Page 94 of Into the Isle

I took her hand. Squeezing her palm in mine, I smiled. She seemed to relax at my touch. “Come on, then, I’ll show you around. We have a little bit of time before meeting with my people.”

Quietly, she followed me, hardly able to take her eyes off everyone around. We passed dozens of people. I recognized faces: academy students who patronized the bars and shops, and the locals who made their coin servicing said students.

As we walked, I pointed off to the left with my chin. “That’s Trond’s Pub. Most popular in town.” A couple people huddled outside the longhouse, one of the men puking. “Amateur,” I said with a scoff. “It’s not even eight o’clock yet.”

Ravinica let out a small laugh.

I smiled at her again, pleased to hear her loosening up and chuckling. I pounded my foot on the road and said, “This is Garimar Way. The main boulevard, if you will.” Further down the road, I pointed with my free hand. “Down there is Liv’s Libations. Competitor to Trond’s. They used to be married. Didn’t end well.”

Ravinica winced. “Yikes.”

I laughed. “Right?” We turned a corner in the road and came to another wide longhouse. “This is Dagmar’s. Clothier and fashion expert.”

“How exciting,” she said dryly.

We walked in, and I helped the little fox pick out some garb. Dagmar, a dour old hen sitting behind the counter, said, “Got some new stuff from Tanner Leif, fancy man.”

I smiled at her. “Excellent. We’ll take a look.”

A few minutes later, after sifting through the stacks of new clothing arrivals, I handed a few articles off to Ravinica.

She stood there blankly, hauling the bundle, peering around the pile I’d made in her arms. “You’re really going to . . . dress me?”

I gave her a look, then gestured at my blue tunic, my tailored leggings, my curled cuffs. “Who do you think is more fashionably sound between us, little fox?”

She rolled her eyes. I caught a hint of a smile on her face. And was that her blushing? “Fair point, fancy man.”

She walked off with the pile of clothes once I was done. A few minutes later she came out dressed in form-fitted leathers that hugged her curves. Dark, good quality. She looked fierce and imposing, and it made me clap my hands. “Fantastic. You look positively menacing.”

She looked down at herself. “Is that really the vibe I should be going for?”

“Of course it is. Scare the shit out of your peers and they might stop harassing you. Hells, I’d be carrying that spear with you every class you go to. You never know when you might need it.”

She inclined her chin, as if considering it.

Before leaving, I picked up two more shirts and pants for her, as well as a white-gray fur coat. Holding out the coat in front of me, I said, “Hmm, yes. This too.” I had stopped asking for Ravinica’s opinion.

On the way to bringing the haul over to Dagmar, Ravinica leaned in and whispered, “I don’t have any way to pay for all this.”

“Leave it to me,” I said.

Dagmar wrinkled her face at me. “On the tab? It’s due in a week, you know.”

I saluted her, hand to my forehead. “Of course, dear Dagmar. You never let me forget.”

We were out of there after that, and I looked up at the moon to see what time it was. Time for the meeting.

Ravinica lengthened her stride to keep up with my hurried pace. She held a bag with all the extra clothes over her shoulder, deciding to keep the leather hide on her body. I knew she’d like it.

While we walked past a small crowd on Garimar Way, she gave me a demure smile. “Thank you, Arne. For . . . this.” She gestured at the bag. “For helping me.”

“Of course. It’s only more favors you’ll owe me, little fox.”

She sighed when I winked at her. “I take it you think highly of favors. The fact you have a running tab at Dagmar’s makes me believe you’re more important here than you’re letting on.”

“No, not important,” I said, shaking my head. “Just a regular. You are right about favors, though. I curry them. Hand them out.” I swept my arms out wide, to the town before us. “Favors are my currency.”

We passed Trond’s Pub, and I earned a few scowls from people smoking outside. They may or may not have been gentlemen I’d gotten into a scuffle with a few days prior. It was hard to say with little moonlight and them hiding under the awning of the longhouse.

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