London Pale Read online

  ***

  Menlir sat at one of the round tables in the Gryphon Claw pub. It had been three hours since he'd dropped Aiden off at the airport, and he hadn't heard any news yet. The pub was loud and full of pipe smoke as patrons chattered jovially, scattered throughout the room. Menlir was skimming through the Agnec paper when a gray-haired Faun and a younger man approached the table.

  "I've got thirty on Aiden," the man said as he placed the Agnec coins on the table before Menlir.

  Menlir smiled, putting down his paper, only to reveal the sizable stacks of coins on the table already before him.

  "Well I've got fifty saying that London will bring Aiden in," the gray-haired Faun placed his own coins on the table, glaring at the young man as if daring him to increase his wager.

  "Excellent," Menlir said, smiling at the money. "It's still early yet, so just be patient."

  The gray-haired Faun and the younger man walked away, arguing about the outcome of their bets. Menlir was about to return to his paper when a large raven tapped on the glass of a nearby window. Menlir squinted. It was D'Natis. The old Faun grunted and sauntered to the window, letting the raven inside.

  "What is it?" Menlir asked impatiently, returning to his seat, making sure the stacks of coins were still at his table.

  "Oh I just thought you might want to know the latest news," D'Natis said with a sly tone, gliding over to Menlir's table.

  "What's that?" Menlir asked, still gawking at his coins.

  D'Natis perched on the back of a nearby chair and cocked his head to look at Menlir. "They've been killed," he said in a solemn tone.

  Menlir looked up at the bird in horror. "What?"

  "Yes. Both London and Aiden plunged to their deaths. Terrible explosion," D'Natis said. "Should be all over the Ambler news tomorrow."

  Menlir glared. "I can never tell if you're lying, clever beast."

  "I assure you," D'Natis said, his tone unwavering. "I trailed the plane, seeing that you were up to no good—for which you should be ashamed!—and before I was able to reach them, the engines began failing..."

  Menlir's eyes were wide in horror. He glanced around the room, then began to bite his nails nervously. He stood up suddenly, a look of panic spreading across his face.

  "I, uh, must go," he said, moving past the table, almost knocking D'Natis' chair to the floor.

  Menlir rushed through the rows of tables and chairs, accidentally knocking patrons out of their seats. He clumsily slammed into a rack full of fresh pies that had just been brought in from the front room where the Ambler pub was in full swing. The Faun tried to stand, but his face was so covered in blueberry and smashed crust that he stumbled forward blindly. Several people in the room turned to see what had happened. A few of them laughed while Menlir staggered in an attempt to get to his hooves.

  When finally Menlir wiped the pie from his eyes, he rushed to the door and pulled it open. Aiden and London stood there smiling. Menlir screamed and fell backward, tipping the remainder of the pie rack over. Its contents splattered all over the writhing Faun.

  "Nice to see you too," Aiden laughed as he and London entered the room.

  The pub fell silent when the majority of patrons laid eyes on the couple. London leaned forward trying to help Menlir, and finally Aiden chipped in. Together they managed to help the Faun back over to his table where D'Natis still perched. Menlir was still wiping blueberry and strawberry filling from his eyes when he sat down, sputtering and swearing.

  "Oh look!" Aiden said, loud enough for the whole room to hear. "It looks like there was some wagering going on here..."

  Menlir was silent, and what could be seen of his face beneath the mess began turning red.

  "People were taking bets... on us?" Aiden smirked, unable to contain his sarcasm. "Wow..."

  "That's an awful lot of money..." London chimed in as she inspected the stacks of coins.

  "We'll just have to split it right down the middle. Won't we, London?" Aiden said, smiling at her.

  Menlir growled, but said nothing. Despite a few upset comments and growls in the room, the majority of patrons seemed to think Menlir's fumble was much more entertaining than Aiden and London's adventure. The Faun sat there silently, breathing heavily while Aiden and London divvied up the coins.