Party at Castle Grof Read Free Page A

straps on her satchel.
    “We’ll just have to find somewhere else for tonight.” Aranok didn’t seem concerned.
    “Look, I’m sorry about all that,” Grald said. “Shilir’s pulled me out of a few scrapes since he turned up on my doorstep in Jinra Village, but I’ve never got anyone else in trouble before.”
    “That’s all right,” Ariana smiled at the big barbarian.
    “If you come from Jinra Village, what on earth are you doing in Valdez?” Aranok asked, as he attached his quiver to his belt.
    “Shilir would be the best one to ask about that.” Grald looked around and spotted the skinny mage across the street. “There he is. Let’s go and talk to him.”
    They crossed to another alley where Shilir waited. In the distance, they could hear the shouts and whistles of the Watch.
    “What in Lady Hel’s name was that all about?” Aranok fumed at the mage. “Why didn’t you help us? You said this was your home town.”
    “I’m sorry. My employer often sorts things like that out for me. That’s why I said for you to hang on.” Shilir apologised as he led them down the alley. “Grald is a peaceable man, but anyone smaller than him seems to get upset with him, especially when he’s drunk. Why he drinks Windang’s is beyond me, especially when he knows the effect it has on him, but...” and he shrugged holding his hands out palm up.
    Grald looked embarrassed. “Sorry, Shilir.”
    “So what are you two doing in Valdez? I wasn’t aware that the Guild of Mages had any elven representatives.” The mage sat himself on a crate.
    “I’m not Elven. I’m human.” Ariana crossed her arms.
    “But you are from Alethdariel?” The other mage looked slightly worried. “I’m sure I heard you mention the Heir to the Alethdariel throne earlier.”
    “How did you hear that? I didn’t speak that loudly.” Aranok’s brows lowered. Ariana smacked him in the ribs and he rubbed his side. “Ow, what did you do that for?”
    She turned back to Shilir. “You were well away from us during that conversation. What gives you the right to listen in on us using a spell?”
    “Um…” Shilir looked down at his feet. “I’ve had a tracking and listening spell on Grald ever since we went through Jirit and he managed to get himself abducted by a group of Giranathian slavers. I just happened to overhear your conversation about Princess Liana and growing up together, that’s all, I wasn’t deliberately eavesdropping.”
    “Why are you interested in where we are from or what we are doing?” Aranok asked. “We just helped you out in a fight that wasn’t ours.”
    “We were waiting for some friends of mine, but none of them have turned up.” Grald looked worried. “They were taking the shortcut through the Heart Mountains from Jirshan.”
    “Dangerous route that one, it goes straight past Tower Lake,” Aranok said.
    “Well, there were four of them. A mage, a cleric and two warriors, it should have been safe enough.” He sighed. “I said I would meet them here at the Mountain’s Shadow and in theory they should have been here first. Only because Shilir insisted on going the long way round…” Grald looked at the mage who looked up at the sky and shrugged.
    “That’s all very well, but you haven’t answered my question, Shilir. Why were you eavesdropping?” Ariana’s hands began glowing again.
    “We’ve been waiting for Grald’s friends since early this morning. As they haven’t turned up, I was trying to see if you’d be interested in a proposition.” Shilir scooted backward as Ariana stalked toward him, her glowing hands clenched into fists.
    “It’s against Guild rules to use magic to eavesdrop in a public place, Shilir.” She extended one hand, her index finger pointing at Shilir’s long nose. “Why didn’t you just ask?”
    “I needed to know if you are trustworthy.” Shilir leaned against the wall, eyes crossing as he kept his gaze on her finger. “Anyone who talks about Princess