Chapter 25
After seeking out a remedy for my headache—that didn’t smell like rot—Caene and I got down to business.
As much as it pains me, I’m starting to see why we should go to Kanas.
As I sip my feverfew and lavender tea, waiting for it to take the edge off the pounding behind my eyes, Caene explains there is very little Exalted presence there this time of year.
He explains that we need to lie low while I quietly regain my family’s gifts, learn how to use them effectively, then we’ll go back to Kalsevden for my talisman.
By the time he finishes talking, my mind is spinning, but I believe him.
It’s the only thing that makes sense. My father was Altair Winddane, the last divination Exalted patriarch.
I am the only heir to the House of Divination.
And it’s time I take what’s rightfully mine.
Still, my heart refuses to leave Isi behind.
Feron will be fine; he’s a tough old goat.
But Isi needs me. She’s too kind for this world.
My very soul is screaming at me to go back and get her.
Bring her with us. But if Maziar or the cockhead twins don’t know about her, would I just be putting her in more unnecessary danger?
Would I be bringing all this right to her feet when she could just as easily be left out of it?
I could ask Caene what he knows, if his family knows about her, but if they don’t, would I just be handing her to them?
Would he betray me like that? I taste blood from gnawing on my lip.
“We need to find horses,” Caene says, breaking me out of my thoughts.
He picks up our lunch plates and walks them to the bar.
My heart sinks. I don’t know how to ride a horse.
Growing up Condemned, there wasn’t much opportunity to even see a horse, let alone ride one.
He returns to the table, bracing his hands on the back of his empty chair.
“The mountains are too treacherous on foot. And we’ll have to leave here before sunrise to make good time.
Snow can make the road impassible without warning this time of year.
We don’t want to be stuck on the mountainside if that happens.
We probably wouldn’t live to see spring. ”
I nod my head. I’ll worry about the horse riding when we come to it. “You find the horses, I’ll stock up on food and water.”
Caene nods. “Meet back here before nightfall.”
I get up to find the innkeeper.
“Aelavi,” his deep voice calls to me, the nickname sending a shiver down my spine. “Be careful.” He turns on his heel and walks out the front door of the inn.
I roll my eyes. “You be careful,” I mutter to his back.
Finding provisions gives me a chance to speak to the kind innkeeper again, to thank him for trying to help me this morning.
I find him on the second floor backing out of a room, his sizable backside wiggling through the too-narrow doorjamb.
He’s wearing a frilly white apron and dragging a bucket and a mop into the hall.
I cover my mouth to stop the giggle working its way up my throat.
“Well, ’ello there my lovely!” he greets me like we’re old friends. “Feelin’ better I hope.”
“Yes, thank you Mr . . . I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name last night.” My face warms.
“Ah that’s alright love, you looked to be in a bit of a tizzy. Name’s Bayo.” He hooks his thumbs into the straps on his ruffled apron, his smile infectious.
“Vayna.” I reach out to shake his chubby hand.
“Well, what can I do for ya Miss Vayna? I just got done cleanin’ this here room, so I gots a little time.”
“Don’t you have someone to clean rooms? A maid perhaps?” It’s unusual for a man to do this sort of work.
“’Fraid not, my lovely. Just me, the cook an’ the boy workin’ here. Don’t get ’nough visitors to afford a maid.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Bah! Better I do it meself anyway. No one can clean like I can!” He hooks his thumbs back into his apron, beaming. “Now I know you ain’t track me down to ask about maid services. What can I help you with?”
I return his smile. He truly is a very likable man. “My companion and I are hoping to make it to Kanas before the snow hits so we need to stock up on provisions. Can you help me?”
“Kanas eh?” He rubs the stubble on his chin. “That’s a mighty dicey road up that way. You sure you wanna go that way?” He asks, looking me up and down.
I nod slowly.
“Well, follow me then!” He claps his hands together.
“We’ll get you sorted out in the kitchen.
Aelric will help you get everythin’ you need.
” He leaves the bucket in the middle of the hallway and leans the mop against the wall.
I glance into the bucket. The water looks a little too dark for a regular cleaning.
It also appears to have a red tinge to it.
I shake my head; it’s none of my business.
But I can’t shake the warning buzzing in the back of my mind.
I follow Bayo down the stairs and around the bar to the kitchen.
“Aelric!” he hollers into the large kitchen.
Everything in here is either dented, rusted or dirty, but the delectable smells coming from the pots on the hearth and the brick oven in the corner make all that easy to ignore.
My mouth waters even though my belly is full.
Once a starving orphan, always a starving orphan.
“What!” A round, dark face with graying hair pokes out from a doorway at the back.
“Vayna here needs some help. She’s gotta stock up for her journey to Kanas. Help her out will ya?” Bayo puts his hand on the small of my back and pushes me forward.
“I ain’t no shopkeep!” Aelric bellows, coming out of the room barreling toward us.
He’s shorter than his attitude would have you believe.
He only comes up to my shoulder, and I’m no giant myself.
“And this ain’t no shop. You’ll have to get your shit somewhere else lady.
” He turns to a pot hanging over the fire, stirring its contents.
“Aelric!” Bayo barks, his face turning red.
I wouldn’t have believed this man had a temper if I wasn’t witnessing it myself.
He storms to Aelric, grips the front of his stained tunic, and slams him into the brick, nearly catching him on fire.
“This is my fucking inn and you will help this woman because I says so. Or you can find another fucking job!” My eyes bounce back and forth between the men.
I didn’t mean to cause such a fuss. Aelric grumbles under his breath, throwing the wooden spoon onto the already dirty wooden counter and stomps back to the room he initially came out of.
“Sorry ’bout that,” Bayo says. “He’s a right ol’ grouch, but damn if he can’t cook.
I’ll leave you to it then, my lovely. Got rooms to clean after all.
” He wraps his hand around my bicep, squeezing too tightly.
“Promise me you won’t leave before dawn.
That road up that way is too dangerous after nightfall. ”
His eyes bore into me. Something about the way he’s looking at me makes me uneasy. I nod and he releases me, patting my arm where he was gripping it.
“Great. We’ll get that asshole back there to cook you up a nice big breakfast. Free of charge, o’ course.
” He flashes me one last bright smile that I can’t help but return as he rushes out the door, leaving me alone with a very grouchy Aelric.
He bustles around the kitchen and in and out of what I can now see is the larder, refusing to look at me.
He dumps some bruised apples, a loaf of bread, and a sloshing waterskin onto the counter.
“Will that be all, Your Highness?” he sneers at me and gives me an exaggerated bow.
Prick.
I suppress an eye roll as I gather the supplies in my arms, really wishing I’d brought a basket or something, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to ask this surly bastard for anything else. As I turn for the door, I look back over my shoulder and swallow my pride.
“Thank you for your help Aelric,” I say as pleasantly as I can. “And for what it’s worth, you don’t deserve to be treated the way Bayo just treated you. No one does.”
His eyes go wide for a moment before he tames his expression.
I worry that I’ve somehow offended him. He nods once, grumbles something under his breath, and comes to my side, holding the door open for me.
I make a mental note that if I ever come back to this inn I’ll make a point of coming to say hello to this cranky little man.
He seems like he could use a little more kindness.
And that’s a feeling I’m far too familiar with.
Since my eyes are on Aelric I’m not watching where I’m going and I walk right into a wall of muscle.
I stumble back and drop nearly everything in my arms, scrambling to catch the apples before they bruise more.
I fail. They all hit the ground with small thumps and I throw my head back with a resigned sigh.
“Oy! Watch where you’re going, limp cock!
” I hear Aelric yell at the person I walked into.
Aelric swoops and picks up a bruised, soft apple and throws it.
I hear a familiar grunt and my heart kicks up a notch.
The wall of muscle I hit was Caene, and he could probably pick Aelric up and throw him across the room with one hand.
“Aelric, it’s alright,” I say soothingly as he rears back to throw another apple. I’m a little touched that he’s trying to stick up for me. “It was my fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” I lay my hand on his hairy forearm, trying to get him to lower the fruit.
“No, he’s right,” Caene says, brushing the apple juice off his clean tunic.
I look up at him, a smirk building on my lips. “That you’re limp-cocked?” I ask. Aelric roars with laughter and I join him. Caene chuckles and shakes his head.
He leans in close to my ear, his beard rough on my cheek, and whispers, “If you want to see my cock again, all you have to do is ask.” I feel my cheeks flush, so I look down at my pathetic food haul to try to mask my blush.
“Oy!” Aelric yells again, trying and failing to shove Caene away from me.
“Back the fuck off pretty boy or I’ll make you back off.
Show the lady some damn respect.” Gods and goddesses, this guy is aggressive, but my heart warms at his protectiveness even though he wasn't exactly showing me respect a few minutes ago.
I laugh. “Aelric, it’s alright, I know him. He’s my traveling companion.” Aelric looks from me to Caene then back to me again, huffs, and clomps back into the kitchen.
“Seems like someone’s quite taken with you.” Caene smirks as he bends to pick up the tainted apples.
I hum my agreement. “Seems so. I think I’ll come back one day and become Mrs. Aelric.
Live in this inn. Eat his phenomenal food.
Sounds nice.” I bend to help pick up the rest of the food and water and meet Caene’s emerald eyes.
I could swear I see jealousy and some other emotion I can’t place cross his face, but it’s gone too fast to be sure.
Before I can needle him about it, Aelric comes grumbling out of the larder carrying a basket of new apples as well as bread, some carrots and a few other vegetables, and a second waterskin.
“Here. Take these instead. I’ll bake those into a pie,” he grumbles as he shoves the new supplies into my arms and snatches the old apples back.
I smile at the crotchety man. “Thank you again, Aelric. This is more than generous.” He shifts uncomfortably on his feet, his face going slightly pink under his umber skin.
He mutters something I don’t catch and scurries back into the larder.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’s hiding.
He definitely needs more kindness in his life.
“Did you find horses?” I ask Caene as he takes the basket from me.
We start picking our way across the tavern to the stairs. It’s filling up now. “Only one,” he answers. “There was a traveler willing to part with his with some . . . convincing.”
I can’t help the relief I feel. I might not have to explain to him that I haven’t the foggiest idea how to ride a horse. Although, I’m curious about what he did to the traveler to convince him to give up his horse.
“We’ll have to share.” He looks down at me from the step above mine and winks.
“Did you just wink at me?” I ask.
He shrugs, smirking.
I give him a withering look. “Gross.”
He drops his smirk and huffs, quickening his pace up the steps. I laugh at his retreating back and follow, practically having to jog to keep up with his long strides.
We drop our things on the bed in our shared room, then return to the tavern for dinner.
Aelric’s stew is seasoned and cooked to perfection, not that I have much to compare it to, and I refuse to speak while I eat, giving the meal the attention it deserves.
Once I’ve practically licked my bowl clean, Bayo finds us.
“Everythin’ alright, my lovely?” he asks me.
“Delicious. Please tell Aelric for me.”
“Ah he’ll be right happy to hear that.” His warm smile and my full belly are comforting.
“Well, I’ll leave ya to it then. Got guests to serve after all.” He winks at me.
Why do men keep winking at me?
“Remember what I said,” Bayo warns. “Don’t be trying to face that mountain terrain before daybreak. I promised ya breakfast after all.”
He nods to Caene and waddles to another table, greeting the men at it with handshakes.
Caene hums.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing. Just . . . I’ve been to this inn many times, been through the mountain roads, and not once has he insisted I stay for breakfast.”
I shrug. “Maybe if you weren’t so grumpy all the time he would have.”
He hums again, watching Bayo.
“Face it big man, people like me better.” I lean forward, pat his hand, then stand. “Come on. We have packing to do and I’m about to fall asleep at this table.” He gets up and follows me up the creaking stairs.