Page 70 of The Ballad of a Bard

“You have no idea.” Crimson tried to slowly drink this time, but it only added to the strength behind the whiskey. At least that’s what she thought it was, considering she’d rarely come across anything other than the shit ale that the Bronzed Goblet sold. “What are we going to do about Cobalt?”

She didn’t want to leave him here, not after the second threatening note with the vague initial. But she also needed to find Heartache before anything bad could happen to him. It was a coin toss inside her head of which would be worse in the long run, and they were both winning.

“I’ve set Thalias and Damien to watch over him for now, but I can ask them to extend their hours until we’ve returned if it’ll ease your mind.” West took another mouthful, easing the glass down onto his desk.

“Do that.” She chewed on the inside of her lip. “He’ll enjoy the company, and I’ll feel better about leaving him behind.”

“Did you get another note?” He asked, swirling the amber liquid around the rim, letting it lap at the sides in a pattern that reminded her of the ocean.

There were four continents in Hisaith, as well as four bodies of water that surrounded them. Tazali was the mainland, the landmass that held the Empire and all of its main trade. Silk and spices, with several ports that lead out into the Chilled Ocean to travel across the other islands. The waters were said to be refreshing, like a dip in a pond after a fresh rainfall filled it to the brim. The Frozen Ocean met on the other side, and its waters could kill a grown man with their frigid temperatures.

Then there was Valkrigge, a pirate port with petty crime and shady characters. Known for their talented shipmakers. The Withering Sea wrapped around most of the mountainous landmass, with more shipwrecks than inhabitants. Where they were headed.

Trealth was smaller, less hostile than its neighbours but still held a mass of importance with their weaponry. All of the steel in Tazali came from there, with their master blacksmiths and creative minds that could hammer heaven into a blade with a few pounds against an anvil.

Pitrye was dropped directly below it, trapped against the Biting Sea- which was known for the creatures that lurked in the murky depths. Monsters, it was said, with teeth so sharp they could rip flesh apart with a single bite. Of course there were legends and documentation with different ideas of what the fish beasts actually looked like, but none seemed to match up with any other accounts. So no one knew what the creatures actually looked like.

“No.” She lied, mentally reminding herself to remove the note from the waste when she returned to his apartments in the palace, before he could see it. He could easily spot the same, dark handwriting through the back if he looked at the right angle.

“Good. I told you, it was probably some harmless prank.” West emptied his glass and held his hand out for hers. Crimson drank the remainder, wincing as the burn filled her mouth but handed it over. “Nothing to concern yourself with now. Cobalt will have my men with him, and they won’t let anything happen to him. Regardless of some silly note or not.”

She ignored him, ignored the tossing and turning of anxiety that rolled through her gut and attempted to claim every inch of her. Instead she said, “So this is your office here. I’ve always wondered what was up here, and you were never around before.”

Crimson curved around the room, taking in the office that was nearly identical to the one at the castle, save for the desk and chair that fell into another style. There were a couple maps in frames along the walls, along with some sketches of constellations that she couldn’t recognize. He had a couple of bookshelves with a few novels, as well as a carpet over the wooden floor to prevent the desk legs from scratching.

“I’m almost never here, thanks to my duties at the palace. Muse keeps me busy, and that’s how I like it.” He watched her explore his other apartment, shadowing her as she entered the second room where his bed lay.

Unruffled, of course.

“At least promise me that you’ll actually sleep in the bed, not on top of the desk tonight.” She grinned mischievously at him. “If I look hard enough, I can still see the corners of it imprinted on your face.”

“You’re such a liar.” He gaped at her and rubbed at his check with a hard hand, only succeeding in leaving a red mark down his chiselled jaw. “I fell asleep looking through my records. It’s quite dull, you know.”

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to own apartments andsee to the tenants. No one forced the all mightyNorthern Starto take rent and count coins.” She chuckled and ran a hand down the soft mattress and cozy sheets. “You could give it up in a day and no one would bat an eyelash at you. Though, I’m sure a day is like a second to your cranky, immortal ass.”

“Cranky?” He grimaced. “You know, no one I’ve ever met has had the audacity to talk to me the way you do.”

“That’s because they’re most likely too scared of what you’ll do to them if they talk badly to your face.” Crimson hummed and skipped around the bed, peering into the bathing room. “They think you’d smite them down in a second with your powerful light blast.”

“I would never.” He grumbled, but leaned against the wall as she continued her explorations.

“When doweleave for Valkrigge?” Crimson pondered out loud as she opened and shut the shower door, noticing that the dial held the same colours on the metal rim for hot and cold. “I’m anxious to leave. The sooner we do, the sooner we can find Heartache.”

The sooner the notes would stop coming and Cobalt would stop being threatened.

“I have things to attend to in the next two days, but I was thinking after that. I know a ship’s captain who owes me a favour. He can take us across the Withering Sea and drop us off at a close port in Valkrigge. We’ll have to walk to Belledon, but it won’t be terrible.”

“Two days.” She mulled it over.

“Two days,” West confirmed, “Until we start searching for Heartache.”

Thirty

While West attended to his tasks, Crimson once again found herself looking through the massive book by Rapscallion Voss. She skimmed through all of the pages, including the ones with the Saints descriptions, and halted when she came across her father’s illustration. Her heart yearned towards it, as if it was the missing piece to everything, as if he could fix it all with a wave of his arm in the air.

He couldn’t of course, that would take something far more than a simple hug. What, she didn’t know. Nor did she care to know. Crimson wasn’t looking for him to repair whatever broken relationship there once had been.

But her eyes fell onto the description of his talisman once more, reading over a necklace she’d somehow missed the first time around and the rendering that sat nearby. Her breath hitched as she recognized it, and not because she’d looked over this particular book before. But because she’d seen the item in their old apartments at the Spinning Compass, before she’d had to sell everything their parents owned in order to purchase nourishment.

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