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Hilderinc and Coen
Hilderinc was just in the middle of emptying another mug (of how many? He wasn't entirely sure anymore) when he noticed somebody slightly tapping his shoulder. He turned around and, to his surprise, saw Coen beckoning at him. Slightly worried about what the captain might require of him at this time, he followed Coen further away from the tables into one corner of the hall.
Like earlier with Athanar, Coen looked around carefully to see if nobody was listening.
"I have spoken to lord Athanar about what you had told me in the morning," he said. It took only a while to Hilderinc's slightly ale-influenced mind to figure out what Coen was talking about. He nodded to ensure Coen that he had understood what this was about. The captain's face showed relief that he did not need to speak of the matter in detail with the risk of being overheard.
"What did lord Athanar say, sir?" Hilderinc asked, suppressing a burp.
"He says that he will settle the matter himself – and that if you have anything more to say about it, you should talk about it only to him. He does not want you nor me to let any gossip spread among other men. Have you been talking about it to anyone else?"
"No, sir," Hilderinc said. "I had no reason to." He was trying his best to make the good impression, even though he felt his speech was somewhat stuttering.
"Then keep silent. But lord Athanar had also requested that you should keep your ears open in case you hear anybody talking about it or about anything that might be related."
"Aye, sir," Hilderinc nodded again. "I shall be on my guard, sir," he added, trying to sound firm.
Coenred seemed satisfied by that, because he only nodded and left him. Hilderinc cast a look at the table and his unfinished mug, then he decided that it might be good to get some fresh air just for a short while and come back later. He walked to the table, gulped what was remaining in one draught and then slowly retreated outside the hall.
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