Dominion by Daryl Chestney

Author:Daryl Chestney
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780984070701
Publisher: Daryl Chestney

XVI

The Epicure

A SERIES OF SMALL RESTAURANTS HEMMED THE CARP-ITAL. ONE IN PARTICULAR caught Lakif’s eye. It was complete with an outdoor patio for diners to enjoy the traffic of the promenade. Such outdoor dining was unusual in the district given the habitual morose climate.

Several suited businessmen sipped coffee. But one patron stood out. The portly fellow occupied a corner table. Lakif was poor at remembering Human features, but something about this fellow stirred the pot of her memory. He was hunched over a collection of plates and parchments sprinkled with crumbs. Lakif now pegged him as the same simp she had observed at the Goblin Knight. That they should accidentally cross paths in the wide avenues was pregnant with import.

Almost without thinking, Lakif veered toward the patio. As she approached, she was surprised to note that, although the plates indeed were littered with small crumbs, the “crumbs” on the parchments were actually tiny handwriting.

“What captures your attention so?” Lakif blurted. She had already sized up the fellow as a moneylender. Those accountants were always leaning over a transaction ledger, greedily reviewing balances. Several patrons cringed at her approach.

The outburst startled the banker, who jumped in his seat. A wave of annoyance washed across his oval face.

“You certainly are brazen!” he hissed.

“As are you, thief.”

“Thief?” the other piped.

“You stole a Sidhe’s crown!” Lakif, feeling uncharacteristically saucy, chided the banker about his sparse hair. Sidhes were proverbially bald.

“Shoo!” the banker fanned his fingers. “This boîte doesn’t tolerate riffraff.”

“What class of place is this?”

“You haven’t heard of the Trellis de Triomphe?”

Lakif shook her head.

“Of course not,” the diner smirked. “It’s a chic restaurant.”

“I see.” Lakif heaved a wad of saliva into her mouth and fired it off. While Humans considered spitting gauche, Acaanans held no such compunction. The green goo splattered near a customer’s shoe. In response, the diner stiffened with umbrage.

“Why are you bothering me?” the Human groused at Lakif.

“Are you staying at the Goblin Knight?” Lakif pointed in the direction of the Son of Man.

“Yes, that is my hotel.”

“Hotel? You mean inn.”

“Is there something that I can help you with?” The diner was looking around for a waiter to call. Lakif noticed a book at the writer’s elbow.

“What is this?” She reached for it. “De re...”

“De Re Coquinara!” The diner pulled the text safely out of the Acaanan’s reach. “It won’t interest an Acaanan, for it’s only a book of recipes.”

“That sounds boring.” Lakif frowned. Acaanan females notoriously shunned cooking.

“Don’t you have anyone else to bedevil?” the man fumed.

“Not at the moment. What are you up to? It must be fascinating. I always see you bent over these documents. What holds your attention in thrall? It’s a special day, so enjoy it!”

“What makes this day so important?” the fellow challenged.

“It’s a holiday, is it not?”

“I believe that was yesterday,” the fellow rolled his tired eyes.

“All the same. There are too many holidays anyhow. So what are you doing?”

“Not much now.” Tiny veins on his cheeks dilated in exacerbation. Lakif inwardly laughed at the banker’s spirited fit.

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