6
“How much longer is he going to take?” Karria almost yelled.
It was well after dark by this point, and the bar had long since filled up. The two of them had been sitting at their corner table for some four hours already, and Karria was seriously starting to lose her patience.
Things might not have been so bad if they had had any luck with Randall. But, contrary to her thinking, the guy had taken one look at the two of them when they’d snuck into the kitchen, proceeded to turn beet red, then summarily fled in terror, nearly falling no less than five times on his way out. Karria might have been insulted, had Kya not told her of Randall’s burning embarrassment at having them approach. Apparently, he didn’t really receive much female attention, and thus, had no idea how to talk to them.
“I think they should be out soon,” Kya said. “But I’m not opening myself up to check again.”
Karria nodded sullenly, going back to poking at her long-cold chicken pie. After about a minute of Akkard and the bar lady’s antics, Kya had simply retracted her magic, not wishing to be privy to all the emotions and stray thoughts she was getting.
It was a sign that the elf girl’s magic was growing stronger, as when Karria had first met her, she could only get others’ thoughts on rare occasions, and even then, it would only be when she was in physical contact with someone. Now, she could catch random thoughts from over thirty yards away. Karria knew that she’d have to try and help her friend gain conscious control of her magic, and soon.
Hearing random thoughts was nice and all, but being able to direct her magic and hear the thoughts of others at will would be invaluable.
“Looks like they’re finally done,” Kya said, causing her to turn in her seat.
Sure enough, the back door swung open to reveal an incredibly happy looking Akkard. His beard was freshly combed, his clothes were unwrinkled, and his shoulders seemed relaxed in a way that Karria had never seen. The door closed behind him as he left, and his eyes swept around the bar before spotting the two of them.
“Well?” Karria asked as the dwarf pulled out a chair to sit.
“Well, what?” Akkard asked.
“Are you going to tell us anything? You’ve been keeping us waiting for more than four hours, so I’d think you’d have found out some good information.”
“Oh, I found out some good information, alright,” Akkard said with a wink. “I’ve never been with a human woman before, and let me tell you, Charla was something special. The way she…”
“Not that information!” Karria snapped, fighting to keep her cheeks from going red, but not succeeding all that well. “I meant about my brother!”
Kya, who was more used to feeling these emotions, managed to keep a straight face, though it was clear by the way she was shifting in her seat, that she was feeling it regardless.
“Oh, yeah,” Akkard said, looking a bit embarrassed. “Well, we were a bit too busy to do much talking. But I’m sure I can ask…”
It was then that the back door banged open to reveal the woman in question. Like Akkard, she looked freshly washed and groomed, but if one looked closely enough, they could see some clear signs of what had happened. Charla’s cheeks were flushed, her hair was a bit mussed around the edges, and the obvious smile of satisfaction on her face would have told anyone with half a brain what had just occurred.
Luckily for her, the bar was filled with a bunch of men who were too busy drinking to pay her any mind, so she got away without being noticed. Well, at least for the first few seconds.
“Charla, where you been?” called out one of the drunk patrons.
“We could use some more drinks over here!”
“A refill for us, too!”
“Keep your pants on, you lot of drunken bastards. I’ll get you your drinks when I’m good and ready to get ‘em!”
The bar burst into raucous laughter as the owner viciously shot the patrons down, and despite what Karria might have thought, those patrons were among those who laughed the loudest.
“What the hell kind of place is this?” she demanded, turning back to Akkard.
The dwarf shrugged in response.
“Hell if I know. Humans are weird.”
“I’ll second that,” Kya said.
“Guess I’ll just be going then,” Karria said flatly. “Wouldn’t want you associating with a weirdo or anything like that.”
In truth, Karria was more annoyed that Akkard had kept them waiting for hours, only to return with stories of his escapades, rather than any actual information on Arbor.
“Calm down, lass,” Hord said, placing a hand on her arm. “We were only joking.”
“Yeah, I got that,” Karria replied, pulling her arm from Akkard’s grip. “But in case you’ve forgotten, we’re here for a reason. I’m going to start asking around to see if anyone knows anything about Arbor.”
“You fine ladies looking for some intel on the new Viscount?”
“Get lost, pal!” Karria snapped, sending the man who’d swaggered over scurrying for the hills.
Akkard gave her an odd look, to which Karria shrugged.
“What? Give one of them an inch, and they’ll be swarming us before you know it.”
“You seem oddly knowledgeable about the behavior of drunken men for such a little girl,” Akkard said.
“I’m not a little girl!” Karria snapped. “I’m almost an adult, in fact, and where I learned about how to treat drunken men is none of your business!”
“It was from her brother,” Kya said, earning her a glare as well. “What?” the elf asked, completely unapologetic. “It’s not like you asked me to keep it a secret.”
Akkard looked between the two girls, then rolled his eyes.
“Fine. I’ll make you a deal. Sit, calm down, and let me hear the story. After that, I’ll go get Charla and see if I can get her to tell us about the new noble. Deal?”
“Why are you so interested in hearing some old story?” Karria asked, still refusing to sit.
“Because your brother saved my kingdom, in case you’ve forgotten. My only brother has also gone off with him, and I’d like to know more about the man you’ve been chasing for so long. Family is family, but some of them can be right bastards.”
Karria resisted the urge to look at Kya, though it was just barely. They both knew of Sylvester’s behavior and the way he’d been acting toward them all before Zir, Alvine’s brother, had attacked the city. There was no need to dredge up painful memories.
“Fine,” Karria muttered, “but as soon as I’m done, you’re calling that woman over and getting her to tell us about him.”
Akkard nodded in agreement, and Karria nodded to her friend. She honestly didn’t much feel like recounting the story, but she was sure Kya remembered it well enough.
“Well, guess I’m taking on the role of storyteller,” Kya said, seemingly pleased. “Alright, now where to begin?” She muttered, wracking her brain for a moment. “Ah, yes. This story took place around three years ago, when Arbor had taken Karria into town to choose some new cloth for a dress. Arbor was around sixteen at the time, having just become an adult, so his parents were confident that the shopkeepers wouldn’t try and take advantage of him, as they would a child.