Page 54 of The Fury She Holds
Faron tapped his chin with a finger. “Those remain a mystery.” He narrowed his eyes at her, lost in thought.
She wondered how long he’d been listening before killing the mage in Silaron. She suspected the mages had mistaken Nola for the woman they were after with red hair and fury, but she didn’t voice it. That would require Tal to reveal too much about her own identity.
“I assume he’ll be looking into who is behind this then?” Tal wondered what information Faron held back. It seemed they were both keeping secrets.
“Of course.”
She turned the conversation to a lighter subject. “Does he know you took his horses overnight?”
He shrugged, unperturbed. “He leaves such things to his staff. And, fortunately for us, Jens will have to come up with an excuse as to why they’re gone.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you take advantage of the busy king more often than he knows,” she teased.
“Only in matters that benefit me of course.”
“And how does this benefit you?”
Faron paused, a wicked grin playing with his handsome features. “Because I get to see your face when I tell you the axes are yours.”
It took everything for Tal to say, “No. I cannot accept. Carrick and Rainier helped just as much.”
“And they’ve been equally compensated. I assure you.”
She shook her head. “We never discussed a contract. This was a favor, not a deal.”
“And these,” he gestured to the battle axes displayed across her lap, “are merely a thank you gift from a grateful king andhis friend. Just accept it, or do I need to conspire with your very large friend to sneak them into your chambers when you’re not looking?”
“You stay out of my chambers,” Tal retorted, to which Faron laughed. It was a carefree sound, gentle despite its volume. Tal could see herself curling up and falling asleep to such a melody. She had to blink away the distracting haze while Faron replied.
“I wouldn’t dare enter your chambers without permission. I am a nobleman and a man of honor. I also prefer not to be stuck with one of your many daggers.”
“Which you would be if you came in uninvited.” Tal needed a different kind of distraction to clear her mind from thoughts of Faron in herchambers. “Alright, nobleman. Then let’s go see just how fine the craftsmanship is on these extravagant gifts.”
They spent the better part of the early afternoon allowing Tal to get comfortable with the weapons. Faron lounged along a fallen tree while Tal used the surrounding plant life for target practice.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve used a battle axe before,” the nobleman mused after the axethunkedinto its mark yet again.
“You don’t think I’m naturally good with a new weapon?” Tal aimed for a patch of dry moss the size of a mouse halfway up the trunk of a tree.
“I’ve seen you with a bow, so no—Hey!” Tal’s throw landed a few inches from Faron’s foot.
She smirked at him as she approached. Pulling the weapon out of the dead wood, she inspected it, and a thought occurred to her. “You wouldn’t have brought me here to distract mefrom killing those men, would you?” She turned her attention to Faron.
“I wouldn’t dream of stopping you from exacting revenge. As I said, I’ve located them and have arranged Ed and Egan to track until you are ready to pursue. And I’d thoroughly enjoy accompanying you. However,” he paused, sitting up straight, “if they do know about the mages, perhaps it’s best we wait and gather more information.”
“In case you forgot,” Tal flipped the axe in her right hand, spun on her heel, and embedded the blade in the bit of moss she had previously set her sights on, “there were two men. I only need one to give away the mage’s location.”
“While true, wouldn’t the mage become wary, if not suspicious, if another of the thugs went missing?”
Tal sighed. “What would you have me do?” As much as she wanted the satisfaction of watching the horror in those criminals’ eyes while the life faded from them, the mages were the more pressing concern. Sybil and Rainier had yet to get any further in their investigation. This was their first direct link to the threat, and she couldn’t throw it away for revenge.
“We continue to watch them. Someone is bound to give up more information. Whether they meet with the mage himself, or someone in their gang does, there is something to learn here.”
Tal knew this was the right decision regardless of how eager she was to see those men rotting in the gutter. Rainier had said as much the previous morning. She nodded, her anger keeping her from agreeing out loud.
“If it helps, I can gather some sticks and make life-sized figures for target practice.” His attempt to lighten the conversation worked only minimally. “We’ll call them Dead Gully and D—”
Tal shoved a hand over his mouth. “If I think any more about them, I’ll change my mind.”
