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“Would you like some more?”
“Maybe in a second,” I reply. “I’m sorry. So not only do we not know the city where this person is hiding out, we don’t even have a visual description? Are they human, xaphan, what?”
“I didn’t claim it would be easy,” he replies. “If you want, we can talk over the finer details a bit more tomorrow. I just need your okay.”
I sigh. “If I go along with this, will you knock time off?”
“You know that’s not how this works,” he says. “If you go along with this, I won’t have to report you to the authorities.”
“That’s what I thought. Just confirming.”
He nods, taking another swig of his drink before looking down at it in disappointment.
“This stuff really doesn’t get you drunk, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.” I chuckle dryly.
“Take the rest of the bottle home with you,” he says. “I think I’ve even got a couple spare you can have…”
He apologizes again before sending me on my way, arms full of spare bottles. I don’t have any idea how I’m going to use these. It isn’t as though I have many guests to entertain.
“We’ll keep in touch, rest assured,” he says before slamming the door shut behind him.
Is Gel’ged sleeping in the barracks? Surely not.
I look out, the sky a slightly lighter red, the streets now coming alive.
“I’ve got to get some sleep,” I grumble.
5
ELIA
My breathing is heavy, hands quivering. Relief floods through me as I look to the source of the bell’s chime, where Tonnolun is currently sprinting to aid a customer. His footsteps shake the floors and unsettle the counters, spilling tiny pieces of dough.
“Welcome, welcome,” Tonnolun says enthusiastically. I try to peer around him to see the customer, but Tonnolun is just too large.
“What can I get for you?”
“I believe I had an order placed,” a voice says. It’s deep and earthy, and it rises and falls whimsically.
“I’m sorry,” Tonnolun says. “You’ll have to be more specific?”
The man at the counter sighs. As Tonnolun leans over to inspect a slip of parchment, the first thing I see is a pair of crimson eyes, followed by the green snakes that drop off of the gorgon’s head.
Tonnolun likes to think he can just lift his trousers and everything will be okay.
Let’s mess with that theory.
I approach the counter, looking straight into the gorgon’s eyes. I expect severity in response. I haven’t met many gorgons in the city, but the ones I have met never bothered to say much and always watched me with cold, dead eyes.
Instead, I’m greeted with a kindly smile.
“Ah, could you help me with my order?”
“Her? Nah, she’s just one of our bakers,” Tonnolum says dismissively, before holding up the sheet of parchment and pointing at it. “What does this say?”
“I can take it from here, Tonnolum,” I say. “We’ve got a lot more orders, don’t we?”
