Azure bonds - Kate Novak [41]
"Adventure-lust," Dimswart sighed. "Not content to remain a greengrocer, are you?"
No, I'm not, Akabar realized. How is it this northerner understands me better than I understood myself?
"You could have picked an easier quest to begin with," Dimswart continued. "This woman, these sigils, are very dangerous. They represent very evil powers."
"You have a saving up north, do you not, concerning the number of times opportunity knocks. Besides, I like her.
"No reason why you shouldn't. She's talented, headstrong, arrogant. The two of you have so much in common."
Akabar grinned. "All the things upon which my friendship with you is based. Amarast, Master Dimswart."
"Amarast, Akash."
Dragonbait was waiting in the stables with the three horses they had bought after freeing Olive Ruskettle. He left Olive's mount, a pony she had named High Roll. behind for the halfling. Akabar had named the first horse, a white stallion, Windove, in honor of its speed. The pack horse, a black gelding, they jokingly called Lightning because it was the only mount docile enough to allow Dragonbait's touch. Alias had chosen a purebred chestnut for herself. "That one's a real lady killer," she had said when they bought it.
"Lady Killer," Akabar whispered as he patted Alias's horse before mounting Windove. He shuddered, wondering if the chestnut's name hadn't been a bad omen.
He and Dragonbait walked the horses out of the stable and away from Dimswart Manor. The mage led them toward the main road to Suzail. Dragonbait, still dressed in motley, snuffled and snorted in the road's dust. Akabar had just mounted when he caught the sound of short legs trotting toward them. A shrill voice blew over the hill.
"Akabar, you charlatan, wait up! You're likely to get hurt traveling out here alone!"
"If we double time it," the mage said to Dragonbait without looking back, "we can probably lose her in the dust."
Upon hearing the halfling's voice, however, Dragonbait's face broke out in a grin and he halted, keeping a firm grip on Lightning's reins. Since the pack horse held most of Akabar's belongings, the merchant-mage had no choice but to wait, too, as Olive Ruskettle came charging over the hill, bouncing up and down on her pony.
"You can't leave yet," Akabar said. "The celebration is supposed to last until midnight."
"Look," Olive said, "I've done my three sets. If I don't put my foot down, that Leona woman will have me singing till I lose my voice. They don't pay me enough to lose my voice."
"They won't pay you at all if you don't give them satisfaction."
"Show's what you know, clod. I'm an artiste. I get paid in advance. Now, which way do you think our lady's heading?"
Akabar scowled. He wondered if it were really true that someone as supposedly wise as Dimswart had paid Ruskettle in advance, yet it seemed impossible that the woman would leave without what was owed her-and not just to help Alias. Akabar remembered the way she'd smoothed her pockets after crawling from under the tent. Even if she hasn't been paid, he realized, she's already picked up her share of the wedding loot.
Akabar's fists clenched in frustration, but there was nothing he could do. "We are going to look for her in Suzail. It's only a half day from here, and she knows the city."
"Ah, Suzail, gem of Cormyr, home of his most serene and wise marshmallowness, Azoun IV. Think she's going after the king after practicing on that Wyvernspur buffoon?"
Akabar scowled. "Your disrespect for your own lawful king is appalling."
Olive laughed. "Down south your leaders behead people for that sort of talk, don't they? We halflings have a saying: If you take your leaders too seriously, they're going to start taking themselves too seriously. Azoun's all right, for a human. But he is a marshmallow. He let his pet wizard keep him at court today, didn't he?"
"Perhaps the mage Vangerdahast had some idea of the danger there," Akabar said.
"Which leaves my original question. Do you think our madwoman's going to try something foolish in Suzail?"
"I fail to see what interest you have in the matter."