The group arrived in Tærin City the evening after their departure from Næmyris. It was exactly how Rowan remembered it; bland.

“I'll go looking for the Captain so that he knows we're here,” Lochlan announced.

“Good idea,” Liadra replied. “If the weather holds, we should be able to leave with the dawn tide.”

“I guess it'll be another early morning then,” Rowan laughed, earning her a rolling of the eyes from Seres.

Rowan stared at her flatly. With a note of thinly veiled protest, she asked, “What was that for?”

“Because you're being silly.”

“Note to self, laughing about needing to be up early is now silly.”

It was clear from Seres’ baleful glare that she didn't appreciate Rowan's sarcasm.

“I was talking about you stating the bleeding obvious,” she huffed.

“And now you're the one being silly,” Rowan teased.

“I didn't want you to feel lonely.”

“Then let us be fools together.”

Seres glanced over to the members of their party. Lochlan, who had been getting ready to leave, was laughing his ass off, whereas Liadra was driving the heel of her palm into her forehead.

“Maybe later when Liadra is less likely to give herself a concussion.”

Having seen what Liadra was doing out of the corner of her eye, Rowan was inclined to agree. “Perhaps we should look for an inn instead, then? I remember one from the last time I was here. It's called The Twin Moons Inn.”

“Isn't there an Inn with the same name in Midiris?”

“You'll find them all over the place,” Liadra replied, having pulled her face out of her hand.

“Da told me a lot of inns draw on common themes,” Rowan agrees.

Seres chuckled. “The more you know.”

“On the subject of knowing things,” Liadra replied tangentially, “Lochlan and I will need to take our horses to the local garrison at some point.”

“You're not taking them with us?” Rowan inquired.

Liadra shook her head. “We couldn't even if we wanted to. Unlike Nami and Elfi, our horses belong to the military. They'll be stabled here until they are needed for a similar mission.”

“I guess that makes sense. What about the pack horses?”

“We'll probably need to stable them as well,” Liadra admitted. “I know Captain Dralik and the Wind Rose by reputation and I seriously doubt the ship is large enough to comfortably accommodate all four horses.”

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Rowan pondered Liadra's assertion on the size of the Wind Rose for a few moments. “Point taken. We can take them together after we get settled into the inn if you'd prefer, and Lochlan doesnae mind walking. That way, you needn't worry about leaving us unattended.”

“Sounds like a plan. Thoughts, Lochlan?”

“No complaints from me. That is, if you don't mind me getting distracted on the way back.”

Liadra laughed audibly, her lips arching into a mocking grin. “Already moving on from the kind old lady you seduced, back in Næmyris?”

“Huh?” Rowan couldn’t tell if Liadra was joking or if Lochlan really had seduced an old lady in Næmyris. If he did, who could it have been? The lady in the clinic, perhaps? She was talking his ear off, and he didn't object to staying behind.

Alas, the way Lochlan delivered his ill-reasoned rebuttal, be it the overly theatrical, open-armed shrug or the equally dramatic sigh, only added to Rowan's confusion.

“I think I've heard enough,” Rowan announced, her mind at a loss of what to do besides following the plan. “Seres and I will make our way to the inn, Liadra. You can catch up when you and Lochlan are done with whatever it is you're doing.”

Liadra was with them immediately.

*****

They were halfway back to the Twin Moons Inn from delivering the horses to the garrison when they came face-to-face with trouble.

Rowan snarled.

She knew the large, dark-haired man who stood before him. He wore the face of a monster beneath his incredibly full beard and the young woman clinging to his tree-like arms did little to soften his terrible visage.

“An'Teag.”

He glared at her with the same look of recognition. The hostility between them was palpable. Liadra stepped in front of Rowan to guard her as Seres did the opposite. Rowan could feel her trembling.

“I see the half-breed still needs protection from her betters,” the man growled.

Rowan placed her hand on Liadra's back and whispered, “It's okay, Liadra. I've got this.”

Liadra kept her guard up, so Rowan just stepped around her and into the man's shadow. There was still some distance between them, but he had a light behind him, and he was well over six foot. Rowan raised her voice and called out to him.

“Careful, Sværig. I've killed men for thinking they can insult me without consequence.”

“Hah! The bitch thinks she's all big and strong now that she's an adult.”

Rowan laughed mockingly. “You know, Sværig, it's kind of funny how much you're echoing your son right now. Bragi said almost the exact same thing when I made his balls explode. How's he doing, by the way?”

Sværig spat in disgust at the mention of Bragi. “How should I know? No true son of mine would suffer defeat at the hands of a half-breed.”

“Wow. No wonder he was a piece of shit. I knew you were bad, but this is something else.”

“Watch your whore mouth,” Sværig roared.

“Or what?”

“I'll make your mother regret…”

Rowan had Elan Fiir to his throat before he finished speaking. She didn't even give him a chance to blink.

“Say another word, and I'll cut your throat. You are a blight, Sværig An'Teag. A cancer who takes everything whilst offering only hate in return.”

She nicked his throat to show that she was serious, and then she walked away. Liadra and Seres hurried to catch up with her.

Sværig roared again.

“Come back here.”

He was trying to be intimidating.

“You're not worth the effort,” Rowan said flatly, not even bothering to look at him. Apart from the initial surprise and the flash of anger when he mentioned her mother, Sværig had failed at evoking any meaningful emotions from Rowan. He really was nothing.

A few streets later, Seres asked, “Are you really okay leaving him like that?”

“Who? Sværig? If he actually tried anything, he'd be dead. As it is, there wasnae a need. His reputation in the city is probably ruined, and I'm sure Lochlan will help fuel the rumour mill when Liadra tells him what happened. With that said, I am getting a wee bit peckish.”

*****

They met with Captain Dralik and boarded the Wind Rose as the sun started rising above the horizon the following morning. Next stop. Særis.