Midnight Jewel
Page 62

   Leave with him? Absolutely not. There was only so much benefit of the doubt I was willing to give. “I’m sorry, I can’t. There’s somewhere I’m supposed to be.”
   “Right here, apparently.” Tom waved around. “You help saved innocents. Sounds like fate to me.”
   “Why were those men attacking her?”
   “Her husband is one of my associates, and that lot thinks they’ve been wronged. It was pure and simple revenge.”
   “So you were the one in the right?”
   “Always,” he said, chuckling again. “Always.”
   I didn’t know if I believed him, but his smile was infectious. “I’m just glad they’re okay. And you. But really, I can’t stay.” I kept my tone light . . . and my hold on the knife strong.
   Tom didn’t push any further. “Suit yourself, but I’ll feel terrible for the rest of the night, you know. I hate unpaid debts. Here.” He made a big show of producing a coin from his pocket and handed it to me. It looked like a standard Osfridian copper, but the side with the king’s face had been heated and re-engraved with a feather. On the other side, the seal of Osfrid had been crossed over with “TS.”
   “Defacement of the king’s coin is illegal,” I said.
   “The king’s coin? I don’t see his initials on it.” Tom closed my fingers around the coin and held my hand in his. “This is my personal token, given out to only a few when I owe a debt. So if you need a favor, come cash this in at the tavern of the Dancing Bull.”
   “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, wondering what favor I could possibly need from him.
   “Do.” He stepped away and bowed, again making a big show of throwing back his cape, before disappearing into the darkness. “Until next time, angel.”
 

   Just when I didn’t think my night could get any weirder, I crossed paths with Aiana as I neared the entrance by the fort. She’d seen me in the blonde disguise before but still did a double take. “Mira? Is that you?”    I stopped and hoped the mask would conceal my feelings. “It’s me.”
   She beckoned me toward a building, away from the busy pedestrian thoroughfare. I caught the faint scent of wine on her. “Did you give Grant what he needed?”
   “Eh, that’s debatable, but I delivered the news I had.”
   “Then I’ll walk you home,” she said.
   I shook my head. “You’re on your way somewhere else. I don’t want to delay you.”
   She nudged me forward. “I was just going to my place. My night is done. Come on.”
   I didn’t think I needed an escort, but tolerating her company was probably easier than arguing with her. And she wasn’t Grant.
   We walked in companionable silence until we reached the highway. She exhaled. “What a night.”
   That was an understatement. “Was yours good at least?” I asked.
   “No, not at all.” Her voice sounded more upbeat than I’d expect for that kind of statement. No, not upbeat. Rueful. “Iyitsi will enjoy telling me all about how he warned me.”
   I frowned, vaguely recalling Grant’s earlier words. “He said . . . he said something about a romance.”
   Aiana laughed at that. “Did he? I can imagine the way he said it.”
   “Sorry, it’s none of my business.”
   “It’s fine. I just hate that he’s always right. It makes him smug—more so than usual.” She sighed again, her voice growing sober. “Maybe he’s right. Maybe I’m not cut out for love.”
   “No!” I exclaimed. “You’re wonderful. You just haven’t met the right person yet. Don’t listen to him.”
   “You’re sweet. And he is probably the last person I should be getting advice from. I mean, you’ve been around him enough. He’s not that sentimental. Certainly no romantic.”
   I hesitated, unsure if I really wanted to know the answer to what I asked next. “That one night you two fought . . . you mentioned something to him about how you at least learn your lovers’ names . . .”
   She groaned. “I shouldn’t have said that. It was mean. And to be fair, I’m sure he learns their names first. Though I doubt he remembers them.”
   “It’s hard to picture him, um, having any lovers.”
   “Well, ‘lover’ might be too generous a term. Maybe ‘partner’ is better? I always think a lover is someone you see more than once. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. It’s not exactly a common occurrence for him. He doesn’t usually have the patience to charm anyone.”
   “I can’t really picture him charming anyone either.”
   “Oh, he can do it if he really tries.” We wound along a trail as she pondered my question. After a few moments, she chuckled. “I remember one time we were traveling up north and stopped at an inn for the night. We were eating in their common room, and they had this lovely barmaid waiting the tables. The most beautiful blue eyes in the world. And he came to life.”
   Suddenly, I was absolutely certain I didn’t want to hear this. “Aiana, you really don’t need to—”
   “You wouldn’t have recognized him. I barely did. Who’d have thought he could be so charming? I suppose it’s just another one of Iyitsi’s masks. He put everything he had into wooing her—and it seemed to be working. After she finished her shift, she sat at our table all evening. She laughed. She smiled. She was having a good time. He was so proud of himself too. And why not? Since she stayed so long, she must have been interested, right?”
   When Aiana paused, I realized I was supposed to say something. “Um, I guess?”