Page 15 of Storm of Shadows

The man nods, appeased by my answer, and glances at the Void Prince. “Does your companion speak? I’ve never met a moon elf before and—”

“He isn’t well versed in Common.”

The Void Prince scowls at me.

“Oh, that is a shame. I’ve always wondered what Lumaria is like.”

“I would stay and translate, but I really must find this old friend of mine.” I stride forth, and he thankfully steps aside to let me pass. “Thank you for your help, and I hope you find a use for our ship!”

He raises his hand in acknowledgement as we leave.

The Void Prince’s glare burns into the back of my head.

I roll my shoulders in a shrug. “And here I thought you didn’t wish to interact with any more mortal scum than necessary.”

His glare intensifies.

“Besides, I much prefer you with your mouth shut.”

The Laughing Gullis a far cry from Nolderan’s finest establishments in the Upper City. The tavern sits along a row of run-down buildings with streaks of algae staining the stone walls. The tiles forming its roof are weathered and some have broken off, though there’s no trace of them. The windows are cracked and cloudy, and it’s hard to glimpse inside, especially with it being dark.

A gull is painted onto the wooden sign swinging overhead, its beak stretched open and eyes narrowed into a scowl as ferocious as the Void Prince’s. It looks more like a screaming gull than a laughing one, and the owners of this tavern could do with a new sign.

The demon’s foot taps against the cobblestones. If he could speak, he’d complain I’m wasting time standing here and admiring the shabby tavern. I push open the door, and it creaks, its hinges in dire need of oiling. I don’t hold it open for Natharius. Unfortunately, it doesn’t swing back into his face.

The inside of the tavern is no better. The floor is filthy, and my boots squelch in thick layers of ale. I pass many tables of rowdy sailors, their clothes full of holes and loose threads. Their raucous laughter thunders through the small building. I head for the counter at the back of the room. A man with grease-stricken stands behind it, pouring ale into a tankard for a patron.

I lean on the counter and watch the barkeep hand the tankard to the customer and collect several copper coins. He turns to the Void Prince and me. “Can I help you?”

“We’re looking for a party wearing black robes. I believe they came in here yesterday.”

The barkeep eyes my robes. “Might have seen them. Might not. Hard to say with so many folk coming in and out all day.”

“I was told they definitely came here. Surely they can’t be difficult to remember?”

“What can I say? My mind has a habit of playing up these days. I vaguely recall such a group, but it’s hard to say with nothing to jog my memory.”

I sigh and unbuckle my satchel and sift through the orbs until I find the one containing my purse. I hold it flat on my palm and murmur: “Acoligos.”

The orb expands, and the light fades to reveal my purse. I pull it open and retrieve a single silver coin and place it on the counter. The barkeep’s greedy eyes light up, and he picks it up and examines it so closely his bulbous nose touches it. “Ah,” he says, depositing it into the pouch secured at his waist, “now that I think about it, I do remember such a group of strange people. Definitely the shady sort, and they insisted on hiring our largest room. It’s not small, but it’s not large enough for ten. Didn’t fancy arguing with them about it, though. Weren’t the friendliest looking folk I’ve ever seen.”

“Are they still in town?”

“Afraid not. Heard they took the eastern road out of town this morning.”

If they left this morning, they could be anywhere now. Even if we follow the eastern road out of Lenris Port, we have no way of knowing which route they took after that. We need to figure out where their destination is. Perhaps the room they stayed in will hold some clues. If we can discover their destination, maybe we’ll be able to follow them.

“Can you show us the room they stayed in last night?” I ask.

“It’s available for the night, if you’d like to rent it.”

“That’s all right, thank you. We’d only like to look.”

“How’s four silvers?”

“No, no. We just need to see if they left anything in their room.”

He holds out his hand. “Four silvers then.”

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