Page 86 of Ale Storm

“The night I drank too much at the tavern with Mya.”

His frown deepened. “Had I known you were in danger, I would have incinerated your attackers.”

Laridon’s eyebrows flew up, and his troops exchanged uneasy looks. To Rylana, Jildarin sounded protective and annoyed but not like he would lash out at them or anyone else. But the gnomes didn’t know him as well.

“That would have resulted in a more drastic response from the peacekeepers,” Rylana said. “You might have ended up in jail too.”

“You would have been safe,” he growled.

“But you would have been unavailable for recreational activities later.”

Jildarin opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Hm.”

“Gang?” Rylana prompted Laridon again.

“Yes. They’re part of a dwarven gang that has a presence in many large seaports, and they’ve been attempting to establish themselves near Tranquility’s lakeside docks of late too. They take part in shipping crimes and collude with pirates. We’ve been unable to learn from them why they attacked you.”

“You can ask Corporal Bixtok all about it, but I am the temporary guardian of an antique dwarven hunting horn.”

“That makes sense then. These gang members mostly steal gold, silver, and gems, but they often target valuable antiques to sell on the black market, too, so they know more than you might expect about such items. In fact, they have a dwarven ally here in the city who handles such goods for them. She doesn’t openly commit crimes, but she’s rumored to have been responsible for a few murders that were never solved. Burglaries too. Even before these current events, I’d been thinking of hiring Sylin to find her. But I haven’t sought Sylin out since… Well, now that I know who she is…”

“Now that she knows who she is, she still enjoys a challenge and hasn’t changed at all,” Rylana said. “If you want, I can let her know you have a gig for her the next time I see her. If this dwarven stolen-art dealer and possible murderer has been the one ransacking my corner of Jildarin’s lair, I would even encourage Sylin to take the job.”

“It would not be too lowly for one of royal blood?”

“Like I said, nothing has changed about her. She still sleeps on the floor next to her knives.”

“Very well. I would appreciate her assistance. In the meantime, I wanted to warn you that more members of the gang may seek you out.”

“How lovely for me.”

“You will stay near me so that I may ensure your safety,” Jildarin told her. “And you will keep your new lance close at hand so that you may further protect yourself.”

“Are you giving me orders again, Jildarin? We’ve discussed that people don’t like to be bossed around, even if you think it’s for their own good.”

He hesitated. “Shall I acquire more bananas to dip in chocolate to entice you into acceptable behavior through food rewards?”

Laridon’s eyebrows rose again.

“That’s better than ordering someone around, but it’s still manipulative,” Rylana said, though damn if she wasn’t salivating at the memory of those chocolate-dipped banana slices. The sauce he’d made to enrobe them had been outstanding with the bananas fresh from the greenhouse and ripened to the perfect degree of firmness and sweetness…

“I have experimented with adding espresso powder to the chocolate dip to further enhance the flavor and appeal distinctly to your taste buds,” Jildarin said.

“Then, yes, you should absolutely have more bananas delivered.”

Jildarin nodded a little smugly. “I thought so.”

24

Rylana didn’t have to go far to find the dwarven diplomat because Shebly was on her way to the diner. Their paths crossed a mere three blocks away, near a gurgling fountain with a bronze gnome tinkerer perched above the water, holding aloft a pipe and a wrench.

“I have excellent news.” Shebly looked at Rylana’s torso. “Do you still have the horn?”

“Is your news that the king has arrived in Tranquility? And, yes, I left it in the kitchen where Jildarin is working. Someone broke into the diner again to search for it while we were out. I figure it’s safest in a dragon-adjacent locale.”

“It must have been thieves who know of its value—and how much the king will pay to return it to his family.” Shebly shook her head, then added, “Should it be the genuine artifact.”

“Someone thinks it is. Captain Laridon said there’s a dwarven gang that steals such things and operates in town.”