Page 15 of Potions & Pints
“Oh, no,” Tan said as the words flowed past his ears and awoke a memory. “It can’t be.”
Tan knew that voice. And it didn’t sound happy to see him at all.
8
“Pili,” Tan greeted cautiously. Gingerly, he tried to step down from the crate so that he could look the water elf in the eye and gauge how much his former friend now hated him.
That left him dangling rather precariously. Vir pulled him back up.
“I’d shake your hand, but,” Tan said, indicating the shackle around his wrist. “How have you been?”
“Like I’d shake your hand,” Piliphre said, glaring at Tan. “And my brother is dead.”
“I heard,” Tan said quietly. Who hadn’t heard of the water elf’s murder? He’d been killed for the crime of marrying Princess Namys. Tan had sent Namys’ closest brother, the one who he’d heard rumors was hiding her children, a tome on water elf magic. He’d meant it as a condolence gift, but Prince Hamon had taken it as a threat.
No matter, he’d stolen the book from Sunfall Library, anyway.
He hadn’t reached out to Pili. Guilt had kept his quill hand frozen whenever he attempted to scratch out a letter.
“Uncuff him,” Valar said, pointing at a soldier who rushed to do his bidding.
Vir got down off the crate and then set Tan down next to him. The soldier unlocked them.
“Thanks,” Tan said, rubbing his wrist.
The metal cuff had been heavy. It had to be, if they were using it to chain orcs.
“Oh, don’t thank me,” Valar said. “I ran into your old friend—”
“He’s not my friend,” Pili snarled.
Tan winced.
“Fine,” Valar said. “Your acquaintance. I was complaining about how you made me late for dinner and how I was going to execute you, probably, just deciding how to do it. Then this water elf at the next table had a brilliant idea.”
“Why not send them to Gamlin Ait, I said,” Pili added.
“An intriguing idea,” Valar said. “So we got to talking and when I told him who the scrape I was trying to get rid of…”
“I told him I knew you,” Pili said.
He made a fist and punched his other hand several times. Tan winced again.
“Come on, Pili,” Tan said. “We’re friends. Practically —” Tan stopped himself from saying the word ‘brother’ just in time, but Pili heard it anyway.
“How dare you!” Pili shouted. “I had a brother.”
“What happened to your brother?” Vir asked.
“Who are you?” Pili asked.
“I’m Vir, nice to meet you.”
Tan pushed down Vir’s outstretched hand. The orc was a kind soul, but he had no — genuinely absolutely no — idea, Tan believed, how to behave appropriately in any given situation.
Valar was ready to send them to their death at sea. Pili was equally enraged. Tan imagined if he had run into Pili anywhere near his village, he would have been taken into custody immediately.
Pili was the chieftain’s son of a distant water tribe. Tan knew Pili had no authority here — by all the moons, even Pili’s father wouldn’t. A tribe’s jurisdiction was very small. A brother’s thirst for revenge, however…
