down. “I’ll introduce you to the last two. This is Fei Man Lei, one of our enforcers.”
Hammon perked up slightly meeting him, not unexpectedly. Hailing from the mountains of Saoleord, Fei fit the description of his people to the letter: slick black hair, pale skin, slanted eyes, small stature and the fighting prowess of a tiger. The Saoleorans didn’t normally descend from the mountains, so finding one living here was a rare opportunity for the scholar. “Light and peace upon you, Man Lei.”
Fei rose from his chair long enough to clasp hands with the man but didn’t do more than say, “Hammon-jia.”
Siobhan sighed at his antisocial tendencies and moved on. “And Grae Masson, our Pathmaker.”
Grae leaned over the table long enough to briefly clasp arms with Hammon before quickly retreating back to his seat. She could tell Hammon wanted to speak with him and silently wished the scholar luck. She’d known Grae since they were teenagers and the man had always been shy and slow to warm up to people. Even as he sat there, he ducked his head to hide behind his bangs, not comfortable with a stranger’s attention.
“Well, Hammon, that’s everyone.” Siobhan encouraged him to take a seat by nudging him in the middle of his back. “I’m told dinner’s coming soon, so let’s sit.”
“Oh! Wait.” Hammon turned back toward the stairs and grabbed his wicker basket, which he set with a slight clatter on the table. “I wish exaltations and blessings upon this house, family, and its companions. I brought a gift with me, as thanks for welcoming me into the guild. I wasn’t sure of everyone’s tastes, so bought a little of everything. There’s sweet rolls in here,” as he spoke he took things out and spread them over the table, “four bottles of apple brandy, and some white goat’s cheese for the flatbread.”
Siobhan silently applauded his choices. Neither Denney nor Tran cared much for meat, preferring fruits and bread instead, so his choices meant that everyone could enjoy the food equally. Lucky guess on his part? Or did he know enough about the cultures in this guild to know that might be the case? She caught his eye and gave him a nod of approval, which made him wink back at her.
As her guildmates good-naturedly passed the treats about, their cook, Sara, brought out several plates of spicy curry and rice, which everyone greeted with happy faces. Thick, spicy scents filled the air and set her mouth to watering. They ate with gusto for several minutes, the conversation overlapping and sometimes loud, as usual. Hammon didn’t say much as he ate, just watched with slightly wide eyes. Wasn’t used to this sort of scene, eh? Hopefully he’d get used to it quickly. Siobhan’s guild could not be described as quiet.
Half of the food had been consumed when Wolf leaned closer and asked in a low rumble, “Where did Sylvie get off to?”
“I’m not sure,” Siobhan admitted, turning in her seat to look thoughtfully at the front door. “She said she had a quick errand to run, but I expected her back by now.”
“Sunset’s come and gone,” Wolf said, forehead furrowing in worry. “The streets are sure to be dark.”
Looking around, Siobhan saw that Tran’s plate was empty and she caught the man’s eye. “Tran, done? Go look for Sylvie, then.”
“Vahh.” As he pushed back from the table, the front door clicked open.
Siobhan turned around again, this time relieved to see the brunette striding through the door. “Sylvie!”
“Sorry,” she said, pausing long enough to close and lock the door behind her.
“Sylvie, we’ve talked about this.” Wolf did not look pleased as he pushed back from the table to look her dead in the eye. “You’re not to go out alone this late.”
Sylvie held up both hands in a placating gesture. “I know, I know. I didn’t expect to be gone so long. But don’t worry, I had an escort back.”
At the other end of the table, Hammon whispered, “Problem?”
Beirly answered in an equally low tone, “None of the girls are allowed out late without an escort. We’ve run into problems when they do. I guess it’s just part and parcel of being beautiful, eh, Denney?”
“Like we ask to be harassed,” Denney grumbled. “Anyway, if we do need to go out, one of the men is expected to go with us. Just to avoid trouble.”
“Ah.”
Siobhan gratefully let them handle the explanation as she waited for Sylvie to cross to her. “So?”
“I was stopped by a messenger from