Heir of the Elements Read Online Free Page B

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    “It’s very dark in here,” said Faith.
    Falcon took a quick glance around, but to his dismay didn’t see his old friend anywhere. He pointed at an empty table at the far right end of the small pub.
    Taking his cue, Faith followed him and took a seat. A second later a tall young woman came to take their order.
    “I’ll just have some water,” said Faith.
    “Water for me too,” said Falcon.
    “You can’t just get water, you know,” said the waitress, rolling her eyes.
    Falcon sighed. “Fine then, give me a mug of ale.” As the girl walked away, Falcon took hold of her apron. “Before you leave, miss.” He lowered his voice. “I would also like to see the owner—Braden.”
    The waitresses’ eyes widened. “Uh. There is no one by that name here.” Without saying a word, she hastily took off through a set of swinging double doors behind the counter.
    “I’ll be back,” said Falcon, standing up.
    “Where are you going?” Faith asked.
    “The waitress knows something, and I’m going to find out what it is.” He walked slowly behind the counter; the last thing he wanted was to arouse any suspicion. Luckily, most of the soldiers were too busy drinking or talking to one another to pay him any attention. He opened the door and his stomach turned icy when he saw the long-nosed young man speaking to the waitress. Falcon reached for his hood and brought it down.
    Braden smiled nervously. “My friend, Falcon Hyatt. I haven’t seen you in a long time. How are you doing?”
    Falcon glanced at the waitress. “Get out.” The girl hunched her head and darted out of the back room. “You and I are going to have a little chat.” He turned his attention back to Braden.
    The pimple-faced man pointed at himself innocently. “Me? Whatever would you want with me? I’m a simple pub owner. What information would you want with someone so insignificant?”
    Falcon took hold of Braden’s collar and shoved him against a table, knocking down bottles of wine. They crashed loudly on the floor. With Braden still in his grip, he wielded a spear of ice in his middle finger. He willed the spear to grow, until the sharp point was pressing against his former friend’s neck.
    “Hey, hey, hey.” Braden gulped as he brought his hands up. His breath reeked of alcohol. “No need for this violence.”
    “Where is the emperor? And don’t say you don’t know. You have your nose in everything that happens in Ladria. I know you know something”
    “I want to tell you, I really do. But could you–”
    Falcon pressed the ice tip an inch deeper. “Don’t even try to talk your way out of this one. Spill the information, or I spill your miserable guts all over this floor.” He held his breath, hoping that Braden would believe his bluff.
    The double doors swung open, and Faith strode in. She took hold of Falcon’s hand and pulled it back. “You’re making such a ruckus that some soldiers are trying to come back here. The waitress is keeping them occupied.”
    “All the more reason I have to beat the information out of him,” said Falcon, returning his gaze to Braden.
    “Have you tried to simply ask nicely instead of demanding answers?”
    Falcon let out an exaggerated sigh. “Faith, I told you, asking doesn’t work on guys like this.”
    “Yes, it would,” said Braden in a squeaky voice as he pushed Falcon’s hand away. He turned to Faith. “Ever since he got back here I’ve been trying to tell him, but every time I try, he threatens me.”
    Falcon felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He was so sure that Braden was the same person from their childhood that he never considered that he had changed.
    Braden turned to Faith. His eyes were watery. “At least someone here isn’t ready to kill me to get information from me. He thinks that because he’s a Rohad, he can do whatever he wants”
    “Please tell us what you know about the emperor’s whereabouts,” said Faith.
    Braden wiped a tear. “Like I was trying