Page 82 of Salt in the Seas
“Velden says you two know where to find everything on the market,” Cyrus said. “Everykindof market.”
Gaeren wanted to smack his hand over Cyrus’ mouth at his lack of subtlety.
Barny took a long swig of his ale, and Ludo let out a guffaw. “He’s not one to beat around the bush, is he?”
Velden rolled his eyes. “It’s more a lack of social grace than efficiency.”
“So you’re actually a group of treasure hunters,” Ludo said. “That’s what you’ve become now, Velden?”
Velden shrugged, his lazy grin returning. Ludo and Barny didn’t seem at all put out by the idea.
“What treasures do you seek? The Fearsome Pirate Redwood’s lost ship? Queen Amaya’s crown jewels?” Ludo’s gaze strayed to Gaeren again. “I suppose if he doesn’t know where they are, no one does.”
“Anything, really,” Cyrus said. “Send us to the best contacts with information on the oldest of artifacts—even the starbridges themselves.”
Gaeren tensed. They’d agreed not to bring up the starbridges, but in Cyrus’ nervousness, of course he’d gone and done exactly that.
This time it wasn’t just Barny’s clothes that jiggled. His entire body shifted, his laughter finally audible. He shook his head and took a long draw of his ale.
“Well, that would keep you busy for the rest of your lives.” Ludo slapped the table in his glee. “Assuming you didn’t give up when you realized they didn’t exist.”
Gaeren was tempted to pull the golden arrow from his pocket. These men may have been Velden’s friends, but their banter was currently more irritating than fun.
“I guess there are worse things you could have come back for.” Ludo’s eyes held regret the moment the words left his lips.
A dark look passed over Velden’s face, something so foreign he almost looked like a stranger. “Be grateful they convinced me to come back at all.”
Ludo pursed his lips, eyeing each member of the group as if weighing their worth. Perhaps he assumed they were all swindling Velden, or maybe he thought they were blackmailing him, but when his gaze finally settled on Cyrus, who nonchalantly leaned back on two legs of the chair before managing to spill not only his ale, but himself, all over the floor, the old naval officer grinned. “I might have a few leads for you.”
They spoke well into the night, gathering a list of museums, collectors, and black market traders in the area who might have heard rumors about ancient artifacts. The starbridges weren’t brought up again, and Lukai and Kendalyhn even spent a fair amount of time referencing dragon bones to misdirect their focus.
Barny’s contributions came in one-word grunts that Ludo translated, which was the only evidence that the quiet man was equally invested in helping Velden. The list was overwhelming as it was, but as they said their goodbyes, Ludo added, “Stubs might have some more ideas if we can find him.”
Velden’s smile fell. “It was a shame to hear about Dirk.”
Ludo’s eyes held a new heaviness. “We can’t all live to be ancient.”
“How did it happen?”
Ludo and Barny exchanged a glance. “Just a freak accident at sea,” Ludo mumbled.
“It’s even worse that Stubs took it so hard,” Velden added. “It’s like you lost two friends instead of one.”
Ludo’s grin returned. “Which is why it feels so good to get one back. Even if it’s temporary.”
As Gaeren and the others rose to leave, Ludo sat back down, calling the waitress over for another drink. “You know where to find us ifthose leads are dead ends. We’ll keep cheering you on from our place here.” He lifted his nearly empty cup, and Velden responded by squirting him in the face with water from his hand.
“Your tune might be different if we’d promised you part of the spoils.”
“Rightly so.” Ludo passed that same cautious gaze over their group and settled it warily on Gaeren. “But something tells me I don’t want any part of what you all are up to.”
Velden spun his chair on one leg until it faced forward once more and tucked it under the table. “I knew getting married made you less fun.”
Ludo raised his cup higher. “You all take care of my old friend. I don’t want to wait another twenty-five years before I see him again.”
CHAPTER 32
By the timethey returned to the ship, most everyone was ready to sleep, determined to start fresh and early in the morning by divvying up Ludo’s list. Gaeren waffled over whether this was the right direction to take. The sprites had told him the starbridge was nailed on a boat in Andel’s harbor. He suspected they’d have more luck searching the boats than looking for black market traders or museums, but how could he explain that without giving up his source of information?
