Lost & Found_A Silk & Steel Novella 3.5 by Ariana Nash

Author:Ariana Nash [Nash, Ariana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crazy Ace Publishing
Published: 2019-11-27T05:00:00+00:00

Trey showed the guard his blade and grinned.

The male rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Yeah, yeah. Come on in.”

The band was different, this one with a young, female singer who tapped out a beat on her thigh along with the rest of her musicians. The crowd had thinned some, too, but it was still early.

Kalie waved him over. “Come back here and help me line up these clean cups, will you?”

He happily obliged, setting to work on lining up the cups from a stack of crates. “Where does the wine come from?”

“The local village grape crop mostly. They bottle it in late autumn and store it for the next year. We get shipments free, because, you know… we’re who we are.”

“Trey.” Conor grinned, planting himself against the bar. “I heard you were back.” He offered his hand and Trey gripped it fondly, beaming back.

“I missed you at the desk.”

“Ah, yeah… I don’t work there anymore. I work the fields now.” Trey waited for more of an explanation, but Conor looked around, probably searching for Venali, before settling his attention back on Trey again. “I didn’t expect to see you again until the new year. How long are you in for?”

Trey picked up a corked bottle, popped the cork, and poured Conor a drink, then poured himself one. “I leave tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, huh?” He smiled shyly. “Are you busy here right now?”

Kalie took the bottle from Trey’s hand. “No, he’s not. You boys go catch up.”

“I’ll be right out,” Trey stalled.

“Sure.” Conor drifted off.

Trey caught Kalie’s raised eyebrow. “I really need to know what the deal is between him and Venali,” he asked, on the quiet.

“On and off again. They’ve been like that a while now. I was surprised to see Conor with you the last time you were here, actually. He knows how Venali feels… I mean, he, er… Shit.” She swallowed any further words behind a gulp of drink.

“Wait. What?”

“What?”

“You were saying… something about Venali?”

“Oh Alumn. Look. Venali… may have mentioned you a few times since the battle. Asking after you, that kind of thing.”

“What? Why?”

She huffed. “Don’t be dense.”

“He hardly knows me.”

“Exactly. Forget I said anything. Nothing to see here. Move along.”

A line of customers chose that moment to swarm Kalie’s bar. She nudged Trey out with a wink and deliberately busied herself. She was not getting away with that so easily. He’d be back later and made sure she saw it on his face.

She looked over, checking he was leaving, and he pointed back at her, mouthing, “Not finished with you,” making her grin.

Trey knew the moment Venali arrived. The atmosphere shifted and a line of tension strummed the crowd. It was respect and more. For Venali, it must have felt as though the world rested on his shoulders, but he didn’t show it. He had someone with him. A new face, a female folded in the crook of his arm. The music was too loud to hear what she said, but whatever it was, it had Venali grinning like he hadn’t spent the entire day revisiting the rooms of dead Order elves.

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