The golden windows that had looked so enticing earlier were doubly so now. There were a few more Hume out on the streets than when I’d first arrived, but most were still out in the fields or attending to their trades within town. I tiptoed toward the tavern and wrapped my hands around the bannister of its outer porch to peer inside. Six large Hume men, patrons, no, five and the tavern keeper who had an impressive beard.
Both Bansaerin and my uncle began arguing with my inner self about the prudence of entering such an establishment, but I’d read so many stories that took place within taverns. I had to at least see one. I began to pace outside while our debate raged back and forth. Uncle bidding me to be wise, Bansaerin warning me about Hume’s dark and unknowable intentions toward young and pretty Lifkin girls, and the spirit-records I’d pored over encouraging me to give the tavern a try as taverns were places where things happened!
The only way I could think to find a balance between the different voices and their conflicting instructions was to determine whether the tavern was one of the dangerous ones my uncle and Bansaerin had warned me away from or if it was a place burgeoning with adventure but not scary. While the voices argued, I paced and watched the tavern's interior. Three of the patrons were playing cards, one muttered to himself as he stared into his ale, and the fifth was asleep. None of them looked like Lifkin-nappers. I began my fourth pass before the windows and noticed the tavern keeper watching me. On the fifth pass he waved me inside. If the place was welcoming, that had to be a good sign.
On the sixth, I gathered my courage and pushed open the door. Four heads turned to face me. One had been watching me already. The last was asleep.
I balled my hands into fists and slid forward, heading straight for the bar top. The tavern keeper leaned on his elbow, still watching me as I angled myself onto one of the tall stools. These seemed to be a peculiarity of the Hume as none of the ancients’ records mentioned dangling one’s feet off the ground.
“Welcome in, girlie. What can I get ya?”
“Umm, I will take an ale, please.”
His mouth twisted to the side—whether because of my accent or something strange I'd said, I wasn’t sure. A few moments later he returned with a giant tankard of ale. I’d need to use both hands to lift it. “So what brings a fair one like yourself to town?”
“My cousin lives here. And our head spiritspeaker sent me to purchase more parchment from the stationer’s.” I wetted my lips, considering whether I should mention the lavender oil but decided against it in case he also believed me embroiled in a love potion scandal. Instead I took a deep breath and leaned forward. “Can I tell you a secret?” Unlike the pseudo-apothecary, I did actually lower my voice.
The tavern keeper matched my movement, lowering himself down to his elbow to be closer to my shorter height despite the stool.
“This is my first time in a tavern,” I confided.
My new friend gasped—I must have been blending in well or he was just being nice to a Lifkin traveler. It was difficult to determine which. “First time in a tavern,” he whispered. “You don’t say.” His grin widened and then to my dismay, he raised his voice and gestured widely with his hands. “First time in a tavern, boys! You believe that?” This roused the attention of all the Hume present, save the sleeper, and they hurrahed my visit to their fine and favorite establishment.
He repeated himself again, more quietly, and grinned, shaking his head. “First time in a tavern and she comes to see me. Mighty fine, that.” Looking over his recently disturbed patrons, he excused himself. A few drinks needed refilling and he went to check on Stan, the asleep one. “Not dead yet!” he cried to a second shout of victory from all present. I added my hurrah only a few moments behind everyone else.
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The tavern keeper returned and lowered himself to my level again. “I suppose you’re here for a cup of gos then, in addition to the ale.”
“Gos?”
“You know. Gossip. The news from around town. What travelers are often looking for when they reach a new place.”
My eyes widened. A cup of gos sounded like exactly what I was after.
“Gos is free as it's your first visit. Future, it’ll set you back one copper.”
He proceeded to give me a more detailed account of the boy, Orvald, who'd gotten lost in the forest trying to to retrieve one of his sheep. “A whole crew went looking for him. Damn fools decided to split apart as soon as they made it into the wood. Lads like them don't have the look of bravery as hangs about you and, as I said, fools besides.” One of the Hume had rushed out of the forest soon thereafter, petrified of the monsters that dwelled within. A few others had returned, but they'd lost Parrith, “Orvald's dearest mate and another fool hisself.”
I wasn’t sure whether I should feel more concerned that Eletria had attached herself to a Hume none of the others showed regard for or if his disappearance with a baby on the way was the more disconcerting. A party had gone out that afternoon without any luck.
The rest of the gos revolved around the number of people leaving Shakerton behind and relocating to Dust. “How do you like the ale, girlie?” I accidentally hiccuped for my reply. “Makes you feel kinda floaty, don't it?”
“It does. Plus the bubbles are interesting.” I hiccuped again. “It’s more sour than mead.” He brightened at this assertion on my part and had several questions for me about the vintner which I answered as best I could. I stared around the tavern admiringly as we spoke, taking in each and every detail before I had to leave to meet Alfonse.
Just as I was preparing to leave, a dirt-covered boy burst into the tavern, his bright, dark eyes and his lack of the stench of death were the only separators between him and the mournlings.
“Parrith!” my new friend called, hurrying out from behind the bar. “Steady on, boy.” He guided Parrith to one of the side chairs and, two fingers of whiskey and a damp cloth later, the Hume who had captured my cousin’s heart emerged from beneath the dirt and grime of the forest.
“No sign of Orvald.” He shook his head. “No sign, but I smelled something awful and—” His breath hitched. “I ran.”
“Alfonse and I are going to look for him on our way to the Second Circle. We’re leaving, well, just now. Eletria’s been worried about you.”
The boy narrowed his eyes at me for a moment and then they widened. “Draeza, right? Can’t believe I’m finally meeting a member of Eletria’s family under such circumstances. And in such a state.” He held up his tattered sleeves. The copper tang of blood drifted off of him as he moved. Something in the woods had torn the skin of his thigh.
“We’ll see you off, girlie, and get this lad home if he’s one waiting.”
I smiled at the thoughtfulness of the tavern keeper. He didn’t know there were two waiting for Parrith at home but, now that he’d returned, at least Parrith would know soon. Some of my anger toward Parrith melted away as he gathered himself, scrubbing more dirt from his hands so he didn’t alarm Eletria when he arrived.
“Twas an honor to have you in today, girlie,” the tavern keeper added. “Tell all yer friends and maybe I won’t have to high-tail it like the rest and off to Dust.”
I thanked him again and waved to the others. All five waved goodbye—they woke up Stan specifically for the occasion.
The afternoon shadows had lengthened across Shakerton in my time in the tavern. I readjusted the brim of my hood, glancing about in case those louts from earlier had roused themselves and were looking for some sort of revenge for their failed attack against Eletria, but thankfully, there weren’t any familiar figures in the dust-covered streets.
Alfonse was waiting for me in the stables, just finishing saddling his horse while the stableboy was seeing to Gwinny. “Good you left one of those apples with me,” the boy said as I thanked him for attending to her, which made him blush. Gwinny exhaled loudly through her nostrils over his hair, distressing him further.
“Are you ready, Draeza? We’ll search for Orvald as best we can, but I’ll see that you’re home by truedark.”
I nodded—time to brave the forest again and see what awaited us within.
