach loosening. Dwarves might belt out a traditional mining chant or drinking song, but lute music was decidedly not part of their repertoire.
"Definitely instrumental.”
Korl was already rising to his feet, forcing Lira to scramble off his lap with an undignified squeak. "We need to check this out. I don’t like the idea of strangers living in the woods, even if they enjoy the lute.”
"I want to come with you," Sass said.
Before Korl could voice what was clearly going to be a protest, Val spoke up. "We should let her come. Nothing cures fear better than seeing the proof for yourself.”
A throaty growl from the back of the tavern made them all turn. “Then I'm coming too."
Thrain descended the stairs with the slightly rumpled appearance of someone who had finally awakened from a deep sleep. His dark hair was sticking up at odd angles, and even his beard looked rumpled.
"It's about time you woke up," Sass said as she assessed her friend. "I was beginning to think you planned to sleep until next week."
"Dwarf tales and good ale make for a powerful combination.” Thrain stroked a hand down his scraggly beard. “But I'm awake now, and if there's trouble brewing, you'll want a dwarf who knows how to handle it."
Lira pointed a stern finger at Vaskel. "You have to stay here with me. I can’t manage the kitchen and the bar, and I need to prepare for the dinner service."
Vaskel met Korl's eyes across the room, and some silent communication passed between them. "I'll keep things safe here at the tavern while you all go investigate, but be careful out there."
Cali's whiskers twitched as she patted the quiver slung across her back. "I have my bow and arrows, just in case this turns out to be more than a peaceful camping party.”
As the group prepared for their expedition into the woods, Val turned to Sass with a carefully neutral expression. “What are the chances we’re about to meet your fiancée?”
Sass's gut clenched at the thought, a cold knot of dread settling just below her ribs. The possibility had been lurking at the back of her mind all day, but reason won out. “I can’t imagine Florin allowing lute music.”
But even as she spoke the words, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The timing was too coincidental. What were the odds that Thrain would arrive to warn her about Florin’s search party closing in and then a stranger—one who was hiding in the woods with a group—would appear in the village?
Sass untied her apron and handed it to Lira. "I'll be back soon.”
Lira accepted the apron with a weak smile. "You'd better be. The tavern couldn't run without you."
The words cheered Sass's heart despite her jangling nerves.
She looked around the great room one more time.
The Tusk & Tail represented everything she'd hoped to find when she fled the Ice Lands—independence, friendship, purpose, and a place where she could be simply Sass rather than Princess Sarsaparilla Thornshield.
Whatever they found in the forest, she was determined to fight for all of it.