Nightfire | The Whispering Wall #1

Sixty Five: Messages

"Before you do." Yddris held out a slip of paper. "Every damn merchant I could find who makes prosthetics. Scraped together a few physicians as well, just in case."

Jordan stared at the piece of paper, and then at his tutor. All he could force out in response was "Why?"

"More than one guild member is missing a few chunks," Yddris said gruffly, "Would've looked much less strange for me to be asking. And I also knew where they were. Got 'em to write their quotes down, pretty sure a few of 'em gave a discount so they didn't get undercut. Not that that shithead needs the help, but it'll get him off your back."

"Thank you," Jordan said, hoping he sounded as grateful as he felt. He'd dreaded tackling the task. "Really." Yddris just bobbed his head in awkward shrug and turned to leave, but then Jordan blurted, "I saw Ortin a couple of days ago. I didn't get round to telling you."

"Oh?" Yddris paused in the doorway, then stepped backwards and closed it. "For certain, or are you trialling?"

"Trialling." He took a deep breath. "I though...Thorne would fit."

He hadn't realised just how nerve-wracking it would be to say it. There was something so simple about a given name. A name he'd chosen for himself was a much more weighted introduction than had thought it would be.

"Thorne, huh?" Yddris said, thankfully with no trace of disapproval or mirth in it. "Good choice."

Jordan released all his breath in a gust. "Really?"

"Don't need me to tell you that," Yddris said with a snort. "I was worried you'd come out with something otherworld that'd give you away to anyone who ever bloody asked."

"I'm not that thick," Jordan said, grinning despite himself.

"You make me wonder sometimes."

To his own surprise, he laughed. "Yeah, me too. Should I tell Nika?"

Yddris opened the door again. "Up to you. He'd like it, though. Man's soft as shite, he'll probably blub about it and all. Well met, Nika."

The Unspoken standing on the other side of the door managed to make himself look mightily unimpressed without the help of his expression. "I hope you weren't talking about me."

"I would never," Yddris pushed past, "you know I wouldn't."

"You would," Nika muttered, but Yddris was already gone. Jordan stifled a rogue chuckle. "Was he talking about me?"

"Couldn't say," Jordan replied, and quickly changed the subject. "Are you coming to the tavern tonight?"

"Aye. For a while, anyway. Patrols still have to run."

Some of his hard-won good humour faded at the reminder. "Are you on for long?"

"Three hours. Not a long one tonight."

"That's good, right?"

Nika just sighed. "Depends on how you look at it. Anyway, I just came to say that there's half a hog roast in the front room. Hap bought it to celebrate. You should come and get some before they eat it all."

Jordan had had half a mind to tell Nika about his name there and then, but doing it again after spending so much time building up to telling Yddris filled him with dismay. He could smell the food in the front room, too. He was halfway down the hall before he'd given it a second thought.

The celebration had a hint of the kind of party the Unspoken might throw if the circumstances weren't so dire, and for a group of sinister-looking demon hunters the atmosphere was surprisingly warm and welcoming. Vaguely Jordan wondered if it would feel quite so welcoming if he couldn't sense it, but pushed that thought away before he chickened out and ran back to his room. He had a chance to stop thinking about how bad things were, at least for a little while, and he didn't know when he'd have a chance like this again.