Thread Slivers (Golden Threads Trilogy) Read Free

fought. On the ground, was a small glass vial. Picking it up carefully, she turned it over, inspecting the seal. The seal was tight, and there was a semi-clear, brownish liquid inside. This might be something interesting for later , she thought, as she slipped it into her own belt pouch. Thankfully, the shiny wet street was still not busy; no one was close by. No longer feeling the cold, and with a quick glance to insure no one was looking her way, she stepped out and continued on her original path in a confident walk.
    With the attack replaying in her head over and over, she was surprised to find herself standing in front of her destination, the Blue Dolphin Inn. Collecting her thoughts, she stepped up to the door of the massive three-story, two-block-wide tavern. Her eyes momentarily took in the large platform jutting out of — and towering four stories over — the tavern, with its massive, gleaming, six-foot-wide, metal hoop set into the stone. Legend, and the tavern owner, claimed that it was a favorite moorage port for the Emerald Heart , Damega’s flying ship. The only thing that made her accept the story was that absolutely no one she knew questioned it, and many more had relatives or friends who claimed to have some connection to the Emerald Heart . Of course, Damega and his famous flying ship hadn’t been seen in many generations.
    The Blue Dolphin’s large double doors were both closed against the evening’s cold. She easily pushed the left one open and stepped into the din. The scents and sounds of the room threatened to knock her back out into the street. The smoke was filled with many odors, including a hint of some less than legal substances. Of course, the room’s main smell was the sweet scent of copious amounts of hyly, being served from the large kegs behind the bars. Her nose adjusted quickly, although she still occasionally rubbed it as the smoke tickled it. The three large fires were well stoked, keeping the room warm. Two bards had taken up places at opposite ends of the large room, and were still in no danger of interfering with each other over the loud conversations.
    Ticca scanned the tables, hoping to find an open one, which of course, there wasn’t. A handful of the tables had rather nice-looking daggers stuck into them, standing straight up. She noted all the Daggers sitting at those tables. Not recognizing any of them as friends, she moved stiffly towards the left-hand side of the room. Finding a place at a communal table, she sat down. Within a few minutes, one of the serving girls came by with a tray of hyly mugs. Ticca helped herself to one and ordered some of the evening’s meal. The girl nodded and moved off.
    Sighing loudly, Ticca took a full mouthful of the sweet liquid. As she swallowed, she enjoyed the warm, burning feeling that spread rapidly through her body. Without looking around, she took a couple more deep draughts, leaving the mug almost empty. As the warmth of the room, the melodic lute music, and warm hyly seeped into her bones, the aches of the attack and the numbing cold of the night abated, while the fight continued to replay in her mind. It took a while to relax. Shoving the feeling that everyone was watching her aside, she let the music and mood of the room soothe her.
    Smiling, she straightened her back and began identifying the room’s occupants. A traveling merchant or six were always here, and tonight was no exception. The local merchants were feeding them and plying them with hyly, looking for the best deal on whatever stock they’d brought in. Of course, there were the dozen or so Daggers, all trying to upstage each other with drinking, wrestling, and knives. The card players’ tables were all over full tonight, with dozens of spectators, signaling that some big game was playing out.
    Just as she was a little relaxed, a loud thunk announced her food had arrived and made her nearly jump out of her seat. Under the table, her hands had already drawn her dagger