“Put that back,” Caed hissed while he glanced between his cards.
Mason stared at the man in front of him. With a snort, he slid a card out from within his sleeve and set it aside on the deck between him and the sorcerer. Caed leaned over to shuffle it once more.
“The hell you see that?” Mason asked through a grunt. Looking through his own hand, he eyed Caed with a little more hesitation than before.
Caed offered the man one eyebrow raise. This caused his glasses to fall slightly and remind the thief before him about his eye.
“Since we’re doin’ business and I’m tryin’ to get on your boss’s good side, I’ll tell ya. Long answer short is you touched my hand when ya split the deck. When I deal with shady types like yerself who are known for sleight of hand tricks, I always try to sneak it in.” He finished his play, then set his hand down and started packing some paper with crushed Spiritcaller. “I don’t use it to get the upper hand unless I ain’t eaten in a while.”
Mason clicked his tongue at this information but pushed a tankard towards the sorcerer regardless. Fair’s fair, he figured.
“Well, whatever.” Mason completed his turn and leaned back in his seat. He tapped his fingers against his knee. “Giarmund hates your guts, so I don’t know what you’re hoping to accomplish. Only reason he hasn’t knifed your ass is that Veleria would likely be pissed.”
“He only got close the one time because I didn’t expect the mask.” Caed placed the cigarette between his lips and lit the end between enclosed palms. “I want less to do with him, and more an audience with Meredith Hargrave. I hear she managed to ditch Alk’Hath and cut her name from the Arbiter at the same time.”
Following a few plays, Mason glanced towards the sorcerer with an odd look.
“What does that matter? Ain’t you the same?”
Caed pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.
“No, at no point did Alk’Hath ever have my name. What’s the best way of speaking with her?” He ashed his cigarette and laid his hand out for the final time. Mason snorted at the display before tossing his cards onto the table and leaning back.
Losing to this freak was the last thing Mason wanted.
“She doesn’t leave Almor anymore on account of her being the archivist.”
“Not because she scares the hell out of most sorcerers?”
“That too,” Mason shrugged. “She and Cromwell have rapport though, so I guess you could ask him.”
That was far from easy these days. He had tried to get information out of Cromwell, but his focus was on Veleria alone. With a sigh, Caed thanked Mason for his time and headed back towards the curio shop.