3. Raelyna
RAELYNA
With a heavy sigh, I headed out the door of our family’s home, hurrying down the hallway before impatiently tapping the elevator button five times (not that it would make the elevator appear any faster, but hey . . . a girl can dream).
“Finally.” The word was a quiet mutter in an otherwise empty hallway as the doors slid open.
I darted inside, needing to make it to the next section of The Wall, where our family’s tavern was located.
My parents had owned the Tilted Tavern for nearly four centuries.
It had been built in a time without skyscrapers or technology and had become a local institution, hence still being called a “tavern.”
Ever since I could remember, it had been a place frequented by lowers as well as some Solis Guards on watch around The Wall. Although our regular customers usually cleared out when the guard shifts changed and soldiers flooded the bar, not wishing to be on the receiving end of their mockery.
I’d been working here a few nights a week ever since I had passed my own Marking Day ceremony.
The night air was hot and clammy against my skin as I quickly clambered down the steps on the side of The Wall and into the lowly lit street.
I had always loved the solace found on the outskirts of the Quarter at this time of night.
You could hear the laughter of citizens making the most of their lives, drinking away the stress of the day as friends and family gathered around to share food and drinks.
I smiled to myself as my gaze snagged on the sign outside my family’s tavern—the worn wood, splintered at the ends from years of sandstorms, as the sign read, “Wings In, Drinks On!”
The laughter grew louder as I approached the doors of the Tilted Tavern.
My body protested from exhaustion, overwhelmed by the chaos of my already lengthy night.
Not to mention my encounter with Lucanus, and yet, just as every other night, I pasted on a jovial smile and stepped through the doors for my shift, knowing my mother needed the help, ignoring the way my body screamed for me to just lie down on my bed instead.
The tired eyes of my mother met mine from across the room, where she stood working the counter. I knew that my mother loved working here. The Tilted Tavern had become an establishment of pride for both my parents. Well, it had been, until my father passed on.
Now, it seemed to just remind my mother more of my father with each shift she had. I hated the lingering sorrow and sadness that were ever-present in my mother’s eyes while working at the tavern each day. And yet, this tavern was what kept my family afloat through the long winters in Solis Quarter.
Ensuring that a smile was pasted on, I began to make my way to the bar top, nodding and responding to the regulars already shouting my name in friendly greetings.
“How ya doing there, Raelyna?” one regular shouted from across the bar.
At the same time, his wife shouted over the chattering voices, “Stop bothering the poor girl. Just let her be on her way. She doesn’t need any more from you tonight.”
I laughed in response as I greeted Marilu and her husband.
The couple had been coming to our family’s tavern for as long as I could remember, having been friends with my father while he was in the Guard.
The TVs were on in the background, showing another pilaeria match at the central pitch.
I could just spot the outside wielder flying across the pitch, water ball in hand as he ducked, avoiding an attack before using his own affinity to throw the ball to another player.
I nearly paused, watching as the forward took off through the air, ball in hand, as he flew toward the fire gate. A roar rose in the tavern as he scored.
Stepping behind the counter, I quickly set to work. I tied an apron around my waist before turning to the first customer, a guard from the looks of his gray uniform and mask pulled down around his neck, and saying, “What can I get for you?”
“Bourbon, and make sure it’s on the rocks.” The exhausted rumble sounded from the gruff-looking guard, and I quickly set to work making the drink, sliding it across the counter to him, before turning to the next customer and getting their order as well.
While I didn’t always love working at the bar, my nights here often passed in a rhythmic flow that kept me grounded and centered.
A part of me would never forget how my father taught me how to make drinks and avoid the unfortunate incidents that could occur when owning a bar, behind this very counter.
It made me feel close to him, even though he was no longer a part of my life.
My mother rushed up to me then, her face flustered as another wave of guards came into the bar, fresh off their shifts.
“Rae, grab some of those new tables, will you? I’ve got too much paperwork to get completed by collection day.”
With a sigh, I reluctantly nodded, knowing that I’d easily help my mother out. Hurrying on over to some of the tables before they got too rowdy, I quickly grabbed drink orders, jotting them down on a worn-out notepad in my hand before returning to the bar and mixing all the drinks.
“What’s taking so long?” An impatient shout sounded from one of the tables as I finished making the drinks, causing a frustrated sigh to spill from my lips as I wondered for the millionth time where the guards got off, thinking they could talk like that.
But I knew why. To be a member of the RSG, you had to rank as a higher-affinity, preferably with at least two strong elemental affinities.
“Let’s go already,” another voice chimed in impatiently as I finished up their orders and began making my way over to their table.
Biting my tongue hard, I set the glasses down with a heavy thunk, ignoring the leering looks from the guards as my feet turned and I moved toward the next table.
They were lucky I was already beyond exhausted; otherwise, I don’t know what I would have done. But I would have done something.
My eyes didn’t even flicker up as I hurried through a rushed greeting at the table in the corner, furthest from the bar top, while pulling my notepad from my apron and flipping the page for a new order.
“What’ll it b—” My breath caught on the last word as my gaze finally shifted up toward the table’s occupants to meet a stunningly golden pair of eyes.
The noise in the tavern faded to a dull clamor as I found myself caught momentarily in the male’s gaze, his eyes trapping me in place as a wave of foreboding danger and intrigue washed over me.
The amber flecks in his irises seemed to glow as they held mine before my eyes trailed over his features.
Tracing the sharp cut of his jawline, the five o’clock shadow that neatly dusted bronzed skin.
My eyes trailed lower, and I could almost detect hints of golden ink peeking through on his neck.
Almost. My eyes flicked back up to his, and I froze.
A brief hint of amusement flashed through his eyes as he regarded me, and a devilishly slow smirk crept across his entirely too stunning features.
Stars-damned me.
A blush crept along my cheeks as I remembered my place, and my eyes then drifted over the remaining people in this booth, taking in the other male and a female.
They wore dark clothing with no identifying labels and matching onyx face guards blocking the lower portion of their faces.
Three sets of eyes rested on me, analyzing me just as I had watched them.
It was rare that we got new customers in the tavern at this time of night, especially with so many of the Solis Guards fresh off their posts.
My eyes narrowed in on their left forearms, scanning to see whether they were highers or lowers. If I had to bet, I’d say they were highers based on the arrogance radiating off the golden-eyed male alone.
Only, I noted that their marks weren’t visible. It was illegal not to have your marks clearly on display. Surely they knew that, so why risk it? Especially in a place with so many guards swarming about.
“Well,” I finally added with an impatient bite. “What can I get for you?” My eyes flicked between the three customers before settling back on the first male, hidden in the shadows.
“Three whiskeys.” It was the female’s voice that answered as she looked me up and down with disinterest. “Neat.”
With a sigh of frustration at yet another table being taken by customers not even ordering food, I nodded and turned away, hurrying over to the following table to take their order as well before I rushed behind the bar.
Xavier, the other bartender working tonight, turned his head, brown eyes regarding me with concern as I slammed the whiskey glasses onto the wooden countertop, frustration radiating off me in waves.
“What’s got you in a mood tonight?” His friendly voice snapped me out of my frustration momentarily as I glanced toward the male. Xavier was a good century older than me, having worked here since before I was born, and was someone I had grown to consider a good friend.
“Fucking guards come in here every night, taking up all the tables and only ever ordering drinks. At least sit at the bar if you just want a drink,” I grumbled, not even caring if those around me heard my complaints at this late hour.
Reaching up, I stood on the points of my toes, trying and failing to reach the bottle of whiskey resting on a higher shelf.
“Fuck,” I muttered before I felt a gentle brush of water and watched Xavier use his water affinity to grab the bottle of whiskey off the top shelf, something I couldn’t do with my lackluster use of my own affinity.
He set it down on the counter, turning to help the next customer, but not before I felt a teasing gust of water rustle across my skin.
I flashed him a smile of gratitude before grabbing the bottle and beginning to pour the three whiskeys—neat.