Page 63 of Ties of Frost

Sajen sighed. “I teamed up with other rengiri before I met Lars, and I’ve partnered with a few since he retired, but none of them have been the same. I know I’m being picky. Lars and I fought side by side for three decades. We knew each other’s habits and quirks and could communicate without a word. It takes time to build that kind of rapport.”

“Indeed.” Kyrundar raised an eyebrow at me. “When you find someone you work well with, it makes sense to keep working with them if nothing is stopping you.”

“A shame humans age so much faster than us. Without a heartbond, at least.” Sajen chuckled. “But do you know what the rusty old suit of armor did? He got married.”

I blinked at Sajen. “He what? At his age?”

“I know! Hasn’t got half his hair anymore and what he does have has faded from black to the same white as an ice elf’s.” He nodded in Kyrundar’s direction. “Seventy years old, but he met a human widow a little older than him inthe rural town in Neaston that he retired to. They got married a few months ago. I said that seemed fast, and they said life is too short to wait, especially for humans.” His wide smile faltered. “I wasn’t able to attend the wedding. A downside of traveling so much is it’s hard to reach a rengir in a timely manner.”

But then Sajen shrugged. “Ah, well. I met the lucky lady when I stopped by on my way to Laedresh. I tell you, the way those two carried on like youngsters on a honeymoon nearly had me blushing.” He lifted his tankard in a mock toast. “You two aren’t half as bad.”

My cheeks heated, but I was saved from answering or listening to some flirtatious comment from Kyrundar by the arrival of our food. Kyrundar’s herring was still sizzling, and the herbs smelled amazing. Sure, just about anything was delicious fried, and my own food did look tasty, but his looked better. If only I could have both.

“Eyeing my food when you have your own, Zee?” he teased.

“Wondering if I made the right choice,” I admitted.

“Well then.” Kyrundar grabbed my plate and pulled it over in front of him.

“Excuse you?”

He laughed. “Let’s share. Half of each?” With his knife and fork poised about the plates, he looked to me for confirmation.

“That…sounds good.”

“Hmmm.” Sajen ducked his head over his plate to hide his smile. I decided to ignore him.

The fried cod was excellent—Sajen praised Kyrundar for his choice of restaurant—but the herb-stuffed herring was delightful. I had just scraped the final bit of lemony sauce onto my last bite of asparagus when Kyrundar sat up straighter. His sharp gaze landed on something over my shoulder.

My hand went to my sword’s hilt, and I turned in my chair. A man with tan skin and wavy brown hair that hid his ears approached us. But I didn’t need to look for further signs of his race. I knew him.

And there were only three people I wanted to see less. Based on the way his gaze fixed on me and his mouth had pinched into something near a scowl, he wasn’t happy to see me, either. I’d rather have been approached by an assassin.

I pried my fingers from my sword’s grip and stood. My joints felt wooden as I faced him and inclined my head in a small bow. “Artur.”

Kyrundar stepped to my side. Rather than feeling a reassuring presence, I wished he weren’t there. “Friend of yours?” he asked amicably.

“This is Artur Eposeth.” I motioned toward the intruder, wishing I were anywhere else. “My cousin. Artur, this is Rengir Kyrundar Ilifir and Rengir Sajen Hargren.”

Artur bowed his head to each man in turn.

“What are you doing in Gamnica?” My question came out strained, revealing more of my discomfort than I’d hoped.

“Filling in as an extra guard for Thesian. He’s taking acaravan to Fairow. One of his men fell ill at the last moment.” Artur’s dark eyes flicked toward Kyrundar and back to me. “We heard about the Emperor’s Merit.”

My heart nearly stopped. What did my family and clan make of it?

“We’d assumed the stories claiming you are close with the ice elf were exaggerated or confused, perhaps lies originating from the elf himself. I see we were wrong, or you wouldn’t be having such a friendly meal with him.”

I wished my tankard were full of water instead of a couple sips of ale. Not that I could turn around and retrieve it without being rude.

“Do you have a problem with ice elves?” Kyrundar asked in a tone as cold as his magic.

“Not particularly,” Artur said with an equally icy stare. “Simply disappointed to see that the firstborn daughter of one of our matriarchs abandoned her birthright only to be unable to make a name for herself without the aid of an elf.”

“Lying is against our vows,” I said, belatedly grasping at the only accusation for which I had a response. “Kyrundar Ilifir is an honorable man, a devout rengir, and a recipient of the Emperor’s Merit. Do not disparage his character, and certainly do not do so within my hearing.”

Artur grunted. “Your mother will be disappointed to hear that the rumors are true, regardless of his character. Your clan expected more of you than to let someone else carry you to renown.”

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