Page 6 of Potions & Pints
“It’s for Prince Valar,” he said quietly, hoping that if he said it softly enough the orc wouldn’t have the same reaction that the Librarian did.
If he was shocked by the words, however, he didn’t show it. In fact, he did the opposite of what Tan had done.
“Please send this to Prince Valar of Selkirk,” the orc announced loudly, taking the message from Tan and handing it to the Librarian with a smile.
“Very well,” the old man said politely, taking the paper.
“Merrin!” he called and the younger man who’d been sorting books came running. “Send this to Prince Valar of Selkirk!”
The assistant Librarian nodded politely, casting a glance at Tan and Vir. Tan thought he saw a hint of curiosity in the assistant’s eyes.
“Of course, sir,” the man said, but his eyes remained fixed on Tan for a moment before he headed off to deliver the note.
Tan should have felt grateful, but there were too many other emotions roiling around inside him for gratitude to get much of the spotlight. Besides, it wasn’t an emotion he allowed himself very often.
Getting too close to people was usually a dangerous game and gratitude was a gateway to that. His time in Sunfall had taught him that lesson and he didn’t want to have to live through the same painful pattern of attachment and betrayal again. Even if he was the one doing the betraying. Perhaps especially then.
Vir, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content. To the orc, sending the note was as natural as anything else — at least that’s how it appeared on the outside. With another word of thanks to the Librarian and a smile and soft clap on the back to Tan, he strode out of the Library, leaving Tan to stew in his own thoughts.
He’d never been one to process things alone though, especially when he could get angry at someone instead.
Tan had been suspicious of the orc ever since he’d laid eyes on him, and this latest stunt had him positively confused. Vir clearly wasn’t stupid — his songs and poems and interest in history showed he was clearly sensitive and intelligent, so it couldn’t be pure naivety that stopped the orc from asking questions about that message. He must be up to something else. It was the only explanation.
Tan finally unfroze himself, following Vir. He pushed the Library door open and glanced around for a sign of a large green man clutching a history book. The orc had just taken Tan at face value, not bothering to ask if the note was treasonous or illegal or dangerous. Tan could have been planning an invasion of Lurg for all the orc knew. In Tan’s experience, nobody was ever that trusting unless it was a ruse of some kind.
He finally caught sight of Vir and rushed out onto the footpath, into the warm island sun. He had to find out what Vir was playing at.
4
Tan ran after Vir into the streets of Lurg, struggling to catch up with the orc. The moment of stunned silence in the Library had left him behind and Vir’s strides were much longer than any elf’s.
“Hey, wait just a second!” he called once he’d finally caught up. “What exactly are you up to? Where did you come from anyway?”
If Tan’s face reallywason wanted posters all around Illyria, he figured, maybe Vir was actually playing him. He needed to check this guy out.
Vir stopped in his tracks, forcing townsfolk to veer around his enormous mass in the middle of the sidewalk. No one dared ask him to move — even if he was a friendly giant, he was still an orc, and Tan could understand their hesitation, even if he no longer shared it.
His time in Sunfall with Urza and Neda taught him fearsome creatures weren’t always so fearsome. Still, standing there in the middle of town with this strange new companion, Tan certainly wasn’t free of suspicion.
Now that Vir was standing in front of him instead of striding away, it gave Tan the chance to take a good look at him. The orc’s large, friendly brown eyes were set under a mass of striking black hair, and a wash of stubble darkened the green hue of his skin. Two large teeth protruded from his lower jaw, but in the midst of his warm smile, they didn’t have the menacing look that most orcs’ teeth had.
His bare chest revealed a cluster of dark hair, right in the middle of his open vest, while the vest itself was clearly hand-sewn from a variety of garish fabrics that somehow came together into an arresting rainbow of colors, textures, and patterns.
Casting his eyes over the orc, however, Tan quickly decided the colorful clothes and cheerful disposition were some kind of ruse. They had to be — no one was that vibrant all the time.
It seemed his suspicions were correct. Vir immediately clammed up at the question of his origins, his eyes suddenly searching as if looking for a good answer. What he seemed to chance upon was misdirection.
“Are you up to something with that message?” the orc finally asked. The question wasn’t exactly accusatory — more a desperate attempt to change the subject — but it had the desired effect.
This time it was Tan who clammed up. He had no need to divulge anything more to this new acquaintance than was absolutely necessary, even if he did find himself inexplicably drawn to him. That was probably just the ruse in action, Tan reasoned.
In any case, the message was already sent and now all he had to do was bide his time. He only hoped the orc wouldn’t snitch on him in the meantime.
When Tan refused to answer, Vir just shrugged. Tan watched, confused, as a dreamy smile passed over his face and his tensions eased, ever so slightly.
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Vir mused, evidently happy about something else entirely. “I’m leaving Lurg soon — the high seas call to me! And beyond that, Gamlin Ait!”
At this, Tan practically did a double take. The smile upon Vir’s face was about as incongruous a thing as he could expect to see at the mention of Gamlin Ait.
