Page 18 of Ogres Don't Play

He shook his head slightly and then ripped off the bandage over my stomach, revealing the mess over my ribs that would certainly scar since I probably wouldn’t die at that point. “Hunting goblins. I also put in a complaint to the mayor anddiscussed the situation with the Sphinx. He’s Song’s prevailing crime officer. Everyone wishes you a speedy recovery.”

I snorted and sniffed while he poked my scabs, which felt incredibly good considering how itchy they still were. Not life-threatening, but still, it felt so good. I moaned and wiggled a little, wanting him to scratch more, but he removed his hand and crossed his arms, frowning at me while I scowled back. Why had he stopped?

“You are healing well. You have been a good patient.”

I nodded eagerly. “I have. I’ve been so perfect. You can definitely release me because I’ve proved how good I can be.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’ve been a good patient because I tied you up.”

I huffed and glowered at Lanise. “What did you tell him?”

She bared her teeth and tusks at me, but said nothing.

“Did you find out who hired the goblins to assassinate me?” I asked like my throat wasn’t clogged with sudden not irrational fear. I wanted to be untied, yes, but I didn’t particularly look forward to not having a grumpy ogre around to pick the goblin shrapnel out of me. Without him, I would have died. No question. If he’d been a slightly less capable healer, also, dead.

Rook’s expression went from irritated to cagey. He had things that he didn’t particularly want to tell me. Fabulous. I definitely didn’t want to hear them. Nope, but I was the music master of Singsong City. I didn’t get to bury my head in the sand when people were trying to kill me.

“It seems that you may be entangled in a small political matter.”

“Oh, I see.” My father was the Commander of the Holy Order of the Swords of Truth. He was more of a politician than combat specialist. I knew what words like that meant. A ‘small political matter’ meant an upcoming war with possibly millionsof casualties, and I was caught in the middle of it. “Is there some way for me to be unentangled before I get killed?”

He raised a brow. “Now you are worried about your safety? Perhaps some good came of goblins after all.”

“Nobody wants to die like that, and I’ve never been suicidal. I’ve walked down the streets of Song lots of times and never had a hint of danger.” That was a lie. It’s just that I wasn’t remotely defenseless. No one was prepared for a goblin assassination, though.

“There are certain factions in the ogre government that would prefer if our people remained strictly entrenched in warfare without any other ways to get income. My philosophies are not universally popular.”

“No kidding. Are you telling me that goblins tried to kill me because of you and your idealistic mindset? Seriously? And you said that I owed you a life-debt. That still makes no sense unless your political opposition saw me as potential growth for your whole platform. What do they think, that I’m going to accept a whole community of ogres into my music hall?” That would be ridiculous.

He was very still for a moment before he shrugged. “It’s not that I want ogres other than Lanise in your music hall, but her father is very well-connected politically, and her attending has many ramifications.”

I frowned at him, because that made absolutely no sense. “Out of all the music guilds you could choose to forward your political agenda, wouldn’t it be better to use one with more cachet? SingSong City’s music hall has fallen into disrepair, there isn’t an actual school attached, all the musicians are occupied with basic maintenance of the city, and while I appreciate the idea of working with Rook the Luthier, it would definitely be much more beneficial to you and your cause to usea school that is established as the best. As Rook the Luthier, no music hall would turn you away.”

He frowned at me, arms still crossed. “Are you quite sure that none would turn me away? I’m an ogre.”

“You’re a legend. I don’t understand why you put so much effort into healing me, your generosity with your energy and magic. I don’t think it’s a good deal for you.”

“But it is a good for you? How many music halls would work with ogres with opposing faction that could hire Goblins?”

“You don’t have proof that it was your opposition that funded the attack, do you?”

He frowned slightly. “I do not have proof, but?—”

“You have rested since you poured so much magic into me, haven’t you?”

He hesitated another moment before nodding shortly. “I am rested enough.”

I glared at him because I knew what that meant, too. He really was remarkably similar to my father in his communication styles. Who knew that an artisan would think like a political strategist? “You haven’t slept at all. Lay down before you fall down.”

He looked down at the bed I was lying on. It was a pretty big bed, dwarfing me because I wasn’t ogre-sized, but it wasn’t huge for him.

“If you untied me, you’d have plenty of room, but you really, really should lie down.”

He sat suddenly on the edge of the bed, frowning like he hadn’t expected that.

I scooted to the side, so I wasn’t crushed when he went over, which he did. The next second he was out, breathing deep and even. I didn’t lick him this time, so he didn’t wake up with a need to strangle me. That’s what we call growth.

Lanise gave me a look and didn’t leave her chair, like she was deeply suspicious of my motives for getting him to sleep with me. I really needed an ogre traditions and taboos handbook. He assumed that I was caught in his ogre political struggle, but it was extremely likely that enemies of my father had decided that I was an easy target. That was actually much more likely than a small ogre faction to be able to fund such a public goblin attack. I needed protection one way or another. If Rook needed me and my guild to attain his political aspirations, I could get what I needed out of the relationship as well. Tiago had mentioned allying with a martial guild. He probably didn’t think of ogres, because they were usually mercenaries for hire, but there were no better mercenaries. It had distinct possibilities. I’d need an ogre bodyguard, maybe more than one while I was doing my business around the city, but that would lend me more than safety. Ogre bodyguards were incredibly expensive. If people thought the Music Hall was doing well, the wealthy members of the community would be more likely to support it. No one liked a risky investment.

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