Fable: The Balverine Order (Fable) by Peter David

“But you’ll understand if we find it a bit, uhm . . . dubious.”
    â€œThe only thing I care about being found is muh ring,” said the northerner, who was obviously starting to get himself worked right up again. James took an involuntary step back, certain that this entire business was going to start spiraling out of control very quickly.
    He glanced toward Thomas, but Thomas seemed fixated with staring at the floor.
    â€œWell?” thundered the northerner, clearly ready to keep true to his promise of assaulting everyone there—beginning with Thomas—until his ring was returned. The other customers were now glancing nervously at each other. None of them was especially enthused about the notion of taking on such a behemoth of a man. Even though they outnumbered him, somehow the odds still seemed tilted in his favor.
    That was when Thomas looked back to the behemoth, and said with a calm voice, “Let me take a look up in the room.”
    â€œSo you can put it back and hope yer not caught?”
    â€œI don’t have it, but I have a thought as to who might. Come along with me if you feel like it. In fact, it’s better if you did, so you can see for yourself.” With that, and without bothering to see if the northerner was in fact going to follow him, Thomas started up the steps.
    The northerner looked puzzled. James had a feeling that the northerner was unaccustomed to people speaking to him in a reasonable manner, particularly when he was being belligerent. The bruiser shifted his gaze to James and looked comically quizzical, although James suspected that laughing at the man would be about the worst thing he could possibly do. Instead, James opted for the chivalrous course, bowed slightly, and indicated with a gesture that the northerner should precede him. The northerner did so, albeit with a skeptical grunt.
    James also noticed that the hawk-faced man was watching the proceedings with what seemed a keen interest. James wasn’t altogether sure that that man wasn’t the one responsible for the ring’s vanishing and was getting some twisted amusement over watching them run around in frustration.
    Thomas was waiting at the top of the stairs and, when the northerner was in sight, pointed, and said, “That’s your room?”
    â€œHow would you know that,” said the northerner, his suspicions aroused, “if ye weren’t already in it? Eh?”
    â€œYou knocked the door off its hinge when you barreled out of there yelling.”
    â€œOh.” Slightly abashed, which James wouldn’t have thought possible, the northerner said, “Aye, I, uh . . . I did do that.”
    â€œThat’s going on your bill!” the tavern wench shouted up from below. He answered back with an inarticulate growl, and she backed off and settled for glowering up the stairs at him.
    Thomas stopped at the doorway of the room, the northerner right behind him. The rest of the northerner’s supplies were stacked up to the right of the small bed, the mattress upon which looked as if it had been permanently bent courtesy of the man’s weight. James noted with worry that most of them appeared to be weapons shoved in a large duffel bag.
    The northerner looked in confusion at Thomas. “Aren’t yuh going t’go in?”
    â€œNo,” said Thomas. “I don’t have to. I see what I’m looking for.”
    â€œThe ring?”
    â€œNot the ring.” He was rummaging around in his purse and came up with a handful of coins. He sifted through them, and James couldn’t imagine what he was looking for.
    â€œThen how are yuh going t’find it?”
    Thomas selected one silver piece and held it up. It glittered nicely in the light, much more so than any of the others had. Thomas nodded approvingly and then flipped the coin across the floor. It bounced a few times before landing at the far side of the room, which wasn’t all that large