Page 31 of To Kill a King
“Well, yer noble, aintcha?” Perhaps she was slow, too. Many human nobles were, after all. “Princesses’re pretty high up. Take th’ compliment.”
When the girl did nothing more entertaining than blink a few times, Zadé turned her attention back to the man. “Fer a bodyguard, yer doin’ a mish-mash job o’ it.”
He finally opened his mouth. “Excuse me?”
“Yeh sat yer charge down in th’ wrong seat. Yeh should’ve taken the corner booth.” Zadé gestured to the alcove, where three burly men played cards. “That way, yeh can watch all directions at once. Yer a terrible bodyguard.” Turning her focus back to the other one, she said, “Yeh need t’ hire better help if yer goin’ t’ be comin’ int’ places like this, Princess.”
The noble got huffy. “Who are you to speak to us like this?”
“Oh, sorry!” She held her hand out, but mis-aimed. It flopped against the table before she was able to do more than brush the human’s fingers. “Name’s Zadé. Nice ta meetcha!” She managed to grab the Princess’ hand and give it a friendly yank.
The girl reclaimed her limb, shaking it, and glanced at her escort. Zadé almost missed his subtle nod.
“I’m, um…B-Beth.” She licked her lips.
“Beth, huh?” She dipped her head. “Fine name, Princess.” She turned to the elf and held out her hand. “Zadé, pleased ta meetcha!”
The man reluctantly shook her hand. “Elessan.”
She settled into her chair, set her elbows on the table and propped her chin up with her hands. “Izzz been a long time since I seen a mountain elf, Elsan. Whatcha doin’ in these parts?”
Leaning forward and matching her deliberately relaxed posture with his own, he hissed, “Keep your voice down.”
Zadé blinked at him. Of all the bars in Westcliff, this is the one that would be least likely to care that they were elves, as long as their money was good. If he didn’t know that, then why’d he come here?
Leaning back, he crossed his arms and muttered, “And I haven't laid eyes on a moon elf in ages.”
She barely heard his words over the din of the crowd.
He blinked as his face went momentarily blank. “Wait. Zadé…Brightleaf?” He widened his eyes. “What’s a Brightleaf doing in a place like this?”
Well, crap on a cracker.
She was saved from having to come up with a retort when, behind them, a group of local mercenary thugs filed into the tavern. They split into groups, each going in a different direction. That was unusual—most nights they came to drink like everyone else. This time, they were definitely looking for someone. A man dressed in black with a dark crimson jewel stuck in the middle of his forehead followed them in.
Zadé smiled. Tonight’s entertainment was about to begin.
Elessan paused when Zadé’s attention shifted, and an anticipatory smile crept over her face.
He turned, keeping his movements slow and smooth. Seven men with matching red cloaks lined the front wall of the room. They fanned out around the edges of the space as Brooks, Malkov’s Arcane Inquisitor, stepped through the door.
Elessan’s heart skipped a beat. They’d tracked Aliya so quickly…
The humans didn’t move like professional soldiers, but they were more organized than a common street gang. Bounty hunters or mercenaries then. Brooks gestured in their direction. As one, they moved closer.
Valek.
The oval jewel embedded in the Inquisitor’s forehead flashed red, illuminating the whole room. It may have been his imagination, but it seemed like the light curved like an arrow caught in the breeze, bending toward them.
Brooks met his gaze from across the room. Elessan’s gut churned as his heart leaped into his throat. The man’s eyes were milk-white, but he navigated as though he could see perfectly well.
Elessan hadn’t done anything noteworthy—lately—to earn himself a price on his head. Besides, Westcliff wasn’t exactly known for its law-abiding nature, or for its loyalty to the crown, so the bounty must be exorbitant to catch attention here. He needed to get Aliya out. Closing his hands around his sword handles, he loosened the weapons for an easy draw.
The red cloaks stood between them and the main entrance. Maybe there was an exit through the kitchen? He didn’t want to take that bet without being certain.
He leaned forward and dropped his voice. “Zadé, is there a back way out of here?”
Aliya’s eyes went wide, and she froze as she noticed the thugs across the room.