Page 5

Four

In the wake of the shouts, the dwarf lost little time rushing from the tavern and straight into Lira, her panicked exit sending them both to the ground and into the slick, brown mud.

“Get off me!” Lira pushed the woman and tried to stand, but her hands couldn’t find purchase in the sludge that was as thick as abandoned porridge. She slipped and splattered back down onto her elbows, letting loose a torrent of curses that would have made her gran smack her hand.

“You’re in my way,” the dwarf huffed as she used Lira for leverage to right herself.

“Only because you ran into me.”

The creature muttered indignant protests that Lira would have loved to argue point by point if the hairs on the back of her neck hadn’t started to prickle. As she looked up, her breath caught in her throat and her mouth went dry.

The back doorway was completely filled by the bulk of the tavernkeeper who stood watching them with a hefty club in his hands. “A dwarf and an elf—together?”

Lira wanted to correct him and say that she was only half elf, but she doubted the distinction mattered to him.

“We’re not—” the dwarf started to say as she took a step back.

“—sure which way he went,” Lira finished the sentence, earning her a confused look from the dwarf and the human.

“Who went?” the tavernkeeper growled, as he smacked the wooden club into the palm of his hand.

“The burglar, of course. Isn’t that why you ran out?” Lira managed to get up and steady herself in the traitorous soup of soil.

Durn shifted his gaze from one female to the other, his brows pinched. “Aye. I heard a noise downstairs. Then I came down and saw the till laying out and you two back here.”

Lira made a point of rubbing her side. “We’re back here because we heard him too.”

“You heard someone inside my tavern?”

“That’s right.” Lira waved a hand at the door. “We thought it was odd for noises to come from a darkened tavern, so we walked closer to check it out. That was when he ran out the door and flattened both of us.”

“Knocked us right over,” the dwarf nodded her head in agreement. “We tried to stop him, but he was bigger than either of us.”

“A thief?” The man held the club suspended in the air as he seemed to consider this. “Ran out of my place and into you?”

“Why do you think we were both on the ground?” Lira opened her arms wide and glanced around her. “We would have stopped him if the ground wasn’t so soggy.”

The man tilted his head to one side. “You want me to believe that an elf and a dwarf are loitering outside my tavern at night because they tried to stop a thief?”

“That’s right,” the dwarf’s voice resonated with confidence. “We would have gotten him if he hadn’t been a goblin.”

“A goblin, you say?” The tavernkeeper lurched back and swung his head from side to side. “I’ve heard some rumbling about a roving goblin gang.”

“Exactly.” Lira latched onto this tidbit. “He must have been a part of the band of goblin thieves that’s been working in these parts.”

The dwarf shook her head and made tsk-ing sounds in the back of her throat. “Dangerous lot.”

Durn blew out an exasperated breath. “Well, where’d he go?”

Lira made a show of peering around in the dark. “I don’t know. He knocked the wind out of us.”

“And he was fast,” the dwarf added.

“Blood and ashes,” the man’s shoulders sagged. “This is the last thing I need.”

“At least he didn’t make off with anything,” Lira offered.

The tavernkeeper’s glittering eyes locked on her. “How do you know that?”

Lira's pulse quickened, but she merely smiled. “I assumed, since he wasn’t carrying anything when he ran into us.”

“He didn’t jingle when he ran,” the dwarf said quickly. “He must not have gotten any coin.”

“Not this time.” The man heaved out a breath that ached with weariness. “If it was a goblin, he’ll be back. Goblins are as stubborn as they are ugly.”

Those were bold words from the jowly, bald man, but Lira refrained from commenting. Instead, she thought of the cellar and how she still wanted what was buried in it. “That’s why you need us.”

“What?”

Lira wasn’t sure which of them had asked that, but it didn’t matter. She needed to have access to the tavern, and The Tusk & Tail needed security from thieving goblins. At least, that’s what its owner believed. “ We might not have stopped him this time, but that’s only because we weren’t prepared. If you hire us to provide security, you won’t have to worry about the goblin coming back.”

The man choked out a laugh. “You two? Security?”

Lira could sense the dwarf bristle beside her. “You don’t think females can be deadly?”

“It’s not that. It’s that I don’t know which I trust less—dwarves or elves.”

This was fair. Elves were known for being aloof and self-interested, keeping mostly to their island kingdom of Lananore, and dwarves had a reputation for coveting the wealth of the mountains and spilling blood to keep it for themselves. Since Lira wasn’t a full elf, she didn’t take full offense. The dwarf, however, did not seem amused.

Lira put out a hand to keep her from charging forward. “It’s clear that you need help with this place. Not only are we both trained in combat, but we can provide the feminine touch that The Tusk & Tail has been missing for…” She let her words trail off.

“Two years,” the man supplied, this voice thick. “Alma’s been gone a bit more than two years now.”

So shortly after Lira had last passed through the village, she thought. That last visit had been so quick that she hadn’t even stayed overnight or seen anyone she knew, and she’d hoped she hadn’t been seen.

Then the man narrowed his eyes, latching onto Lira’s face in the moonlight. “Wait a second. I know you. You’re Elia’s granddaughter. The half-elf one.”

The only one, Lira thought as her throat constricted but she nodded. “Lira.”

“That’s right.” He bobbed his head along with her. “You left after she…” Then he cleared his throat roughly and let his gaze wander to the ground. “You back now?”

Lira didn’t know how to answer that. Part of her wanted to return to the village where she’d once been happy, but another part was sure that the place held nothing but memories that would remind her that those times were gone. It was hard to imagine being in Wayside with so much that reminded her of her childhood but without the most important part. Instead of answering, she gave the conversation a deft twirl.

“The Tusk & Tail isn’t a one-man job,” Lira told him gently. “I’d like to… we’d like to help you. I’m sure my gran and your wife would approve.”

The man dragged in a breath as if the effort was too much. “Alma always liked Elia. Loved her baking. Said she wished she could bake as good.”

“My gran used to say that no one made you feel as welcome as Alma.”

Another rough clear of the throat. “Can you bake as good as your gran?”

Lira decided the truth—that she hadn’t touched a rolling pin since she’d left Wayside—was not what the situation called for, so she gave the truth a spin. “I grew up baking by her side.”

A rasp rattled Durn’s chest as he rocked back on his heels. “It sure would be nice to serve food again. Folks like some supper with their drink.” A frown tugged his mouth back down. “But I can’t pay much. Business hasn’t been so good since—”

“Room and board will be fine to start,” Lira said, ignoring the grumble of protest from the dwarf. “And whatever supplies we need to get this place fixed up.”

“Guess I got nothing to lose.” The man grunted and spun on one heel. “Come on in. I’ll show you where you’re sleeping.”

Lira waited until he was far enough inside that he wouldn’t hear her before pivoting to the dwarf and holding out her hand. “I guess we’re partners now. I’m Lira Redfern.”

“I heard. I’m Sarsparilla. Sarsparilla Thornshield, but everyone calls me Sass.” The dwarf’s expression was wary as she slipped her brown, calloused hand into Lira’s slender one. “That’s some silver tongue you’ve got.”

Lira wasn’t sure if Sass meant that as a compliment .

“Why didn’t you turn me in?” the dwarf whispered. “You weren’t after the till. Does it have something to do with why you were in the cellar?”

So, she’d figured out where Lira had come from. That wasn’t ideal, but Lira was sure her instinct about the dwarf was correct, and she wasn’t a threat. In fact, her gut told her that Sass was going to be an asset. Or maybe it had been months since she’d run with her crew, and she missed the camaraderie. Either way, they were in it together now.

Lira shrugged and headed back inside the tavern. “You keep my secret, and I’ll keep yours.”