Page 63 of Somewhere down the Ley Line
“You know about Lady Isolde?” Leif stammered.
“Shut up, Leif,” he hissed, then turned back to Mia. “I’ll hear you out, but not here.”
“I have a room upstairs,” she purred.
Felix squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. “Outside.” He exited the taproom without another word. Leif followed behind, and Mia trailed after them, completely unbothered. Felix led them across the street and into a quiet side alley. “You’re not just passing through,” he said, crossing his arms. “Why are you here?”
“Like I said, I go where the stories go.” She leaned against the wall. “So. Where is she?”
“None of your business.”
“Mm. But it could become my business. Profitable business, too. Many are eager for information, and willing to pay. Especially right now. So many strange stories on the roads. So many curious whispers. High stakes. Powerful forces involved. Powerful forces, with deep pockets.” She held up her hands, rubbing thumbs and index fingers together.
Felix’s shoulders tensed, but his voice stayed even. “You wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t I?” Her smile sharpened. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Leif looked horrified. “You’d turn us in?”
She waved a hand airily. “Not if I get what I want.”
Felix narrowed his eyes. “Which is?”
“To meet her,” Mia said. “The girl, the leytouched. I want to hear her story. I want to hear it from the source. Not whatever nonsense the mages have cooked up about her.”
“Meether?” Felix asked, caught off guard. “Why?”
“Because she’s interesting, Felix. Whether she likes it or not, she’s possibly the most interesting person of our lifetime. No matter what happens, songs and stories will be written about her. Mine will be the first, the greatest, and it will be my legacy.” Her eyes glinted in the low light.
Felix didn’t respond. Mia wasn’t bluffing, she rarely did. Now that she knew they were here, the risk of letting her run off to the guard was far too great.
“I’ll make it worth your time,” she added. “Take me to her, and I’ll tell her what I know. I’ll keep your secrets. And I’ll write her a song for the ages.”
“How do I know you’re not lying? Or that we won’t be followed?”
Mia scoffed. “If I wanted to sell you out, I could go to the city guard right now, and you know very well how much I hate mages. No, Felix. I meant what I said.” She took a step closer to him and reached out as if to touch his chest, but Felix’s hand shot out and clamped around her wrist.
“Don’t make me regret this,” he said in a low voice, “or you will, too.”
Mia stood still and studied him with narrowed eyes. A flash of recognition and surprise crossed her face, and she smiled again. “This isn't just a job to you, is it?”
“Shut up, Mia.”
“I’ll think about it, if you take me to her.”
There was no point in further debating his answer. Felix would not let Mia sell them out to the guards, and although heverybriefly considered it, he wasn’t about to murder her in cold blood either. He hated she knew he wouldn’t. He hated having a conscience sometimes.
“Fine,” he said, releasing her arm. “We take you, you get what you need for your wretched song, and you go on your way.”
She flashed her feline smile at him and nodded. “It’s a deal.”
“We’ll leave first thing in the morning. I’ll get a room here for Leif and me.”
“Aw,” she crooned, “you are welcome to stay in mine.”
Leif looked completely lost. Felix held in a curse and all but snarled, “We’re good, thanks,” instead.
Without waiting for Mia’s reply, he turned and stalked back into the inn.
