She was grateful he found it. Grateful he’d taken the time to consider her pain.
The silence that filled between them was awkward and heavy. Tallulah’s stomach rumbled, but she still did not move.
Evren avoided her eyes, focusing instead on any other thing. The room was bright despite it being the middle of Winter, the white light of the sun drenched each of her plants and flowers. On a normal morning, Tallulah would love this moment. The sun dripping in, the plants reaching their limbs for any bit of warmth. But this morning, her stomach curdled as she sat in her favorite spot.
“Evren,” she said, feeling bold and rather quite tired of sitting in silence. He turned to her but said nothing. “Are you taking me to Valebridge today?”
She didn’t want to know the answer, but she had to ask the question. She was in good enough shape to sit on a horse. Decent enough to be presented to the king. And with her magick still nulled from the poison, it’d be wise of him to take her now.
Her heart slammed against her chest, but it was her traitorous stomach that flipped as Evren’s green eyes met hers.
“Not today, Enchantress.”
Eleven
Markus tooka final drag from his cigar before quickly stamping it into the glass ashtray. He’d been in Copenspire for a week and was nowhere near finding an Enchantress. There was no point in being defeated, because once Evren joined him, he had no doubts they’d have better luck together.
His fingers drummed on the table. He was impatient for him to arrive; their meeting spot determined before they’d parted ways back in Davenport. Though, to his annoyance, they never set a time. So he was left waiting around the decrepit seaside town with nothing to do but piss some of his coin away on a game or two of poker.
He sat as a bystander tonight though, not willing to chance losing any more of his shillings in case that dark-haired, smart mouthed arse came back. The man had played Markus like a fool last night, raising bet after bet just to win on a bluff. After he left, the barkeep had told him he was a usual out of towner who makes his rounds to poker games around the coast.
Markus shook his head, frustrated at the coin he lost before taking a sip of his stale ale. Evren would’ve laughed in his face for being so reckless with his money.
The hours ticked by and day turned to dusk and still there was no Evren in sight. Exhausted, and a bit irritated, he paid his tab and left to retire at the Swede Haven Inn.
“Sir.” A man stepped into his path. Markus was too tired to remember his name, but knew his face from initiation a few nights ago in Davenport.
“What is it?” Markus continued his walk to the inn across the snowy cobbled street.
“It’s Jasper and Alexander,” the recruit said, the panic laced in his tone caused Markus to halt his steps. “They’ve been instructed to report to you by Lieutenant Benedict.”
“And what is the cause for this?” Markus spun, shoving his hands in his pockets as the man fidgeted before him. “Evren is in charge of the recruits, not me.”
The man before him looked at his boots, his hands twiddling at his sides. Man was generous, he truly looked no older than sixteen years.Joseph! Markus nearly snapped his fingers, finally remembering the boy’s name from his initiation back in Davenport.
“Apparently Captain Fletcher has let Jasper and Alexander go off their duties, sir, and so Lieutenant Benedict sent them here to find you. See if you had any ideas why Captain Fletcher would do such a thing.” Joseph fiddled with his cloak before finally tucking his hands behind his back.
Markus crossed his arms, nodding for the boy to continue.
He looked nervous as he swallowed. “According to Jasper and Alexander, Captain Fletcher took over their hunt. Stole an Enchantress right from out of their hands. Said he’d handle it himself, then dismissed them and told them to seek the Lieutenant. No one has seen or heard from him since.”
Markus shook his head, a muscle in his jaw flexing. He’d never known Evren to break the rules, and stealing a hunt was certainly averyimportant rule not to break. Surely there was more to the story.
“Where are they?” Markus flexed his fingers. The tips of them numb from the frigid temperatures.
“They’ve just settled at the inn,” Joseph gestured to the building to Markus’ back.
Perfect.Markus spun without another word to the recruit.
* * *
The Swede HavenInn was quaint and despite Copenspire being a shite-hole, it provided decent beds and meals. The two men Evren had apparently dismissed waited in the foyer. Their surly looks and nearly frost-bitten fingers a sign their journey from Davenport was unkind.
“In the dining hall,” Markus said as he passed the men by.
He wasn’t used to being so harsh with his tone, but if Evren taught him anything, it was to lead by authority. Make sure the men knew who was in charge from the moment he walked into the room. So that’s what Markus would do.
The men followed him into the dining hall, where the three of them took seats around a large wooden table. Floorboards creaked beneath their wet boots, the heavy floral drapes keeping the heat from escaping through the thin windows. The dim lanterns kept much to the imagination. The silence unnerved him, save for the occasional sweeping of a broom from the women cleaning after dinner service.
