Page 59 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

“No one’s going to cross Pierres, that’s for damn sure. Well, no one sane.” Fenric paused as if letting the enormous weight of his very fair assessment crush the last of Lirion’s hopes. But the bastard’s full lips slowly pulled into a smile and Lirion’s heart started beating again. “Fortunately, I live with a bunch of men who think sanity’s overrated.”

This was news to Lirion. Fenric had people? Really? The man who struck him as very much a lone wolf had others he relied upon? Damn, Lirion was honestly jealous. He had always liked the idea of belonging to a group, but once his nature came out, people responded weirdly. Usually, the dynamic of the group became so altered, he couldn’t relax or feel comfortable in it.

He didn’t dare hope for anything here, either. It was fine as long as Fenric helped him get to Aria. That was all he really needed.

Still, it was prudent to ask questions. “Will they be all right with going against Pierres?”

“Oh, sure. I have basically a full raiding party. The one good thing about Count Pierres is that he’s rich. Save your sister. Steal some shiny goods. Everyone will be happy.” Fenric tapped a finger on the map, indicating the sea route. “I can also promise you the fast route. One of my party members is a pirate and has his own ship. We can safely go up this way. No charge to you, either.”

Lirion felt a shudder go through him from head to toe. Was this relief? Gratitude? Something hopeful, at the very least. “I’ll happily board. Um…about the feeding…”

“I’ll feed you.” Fenric gave him a wink and a smirk. “No hardship on my part. If you prefer to stick with just me for the voyage, I can let the group know.”

“I would honestly prefer that.” For one, Fenric was a known quantity. For another, putting a boundary down at the beginning of the voyage would prevent trouble.

With a shrug, Fenric added, “Probably for the best. Our youngest doesn’t need to be tempted by you. He’s got other things to figure out first before he gets to sex. All right, I’ll feed you. With how things are, we’ll prioritize your sister first and go directly for her.”

Lirion wrapped his fingers around his seat to keep him from throwing himself at Fenric. Everything was coming together. He finally had an answer to saving his sister, and he didn’t want to do anything to fuck it up. “Are you sure that’s all right?”

Fenric nodded as he leaned closer to the map, possibly inspecting the course they would need to take. “My job’s only been posted for a week. No one’s able to get past the fog, and few would risk trying. I think it can sit a while longer. It ain’t going anywhere.”

“You said this is personal, though?”

“So’s yours.” Fenric paused, mouth visibly searching for words. He seemed reluctant as he spoke, while lines dug deep into his handsome face. Pain passed through his bright gold eyes, but in the end, he shook his head, seeming to push it all down. “I’m chasing after memories. At least your sibling is still alive. I understand the regret of not being able to save someone you dearly love. I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone but my mortal enemies. It’s fine, Lirion. We’ll go for your sister first.”

Lirion squeezed his eyes shut against the burning of unshed tears and swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. His entire body trembled under his relief. Whatever the man asked of him after this, he’d do with a willing attitude.

“We likely can’t leave today, correct?”

Fenric huffed a laugh and shook his head. “Ship’s not prepped for a long haul, and there’s a storm moving in. Bad time to launch. But go grab your gear. Come with me for tonight. We can get the rest of my team on preparing the ship for our voyage and we can do some quick shopping for what we need. If we’re lucky, we should be able to set sail in a day or two.”

“And you’re absolutely sure your party will be willing to help me?”

“Of course. They live for this kind of chaos. All I have to do is tell Puppy—sorry, Maxie—we’re rescuing a fair maiden in distress and he’ll insist we help you. Soft touch, that boy. Anyway, move, move. We need to introduce you to my party and make a plan.”

Lirion was all for that. “Fold the map for me.”

“Of course.”

Lirion found the innkeeper first, paid for his stay, and then hauled ass to his room. He threw all of his clothes and other daily items into his bag, slung his lyre and drum onto his body, and did a last sweep of the room. Confident he had everything, he immediately left again. His possessions were well packed, but he could do a better job repacking the bag later. Right now, moving quickly was his priority.

He made it back downstairs in record time and found Fenric had already folded the map, which he simply handed to Lirion once he rejoined him. Lirion stuffed it into the top of the bag, fastened the ties again, and nodded.

Fenric led the way out. He paused and frowned up at the black clouds churning across the sky. The wind whipped up, pushing Lirion’s bright pink hair in front of his eyes. The storm was definitely showing signs of breaking soon.

With a huff, the thief led them through the same district near the docks. If they truly had a pirate in the group, then it would make sense for them to have rented a dock space.

“Are you taking me to the ship, then?” Lirion inquired, walking next to Fen.

“No, house. We normally rent a place when docked, just to take a break from the ship. We travel a lot by ship. Plus, some experimenting has been going on.” Fenric snapped his fingers. “Ah, right, a word of warning. Puppy’s not really in control of his magic at this point. We believe he’s an alchemist, but for some reason, his magic manifests as poison whenever he cooks something.”

Lirion blinked and almost tripped over his own feet. “A poison master?”

“Well, he ain’t a master yet, but he likely will be in the future. Right now, just assume that if he’s handled the food, it’s not safe to eat. We’re still trying to get the parameters down.”

Lirion considered his words. “So, how did you discover his cooking was poisonous?”

“The hard way.”