Page 35 of The Orc's Thief
The maid bobs a curtsy and disappears into the kitchen, and I wind slowly around the tables, avoiding dripping on the patrons. They’re mostly men, and they eye me warily, a stranger among them. In a village as small as this, most of them must know each other, even though we’re on one of the main roads, only a day’s ride from Ultrup.
The man I’ve been searching for doesn’t lift his head when I drag back the chair opposite him. I sit, throwing back my damp cloak, and clear my throat. Finally, he peers at me from under his bushy eyebrows and squints as if he’s having trouble focusing. His blue eyes are watery and bloodshot, and I wonder what would drive a man to drink like this. But it’s not my place to judge, and as much as I dislike it, I might use his condition to my benefit.
“Hello,” I greet him, shoving down the resentment that boils up as I recall how he sent me on the wrong path. “Remember me?”
He squints again, as if unsure, then slurs, “You’re the one looking for that young miss.”
“Correct.”
I accept my cup of spiked tea from the maid and nudge the mug of ale toward my drunk companion. I pay for our drinks and the small tin box of tea she hands me, adding a good tip. She beams at me and hustles back to the bar, where another patron is calling for her attention.
When I turn back to the farmer, he’s chugging the ale from his mug, some of it sloshing down his chin. If I don’t hurry, he’ll be too drunk to speak, let alone remember which way Tessa really went after leaving this village.
“Listen, the young lady I’m searching for is in trouble,” I tell him. “I only want to help her.”
He scrunches up his face and brandishes a finger at me. “That’s what all men say. I’m not telling you anything, no, sir. I made the lady a promise, and Bennie keeps his word, yes, he does.”
I scrub my hand over my face, frustration boiling up inside me. If I weren’t in such a hurry to find Tessa—and if she weren’t in actual danger from the Ravens, who will be coming after her—I’d be impressed. This man really is protecting her in his own way.
“Listen. Bennie, is it?” I take a couple of silver coins from my pocket and slide them across the table. “She paid you to lead me onto a false trail, correct?”
He purses his lips and eyes the money. “She did. What of it?”
“She thought others would follow her,” I explain patiently. “A gang of criminals searching for revenge. She got on their bad side, and I just want to make sure I find her first so I can protect her.”
I leave the coins on the table between us and clench my hands in my lap, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. I wouldn’t hurt a hair on Tessa’s head, but this man doesn’t know that. We’re nowhere near the Stonefrost Clan lands yet, but if he’s heard stories from the people who suffered during old King Trak’s war campaigns, he might think I’m part of that clan. If I have to, I’ll explain that I belong to a different clan, one that’s lived a more or less peaceful life up north, but I don’t have the time. I also doubt my newfound friend has the focus to follow a lesson on clan politics.
“What’s she to you?” the man blurts, squinting at me again. “Why are you trying to find her?”
I clench my teeth, unsure how much to share. Humans often misunderstand the term “mate,” and that’s another explanation I don’t have time for. But I also don’t want to lie to him. He’sdrunk, but he might mistrust me even more if he catches me at it.
“She’s my mate,” I admit, sitting back in my chair. “You know what that means?”
To my surprise, the man nods, his movements exaggerated. “I do. Why’s she running from you, then?”
Good question, my man.
I swallow down the bitterness and answer as truthfully as I can. “Because I said some things I shouldn’t have, and she wasn’t too impressed with me. Decked me in the mouth. I just want to find her and put things right. Apologize. Make sure she’s safe. I won’t let any harm come to her.”
He stares at me for a long moment, swaying in his seat. Then he puts his hand over the coins on the table. “She took the forest road leading north. She was asking if a caravan passed through here about a week ago. I told her it did—heading east, toward your kingdom.”
I shake my head. “Not my kingdom. Not anymore. But why would she head north if she’s tracking someone heading east?”
She’s after the Ravens’ caravan. That must be it. She broke into the Ravens’ mansion to find information, and now she’s trailing whoever set out from Ultrup. But why?
“She asked if there was another road. To cut down on the travel time.”
The man sits up straighter now, though his words still slur. I wonder if he was ever a soldier—he’s reporting like one now.
“All right. So you sent her onto the northern trail? Where does it lead?”
“Didn’t,” he argues. “No, Bennie would never. Too dangerous, ‘specially for a lass traveling alone.”
My blood ices over in my veins. “What do you mean?”
“It’s wild country,” he mumbles. “I told her so, I did. But she heard it from someone else and wouldn’t listen to reason. Said she can handle herself, and she had to catch up to the caravan.”
Gods. She must be desperate if she’s willing to ignore the danger.
