The Book of Trials || ONC 2019

Chapter Eight

Evyne and Atlas parked the cart near the back of the inn, then we started back toward the entrance.

"Why are there no people here?" I asked, unable to contain my worry. "Back in Esterwilde, there was always someone."

Evyne's expression was unrecognizable, but Atlas gave a fake smile and said, "Esterwilde is a little busier than most towns. I'm sure it's nothing."

I scowled at the boy and huffed. Like he would know anything.

He opened the inn's wooden door to let us through and the faint scent of smoke and alcohol wafted from inside. I furrowed my brows and glanced around the interior as I walked in.

The walls were painted with a faded off-white pigment and strong wooden pillars lined and crossed the walls and along the ceiling. Several mugs and brooms hung from hooks near the corner and a stack of large wooden wine barrels sat near those. A staircase on the right side led to a second floor, where it connected to a hallway with several doors and a dim lamp.

A tall, burly man jumped up from behind a counter and I fumbled back a step, my heart skyrocketing. He immediately spotted us and started forward, and Atlas swept up to meet him.

"Hello, strangers." His bushy mustache rustled as he spoke, his eyes crinkling in a welcoming smile. "Do you wish to purchase a room, or perhaps a drink for the lovely ladies?"

Atlas cast us a backward glance, then smiled to himself and told the man of our need for a place to stay. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised he was this charismatic, being a con and all, but I couldn't keep a straight face as he negotiated half the original price for the room and got away with a practically stolen round of drinks.

Actually, what was the financial situation on our part? After Atlas finished with the innkeeper, I tugged on his sleeve and cleared my throat. "How are we splitting prices? I'm running on twenty sabets"—I jangled the light coin pouch against my hip—"and if given the choice between a bed and a drink, I would take the bed."

"What?" He seemed offended. "Of course I'll pay for the drink!"

My eyes narrowed. "So how much is the room, then?"

"I don't know. I haven't learned any chemistry yet, if you're wondering." He winked.

I huffed, unamused, and took the mug from the innkeeper when he offered it.

We all sat at a table near the staircase and Evyne wasted no time quietly pounding her fist down on the tabletop, muttering swears under her breath. "What's with the smell of this place? It's rancid!"

"Evi, it's fine." Atlas waved his hand nonchalantly to calm her, then he lowered his voice further. "Besides, there's no way we're going to get anything cheaper, so unless you want to sleep on the forest floor in the dark with the insects, this'll have to do."

Evyne scowled so deeply a vein protruded from her neck, then she continued hissing swearwords and tapping her fingers on the table incessantly.

After the first mug, Atlas insisted on another round, but I deliberately sipped slowly so he'd skip over me with refills. Right around then, though, Lefeli began to wobble in her seat, her voice going light and her smile becoming delirious, and I used her inability to hold alcohol as an excuse to stop the conversation there. No more half-headed stories about the mistakes Evyne and Atlas had made when they were younger. Such a shame we didn't get to discussing how big a mistake it was tagging along on this stupid trip.