Sixty-eight

Kwes tried not to sigh as Amtalia climbed out of his bed.

“I thought I’d be happy to have you stay, Kwes but you’re being a miserable lump,” the half-elf teased while she prodded at him. “Get up, go find something to take your mind off of whatever it is that happened. If you don’t want to work, you can try talking to your father about your mother’s things.”

“I’ll think about it.” Laying in bed, he stared up at the ceiling.

His sister was supposed to help him steal his inheritance but she hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye after Odos had taken them to the camp near the mine. She’d just left without even a word, no apology, no explanation, and it didn’t seem like she had any intention of visiting.

“Kwes?” Alenor stuck her head into his room disturbing his sulking. “Amtalia sent me to get you. There’s an elf upstairs who says ‘Rook sent her to speak to the Magpie.’”

He sat upright and tried to keep the smile off of his face. “I’ll be right there.” 

As soon as she left the doorway he leapt out of bed and began pulling on clothes. He ran a brush through his hair and glanced in the mirror. His reflection didn’t look like a man who’d been moping, he looked presentable. Kwes forced himself not to rush going up the stairs.

“Rook sent someone to speak to me?” He glanced around and saw an elf in almost comically old-fashioned clothing seated on a sofa looking around at the brothel decor with some amusement.

“Over there, Kwes. She’s… odd.”

With a nod, he went over and sat on a chair across from the woman. “You’re looking for the Magpie?”

“And I’ve found him!” The elf beamed, “You look so much like Rook, but from what she said of you, I thought you’d act more like the clever boy.”

He flushed slightly, “You… you know the clever boy?”

“I do. He introduced us. I made the mistake of being a little rude to her when we first met. It was unintentional, I promise you, but she was in a foul mood and he had to be very charming to make certain she didn’t kill me. Once she offered him some sausage,” the elf made a disgusted face, “he knew she had calmed.

“She spoke warmly of you. Though not of this place, and the clever boy sent me, as she suggested, to hear stories.”

“Not to give me an apology or…” He stood abruptly. “I don’t know what stories she wants you to hear but I can tell you about her abandoning me when she’d promised to work with me. Vanishing without a word when-”

The elf held up her hand and tilted her head as if looking past him. “You don’t know him as well as she does. And he knows her better than you do. Rook would not do that.”

“I don’t know what you're talking about but Rook did do that. She gave me a false sigil-”

“You were deceived. Your father is being himself.” The elf gave him a pitying look. “Perhaps this is why she is so untrusting.”

For a moment he considered fetching the sigil and calling for Odos but another idea dawned over him. “Why don’t we ask her? I don’t have a sigil that can summon her but I know someone who does. Do you have a horse?” 

°°°°°°°°°°

On horseback they made better time than they had with the dwarf and cart, but it was still after dark when they approached Edun’s house. Ellother, as he’d learned her name was, glanced around nervously as he rode toward the stable.

“This doesn’t seem wise, Kwes.”

“Edun and Mylena know me. They may not be pleased to have guests so late but they won’t be angry.” 

He helped her make a bed in the hay after they’d gotten the horses stripped of their gear and turned out into the pasture. All they needed to do was wait until morning.

Kwes woke to someone kicking his ankle. Mylena’s sour face glowered down at him and he grinned up at her.

“We didn’t want to wake you last night, Mylena, I-”

“Why are you here?”

“I came to speak to Edun. I brought…” He glanced next to him and found the elf was gone.

“He’s speaking to an elf woman.”

“Ellother.” Picking himself up out of the hay he dusted himself off as best he could. “Has Rook come back at all?”

“No, may all the gods be thanked, but Edun has twice gone walking and come home with coins he’s found. He said she wanted to look after him.”

“I’m amazed she’s found the time.” He tried to keep the bitterness out of his tone but Mylena gave him a dubious look. “I’m more than happy to offer you some payment for feeding us if you're able. I know this isn’t an inn-”

“I’ll bring something to eat out to you. You make sure nothing falls into your pockets.” She gave him an annoyed look but gestured to the hay, “You can sleep there if you stay another night.”

He followed her out of the stable and glanced around spotting Edun and Ellother near the place they’d buried his father and brother. A pile of stones had been moved to mark the spot. Kwes trotted over.

“She fought to do a kind thing for us. Syreilla the Rook is kind at heart.”

“Didn’t you have to make her promise not to set your mother on fire?” He teased gently as he came closer and Edun gave him an annoyed look.

“She was angry and she thought my mother didn't love me, the way her mother didn’t love her.”

“She turns her pain into dragon’s fire and pours it out on others.” Ellother nodded. “People who upset her tend to burst into flame.”

Edun gave her an exasperated smile. “Only if you don’t tell her not to. Firmly.”

The elf laughed and reached out to stroke his head.

“Part of the reason we came, Edun,” Kwes took a step closer, “Was to speak to her. You have a sigil that can summon her. Will you use it for me?”

The boy studied his face and frowned. “Why?”

“I need her to explain something.”

Edun’s brow furrowed. “You’re angry with her.”

“She did something cruel and I want her to explain herself. Ellother thinks it wasn’t her and summoning her will settle the matter.” Seeing the boy’s expression slowly turning to incredulous anger, he added, “The very worst it might do would be annoy her slightly. If I knew another way to summon her I would do it.”

“It isn’t a toy. It’s for me to use if I need her to come protect me.”

“She’ll forgive you!” Kwes tried not to snap at the boy. “She likes you better than anyone else.”

The child reached his hand in his pocket with a frown and closed his eyes before stepping back, “Vezar Edra, the Undying.”

Ellother’s eyes opened wide and Edun smiled faintly as the peculiar looking man stepped out of nothing. Kwes sputtered as Cyran followed him.

“They wanted to speak to Syreilla. I don’t want to summon her, especially not for someone angry with her.”

“She loathes elves.” Vezar eyed the elf woman with a frown. “They’re often cruel to her.”

“I was not, and I’m not angry with her.” Ellother looked pointedly at Kwes.

Crossing his arms, he shrugged, “Rook sent her to ask me for stories. She thinks my father deceived me and I wanted to summon Rook to have her tell her friend what she did.”

“Kwes…” Cyran stepped forward with his hand out, “Your father deceived us both. He confessed it to me.”

“What did he do?” Edun looked at them, baffled.

“He wore her face and pretended to be her.” Cyran lowered his hand and gave Edun an apologetic look, “He made us think she had abandoned us. Lady Rook would never abandon her loved ones. We were pulled away from her as she pursued her task.”

“He can do that? Wear other’s faces?” Edun’s eyes widened.

Kwes, however, sat heavily on the ground. “He was always annoyed that I idolized her. I wanted to work with her… She’s-she’s a legend among thieves and she’s my sister.”

Ellother crouched next to him with a peculiar smile. “This is why she told the clever boy to send me to you to hear her stories. She knew either you’d be told or you’d remember the stories and know it wasn’t her who’d upset you.”

He took a deep breath and looked at the woman carefully, “My sister met the clever boy and they got along?”

“He reminded her of you.”

The smile that broke across his face was so wide it hurt. “What stories do you want to hear first? She once broke into the treasury of Mad King Hannor and she got drunk and stole the crown from the King Undying out of the Nameless. If the job was so difficult no sane thief would take it, she was the one they would send people to. I think the only thing she’s never stolen has been a dragon’s treasure and only because she couldn't find a dragon.”