Page 87 of Salt in the Seas
“I think we’ve all done our fair share of questionable acts to get information.” Aeliana scoffed. “I can’t judge anyone. I went to the sprites for help.”
This time the look Gaeren and Riveran exchanged was thick with guilt.
Aeliana’s chest tightened, and she leaned forward. “Please tell me it wasn’t the sprites.”
Gaeren grimaced. “All right. It wasn’t the sprites.”
Riveran groaned, and then Ludo and Velden guffawed, clearly pleased that Gaeren was about to be in trouble. Even Barny shook with silent laughter as he raised his glass to his lips.
“You’re almost as bad a liar as Cyrus,” Aeliana said.
“Hey!” Cyrus feigned offense. “I’ve come a long way in my deception skills.”
Aeliana rolled her eyes. “Are you telling me we’ve been following the directions of the sprites? What condition did you have to make to get their advice? Does it feel worth it now that they’ve sent us on a wild chase?”
Gaeren winced. “I thought you weren’t going to judge.”
“She’s not judging,” Velden said. “She’s just asking questions. But the rest of us have all found you very guilty.” He gestured at his friends, who laughed again and clinked their glasses together.
Aeliana leaned an elbow across the table to block the idiots from Gaeren’s view. “Just tell me what they said.”
“Technically we didn’t hear all their advice.”
Riveran shuddered. “Their price was too high.”
“You didn’t take their deal?” Aeliana sat up straighter. “They didn’tlet me go back on my deal. Said the deal was made the moment I asked.”
“Which ended up saving my life,” Cyrus added. “So not an altogether bad thing.”
Riveran stared at the table, as if the grooves had suddenly sprouted letters worth reading.
“Come on.” Ludo nudged Riveran. “You can’t tell us half the story. This is one that might rival some of Velden’s tall tales.”
“I never embellish any of my stories,” Velden lied, his grin as cheeky as ever.
“What happened to you in the cave?” Aeliana asked.
“I tried making a deal,” Gaeren admitted. “Riveran didn’t trust them, and he didn’t want me to take the deal. He did the best thing he could under the circumstances.”
Riveran looked up, his eyes holding a mix of confusion and appreciation.
“But he did kill the sprite before it finished giving us the information.”
Aeliana gasped, then placed a hand over her mouth as if she could take it back. “How in Rhystahn did he manage to do that?”
Riveran shrugged. “Their blood might be cold, but it’s their source of life like any other creature in this world. If you stop its flow, they’ll die.”
She winced. “I was wondering more how you managed to do that and survive.”
“We almost didn’t.” Gaeren shuddered.
Both men looked chagrined, and Aeliana decided to put them out of their misery. “Fine. So you maybe took the deal and killed a sprite in the process. What wordsdidyou hear?”
Gaeren’s eyes closed briefly, and he went still, likely calling up the memory for the exact lines. Part of her wanted to ask to see it for herself, but when Riveran continued looking haunted, she supposed she was better off without it.
“They said ‘a fisherman in Andel has the fish. He doesn’t know what he holds. He mounted it on the wall of his ship’s cabin, alongwith the hide of—’” Gaeren cut off abruptly. “And that’s when Riveran—you know.”
This time Ludo and Barny exchanged nervous glances. It was the strongest reaction they’d ever seen from Barny, and Velden perked up. “Does that sound familiar to you, old Barnacle?”
