Sir Jehan was a dark, handsome fellow with graying beard and hair, sitting in a thronelike chair, sur- rounded by rough-looking men (bodyguards?) and tavern wenches. Without a doubt, he was holding court.
"Ah, Kai, my dear boy," Sir Jehan said conde- scendingly. "I wondered when you would be out and about tonight." Three or four of the entourage greeted their entrance, but for the most part the attention remained affixed to the nobleman.
Without waiting for an invitation, Kai pulled up a bench and sat at their huge table, motioning for Alaire to do the same. Immediately, two barmaids appeared, eager to take his order and his money. Kai ordered two carafes of vintage red wine and two glasses, one for himself and one for Alaire.
Wine on ale? Ye gods, what a fool! Alaire thought.
The last time he had gotten drunk -- and ill -- was with this same combination. But he'd barely had any of the ale at supper, and he was too busy dealing with the fight Kai created at the last stop to have any more.
It will probably be all right -- if I'm careful. After sit- ting down with this group, he had pretty much resigned himself to drinking a little, for appearances.
At least here I can have the good stuff. Hangovers from cheap wine are horrible!
Sir Jehan stared at Alaire for a long moment before returning his own attentions to the bevy of blowsy beauties he had gathered about him, like ants swarm- ing a drop of honey. Please don't ask about me, Alaire prayed, not knowing what he would say if the noble- man did inquire about him. I'm just a nobody, a nonentity. Remember that, everybody.
But does the Prince usually keep company with nobodies? With anybody? Time to play the fool again.
The wine arrived, and before the barmaid had set the tray down, Alaire managed to jostle her clumsily, just a little, in an awkward and inexpert attempt to steal a kiss. It was enough to topple one of the glasses, and invoke laughter from the table.
Alaire grinned his most stupid grin, and tried to look as silly as possible. Sir Jehan no longer paid atten- tion to him, apparently having decided he was no longer worth paying attention to.
"Oh, don't worry about that," Kai said, righting the glass. "See? You didn't even break it."
"You aren't going to drink from the carafe again, are you, my dear child?" Sir Jehan said, over the breast of a young woman who had managed to drape herself across his lap. "You looked like someone had run you through, with all that red wine covering you."
A titter of laughter rippled among those assembled, but Kai didn't seem to mind. "Of course not. I'm not a total barbarian, after all." He poured two glasses expertly, and gave one to Alaire. "Drink up. The evenings still young."
"Was that a rumor I heard about you picking a fight over at The Dead Dragon?" Jehan said, obviously bait- ing him. He held a large wineglass in one hand, and helped his lap decoration drink hers. "Or did you really get into trouble so soon?"
A wicked grin passed across Kai's face, before an audible gulp from the glass smothered it. "Would I do such a thing?"
"Yes," Jehan replied.
"Well, then. There's your answer."
While Alaire sipped his wine, and Kai guzzled his, he observed Sir Jehan discreetly. The litter of empty wineglasses and carafes suggested some heavy imbib- ing, but he soon realized that they were not al Jehan's. Those around him were in various stages of drunkenness, and indeed, Jehan was encouraging this, pouring wine the moment someone's glass was empty or only half empty, toasting, laughing, ordering more.
But Jehan wasn't really drinking -- perhaps as much as Alaire was, a sip occasionally. While the others were going through entire carafes, Sir Jehan nursed a single glass.
Odd, Alaire thought. He's not really as drunk as the others. But he's sure acting like he is. Why? Wh Jehan doing here? Spying on Kai, perhaps?
That could be it, but he doubted the man's effi- ciency, given the circumstances. Jehan seemed more interested in the dubious charms of the women around him, and at any rate, he could only spy on Kai when Kai was with him.
But he already knew about the disturbance a Dead Dragon. Were other spies watching them?
Jehan have a network of watchers, who brought him word while he sat at his ease here, like a spider in the center of a web?
That was an unpleasant, perhaps unjustified, anal- ogy. Sir Jehan could be keeping an eye on Kai for his own good.