Chapter 68
We reached the inn partly with my navigation, but mostly because Rhaevan, like Lucien possessed a terrifyingly accurate knowledge of local geography.
The building looked exactly as I remembered - small, worn, and sagging slightly on its wooden stilts, yet casting a warm glow through its leaded windows that made it feel far safer than it had any right to be.
When we pushed the heavy door open, Albert behind the counter looked up lazily at first. Then his eyes widened in instant recognition.
"Oh, my dear child! Thank goodness you're alright!"
The old man hurried around the wooden counter toward us, his wrinkled face genuine with relief. For one brief second, I felt strangely touched that someone outside the Magic Tower had actually spent time worrying about my survival.
"I heard terrible things happened out near the border woods," Albert continued anxiously, wiping his hands on his apron. "I was terrified something dreadful had happened to you two!"
"Hey, Albert," I said, smiling slightly despite myself. "We made it out."
Then his eyes shifted toward Rhaevan.
And paused. Slowly.
He looked between the two of us twice, his brow furrowing in deep confusion, before finally asking, "Who's this lad?"
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
Unfortunately, Albert kept going. "And where's your lover?"
I nearly choked on thin air.
Beside me, Rhaevan went completely, utterly still - which somehow made the situation infinitely worse. The silence in the tavern became heavy enough to crush a man.
Albert looked delighted by the prospect of gossip. I panicked immediately.
"He had important things to do!" I blurted out, far too fast and far too loud before things could spiral into an irreversible catastrophe. "And this is-" I pointed vaguely in Rhaevan's general direction without actually daring to look at his face, "-my bodyguard."
Silence. Heavy, suffocating, catastrophic silence.
I could physically feel Rhaevan's dark eyes burning into the side of my head. I refused to acknowledge his existence for pure survival reasons.
Albert blinked slowly. "...That's a very intimidating bodyguard."
"Yes," I replied immediately, nodding intensely. "Extremely committed to workplace safety."
Before Albert could continue emotionally ruining my life, I quickly redirected the conversation. "We actually came here to ask for your help, Albert."
"Anything, child," the old man said warmly, his demeanor turning earnest.
"The morning Lucien and I left," I said, "you mentioned a few people had come into the village asking questions about us. Could you tell us anything about them? Describe what they looked like?"
Albert stroked his chin, thinking back. "Well... they didn't seem like locals. Nor did they look like royal military, despite how tough they acted. Tall, sturdy, but nothing particularly unusual in their clothing. Though... there have been suspicious sightings around these woods for months now."
Rhaevan stepped forward, his posture shifting into alert focus. "What kind of sightings?"
Albert lowered his voice, leaning over the counter. "Rumors say strangers have been trapping beasts from the deep forest and smuggling them across the eastern border... toward Varynthar."
At that name, Rhaevan's expression sharpened subtly, his dark eyes narrowing into slits.
"Smuggling?" I asked. "For what?"
"Probably for rare hides or forbidden magic experiments. Nobody knows for sure," Albert said with a shrug. Then, pausing as a fresh memory hit him, he added, "Ah - there was a strange woman that same morning. She didn't come inside the inn, but those blokes were reporting to her out in the alley."
Rhaevan's voice cut through the quiet, sharp and precise. "Did you see her?"
Albert grimaced. "Just a glimpse through the shutter. Jet-black hair, sharp eyes... carried a nasty-looking dagger strapped to her hip, too. I think I've seen her around these parts a couple of times before."
"The dagger," Rhaevan pressed immediately. "Describe it."
Albert scratched his chin. "A crooked-looking thing. Dark wooden handle. Had some strange, twisted symbol carved right into the pommel."
Without a word, Rhaevan pulled a small leather-bound scroll from his tunic and unrolled it on the counter. "Was it like this?"
Albert leaned closer, squinting at the black ink drawing. "...Yeah. Something very similar to that."
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. Whatever that symbol meant - Rhaevan recognized it. I saw it in the subtle, dangerous way his posture hardened.
"Thank you, Albert," Rhaevan said, his voice quiet and deadly serious. "This is very useful."
Albert brightened again, completely oblivious to the sudden tension. "Well now! Are you both staying the night? I actually have spare rooms this time, unlike your last visit!"
Oh no. No, no, no.
The conversation was once again veering into a direct minefield.
"We are not staying," I said instantly, hurriedly slapping a heavy pouch of coins onto the wooden counter before anyone could misunderstand further. "This is for helping us earlier. You saved our lives."
Albert looked surprised, pushing the pouch back slightly. "You don't owe me money, child."
"Yes, we do," I insisted firmly, nudging it back to him.
"Ah, child, both your clothes are washed and drying in the back. I'll bring them over. Fine fabric too. Must've cost a pretty coin."
"Please don't!" I nearly shouted. "I-I mean, there's no need! We have to go right now. I'll... I'll get them later!"
I grabbed Rhaevan firmly by his coat sleeve before he could offer a single word and practically dragged him toward the exit.
"We'll take our leave now!" I called out over my shoulder with a high-pitched, awkward laugh. "Thank you again!"
Albert waved cheerfully as I practically yanked Rhaevan out the door and into the cool morning air.
Only once we had walked several paces away down the forest path did I finally exhale a dramatic, shuddering breath.
"Well," I said, furiously brushing imaginary dust off my sleeves, "I'd say that information was extremely useful."
Beside me, Rhaevan remained entirely silent.
The silence stretched. It grew. It became unbearable.
"It isn't what you think!" I blurted out, turning on my heel to face him.
The words spilled out far too fast for someone who was definitely not flustered.
"There was only one available room in the entire village, and we were actively being hunted by mercenaries, and Lucien was injured and we were tired! Our clothes were dirty too!!! So it was not exactly a romantic vacation!"
Rhaevan just stared at me.
I continued rapidly before he could open his mouth.
"And he slept on the chair!"
Why was I explaining this?
"There were completely separate sleeping arrangements!"
Cassiane. Stop talking.
"I took the bed! and then we took turns keeping watch because we were trying not to get murdered in our sleep!"
Please stop speaking.
"And nothing happened!"
Oh my god.
I stopped walking abruptly in the middle of the dirt path.
Rhaevan had gone strangely, unnervingly quiet beside me.
Slowly-very slowly-the horror of what I had just done hit me: I had practically delivered a full, panicked verbal defense for crimes nobody had actually accused me of committing.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath of forest air. "...I would like to formally withdraw from this conversation."
A small twitch appeared at the corner of Rhaevan's mouth.
"I never asked," he said smoothly, his tone entirely calm.
"No, I felt... I wanted to... I didnt want you thinking anything else," I muttered, staring intently at a nearby pine tree.
"You do not need to explain yourself to me, Cassiane. I never thought otherwise."
"Excellent," I replied immediately, crossing my arms defensively over my chest. "Because I was not planning to."
He looked at me with those unreadable dark eyes. I refused to look back - because maintaining eye contact after that level of self-inflicted damage was entirely unrealistic.