Page 16

Fifteen

As Lira stood holding the tray, remembering how she knew the orc, a gruff voice snatched her attention.

“I know what you’re doing.”

Lira snapped her head to the graying, bleary-eyed man at the end of the bar, the one she remembered Durn talking to the night she’d arrived. Thick as thieves, they’d been.

She didn’t like his tone or the way he looked her up and down with his thin lips curled into a sneer. “What am I doing?”

“Fixing this place up from the goodness of your heart?” He scowl seemed to tug his entire face down, accentuating the uneven patches of unshaved whiskers. “I don’t know your game, but you’ve got one. You and that dwarf.”

Anger sizzled through Lira at the dismissive glance the man tossed Sass’s way. “There’s no game, but if you don’t like what we’re doing, I take it you won’t be eating?”

She didn’t allow him to do much but grumble before turning her back on him, but her heart was pounding, and she reminded herself that he was rambling. He didn’t have a clue why she was really at The Tusk & Tail. No one did.

Sass hurried to Lira, wiping her hands on an apron she must have found behind the bar. “Those look good. I’ll take them over.” Then she eyed Lira. “You okay?”

Lira jerked her head toward the drunk at the bar. “He’s a charmer.”

Sass snorted a laugh. “Silas? Durn seems to tolerate him. If you ask me, he’s not worth the worry.”

Lira nodded, impressed that Sass already knew names of the guests. Then she remembered that she knew one too. “I know that guy.”

“Who? Silas?”

“No.” Lira inclined her head toward the orc. “ Him .”

Sass swung her head in an arc to take in the great room. “Him who?”

Lira huffed an exasperated breath. There weren’t that many customers in the tavern. “The orc.”

“You do?” Sass slid her gaze from Lira to the two guards in their distinctive uniforms with quilted leather breastplates and metal-studded straps crisscrossing their chests. “Did you two ever work in the same crew?”

Lira shook her head, her cheeks warming despite the fact that she’d looked away from the orc who had not yet looked away from her. “I bumped into him the other day when we went into town.”

One side of Sass’s mouth curled up. “Looks like he made an impression on you.”

Lira ignored the warmth of her cheeks. “I didn’t remember at the time, but I know him. He’s from here. Remember the orcs I told you about who run the blacksmith and wheelwright? He’s their son. He’s younger than me by two or three years, I think. He wasn’t so grown up when I left, which is why I didn’t recognize him right away.”

That made the dwarf’s brows lift. “He’s all grown up now, that’s for sure.” Then she elbowed Lira, but the nudge landed closer to her hip than her ribs. “What do you know about his friend?”

“Not much, but she looks familiar too.”

“Is she a girlfriend?”

“No idea.”

“Hmm.” Sass snatched one of the pewter plates from her. “Well, we’d better take them their food before it gets stone cold.”

Lira had no choice but to follow behind Sass as she wove her way through the tables to the one nearest the fire. The closer she got, the surer she was of who she was serving.

“Korl, right?” She slid a plate in front of him and let Sass give the blonde her food. “Son of Vorto and Klaff.”

Korl moved his head so subtly Lira barely caught the nod. “You didn’t recognize me in the village.”

“Sorry.” She lowered her eyes from his intense gaze. “You’re…bigger.”

She hadn’t meant to say it like that, but the orc didn’t flinch. “You used to live near here with your gran.”

Lira smiled, very aware that the big, blonde guardsman was watching her intently. “That’s right. I’m Lira.”

“I know.”

The words were so quiet she barely heard the rumble of them, but they stopped her breath. He didn’t say anything else or look away, his black eyes unwavering.

The blonde cleared her throat and thrust out her hand. “And I’m Val.”

Sass grabbed it first. “Sarsaparilla, but my friends call me Sass.”

Lira also took her large hand and shook it, more convinced than ever that she must be part Goliath. “Welcome to The Tusk & Tail.”

Val sat back and bounced her gaze between Lira and Sass. “ Shouldn’t we be saying that to you? You’re the new ones to Wayside.”

Lira felt like correcting her and saying she wasn’t new, but she’d been gone so long she might as well be a stranger.

“I remember you, you know.” Val picked up her fork and poked it into the flaky top of the meat pie. “And your gran. She was sweet.”

Lira stared at the woman, wracking her brain to remember details. She glanced at Korl, but his attention was now on his pie.

“You wouldn’t have known me,” Val continued, as if reading her mind, “I lived at the castle until I didn’t. Then I started spending all my time at Korl’s. His dads practically took me in.”

Her tone was light, but there was a story there. Not that it was Lira’s place to demand it. Not when there was a temperamental oven to tend and a smartly dressed gnome trying to catch Sass’s attention.

“It’s nice to see you again or meet you for the first time.” Lira took a step back. “I should probably get back to the kitchen, but I hope you enjoy the food.”

“It’s good,” Korl said quietly, finally looking up again.

Lira was startled at the relief that coursed through her. Even her shoulders relaxed at his words. “Thanks. I tried to remember my gran’s recipe, but don’t ask what happened to the other batch.”

“They burned,” Sass said in a stage whisper.

“Korl wouldn’t have cared,” Val snorted out a laugh. “I think orcs prefer their food charred.”

Korl grunted, his green cheeks mottling dark, before his eyes landed on something over her shoulder and narrowed.

Goose flesh prickled her arms as Lira turned, her spine stiffening as the wyvern strode into the tavern liked he owned the place. There was always a chance that Durn was so behind on his taxes that Rygor might soon own it, but Lira didn’t like the way the creature sized up the improvements.

Durn’s usual frown deepened as Silas muttered some curses into his ale. The rest of the patrons went quiet as the reeve’s clawed feet slapped the floorboards on his way to the bar .

“Well, Durn. Looks like you’ve been putting that stash of gold to use.”

Durn choked on a mirthless laugh. “It’s not gold. I told you I’ve got none.”

A hiss escaped Rygor. “Then how do you explain all this?”

Behind her, Lira could sense Korl standing. She could feel the heat of him so close to her that she knew she would have trod on his feet if she’d stepped back even an inch.

Lira held her breath, certain that Durn was about to point out her and Sass and credit them for the improvements. The last thing she or Sass needed was to have the eye of a wyvern on them. Especially one in a position of power.

Durn’s gaze flicked up, but Korl had pushed past her and was closing the distance between him and Rygor with Val close at his heels. The wyvern straightened at the guardsmen’s approach, his slits of eyes becoming even more narrow as Korl spoke to him in hushed tones. Then he stormed off with Korl and Val trailing in the wake of a flapping cloak and rustling wings.

Lira released a breath only when they were gone, wondering what Korl had said to make the reeve leave so quickly.

“I think we owe one to your orc friend,” Sass said, scooping up their partially eaten pies.

Lira nodded absently. Usually, she despised being in someone’s debt, but she didn’t mind so much with Korl.