Page 45 of The Sorcerer's Thief
“And for you?” she asks.
“Whatever they’re having, please.”
“And to eat, gentlemen? Today we have orange duck, garlic string beans, butter noodles, herbed rice, fresh bread, and beef with vegetables stew.”
My belly rumbles. Everything sounds amazing, and they even have choices for strange sorcerers who don’t eat meat. We order a bit of all of it and decide to share. I can hardly wait to eat.
“What brings you through Willowood?” asks Percival.
We ignore the odd stares and glances from other diners. If they’re too snobby to sit near an incubus, they’re definitely not the sort of people worth knowing.
I find myself wondering which face Julian is showing to Percival. His true face, which I see, or the disguise he wears anytime we’re somewhere crowded. I hope it’s his true face, though if questioned, I’d have a hard time explaining why I care.
“Cricket here has been traveling, and he’s headed home to Irondale,” says Julian. “I’m only tagging along for lack of anything better to do.”
I snort. He’s somehow managed to tell the truth without giving away any of the more questionable details. Another of Julian’s many skills: the art of obfuscation.
“I’ve been thinking of traveling myself now that it’s permitted. Would you tell me of the places you’ve been?”
We chat casually about Lemossin, the village festival, the roads and trails, Ember Crest and tomato pies, the floating bridge, and Slinger dumping Jules into the river. The more we talk, me finishing Julian’s sentences and him finishing mine, the more the truth of his earlier declaration sinks in.
We really have become friends.
Furthermore, I have the epiphany that it’s not friendly behavior of me to hoard the coin all for myself when we could easily share it. Perhaps the coin itself could convince Julian its purpose isn’t to help him kill an entire guild of people, nefarious or not.
“Is it safe yet in Luminia for a creature like me to travel alone?” Percival asks between mouthfuls of stew. The food is as excellent as it smells, and the three of us have no trouble cleaning our plates and ordering another round.
I defer to Julian, the more worldly of the two of us by a long shot. “Depends. I would love to say yes, but I’m afraid I’d be leading you astray. Not all of Luminia is as quick to accept change as her queen. But we can hope.”
“That we can. The two of you are quite nice. If only I meet more couples like you, all will be well.”
Couples?
Julian and I catch each other’s gazes, but neither of us corrects him. Instead, Julian says, “Tell me of your magic. Can it be used to defend yourself if need be?”
This brings a full-bellied laugh from our new acquaintance. “If you count making an enemy desire to bed me, then I suppose so. I can coax a man to his knees without much effort.”
Julian laughs along with him. “That’s not what I was thinking, but I could definitely see how such powers could come in handy.” He’s looking at me when he says it.
Heat creeps along my cheeks. “We’ve been working on protection magic. Julian is teaching me how to shield.”
“I could give you a lesson as well. Perhaps in trade for advice? We’d like to stay the night. Where should we lodge?”
“I can do better than advice.” Percival’s answering smile reveals a row of pearly white teeth. “You must stay with me.”
“We don’t wish to be any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. I insist.”
“Delightful,” says Julian.
“My home is, of course, a brothel. Or it was. But our den is quite comfortable, as you might imagine a place set up for pleasure would be. We hosted rebel soldiers during the uprising. It was all very exciting business. Sneaking around, stealing maps, holding briefings. I met a gargoyle!”
I’m imagining it now. Soldiers in a den of incubi. Exciting is one word for it.
Percival continues, “We’re still figuring out how we want to operate now that we’ve gained our freedom, and in the meantime, there are plenty of empty rooms. It would be my pleasure to put you up in one.”
Two,I think but strategically do not say.
