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‘No, but…’ Torj shifted awkwardly on his feet. ‘Just open it.’
Wren’s dainty hands slowly reached for the parcel. ‘Some sort of weapon, I presume? Perhaps a —’
‘Just open it, Elwren.’
Wren unlaced the twine and peeled the fabric back, her mouth dropping open. Thea had never seen her sister speechless before, but there she was, gaping at an odd little pair of silver scissors.
‘These are what you needed?’ the Warsword asked.
Wren blinked, slowly turning to lift her gaze to his. ‘I…’
Torj nodded to himself. ‘Good,’ he said, before walking back towards Talemir and Marise.
Biting her lip to keep from grinning like a fool, Thea sidled up to her sister and jutted her chin towards the strange tool that made for an even stranger gift. ‘What are those?’
Wren was staring after the Bear Slayer. ‘They’re secateurs,’ she said, almost in a whisper.
‘What?’
‘Remember back in Naarva how I was saying my hand hurt from harvesting the orchids? That I do a lot of intricate work with my hands and they often ache from the repeated motions?’
‘It rings a bell.’ It didn’t.
‘In one of about ten thousand meetings, I suggested that all the harvesters be provided with secateurs, to help with the strain… They’re a design from distant lands, hard to find. I didn’t think anyone was listening.’
Thea couldn’t help but grin then. ‘Someone clearly was.’
Wren snatched up her secateurs and gave Thea a warning look. ‘Not a word of this.’
Thea raised her hands in mock surrender. ‘I wouldn’t dare.’
Soon, Wilder came to stand at her side, chuckling softly as the debauchery unfolded around them. Cal and Kipp were making nuisances of themselves, as usual, with Kipp not-so-quietly needling Cal.
‘All I’m saying is that it’s nice for things to match, Callahan. We can’t have that laughing fox on your arse cheek getting lonely —’
‘Will you shut up?’
‘Perhaps a dancing badger? Or a flying stag?’ Kipp’s eyes went wide and he grabbed Cal by the shoulders. ‘No! A lightning bolt, to signify our undying friendship with the trio of Embervales!’
‘I’m not falling for this a second time,’ Cal muttered.
‘All in good time, my friend,’ Kipp said sagely. ‘All in good time.’
Music drifted in from the main hall, and to Thea’s surprise, it was Talemir who insisted that they dance. He swept Drue clean off her feet and carried her towards the melody.
When she glanced up at Wilder hopefully, her Warsword was already smiling at her.
‘I know you don’t like to dance, but…’
He took her hand in his. ‘I think we’ve long since established that I’ll always make an exception for you.’
They left the privacy of the area Everard had sectioned off for them and entered the main part of the tavern, where the air was thick with the scent of ale and roast meat, and smoke from the hearths. Drunken laughter and the hum of conversation melded with the lively tune of a minstrel’s lute, creating an irresistible song that seemed to infuse life into the very walls of the Singing Hare.
Wilder led her to where the tables had been messily shoved to the walls, and the floor was slick with spilt drink. It was nothing like the grand ballrooms of Harenth or Aveum, nor was the dancing itself the stilted, formal waltz of nobles. Here, the music was fast-paced and infectious, and those on the floor threw caution to the wind and danced completely uninhibited, twirling messily, holding each other too close, laughing so hard that tears streamed down their faces.
Thea wished Ida and Samra were here, to put their Dancing Alchemist skills to the ultimate test. Across the room, Wren was trying to drag Cal onto the dance floor, much to Kipp’s glee. Wren caught Thea’s eye and grinned at her from across the room, any shadow of that interaction with the Bear Slayer long gone.
The Singing Hare’s atmosphere had a similar crackle to Thea’s lightning, filled with promise and anticipation. The entire room pulsed with the music and the rhythm of the dancers, who threw themselves head-first into the revelry. It looked delightful.
