Chapter Eleven #2
“How can I help you?” a young man, possibly even a teenager, asked.
“I need a room for our guests here,” Jade said with a quick glance in our direction.
The young man opened a drawer and began to search.
“One room?” I asked. “There’s six of us.”
Jade kept her eyes fixed on the man. “One will be enough. We don’t have extras to spare.
Ever since word has spread that Jesse has taken over, people have flocked here to see for themselves, hoping they can be the first to plea for help.
People with children. People who are sick.
They’re all desperate.” Finally, she turned my way.
“So you’ll have to forgive us if we only allow you to take one of the very few rooms we have. ”
“It’s plenty,” Emilie said before I could respond. “Thank you for your generosity.”
It was for the best that Emilie spoke on my behalf. I lacked the charisma and patience that came so naturally to her.
Despite that, Jade seemed unmoved. She still looked at us as though we were nothing more than pests to be exterminated.
Fine by me. We weren’t here to make friends. We were here to retrieve what we needed and get out. Jesse’s idea of a newly formed alliance was just a bump in the road.
The young man reached across the desk to hand me a key. “Room E. It’s down that hall and to the right. We have a communal bathroom here, which you can find through that door over there.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking the key and turning to face my group. None of them looked eager to share a bathroom with dozens of other cohabitants, but I was grateful they had running water at all in this makeshift inn.
“I’ll be back tomorrow at midday to collect you for your meeting with Jesse.” Jade spun and left the inn before I could ask for anything else or even thank her.
“Let’s check out our accommodations,” I said with a sigh.
They weren’t as bad as I expected. Although there were six of us crammed into one room, it had been designed to hold entire families.
There were three sets of bunk beds—two along the left side and one on the right.
The extra space on the right was filled with mismatched drawers for clothes and other belongings.
Other than that, the room was bare. There were no decorations, and the only window was a thin slat at the top of the wall where it joined the roof.
Actually, after staring a bit longer, I wasn’t sure if the slat was intentional or just an accident resulting from cheap and quick construction of the inn. At least it provided fresh air.
“I call dibs on this one,” Aven said, slinging his bag on the bottom bunk to our right.
Marco and Bianca quickly claimed the two on the bottom left.
I looked at them in disbelief, pointing at my chest. “I am your High Commander and Regent. I should get first choice.”
Bianca made a noise that sounded like a horse impatient for its next meal.
“You’re an excellent Commander, Ladon, but you’re mistaken if you thought your subordinates would ever roll over just because you asked us to.
I trust and obey your battle commands. Your sleep arrangements? Well, that’s a different story.”
I glanced at each of my soldiers in turn. Aven quickly turned away while Mira raised her hands. “Hey, don’t look at me. I didn’t claim a bed yet.”
But something told me she would’ve if she had gotten to the lower ones first.
Marco cleared his throat. “If you’d like, I’m willing to give up mine.”
Of all the people in our envoy, Marco deserved the lower level the most. Being the eldest, he didn’t need to climb up to get into bed.
I shook my head and pointed to the bed above him. “It’s fine. I’ll take this one.”
Once Mira tossed her bag above Aven’s bed, I took Emilie’s pack and put it on the bunk next to mine.
“I’m starving,” Bianca said, re-braiding her hair after it had come loose during our journey. “I wonder what they were serving in that tent.”
“Probably nothing worth eating,” Aven said. “It doesn’t look like they have much to spare, but we already knew that.”
Yes, it was common knowledge that Murvort was far from affluent. The fact that Reyna had been hoarding what little they had only made me hate her and her followers more.
The line for the dining tent had shrunk since we’d first walked past, but there were still a dozen people waiting before it would be our turn. While Mira and Bianca exchanged desires for what would be on the menu, my thoughts turned to Jesse’s offer.
“If I make this agreement, will the conclave adhere to it?” I asked Marco—the only conclave member present.
“Possibly. You’ll have to make the argument for why it was necessary.
I don’t think they will fight back too hard, though.
They knew our purpose in coming here. And you are the regent until Cyrus can return to duty.
The only options we have would be to save Cyrus and allow him to determine whether we abide by the agreement you made in his absence, or let Cyrus die.
In which case, you’d be promoted from regent to king, and they would be obligated to obey your orders. ”
I massaged my temples. I hated being the one to make these decisions.
The intention of ruling was not part of my upbringing.
No one instilled in me the confidence to sign treaties that would affect everyone who depended on me.
How did Cyrus do this? How did he rule with such faith in himself? All I had was doubt.
“Do you think we should agree to their terms, then?” I asked.
Marco licked his lips and stared off into the distance, contemplating before offering his advice. “I think it might be the only option. But if I were you, I would counter-offer. The first rule of negotiation is to never accept the first offer. See if there’s anything he has to sweeten the pot.”
I mulled it over. But what would Jesse have that I could possibly want? I supposed we’d have to wait and see.