tea,” Arion said. “Common black tea, we produce it by the boatloads. The flavor you’re referring to is the cream and sugar.”
Tari looked down at her cup. “You add cream and sugar to tea ?”
“Yes, not the herbal and spice teas you elves make, but we add them to our black teas. They taste more palatable that way,” Arion said, rising off the settee.
“I must ask Evlawyn to learn more about it. It’s delicious,” Tari declared, also standing.
“Much better than our wine-swill?”
“You are never going to forget that are you? Yes, a thousand times better than your wines.”
The following day Tari walked the walls of the palace with Arion, her hands clasped behind her back as they followed an open air corridor. They were on their way to inspect an afternoon patrol.
“Does anyone mind that I trail after you when you are working?” Tari abruptly asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Do your superior officers feel that I get in the way when I prance through your office and trail after you on your inspections?”
Arion cast Tari a glance. “Do you truly believe anyone would complain that we are spending time together?”
Tari smiled slightly. “No, not when you say it like that. But it is possible that some would think I am nothing but a distraction when you are on duty.”
Arion snorted. “I am sure even if someone was insipid enough to entertain such thoughts they would never be stupid enough to voice them.”
Tari laughed and Arion’s lips quirked into a slight grin.
The captain paused before asking, “Do you mind that your life has been rerouted?”
“You mean do I mind that I no longer serve any real purpose?” Tari dryly asked. “…No. I would not trade being bonded for the Continent.”
Arion raised his eyebrows in slight disbelief.
“You think I am lying? Ah, then you must wish you were free, unfettered, and unbounded. How cruel!” Tari declared before chuckling at her own melodrama. Arion rolled his eyes as they turned a corner of the corridor and Tari reached out to link her arm with his.
They almost mowed over a short, squat, elderly man who carried a staff as if it were a weapon rather than a tool for walking assistance.
“Wizard Edvin, we apologize,” Arion said, reaching out with his free arm to help steady the short man.
The wizard pushed his eyebrows—which wer e so thick they could almost be called bushes—up his forehead. “Arion,” was the only word Tari recognized before she was lost in a storm of human words.
Tari frowned slightly as she tried to place him. “Oh,” she said when it hit her. “You were—he was one of the wizards that served at our Nodusigm ceremony,” Tari said before quickly executing the sign gesture for “Nodusigm binding.”
The wizard nodded eagerly before speaking again. Tari was able to pick out some of his words. “Yes! I knew…. Arion….Tarinthali.”
“Wizard Edvin knew before the ceremony that you and I were to be bonded,” Arion said.
“You are acquainted with Wizard Edvin?” Tari asked before performing the gesture for “friends” and pointing back and forth between Arion and the wizard.
The older wizard nodded, but it was Arion who explained. “Wizard Edvin served in the city my unit was stationed in. He worked with us occasio nally to track some of the more disconcerting creatures we needed to eradicate before he received his post here last year.”
The wizard smiled as he made the gesture for “good boy” to Arion.
Arion blinked at the gesture but continued, “If you’ll excuse us, Tari and I were on our way to inspect the patrol route of my afternoon squad.”
The wizard said something in Calnoric and smiled broadly.
Arion frowned. “The wizard wishes to speak to you for a moment, Tari, while I continue on alone. I am not entirely certain how he means to communicate with you without me, though.”
The wizard made a shooing motion and Tari removed her arm from Arion’s.
“We’ll manage,
Tari looked down at her cup. “You add cream and sugar to tea ?”
“Yes, not the herbal and spice teas you elves make, but we add them to our black teas. They taste more palatable that way,” Arion said, rising off the settee.
“I must ask Evlawyn to learn more about it. It’s delicious,” Tari declared, also standing.
“Much better than our wine-swill?”
“You are never going to forget that are you? Yes, a thousand times better than your wines.”
The following day Tari walked the walls of the palace with Arion, her hands clasped behind her back as they followed an open air corridor. They were on their way to inspect an afternoon patrol.
“Does anyone mind that I trail after you when you are working?” Tari abruptly asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Do your superior officers feel that I get in the way when I prance through your office and trail after you on your inspections?”
Arion cast Tari a glance. “Do you truly believe anyone would complain that we are spending time together?”
Tari smiled slightly. “No, not when you say it like that. But it is possible that some would think I am nothing but a distraction when you are on duty.”
Arion snorted. “I am sure even if someone was insipid enough to entertain such thoughts they would never be stupid enough to voice them.”
Tari laughed and Arion’s lips quirked into a slight grin.
The captain paused before asking, “Do you mind that your life has been rerouted?”
“You mean do I mind that I no longer serve any real purpose?” Tari dryly asked. “…No. I would not trade being bonded for the Continent.”
Arion raised his eyebrows in slight disbelief.
“You think I am lying? Ah, then you must wish you were free, unfettered, and unbounded. How cruel!” Tari declared before chuckling at her own melodrama. Arion rolled his eyes as they turned a corner of the corridor and Tari reached out to link her arm with his.
They almost mowed over a short, squat, elderly man who carried a staff as if it were a weapon rather than a tool for walking assistance.
“Wizard Edvin, we apologize,” Arion said, reaching out with his free arm to help steady the short man.
The wizard pushed his eyebrows—which wer e so thick they could almost be called bushes—up his forehead. “Arion,” was the only word Tari recognized before she was lost in a storm of human words.
Tari frowned slightly as she tried to place him. “Oh,” she said when it hit her. “You were—he was one of the wizards that served at our Nodusigm ceremony,” Tari said before quickly executing the sign gesture for “Nodusigm binding.”
The wizard nodded eagerly before speaking again. Tari was able to pick out some of his words. “Yes! I knew…. Arion….Tarinthali.”
“Wizard Edvin knew before the ceremony that you and I were to be bonded,” Arion said.
“You are acquainted with Wizard Edvin?” Tari asked before performing the gesture for “friends” and pointing back and forth between Arion and the wizard.
The older wizard nodded, but it was Arion who explained. “Wizard Edvin served in the city my unit was stationed in. He worked with us occasio nally to track some of the more disconcerting creatures we needed to eradicate before he received his post here last year.”
The wizard smiled as he made the gesture for “good boy” to Arion.
Arion blinked at the gesture but continued, “If you’ll excuse us, Tari and I were on our way to inspect the patrol route of my afternoon squad.”
The wizard said something in Calnoric and smiled broadly.
Arion frowned. “The wizard wishes to speak to you for a moment, Tari, while I continue on alone. I am not entirely certain how he means to communicate with you without me, though.”
The wizard made a shooing motion and Tari removed her arm from Arion’s.
“We’ll manage,
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