Charming people isn’t that different from charming beasts.”
Thick eyebrows drew together. “Can you do that? Charm people?”
A sudden sharp pain speared my rib cage, and I stared past Oz into a memory he couldn’t see. Cool sweat trickled down the lines of my palms. No one had ever successfully tamed another human being, but that’s not to say it hadn’t been tested. Not by me, but by someone I knew. Intimately.
“Leena?” Oz reached out to graze my shoulder, and I flinched. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” My gaze darted to the dangling light above our heads. Seashells dripped from fish netting in a makeshift lampshade. “No. You can’t charm people. I just meant that figuratively.”
His eyes narrowed. “Leena—”
A portly man made a move for the open barstool beside me. I turned in my seat, flashing him a dazzling smile, and leaned forward to give my cleavage a good show. “Sorry, hon. I’m saving this seat for my friend.”
Grimy hands wiped down his off-white work shirt. “No problem, doll. Come see me if you want a drink.” He moved away, but kept his face angled toward me.
Concern fought with curiosity, deepening the creases in Oz’s forehead. Curiosity won out. “Who are you saving the seat for?”
“Your date.”
His face blanched, and he drowned his ale in one heavy swig. “Leena, don’t worry about it. I’m not alone, anyway. You’re here with me.”
I glanced back at him. “I’ll worry if I want to.” I tossed him a smile before once again skimming the patrons for possibilities. Just then, a lone woman entered the pub. With sunset-red hair tied back in a thick braid, she had a pleasant heart-shaped face and wide olive eyes—eyes locked directly on the open barstool beside me. Her gaze jumped to me and I smiled, motioning toward the empty seat.
“Anyone sitting here?” She brushed her hands along her hips, and her gaze caught on Oz. Winner.
I beamed at her. “No, help yourself. I’m Leena, and this is my friend, Ozias. ‘Oz’ works, too.”
He fumbled for a moment before pushing out a rushed “Hey.” He hid his face in his mug and tried to fade into the wall at his side.
“I’m Corinne. Nice to meet you.” She gripped the edge of the bar as she sat. “I haven’t seen you two around here before.”
“I’m here on business. Oz was kind enough to escort me.”
Corinne peered past me to smile at him. “That’s nice of you.”
When he didn’t respond, Corinne reclined and stared out over the crowd. I glared at him, but he only wilted farther away.
“So.” I swiveled back to her. “What do you do around here for fun?”
The bartender dropped off Corinne’s drink, and she toyed with the black straw. “Well, fishing is an obvious first choice for most, but I’m more partial to getsa ball.”
“Getsa ball?” If this had been one of the questions in Noc’s game, I would have failed miserably. Growing up in Hireath had its perks, but we were woefully secluded from the rest of the world. Whatever she was referring to was something we didn’t have, and my days of banishment weren’t exactly full of leisurely activities.
She gave me an incredulous stare. “You’ve never heard of getsa ball? C’mon, you’re kidding me.” She looked past me to Oz. “She’s kidding, right?”
He braved a sentence. “It’s a sport.”
“Oh.” I rotated the ring around my finger. “How do you play?”
Corinne lit up, fire practically igniting in her eyes. “The entire point of getsa ball is to get the ball to the opponents’ end of the arena three times.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.” I nudged Oz’s knee, hoping he’d weigh in. He only blanched again.
“It’s not that simple.” Dimples burrowed into Corrine’s cheeks, and she launched into a feverous explanation that involved something with shifting terrains, magical belts, and teams that I didn’t have the dexterity to follow.
When she paused to drain her beverage and order another, I rounded on Oz. “Have you ever played?”
He swallowed twice. “A few times. I’m always given the defender belt.”
Corinne’s eyes skimmed his frame. “Makes sense, given your size.”
He mumbled something unintelligible into his drink, and I kicked him beneath the counter. Ale lurched from the brim of his mug and coated the bar.
Corinne giggled. “A group of us get together and play in the evenings. You’re more than welcome to join us tomorrow, if you’d like. The last ferry from Queens Isle docks right around dusk, so as soon as I help my father clean up, we can head over to the arena.”