Page 21 of Sorcery, Swords & Scones (Tales from the Tavern #2)
Twenty-One
The relief that this wasn't Florin's hunting party warred with a completely new set of questions. Why had an elf set up camp near Wayside, and why in the hells would he be hoping they’d come? Even more perplexing, why had he brought a battle ostrich?
Val, ever practical and direct, stepped forward slightly and braced her hands on her hips. "Who are you, and why are you hiding out in the woods like…like bandits?"
The elf's radiant smile flickered for just a moment, and he pressed a dramatically bejeweled hand to his chest as if Val had slapped him across the face with a glove. "Hiding? My dear woman, we are most certainly not hiding, and bandits do not travel in such magnificent style."
He had a point there. Sass had never seen any type of bandits or thieving party exude quite so much style—or travel with an ostrich and lute player.
He gestured grandly at the silk tents around them. "I am Erindil of Lananore, and this is my traveling party. We are the farthest thing from bandits you could imagine.”
Korl grunted. "That doesn't explain why you're here. "
Erindil's smile brightened again, as if Korl had asked exactly the right question.
"Ah, but of course you're curious! Please, come sit with me.
" He waved them forward, and his silk robes rustled like autumn leaves.
"Allow me to offer you some mulled wine—my own personal blend. I never travel without it.”
The elf settled himself gracefully onto what could only be described as a throne in miniature—a high-backed chair upholstered in emerald velvet and trimmed with gold cord.
The piece of furniture looked like it belonged in a palace rather than a forest clearing, yet here it sat as if it had sprouted from the earth itself.
As if there had been an unspoken signal, the other members of the traveling party resumed their activities.
The lute player's fingers found his strings again, the elf near the fire continued stirring something in the ornate copper pot, and the others sipped their wine as if they were guests at an elegant reception. Even Glen resumed looking bored.
Sass gave her head a small shake as she followed the elf onto the colorful, woven rugs scattered over the patchy moss and crumpled leaves of the forest floor.
Around the elf’s chair, there were ottomans in rich brocade and padded benches covered in brushed velvet, each perfectly suited to willowy elves.
Korl approached one ottoman with obvious suspicion, then attempted to fold his massive frame onto the delicate furniture.
Sass pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh as his knees practically reached his ears.
Val didn’t even attempt to sit, and neither did Cali, whose bow remained unsheathed with an arrow notched but pointed safely toward the ground.
If Erindil was bothered by Cali's wariness, he gave no sign of it.
He summoned his attendants to offer goblets of wine, which Sass accepted before staring into the ruby-red liquid.
She held the goblet close to her nose and sniffed carefully, trying to detect any hint of something sinister beneath the spiced wine.
Thrain, apparently having no such concerns, downed his entire goblet in three enthusiastic gulps and immediately held it out for a refill. "That's the finest mulled wine I've had since the winter feast in the Ice Lands.”
Erindil beamed at the praise. “I add a touch of honey from the royal apiaries of Lananore, and just a whisper of moonflower essence. It's quite impossible to replicate unless one has access to very specific ingredients."
Korl waved off the offered goblet entirely, his expression growing more stern by the moment. "How do you know who we are, and why are you really here?"
The elf's eyes sparkled with what looked suspiciously like amusement.
"I know all of you." His attention lingered on Val, then Cali, and finally settled on Sass with an intensity that made her skin prickle.
Finally, he slid his gaze to Thrain. “Well, almost all of you. The dwarf gentleman is new to me."
Korl's scowl deepened, creating furrows across his broad forehead. "How do you know us? Have you been watching the village?"
Erindil chuckled. "Watching? Oh, my dear fellow, you make it sound so sinister. I prefer to think of it as merely taking an interest. Besides, this isn't my first visit to your charming little village."
The words sent a chill down Sass's spine that had nothing to do with the quickly sinking sun, the cool breeze, and lengthening shadows.
Erindil leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial hush as he stared at Sass. "The first time I came to Wayside, I acquired a tavern for you and Lira."