I narrowed my gaze, still deciding whether I should leave, when Daegal looked at me once more. He raised a brow, placing a hand on the countertop between us.
“I wouldn’t do it if I were you.” He shook his head back and forth. “There’s a patrol of Winged Soldiers who would find you within the hour, and they’re out for blood.”
My brows furrowed as I stared at the elf. “I-What?”
Xander chuckled, pushing his stool back. “Take it easy on the fortune-telling, Daegal. Ana here isn’t used to your ways yet.” He turned to me. “Daegal can See what will happen in the future. You would be wise to listen to him.”
The Fortune Elf nodded, before turning to Jo. “You’ll be needed upstairs in seventeen minutes,” he said cryptically.
I raised a brow. That was… odd.
But apparently, no one else seemed rattled, because Jo just put her rag down, wiping her hands on her apron. “That should be more than enough time. Come on, Xan. It’s upstairs.”
It. What was this thing that Xander was getting?
My curiosity peaked, but this didn’t seem to be the right time for questions. Placing his hand on my arm, Xander cleared his throat.
“Stay here, Ana,” he ordered. “I’ll be right back. Don’t talk to anyone except for Daegal.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re so bossy,” I muttered, but he didn’t respond as he turned to follow Jo.
Sighing, I turned my attention to the Fortune Elf who was currently staring at me with wide, unblinking blue eyes.
“You wouldn’t happen to have anything to drink, would you?”
I Hate You
Daegal smirked, reaching under the counter before pulling out a cloudy, green bottle. I eyed it warily as he poured a small serving of an amber liquid into a shot glass.
“I think you’ll be wanting some of this,” he said as he slid the shot glass over to me.
Narrowing my eyes, I inspected the liquid warily before shrugging and tossing it down my throat. The moment it landed on my tongue, I jumped. I had been expecting a burn like the Dragon Fire, but it tasted sweet with just a hint of fire as it went down.
Smacking my lips together, I leaned back on the stool. “Thank you,” I said. “What is this?”
“The merchant who sold it to me called it Eaflower. It comes from Eleyta.”
Gaping at him, I blinked rapidly. Did he say Eleyta? I must have misheard him. “I’m sorry, I thought you said Eleyta?”
“I did,” he replied.
“The Northern Kingdom beyond the mountains?”
He nodded. “The one and only.”
I tilted my head, studying the Fortune Elf. “I thought the Koln Mountains between Ithenmyr and Eleyta were impossible to cross.”
A grim chuckle escaped the Fortune Elf. “Impossible just means you don’t know the right people.” He nodded at my empty glass. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“I did. But you said I would need it?”
He nodded. “Yes, I—”
Before Daegal could continue, the pupils of his eyes disappeared completely as a silver gleam took over his features. The elf’s hands stopped mid-air, his face going slack for an entire minute, then two, before life seemed to return to him. “Shit. Stay here.”
Without waiting for a response, the Fortune Elf hurried into the back.
“Yeah,” I muttered to myself, pulling my hood even further over my head as I turned the empty shot glass over in my hands. “Because that wasn’t weird.”