Blood of the Orc Prince by Lionel Hart
7
Chapter Seven
The next day was much of the same, though they had a leisurely breakfast with Tom in the morning before he and Zorvut went out into the small backyard again to continue their training. Taegan watched with idle half-interest from the kitchen, but soon busied himself with other tasks as much as he could. Now that they were safely settled in town, he retrieved a set of parchment and a pen from his belongings, writing out a letter to his father as they had agreed.
It took a few scrapped drafts before he settled on a letter that seemed the appropriate balance between vague and recognizable to Ruven, so that he might understand what Taegan wrote to him but any potential interceptors would not.
Dear Castien,
I write to you with tidings of good health. My partner and I have arrived safely in the port of Naymere where we will stay with his father while he begins his studies. No news from the road as our journey was unremarkable in every way. We hope you are remaining just as safe, and this letter finds you quickly. I look forward to your response, but it is with greater anticipation that I look toward the day we will be reunited once more.
Sincerely,
T. G.
Satisfied with his work, Taegan tossed the scrapped letters into the stove where the embers from the morning’s meal still glowed, and carefully folded the final draft of the letter into thirds and sealed it with a few drops of red wax. Now he would just have to find a courier.
He peeked through the back door where Zorvut and Tom were training—seemingly satisfied with fire for now, Tom was explaining to him the way to shift from summoning flame to calling down lightning.
“Forgive my interruption,” he said quickly, the two men glancing over at him in surprise, and he held up the folded and sealed piece of parchment. “Tom, I wondered if you might know of a trustworthy courier service I might take advantage of. One that would be able to deliver a letter to Aefraya.”
“All the way to Aefraya?” Tom repeated, running a hand along his graying beard. “Well, the courier I’ve used in the past has never given me any problems, but I’m not entirely sure they’ll be able to travel all the way to the elven capital, times being what they are. If you go to the courier service in the town square, ask for Edwin. He should be able to help you out or at least point you in the right direction.”
“Much obliged,” Taegan answered, and met Zorvut’s gaze. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Be safe,” Zorvut replied with a stern nod, and Taegan smirked.
“Always,” he said as he walked away.
The day was still young with the sun not quite having reached its peak in the sky, so Taegan walked leisurely as he stepped out the front door and out onto the street. A few workers were heading toward the dock, presumably returning to work after taking a break, but otherwise the street was mostly empty. He strolled on the stone path toward the town square, taking in the sights. A few gulls called overhead as they soared toward the ocean, and when he glanced up to look at them he could see a human woman hanging laundry out to dry from the top floor of one of the buildings. The nearer he got to the town square, the more lively the street became.
As he walked he could feel Zorvut’s range of emotions through the bond, a rhythmic cycle of focused concentration becoming either a tinge of frustration or a flash of satisfaction. It was a bit odd, being able to tell exactly how his training was going even from this distance. The town square was less than a mile from Tom’s home, though, so he was fairly certain they would remain connected.
The square was bustling with life in contrast to the quiet, sleepier streets. The Snoring Seagull and the other small restaurants and food carts seemed calm so far, though the lunch rush would likely be upon them soon. Some stalls were set up in the empty parts of the square where merchants were selling their wares, calling out to the people walking along the stone paths—the stalls ranged from textiles and simple clothing to fresh seafood and other provisions.
Nothing looked immediately like a courier service so he made a slow circuit around the square, looking at each door or sign on each building until he was able to finally track it down, a narrow red door without a window or outward sign but simply the word “Courier” painted on the door in clean black lettering. It was the only such one he had been able to find, so this must have been the courier service Tom meant. He placed a hand on the doorknob, twisting it; it was unlocked, so he stepped inside.
The shop was a narrow and long room, with a few austere decorative items on shelves but rather empty save for the counter that stretched along the right-hand wall, a dark wood that went pleasingly with the dark forest green the walls were painted. Behind the counter was a tall, gangly human man with a clean-shaven face, neat brown hair parted on one side, and large spectacles that gave him the appearance of some kind of very long insect.
“Welcome,” the human said, looking up from some papers on the counter in front of him as Taegan entered. “How can I help you?”
“I was told to ask for Edwin,” Taegan replied, taking a few careful steps toward the man. The human glanced at his ears briefly, but if he was surprised at all to see an elf in his establishment, he gave no outward sign of it.
“That would be me,” the man replied with a nod of his head. “At your service, sir.”
“Excellent,” Taegan said, and he pulled the letter from his cloak pocket. “I’m unsure what services you offer, but this letter needs to be delivered to the capital city of Aefraya.”
The man’s eyebrows twitched but he bent down beneath the counter to bring up a ledger book without missing a beat.
“Hmmm,” he said, pursing his lips and pulling up another stack of papers. “Let me see what routes we have planned out for the month…” He shuffled through the papers and brought out a few maps, some which Taegan recognized and others, which seemed to be more local and narrow in scope, that he could not pinpoint. Each had a few routes highlighted in red with small notes scribbled next to them — the maps that he did recognize as Aefraya in did not seem to have any highlighted routes.
“Unfortunately, sir, times being what they are, we don’t have any regular line going to Aefraya for the foreseeable future,” Edwin said, folding his arms across his chest as he met Taegan’s gaze again. “I can arrange an independent delivery for you, but it’s much more expensive than going on the regular routes.”
“Money is of no concern,” he replied with a wave of his hand.
“In that case,” the man said with a nod, and he leaned over the maps again, tracing his finger along the demarcated roads, his lips moving in silent mutterings to himself. “How soon do you need this delivered?”
“The sooner the better,” Taegan said with a nod, and the man straightened up once more.
“For a courier on foot, I’d put it at about thirty-five gold coins. For a rush delivery on horseback, fifty.”
“Fifty it is,” Taegan said, though it was certainly more than he was hoping to spend. He pulled his coin purse from another pocket and emptied out fifty gold coins, sliding them across the counter which the man plucked up quickly, making a note in his ledger book as he deposited them in a small lockbox.
“Excellent,” Edwin said once they had all been counted out. “Now, I’ll take your letter, and I’ll just need some info from you. Do you have an exact address of where it’s going?”
“An inn in the city of Aefraya called the Magenta Marigold,” he replied as he handed over the letter. On the side without the wax seal, Edwin noted down the name in the same red ink that Taegan had seen on the maps.
“Name of the recipient?”
“An elf called Castien.”
“And if your recipient is unavailable? Is there an alternate recipient you would want it delivered to instead?”
“Whoever is running the inn at the time, then,” Taegan replied with a shrug. It would be unusual for Castien not to be in the tavern, but it was possible the message might arrive while the man was off-duty.
“And your own name, sir?”
Of course they would need his name. “Taegan… Glenmore,” he stammered, quickly spitting out the first fake surname he could string together and hoping it was not too obviously similar to his own.
“Sorry, could you spell that for me?” Edwin said, his pen hovering over the letter as he hesitated.
Hopefully a different spelling would help too. “T-e-g-a-n,” he said, trying to envision the least similar spelling to his own name. “Last name is g-l-e-n-m-o-o-r.”
“Got it,” the human said with a nod, jotting it down. “Well, payment has been tendered so you’re all set, Mr. Glenmoor. Pleasure doing business and I’m happy to help.”
“Thank you,” Taegan replied with a prim nod, watching with a faint tinge of forlornness as the letter was placed onto a small stack of other papers and parcels, disappearing from sight. The gangly human waved goodbye as he left the establishment.
Back in the town square, he stood outside the closed door for a long moment before taking in a deep, slow breath and letting it out as a heavy sigh. He had nothing else planned for the day, so he decided to stop at the tavern for a quick lunch then perhaps take a longer walk around town.
Miss Jade was behind the bar again as he walked in—he could not recall seeing anyone else at the counter in the handful of times they’d visited the establishment. She smiled in recognition as he approached the counter, raising a hand in greeting.
“Back so soon!” she said wryly.
“Just for lunch,” he replied with a chuckle, glancing around the dining room before taking a seat. There were only two other people sitting at the bar, both of them visibly dock workers on a lunch break, but a few small groups were sitting at the tables spread evenly through the hall. “What do you have available today?”
“Lunch special today’s clam chowder and an ale for four silver coins. No substitutions on the drink, sorry,” she said, winking. “I know how elves are about their wine, but we’ve got what we’ve got.”
“I suppose I can try branching out,” he said with a sigh, though his slight grin certainly betrayed him. She nodded as he set down the coins, and a moment later he was presented with a large stone bowl filled with steaming, creamy soup and a mug of cold ale. The soup looked perfectly rustic with big chunks of root vegetables swirled throughout and a generous sprinkle of pepper dotting the surface. He could not recall having a soup made with fish before, or any kind of seafood, but on the first taste found it quite pleasant and finished his bowl without complaint.
“I don’t think I ever quite caught your name, Mr. Elf,” she remarked idly as he took an experimental drink of the ale. At first taste, it was much more light and refreshing than he would have guessed. “Your tall and handsome companion was the one who arranged everything with your horses, if I recall.”
Taegan almost choked on his drink—though he did not disagree, he had never heard someone else refer to Zorvut as handsome. Humans really were known for their adaptability and affable natures, though, he supposed.
He was so caught off-guard he couldn’t even come up with a lie. “I’m Taegan,” he said once his coughing fit had subsided, though she was still laughing at him as he spoke.
“Is it that surprising to hear he’s the handsome one between you?” she teased, shaking her head. “Well, I can’t speak for every lady, but sometimes all it takes is being big and strong. Though he’s certainly a looker, out of the half-orcs I’ve seen in my day.”
“And I take it you’ve seen quite a few half-orcs?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” she agreed. “I got my start as a barmaid all the way out in Gennemont—that’s the capital of Autreth if you weren’t aware, and as the capital we got all sorts, oh, all sorts. A half-orc wouldn’t cause anyone to bat an eye when there were half-dragon merchants from the northern tribes hawking in the town square and devilkin in all the gambling halls.”
“I see,” Taegan replied slowly, immediately regretting giving her his name. A well-traveled human was far more likely to be a well-informed human, and the last thing he needed was to be recognized by the woman who owned the biggest inn in town.
“Anyway,” Miss Jade continued. “All that to say, I know a handsome half-orc when I see one, so you should keep a close eye on your friend, especially if he takes after old Tom in more ways than one.”
If he had been surprised before, his heart had all but stopped now. “I—I beg your pardon?” he asked, hoping against all hope maybe he had misunderstood her.
“Well, I didn’t connect the dots at first,” she said, pointing at him with a wine glass she had been wiping dry. “But the more I thought about it, and when I saw him for the third or fourth time when you were checking out, it all just clicked. I can definitely see the resemblance, and for you to come looking for Tom only to end up staying with him—well, what else? I know Tom pretty well, though, and fucking an orc woman wouldn’t even top the list of the most scandalous things he’s done in his wilder days. Probably in the top five, though.” When she met Taegan’s eyes again, she smirked, clearly taking his speechless expression for confirmation. “Very kind of you to help your friend track down his father.”
“Yes, well,” he stammered, though he had no idea what to say. “It was a hunch, but, ah, a gamble that paid off.”
“Now, what I still can’t figure out,” she said, the grin dropping from her face as her voice lowered. “Is why the elven prince and his husband would risk coming here on a hunch instead of staying high and dry in their fancy tree castle.”
The ale he had found so pleasant just a moment ago soured in his stomach. With a concerted effort, he smoothed his furrowed brows, keeping his face as carefully expressionless as he could manage.
“Perhaps the less you can figure out, the better,” he replied coolly, leaning away from the counter.
To his surprise, she chuckled again, pulling away as well to resume her cleaning. “Well, you’re probably not wrong. I haven’t gotten this far in life by sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong, after all.” She glanced back at him, seeming to read the anxiety in his eyes perfectly despite his neutral expression. “Don’t worry, I won’t be sharing your little secret, though you don’t seem too good at keeping it to yourself.”
“Your discretion would be appreciated,” he muttered, then took a long drink from his ale. “Was it that obvious?”
“Well, an elf and a half-orc traveling alone together is a bit unusual even in Autreth,” Miss Jade said, shaking her head with an incredulous grin. “That alone wouldn’t have tipped anyone off, though, and your plain clothes would throw most people off the scent too. But maybe don’t tell people you have the exact same name as the elf prince married to an orc if you don’t want people to know you just so happen to be that same elf.”
“Taegan is a perfectly common name,” he said with a shrug. “In fact, it’s quite common for the names of newborn royals to see a spike in popularity amongst elves in the year or two after their naming. Many elves around my age would be named Taegan or some variation of it.”
“That would probably work with most folks,” she responded with a wry grin. “But, well, I suppose I’m not most folks. No need to worry, though, like I said; I don’t stick my nose where it doesn’t belong, and I don’t go blabbing about someone’s business that isn’t my own.”
A large group of sailors entered the tavern then, thundering through the doors as one was singing a bawdy drinking song and the others were laughing uproariously, pulling chairs up to all sit at the same table around the singer with his lute.
“Begging your pardon,” she said with an overly-sweet smile, and she left the bar to take their order. Taegan watched her for a long while as she greeted the group, smiling amicably at them and even laughing and smacking one man’s shoulder when he gave her a flirtatious grin though he could not make out the words. But eventually he shook himself out of it, downing the rest of his ale and leaving an extra gold coin on the counter—though he partly trusted her word, buying her silence couldn’t hurt either. He left the tavern before she could return to the bar, hurrying past the group without looking toward her.
The crisp ocean air would do well to clear his thoughts. He made his way through the town square, heading closer to the harbor but down a different street, one that let out closer to the strand rather than the docks. It was a touch warmer, the sun a bit higher in the sky, but still pleasant and breezy. This street was a bit more narrow, the residential buildings he passed a bit more cramped. Two children, human girls of no more than ten, were kicking a ball between them in the street and watched him curiously as he passed, but otherwise this street seemed just as calm and clear as the street Tomlin Whitmore lived on.
It was just over a mile, so he reached the beach before long. It was close enough to the docks that there were not any idle beach-goers in the near vicinity, since the noise of dockworkers shouting, the loud wooden creaking of ships, and the hammering of repairs were all still quite loud. He found a cluster of dark craggy rocks that would have made a pleasant vantage point if it weren’t for all the noise, and sat down to look out at the sea.
He had seen the ocean a few times in his life, but could certainly see the appeal of wanting to live somewhere it could be viewed at any time. Even with all the background noise, there was a soothing quality to the rhythmic, unending rise and crash of the waves, the calling of gulls occasionally breaking through from the clouds above.
When his head felt clear enough that he could actually think, he focused his thoughts on Miss Jade and their conversation. She seemed like a smart and insightful woman, but he could not trust that others he might come across in town were not just as intelligent. He had let his guard down and paid for it immediately; though part of him did not truly think she would break her word to him, it was still now a risk he had to consider.
He wondered briefly if he should try avoiding her altogether, but it seemed the safest place to keep their horses so they would have to return to the tavern at least once again if not more. And it might seem more suspicious if he suddenly seemed to be going out of his way to stay away from her; perhaps it would be better to play it off as of little concern to him, that if he had nothing to hide then she had nothing to think too hard about. Though that certainly had the risk of backfiring, and she might try to weedle more information out of him—or someone else in the tavern might also make the connection and act less discreetly.
But he had to tell Zorvut, though he felt a slight trickle of shame at the thought. Maybe he would have a stronger idea of how to handle what had suddenly become a loose cannon in their hands. He had kept his emotions mostly pulled away from the bond, and luckily it felt as though Zorvut was still preoccupied with his training so maybe any stray thoughts that had gone through had not been noticed. He supposed there was only one way to find out.
* * *“You gave her your name,” Zorvut said to him flatly when he returned from his walk later that afternoon, sitting across from him at the kitchen table. After their training, the three of them had gathered around the table once more for another round of drinks. Taegan winced at the flash of frustration that came through the bond at the words, and even Tomlin’s raised eyebrows were another stab of guilt.
“It’s not that uncommon of a name,” he protested, though the excuse was weak to his own ears. “But… yes, though she suspected it even before.”
Zorvut took in a long, slow breath, looking down at his drink pensively. Whatever he was feeling, he was shielding it from the bond, but Taegan felt he could safely guess the half-orc was more frustrated than anything. “Well, that’s not the worst news, but it’s not great, either,” he said slowly. “Maybe it would be best if you stayed away from this woman.”
“You don’t think that might be more suspicious?” Taegan asked, frowning.
“Suspicious? What would she suspect you of?” Zorvut countered. “She already knows who we are. The less she knows about you going forward, the better.”
“I suppose you’re right,” he said slowly. He would miss the opportunity for socialization, but it couldn’t be helped. “We’ll have to go back to either get the horses or pay for another week, though.”
“That’s fine,” Zorvut sighed, eyeing Taegan with a softer expression. He seemed to recognize Taegan’s mixed emotions. “You don’t think she means any harm?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t think so,” he replied with a shrug. “She seemed more… curious, in a way. Like she just wanted confirmation of what she already suspected.”
“Well,” he sighed, leaning further back in his chair. “I trust your judgment. Since one of us will have to go back to pay another week for the horses, I can’t say don’t go back at all, but… Do what you think is best for us to stay safe.”
“Always,” Taegan said, nodding. He managed a faint smile, then looked down at the table contritely. “I truly am sorry.”
“It sounds like what you both need are fake names you can stick to,” Tom interjected with a chuckle, shaking his head as the tension seemed to have finally broken. “Let’s workshop some stage names, then?”