“For a courier on foot, I’d put it at about thirty-five gold coins. For a rush delivery on horseback, fifty.”
“Fifty it is,” Taegan said, though it was significantly more than he was hoping to spend. He pulled his coin purse from another pocket and emptied out fifty gold coins, sliding them across the counter which the man plucked up quickly, making a note in his ledger book as he deposited them in a small lockbox.
“Excellent,” Edwin said once he had counted them all out. “Now, I’ll take your letter, and I’ll just need some information from you. Do you have an exact address of where it’s going?”
“An inn in Castle Aefraya called the Magenta Marigold,” he replied as he handed over the letter. On the side without the wax seal, Edwin noted down the name in the same red ink that Taegan had seen on the maps.
“Name of the recipient?”
“An elf called Castien.”
“And if your recipient is unavailable? Is there an alternate recipient you would want it delivered to instead?”
“Whoever is running the inn at the time, then,” Taegan replied with a shrug. It would be unusual for Castien not to be in the tavern, but it was possible the message might arrive while the man was off duty.
“And your own name, sir?”
Of course they would need his name. “Taegan... Glen—more,” he stammered, quickly spitting out the first fake surname he could string together and hoping it was not too obviously similar to his own.
“Sorry, could you spell that for me?” Edwin said, his pen hovering over the letter as he hesitated.
Hopefully a different spelling would help too. “T-e-g-a-n,” he said, trying to envision the least similar spelling to his own name. “Last name is g-l-e-n-m-o-o-r.”
“Got it,” the human said with a nod, jotting it down. “Well, payment has been tendered, so you’re all set, Mr. Glenmoor. Pleasure doing business and I’m happy to help.”
“Thank you,” Taegan replied with a prim nod, watching with a faint tinge of forlornness as Edwin placed the letter onto a small stack of other papers and parcels, disappearing from sight. The gangly human waved goodbye as he left the establishment.
Back in the town square, he stood outside the closed door for a long moment before taking in a deep, slow breath and letting it out as a heavy sigh. He had nothing else planned for the day, so he decided to stop at the tavern for a quick lunch, then perhaps take a longer walk around town.
Miss Jade was behind the bar again as he walked in—he could not recall seeing anyone else at the counter in the handful of times they’d visited the establishment. She smiled in recognition as he approached the counter, raising a hand in greeting.
“Back so soon!” she said wryly.
“Just for lunch,” he replied with a chuckle, glancing around the dining room before taking a seat. There were only two other people sitting at the bar, both of them visibly dock workers on a break, but a few small groups were sitting at the tables spread evenly through the hall. “What do you have available today?”
“Lunch special today’s clam chowder and an ale for four silver coins. No substitutions on the drink, sorry,” she said, winking. “I know how elves are about their wine, but we’ve got what we’ve got.”
“I suppose I can try branching out,” he said with a sigh, though his slight grin certainly betrayed him. She nodded as he set down the coins, and a moment later, he was presented with a large stone bowl filled with steaming, creamy soup and a mug of cold ale. The soup looked perfectly rustic, with big chunks of root vegetables swirled throughout and a generous sprinkle of pepper dotting the surface. He could not recall having a soup made with fish before, or any kind of seafood, but on the first taste found it quite pleasant and finished his bowl without complaint.
“I don’t think I ever quite caught your name, Mr. Elf,” she remarked idly as he took an experimental drink of the ale. At the first sip, it was much more light and refreshing than he would have guessed. “Your tall and handsome companion was the one who arranged everything with your horses, if I recall.”
Taegan almost choked on his drink—though he did not disagree, he had never heard someone else refer to Zorvut ashandsome. Humans really were known for their adaptability and affable natures, though, he supposed.
He was so caught off-guard he couldn’t even come up with a lie. “I’m Taegan,” he said once his coughing fit had subsided, though she was still laughing at him as he spoke.
“Is it that surprising to hear he’s the handsome one between you?” she teased, shaking her head. “Well, I can’t speak for every lady, but sometimes all it takes is being big and strong. Though he’s certainly a looker, out of the half-orcs I’ve seen in my day.”
“And I take it you’ve seen quite a few half-orcs?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” she agreed. “I got my start as a barmaid all the way out in Gennemont—that’s the capital of Autreth if you weren’t aware, and as the capital we got all sorts, oh,allsorts. A half-orc wouldn’t cause anyone to bat an eye when there were half-dragon merchants from the northern tribes hawking in the town square and devilkin in all the gambling halls.”
“I see,” Taegan replied slowly, immediately regretting giving her his name. A well-traveled human was far more likely to be a well-informed human, and the last thing he needed was to be recognized by the woman who owned the biggest inn in town.
“Anyway,” Miss Jade continued. “All that to say, I know a handsome half-orc when I see one, so you should keep a close eye on your friend, especially if he takes after old Tom.”
If he had been surprised before, his heart had all but stopped now. “I—I beg your pardon?” he asked, hoping against all hope maybe he had misunderstood her.
“Well, I didn’t connect the dots at first,” she said, pointing at him with a wine glass she had been wiping dry. “But the more I thought about it, and when I saw him for the third or fourth time when you were checking out, it all just clicked. I can definitely see the resemblance, and for you to come looking for Tom only to end up staying with him—what else would it be? I know Tom pretty well, though, and fucking an orc woman wouldn’t even top the list of the most scandalous things he’s done in his wilder days. Probably in the top five, though.” When she met Taegan’s eyes again, she smirked, clearly taking his speechless expression for confirmation. “Very kind of you to help your friend track down his father.”
