Tauran said, offering him a lax salute. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Be ready at six!” Roric called after him.
* * *
Tauran dressed in a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, fitted trousers and black boots. He brushed his still damp hair back and re-tied the tufted ponytail. He wished he could have brought Kalai with him. Kalai would no doubt have enjoyed a fun night out, and Tauran wouldn’t have hesitated trusting Catria, Emilian and Roric with the knowledge that the two of them may be a little more than friends. But restaurants were awfully public places, and Tauran wasn’t sure he could trust himself around Kalai after a couple bottles of goldwine. He had already slipped up at the brothel. The last thing he wanted was to get Kalai into trouble.
Maybe he could buy a bottle of goldwine off the house and treat Kalai to a private dinner. Tauran smiled at the idea as he left his room in the Sunrise Tower. Then, they could end the night as inappropriately as they desired.
“There you are!” Roric greeted him with a grin at the foot of the tower. “Come on! Emilian and Cat are waiting at the gates.” He looked like a prince, dressed in new clothes and new shoes, a golden earring Tauran hadn’t seen before curling around the shell of his ear. It made Tauran feel terribly under-dressed, but Roric assured him it was no big deal.
“Don’t worry about it,” Roric said, as they all climbed into the coach together. “It’s just that we work so much that I never get a chance to put on anything nice.”
Roric was a bright, bouncing ball of excitement and it was impossible for Tauran not to get infected by it. Emilian was more subdued, but Tauran couldn’t blame him. He looked permanently behind on at least thirty hours of sleep, and he had always been the quieter brother. Catria sat beside Emilian. They both kept to themselves, despite the privacy of the coach. Tauran was sure Roric knew of their relationship, so perhaps they’d had an argument. A night out with drinks and good food had come at the perfect time, in that case.
The coach took them to a part of the city where the lamp posts shone gold and every building rose at least three stories. Tauran held the curtain aside to gaze out. White-washed buildings with courtyards and marble fountains in front slipped past. One building had no less than three spires and a cast iron gate shaped to look like roaring dragons. Tauran was fairly sure his entire childhood home could have fit into a single of the mansion’s bedrooms with ease.
The coach pulled up in front of a low building decorated with hanging flowers and torches framing the entrance.
Roric laughed and patted him on the shoulder, climbing out first. He tipped the driver. “This is a casual place. They won’t care. Besides, you’re a sky rider. That’s infinitely more impressive than a fancy jacket.”
“Been here before?” Tauran asked, following Roric to the entrance where a man in a suit greeted them. Apparently, this was a ‘reservations only’ kind of place.
“Just once.” Roric led them inside to a table in a corner below a window. A vase of colorful flowers sat in the middle, surrounded by candles in golden holders.
Their drinks arrived first, served in crystalline glasses along with a small tray of mouth-watering sweet treats while they waited.
Roric was talkative as ever, but Emilian and Catria remained mostly silent. When Roric excused himself for a quick bathroom break, and Catria went to change into a lighter shirt, Tauran leaned across the table toward Emilian. He kept his voice low. “Is everything all right between you two?”
Emilian’s head jerked up. His expression remained calm, but his body tensed, hand clenching into a fist on the table. “Of course. It’s kind of him to invite us out like this. I’m grateful.”
Tauran frowned. “No, I mean, between you and Cat.”
Emilian tilted his head, looking genuinely confused, but his shoulders dropped and his hand unclenched. “We’re good,” he said, voice considerably warmer. “We’re just tired, that’s all.”
Catria was the first to return, and she smiled at Emilian when she sat, reaching for him under the table. It seemed to dispel the last of Emilian’s sudden tension.
Roric arrived right as the food did. Tauran gawked. Waiters set platters of lobster and sea bass before them, along with silverhorn steak and three different Cadellian and Iradesi