Keldar with his head still tipped back turns his eyes from the ceiling to peer down his nose. "You've been entertaining the crowd," he comments.
"Whose fault is that?" Rollfar snaps.
"Do you know the grinning one?" Keldar asks, avoiding the question with one of his own.
"I, yes. He's Pendrake. He says he's a Northman, though from north of where I'm not sure. We've met. The night before I left for Fallon, while I was reassuring my former tenants that I would keep a close eye on their new landlord, something came crawling out of the sea on a great wave - right into Spelding Square, of all the luck."
"No!" interjects Keldar.
"Yes, indeed, a dark slimy thing like nothing in the Enworld. If I had been a little slower, it would have killed me."
"No!" Keldar says.
"I believe so. I sought help and ran into that one and some of his companions. Oh, they defeated it, but they were left bloodied, bruised and burned, barely able to stand."
"No!" Keldar says again.
"They said it was unnaturally resilient and possessed of strange powers."
"Probably some sort of forbidden spawn of black chaos and illimitable night," says Keldar.
Rollfar stops short. "What?" she growls. "How would you of all people - "
"I'm Keldar Warbray, not a lot gets past me," says Keldar Warbray airily. "Also, Rilithorne had paid a visit to Thyrin of Grenton and left him the creature's remains to study further. I took a look. They're really very smelly."
"You knew! You are a complete - " Rollfar begins.
"So! I brought you presents back from Fallon," says Keldar, delving into his pack. "Look! A pretty ribbon, and some boots!"
"Those are not even close to my size," says Rollfar ungraciously.
"Magic," says Keldar. "They'll fit when you put them on."
"Where did you buy them?" Rollfar asks, taking them and holding them in her lap.
"Mmm, buy," says Keldar. "I paid quite dearly for them."
"Oh, Uncle Spider's underclothes," says Rollfar. "This is another thing I don't want to know, isn't it?"
