CHAPTER 37 Singed Fur Is No Joke

CHAPTER 37

Singed Fur Is No Joke

Rufus

I was impressed by the control the drakin woman showed as she carefully adjusted her flames, bringing the large hearth back up to a roaring happy fire. A great cauldron hung over the flames, full of bubbling water.

“One,” cough , “moment.” She let out a puff of smoke and then transformed from a large, scaled, winged fire-breathing dragon woman to a petite human-looking creature with flaming red hair, bright red eyes, and black skin.

We waited as the young woman shook herself a bit and then greeted us politely. “I’m Amber! Welcome to the Wistful Cup! Where every room comes with a complimentary tea service. How may I help you today?”

Bronwynn stepped forward. “We’d like two rooms, and Mistress May is dealing with our horse and wagon.”

“All right, follow me to the counter and we can check you in.” Amber bobbed a polite curtsy and led us to a large wooden desk with ledgers laid out.

“We’re also supposed to mention,” I added, “that Jack sent us.” I didn’t enjoy saying it, but business was business. The man was insufferable, and I wasn’t glad to be associated with him, but Amber didn’t seem to share my dislike; she immediately beamed a huge smile at us. “Wonderful! I’ll let you know when he is here and ready to see you. Any friend of Jack’s is a friend of ours. Here are your keys. I’ve got you two top-floor rooms facing the street. If you have any questions or concerns, let me know.”

“Thank you, Amber,” Bronwynn said. “What did you say about complimentary tea?”

Amber reached down and pulled out a thin wooden slat beautifully carved with a list of teas and tea accessories. “You have one of these in your rooms,” Amber explained. “Anytime, once a day, you may place an order for tea at no charge. After that, the usual costs apply. All of our teas are sourced directly from the Pixie Prim, and we pride ourselves on an excellent cup.”

As a connoisseur of fine beverages, the Pixie Prim was one of my favorites—and not just because they were from the Dark Enchanted Forest. The pixies really knew how to care for plants, and their tea was no exception. Ignoring Jack, this inn was proving to be a perfect choice.

“Alright. I look forward to it.” Bronwynn lifted her bags, and we headed for the open spiral staircase. On the left-hand side of the stair, there was a doorway that said “Tea Room,” and to the right, “First Floor Rooms.” The lobby itself opened up all the way to the third floor.

We found our rooms easily and settled our things before agreeing to meet in the Tea Room after.

I didn’t have much to unpack, so I paced a bit to pass the time before heading back down. Nothing like a good pacing.

Before I could walk into the Tea Room, Amber headed me off and let me know that Jack was waiting in a private room. Bronwynn still hadn’t come down.

That might actually be a good thing; I wanted to get a chance to talk to Pjori and Jack without Bronwynn. It was time to clear up a few things.

The two were waiting for me, drinking tea in a meeting room on the first floor.

“Well met, Rufus,” Pjori greeted from his chair farthest from the cozy fire. He was nursing a cold cup of chai, by the smell, and Jack was sitting next to him drinking Lady Green.

Jack leaned back in his large armchair. “I told you this place was the best.”

“You told me this place was safe to talk business,” Pjori countered, but it was obvious he wasn’t too committed to arguing as he happily sipped from his glass.

“Are we getting straight to business, then?” I asked, taking the third out of the four chairs set up for this meeting. I sat across from Pjori so I wasn’t right beside the fire. I didn’t want to be; singed fur was no joke.

“You could order tea first,” Jack suggested.

“ Or I can say that I don’t appreciate your choice to drag Minstrel Bronwynn into this mess and kindly ask you to explain your employer’s plan for her,” I said, crossing my arms and leaning back into my own chair. It was very comfortable, with good lower-back support and a small blue-and-white pillow.

Pjori and Jack shared a look, and Jack finally looked serious. “The bard is a suspect.”

“Of course she is,” I countered, stating the obvious. “She’s been at multiple molten ash vane sightings, and you can confirm yourself she was at the last two. You also know that she probably wasn’t working for your assassin employer if she also got kidnapped.”

Hearing about that day, and the trials my favorite bard—er, and my queen—had suffered still made my stomach clench and churn .

“So you know … Is that the reason you’re traveling with her? To test her?” Pjori asked.

“Among other reasons,” I admitted. “But so far, I haven’t seen anything at all that relates to the assassination cases or her involvement. The only lead was a false lead you yourself planted, Jack.”

“It was perfection . A proper excuse to question the bard without giving anything away. I wasn’t expecting you and Page Saryl to defend her so adamantly. Luckily, I am very smart and came up with another excuse on the fly.” Jack puffed out his chest.

Pjori added, “It was a good idea. I didn’t know any of this and was ready to properly investigate her at the party.”

“You”—Jack waved a hand at me—“are making it hard to follow through with my questioning. Stop getting in the way.”

“All of that just to get her alone today?”

“Yes.” Jack smiled. “Today, you’re going to let us do our job. Ah, and here she is now.”