Page 57 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

The inside of the inn was well lit from the many windows out front, and there in the center of the room sat Lirion. At this time of day—late afternoon—the lunch rush was over and the dinner rush hadn’t started yet. Lirion was mostly alone, seated at one of the round tables, with a map of the kingdom spread out in front of him. It was strange. The inn was a dingy, grimy place, and Lirion was a glittering gem shining among the rubbish. Something squeezed in Fenric’s chest at the sight of him, and he wasn’t entirely sure it was relief. Maybe an echo of the memory of their time in the alley. Yeah, that was all. The bard with the perfect mouth probably just made him horny.

A skinny man with a hooked nose and a greasy look to him kept sidling up to the table.

“Leave me alone,” Lirion snapped as the man drew in a breath to likely make a pass at him.

The man glared in response, lifted his nose as if he were above all of this anyway, and stomped off.

“Will you make me strip down and run into a fountain if I talk to you?” Fenric greeted as he came to a stop.

Lirion blinked up at him. “What are you doing here? Wait! You knew that was me?”

Fenric shrugged. “It was a guess considering how I found you with Lance and what I know about you.”

“Ah.” Lirion cleared his throat and looked away, but the soft smile on his lips grew when Fenric continued.

“I’ve been looking for you. What are you working on?”

“My next mistake. It should be epic.”

So much sass in this one. Fenric pulled a chair out and joined him, sitting back comfortably. Honestly, his feet appreciated the sitting, since he’d been on them all afternoon.

Lirion sat up more as well, eyes narrowed on Fenric. “Why look for me?”

“I need your help on a job,” Fenric admitted frankly. “I need bard magic, specifically, and you’re one of the most skilled bards I know.”

Those pretty eyes gave a slow blink as Lirion took this in. “Oh, Sexy Eyes, you do say the sweetest things,” Lirion said with his usual purr while falling back into his flirty nature. “Details?”

Not quite the reaction Fenric had expected. He’d expected to be dismissed outright, like the last guy had been, or for Lirion to explain he was too busy. Why this reaction?

He’d best ask. “Bottle grandma said you have an emergency on your hands. Do you even have the time to help me?”

“I thought I recognized her handiwork.” Lirion jerked his chin to indicate the bottles still hanging on his side. “I don’t know how to answer you. Yes, I’m very pressed for time, but we might be able to help each other. So, details?”

Well, here goes. Fenric could only hope that if Lirion couldn’t help him, he’d be able to recommend another bard who could.

“Have you heard of the Lord Mire situation?”

“The…what?”

“Finfolk have invaded the territory of Lord Mire. They’ve flooded the entire area, including all the farmland. They’ve also put up an unnatural fog as a barrier around the area.”

Lirion threw up a hand. “Why unnatural? What makes you so sure?”

“For one thing, it never wanes. It’s very thick throughout the day and night without shifting. For another, I couldn’t get through it. I’d walk for maybe a minute and it would physically lift me and throw me outside, exactly to my starting point.”

Lirion whistled softly. “That’s a sure sign, all right.”

Seeing he was genuinely interested, Fenric put an elbow on the table and leaned in. “I need bardic skills. Only your dispel magic spell can get us through.”

“I don’t know if dispel magic is the right one to use,” Lirion argued, but he looked thoughtful. “That said, I’ve come across magical fog before and have found ways through it. You should also know it takes either very powerful sorcerers to do that level of magic across a vast area or there’s a large group of finfolk who can set and maintain such magic. You’re looking at a lot of trouble. Even if you get through the fog, you will definitely be outnumbered once you’re through it. Sure you want to take this job?”

“It’s personal,” Fenric admitted, somewhat grudgingly. “There’s something Lord Mire has that I must retrieve. One way or another, I’m going in. I don’t intend to force you to fight alongside me, though. Just get me through the fog.”

Lirion stared at him for another long moment. “You’re probably thinking I’ll ask for some hefty fee for this.”

“You’d be insane not to.” Fenric was steeled to pay it, whatever it was. For this, he’d pay any price he was able.

“But it’s not money I need.” Lirion locked eyes with him, and the same desperation he’d caught a glimpse of in the brothel shone through. “Help me. Help me get to my sister, and then I’ll help you.”