Brigands & Breadknives (Legends & Lattes, #2)

by Travis Baldree

As someone whose life had mostly been spent in the service of sharing words, Fern was enjoying keeping them to herself for a while.

“Shit. Don’t look at me. I’m a mess,” protested Fern. She gestured at the detritus around her. “I came here to be with my people. This is a garbage-only meeting.”

“After ten centuries of doing this, do you want to know what’s really exciting?” asked Astryx, ignoring the question. Her gaze was direct, and almost hungry. Fern nodded. “Dry socks.”

“I think for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t looking backward … or forward, either. So maybe I was looking at whatever is between those things.”

“I’ve tried to make a habit of never talking about what I do until I’m out of anything else to talk about. In my experience, it’s a terrible way to get to know somebody—at least if you want to know anything worthwhile. I want to learn what you laugh at, what makes you roll your eyes, what gets you upset, or passionate, or puts you at ease. Work is just…” He flapped a paw as they ducked under the eaves in front of the mercantile. “The stuff that holds the rest of it together. It’s like describing a house by talking about the nails.”

“That books are a weapon against loneliness. Putting them in the right hands lets people see one another. It makes us … better to one another. I think that’s a worthy thing to do.”