Frostbite

Chapter Fourteen

"As a barmaid, mister?"

"Not quite. Do you know how to pour a drink?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then you're fit for the job. Can you stand?"

"I imagine so." Eira hauled herself to her feet slowly. Her knees shook when she put weight on them, but she succeeded in standing upright. Once she was stable, she stretched out her stiff limbs and squeezed through the gap.

She shivered as the surprisingly colder air of the close beyond hit her. It didn't help that her clothes were entirely soaked through with rainwater.

The man motioned for her to come but she hesitated. "Mister, don't you think I should know the name of my employer before taking s job?" Eira enquired.

The man smiled in a friendly manner. "You're a sharp one, missy. My name is Al."

"Lead the way, then."

~

It turned out the inn was one of the buildings that Eira had been situated between. No wonder he knew she was there. He probably heard her crying. She felt a little shameful thinking about it.

The inn was small, but one of the nicer ones in the town. It was empty, maybe as everyone was working at that time of day. The first thing the man did was give Eira a bowl of warm stew, bread, and a hot drink of tea.

"I can't pay for this yet," Eira said quietly, looking at the steaming food with a hint of longing.

"It's on the house," Al replied.

"I—thank you."

~

The room she was given was small, yet comforting. It had just enough room for a narrow bed and a chest, presumably intended for its occupant's belongings. On the wall right of the door there was an unlit stove, and on the wall opposite, a window that looked out over an empty street below. It reminded her of her room at home, except this one was considerably warmer. It also had an adjoining bathroom, which was a mercy.

Al left her alone in the room after he'd shown her around briefly. She bid him goodbye and gave a grateful smile before sitting herself down on the bed. She'd managed to stop shivering thanks to the food and now began to peel her dirty, damp clothes off. Once free of them, she turned her attention to the bathroom. Al had filled her a basin full of hot water. Perfect. Finally she would get a chance to bathe. After being stuck there so long, all she wanted was to wash the grime of the street off.

She sat down in the bath and began sponging herself down. The warm water was relaxing and took the last chill away from her. It was surprising how cold she'd got while she had been in there. She hadn't thought her powers would leave her so fast. But, she'd been told that if she went longer than a month without using them, it would be very difficult to bring them out strongly without using an Icestone amplifier. If she went even longer, then it would be likely that she would go back to how she had been before the Test. That they would return to being dormant.

Eira poured water over herself, sighing deeply.

"What am I doing?" she murmured. She'd left on a whim, and she'd come here on a whim. Cerin being part of a rebel group was merely speculation. She'd abandoned her only chance of having a stable life when she left the training ground. She'd also now lost any chances of returning without consequences. She was a fugitive now. They didn't want her to return to them. They wanted her to dispose of her. To remove her. To kill her.

Eira could still recall headmaster Steele's words as clear as day: "If you such as consider going against us, you will die a coward's death just as she has." It had been a warning, and one that she had not heeded.