Page 19 of Between Salt and Serenades
Breena kicked me under the table, and I threw in a ‘thanks’ for good measure. Kylan took that as their sign to place the plates in front of us, along with a quilted square they rested near the edge of the table. They placed the teapot upon the square and cautioned us from touching the sides of it.
“Kylan?” I called out before they had the chance to walk away. “Do you know much about the fishermen of Barthoah?”
“Sure, it’s a small village! What about them?” Their hazel eyes focused on me, their pupils so round, so human. I was sure if I looked in a mirror now, my blue eyes would look the same. A knot formed in my stomach at the mere thought.
I focused back on the task at hand as questions ran through my mind. I searched for the one that seemed the least creepy, but that task was difficult when asking for the address of strangers you wanted something from. I did my best.
“Where do they typically hang out?” I asked.
“Well, the best place to find a fisherman would be around the boats and docks, of course. But other than that, they like to hang out around town. They sure do love their sweets. If you head over to the Honey Spot this afternoon, I’m sure you’ll find one of them over there.”
“Honey Spot? Got it, thank you,” I said, surprising myself when it came out naturally. And I had meant it, too.
When Kylan slipped off to help another table, I searched Breena’s face for any sign of emotion, but she held her feelingsclose to her chest, giving me no indication if she found relief in Kylan’s answer.
“Well?” I asked, hoping she would fill in the blanks.
“It’s a start,” Breena said with a nod. “We’ll eat, and then we’ll get started. It’s not much to work with, but it’s more than we had to go off yesterday.”
What we would do once we found one of these fishermen was beyond me. Follow one home and sneak into his house in hopes we would find the trunk? It wasn’t necessarily a good plan, that was for sure.
I nodded my head and dove into the plate of food in front of me. My stomach lurched as my first bite of happy eggs hit my stomach, triggering a monstrous need to consume everything in front of me. No words left me as I demolished every last morsel on my plate, almost licking it free of yolk and loaf crumbs. I didn’t take time to determine the flavor, let alone if I liked the meal. It was edible, and that’s all that mattered.
When my plate was clean, I peered over at Breena, who was licking her crumb-covered lips. Her plate was just as clean as mine, and I wondered if she had bothered chewing her food or merely choked it down like I had.
We’d consumed the food we needed, gathered a bit of information, and there was only one thing left to do.
Run.
“Is Kylan looking at us?” I asked Breena.
“No, why?” She glanced over at the counter where the human seemed to spend much of their time.
“Get ready to run, and please, for the love of all things salty, do not get caught.”
“Run? Caught? What are you talking about?” Breena muttered, leaning in toward me.
“We have no coin. How else did you think this meal was going to end?”
“Kylan is a nice human. Can’t we just?—”
“No,” I cut her off, not needing to know what she was going to say. Our only option was getting out of here and doing it fast. “Get ready to go in three.”
“Oh, fine,” Breena said, finishing off her cup of tea and wiping her face with the back of her hand. “Ready when you are.”
I counted down from three, and the two of us launched out of our seats and beelined for the door. Surprisingly, neither of us tripped as we maneuvered through the customers and their tables. No one called after us as we made it through the double doors and out onto the street. We didn’t slow as we rounded the building then flattened our backs against the rough stone of the shop. We were shaded by a mature tree’s broad branches and sandwiched between the tea shop and the leather store next door. Breena dove behind their bin of trash, and I did not join her. I’d create my first tsunami and destroy this place before touching human garbage.
“Are we in the clear?” Breena said from her hiding place under a discarded wooden box. Her curls sprung out from under the cracked box as she peeked out.
This woman… She was going to be the death of me.
When the coast was clear, Breena and I crept out of the alley and hurried down the block, bypassing town shops and pedestrians.
“We need coin,” Breena panted as we slowed. “I can’t do this again.”
“I couldn't agree more, but we don’t have time for that now. We need to find a lead on this fisherman,” I said. I peered over my shoulder to make sure no one from the tea house had foundus. We couldn’t linger here for long. Barthoah was too small not to recognize the faces of outsider thieves.
“Yeah, we do,” Breena said. Her face hardened, and she stood straighter and adjusted her summer dress.
