Page 24 of Sorcery, Swords & Scones (Tales from the Tavern #2)
Twenty-Four
Vaskel slid a glass of whiskey across the polished bar to Iris and then followed it up with one of his most charming winks—the kind Lira claimed had gotten him into trouble with merchant wives and noble daughters across the Known Lands.
Sass rolled her eyes as she stood beside him, polishing the last of the evening's tankards she’d gathered from the tables. "You realize that flattery won't make the cleaning go any faster, don't you?"
“But it makes the work more pleasant," Vaskel replied with another grin, his tail swishing behind him as he wiped down the bar's surface.
The dinner rush had finally died down, leaving The Tusk & Tail in that comfortable state of post-service calm that Sass had grown to treasure. The great room still held the lingering aromas of roasted meat and buttery pastry, mixed with the earthy scent of smoldering peat and the sweet tang of ale.
Cali perched on the barstool next to Iris, her golden eyes watchful and her ears twitching at the occasional creak of settling timber, the distant howl of a dire wolf, the soft shuffle of Korl adjusting his position in his chair by the hearth.
Lira emerged from the kitchen, her apron untied and hanging loose around her waist. Her expression had shifted from simmering anger to something approaching calm. "I'm ready to talk.”
Cali immediately straightened. "I told Iris about Erindil. I didn’t know if it was a secret, but I thought Iris should?—”
Lira waved off the apology before Cali could finish.
"It's fine. I'm glad Iris knows. I would have told her myself, anyway.” She settled onto a barstool next to the apothecary, her green eyes seeking her grandmother's oldest friend.
"In fact, I'm hoping she can fill in some of the blanks that Erindil left. "
Iris shook her head slowly, her silver-streaked curls quivering. "I can't believe he arrived with an entire traveling party. Although I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The elves of Lananore were never known for their subtlety."
Lira's eyes narrowed, and Sass could practically see her friend's mind working to piece things together. "What exactly do you know about Erindil? About my father? About any of my elf family?"
Iris took a sip from her glass and sighed deeply, her gaze dropping to study the amber liquid inside.
"Your gran told me that your father wasn't just any elf from Lananore," Iris said finally. "He was from one of the ruling families. Elvish royalty.” She took another drink, as if gathering her thoughts or choosing her words before continuing. “Not that it mattered to your gran. Or you. Elves aren’t known for welcoming half-bloods into the fold.”
Lira flinched at this. Without a word, Korl rose from his chair by the fire and made his way over to them. He stood behind Lira's stool and wrapped one massive arm around her waist from behind, as if offering himself as a buffer for what was to come.
Val followed her friend, slipping onto the barstool next to Cali. When she caught Sass's eye and offered one of her wide smiles, heat prickled Sass’s cheeks, and she had to focus intently on the glass she was polishing to avoid dropping it.
“Is that all you know?” Lira asked as she leaned into Korl.
Iris met her gaze squarely, nibbling her lower lip. "I only know what your gran told me, love. And she didn't speak of your father often—or your mother. Too painful.”
Iris set down her whiskey and leaned forward.
"Your mother was as beautiful as you are, and twice as headstrong. When she met a charming young elf—well, young for their kind—who wove tales of distant lands and elvish magic, she was absolutely smitten. Your gran tried to warn her about elves and how their long lives made them take risks and forget that others didn’t have the luxury of immortality.
” The lines around Iris’s eyes deepened.
"But young love rarely listens to wisdom, does it?
And as quickly as he'd romanced her, sweeping her off her feet with promises and pretty words, he moved on to whatever new adventure called to him next. "
Sass gripped the glass she'd been polishing so tightly that her knuckles had gone white, her heart aching for Lira.
"Did he ever know about me?" Lira asked, her voice cracking.
Iris didn't meet her eyes as she nodded, and Sass felt her stomach drop.
"He visited you and your gran once, when you were small.” Iris’s soft voice fought to be heard over the crackling of the dying fire. "Maybe three or four years old. He wanted to take you back to Lananore, so you could be raised there."
Sass noticed Korl's arm tighten protectively around Lira's waist.
"Obviously, your gran refused," Iris continued, her voice holding unmistakable approval for Elia's choice. "She told him you belonged here, with her, where you'd be loved for who you were rather than judged for what you weren’t.”
No one spoke or even moved, their group seeming to hold its collective breath as Lira closed her eyes and squeezed them until a single tear escaped from one corner and slipped down her cheek.
“That sounds like Gran,” Lira finally whispered.
Iris managed a wavering smile. “And that's all I know, love.
As far as your gran ever told me, he never came back.
She raised you the way she thought best, and I'd say she did a fine job of it." Then Iris reached for Lira’s hand. “I know you have reason to be angry at your gran for all her secrets, but she only ever wanted to protect you. You were a child, and she didn’t want you to be hurt.”
Lira nodded. “I know she wanted to protect me, and I don’t blame her for that. But…”
“You can’t live much of a life without getting hurt,” Sass said, as if finishing Lira’s thought. “A battle axe without nicks has never swung true.”
Lira met her eyes and nodded. “I had to go out and get hurt to learn what I needed to learn about life.”
Iris released a breath. “But you could only go out into the world as bravely as you did because you’d been raised with love, your gran’s unconditional love.
Someone believed in you, which meant that you believed in yourself.
I don’t know if you would have turned out so strong and confident if you’d been surrounded by elves who considered you less than them. ”
Lira blinked quickly as if banishing tears from her eyes.
“You’re right. Gran was there for me, and she will always be my family.
That doesn’t mean I don’t want to fill in the blanks about the rest of it.
” She gave a single nod of her head. "I'll meet with Erindil.
I owe him thanks for the tavern, if nothing else.
But there's nothing I can tell him that will help find my father. I was too young to remember his visit, and Gran never spoke of him to me.”
“I’ll go with you to speak to Erindil.” Korl’s voice was a velvet rumble he whispered in her ear.
She smiled up at him. “Or he can come here. He bought this tavern, after all.” She slid her gaze to Sass again. “Besides, I have a favor to ask him. ”
Sass tilted her head at Lira, familiar with the scheming look on her face. “Aside from the gift of a tavern?”
“Erindil is an elf, right? And elves have powers, correct?”
Everyone nodded, glancing at each other.
“Then maybe my long-lost uncle can use his powers to keep that dwarf search party from finding Sass.”