Page 20 of Ties of Legacy

Elliot

“Testing?” Elliot asked blankly, staring up at Avery. “Testing what?”

Avery looked impatient. “I can’t sell you the item you need unless we know what it is. Will you recognize it just by seeing it? I assumed we’d need to test each brass item I bought one by one.”

Excitement shot through Elliot. Was it really going to be that simple? Even after everything, Avery would help him test each item and then sell him the one he needed? He wouldn’t have to sneak around or follow her any longer?

He brushed aside a strange pang at that thought. He could finally get back on the road to the Sovaran capital. There was nothing melancholy about that future. After years of traveling, he would finally be settling in one place. The connection he felt to Avery was a shadow caused by deprivation. He had been trailing her—thinking about her, tracking her, watching her—for so many days that of course he would feel as if they’d forged a connection. But soon he would be able to build proper connections and relationships in his new home. He would forget all about Avery.

He hoped.

He scrambled to his feet. “How should we do it? I guess I should just take each item away, one at a time, and see what happens.”

“I don’t think so,” Avery said firmly. “I’ll do the taking away.”

Elliot’s belly gave a tiny flip of disappointment. Avery believed him, but she didn’t yet trust him.

“Given how weak you got back there, I don’t think you should be the one trekking around,” she said. “You can sit by the cart, and that way when you get weak, you won’t need to walk.”

Elliot nodded, pretending he believed that was the only reason for her strategy. The important thing was that she was helping him.

He tried to assist Avery to untie the canvas over her cart, but she brushed him aside, making much quicker work of the ropes than he’d managed. She was obviously extremely practiced at it.

But when she went to lift the crate down, he jumped in and took it in her place, lifting it down to the ground.

She gave him an amused look. “I can carry a single crate, you know.”

“I know.” He smiled at her. “I saw you lift it into the cart at the smithy. But you’re helping me, so you have to let me do something to help you—however small.”

Avery raised her eyebrows. “Help? I believe you mentioned paying three times the item’s price. I am a merchant.”

Elliot smiled, his good mood not dented in the least. “It’s already paid.” He gestured at the crate.

Avery hesitated for a moment before giving in to whatever instinct she was fighting. Kneeling, she dug through the chest, emerging with the pouch he had left behind.

She weighed it in her hand as the smith back in Henton had done, not meeting his eyes. He grinned triumphantly. She couldn’t call him a thief again now. If she did, he would call herone straight back. She hadn’t even left money for his pack and boots.

“The candelabra was the only normal item I took,” she said warningly. “The rest of them have special properties, so you might need more coin.”

“I’ll pay whatever you think is fair,” he said promptly, noting the rueful quirk of her lips.

Roving merchants were an unusual group, but they were small enough in number and tightly enough knit to have strong codes of honor. He had taken a risk in revealing the truth to her, but he hoped she wasn’t going to use her knowledge to extort him.

If she did try, he would have to give her everything he had. He wasn’t going to physically fight her for the object, and he was literally unable to leave without it.

“Let’s get started, then.” She drew out the first object—a metal lantern. “You sit there and call out to me if you start to get any symptoms. I’ll come straight back if you do.”

Elliot sat obediently on the back of the cart, his legs dangling off the side.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll let you know straight away. You won’t need to go far for me to feel the effects.”

Avery backed up a few steps before changing her mind and spinning around. Facing away from him, she moved faster, soon disappearing into the tree trunks.

Elliot counted to five but didn’t feel even a trace of dizziness or pain.

“Nothing!” he called loudly and listened for a response.

Avery didn’t call back, but she soon reappeared, jogging in his direction. She deposited the lantern in the back of the cart without saying anything and selected the next item from the crate. She jogged away with a brass candlesnuffer in hand, but he was soon calling for her to return.

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