by Dean Cadman
“That looks promising,” Neala said, pointing towards a large well-lit building at the edge of town. It was obviously a tavern, and judging by the music and voices they could hear, a very popular one at that. As they approached they could clearly hear a female voice singing inside. Neala knew that it wasn’t uncommon for travelling minstrels to frequent the taverns and inns between major towns and cities. They would commonly offer their services in exchange for free board and lodgings, and more often than not, the tavern or inn owner was happy to oblige them. Having a good quality minstrel perform in your establishment almost guaranteed more coin would be taken over the bar. Neala had heard many minstrels perform in Stelgad, as well as on her travels outside of the city, but she had heard very few with a voice as clear as this one.
“The Rotten Oak,” Lusam said, pointing to the sign outside the tavern and grimacing. “I hope it’s only the name that’s ‘Rotten’.”
Neala chuckled. “I’m fairly certain it is.”
“Oh?”
Neala sighed to herself. She kept forgetting what a sheltered life Lusam had led before meeting her. She doubted that he’d even been in many taverns or inns in his life, and even more certain that if he had, they wouldn’t have been the higher quality establishments like this one.
“Can you hear that minstrel singing inside?” Neala asked.
“Of course. Why?”
“Well, she’s very good. In fact, from what I can tell out here, she’s probably one of the best I’ve ever heard. You see, minstrels travel from place to place offering their services in exchange for board and lodgings. If they’re good enough, like she is, they can choose which taverns or inns to visit. Although I’m no expert when it comes to minstrels, I know someone with a voice like hers could take their pick. So I’m willing to bet that the food and beds here are excellent, too. In fact, I’m more worried about what it will cost us to stay here, especially with us being so low on coins right now.”
Just then Lusam caught the scent of freshly cooked meat drifting on the breeze from the kitchen at the rear of the Tavern. The delicious smell almost dizzied him, and he began salivating at the thought of what could be producing such a wonderful aroma. He hadn’t realised just how hungry the continual use of magic had made him until now. He knew that they only had about fifty gold coins left, but right at that moment he would have gladly given every one of them for a taste of whatever was cooking in that kitchen.
“Let me guess. You’re hungry?” Neala said, noticing the yearning look on his face. Lusam grinned widely at her. Neala shook her head and rolled her eyes at him. “Why did I even bother asking?” she said under her breath, then added aloud, “Before we go inside, you’d best take out a few coins and put the rest away safe. Trust me, you don’t want to be flashing those gold coins around in there.”
“I thought you said it would be a respectable place to stay,” Lusam said, slightly confused.
Again, Neala rolled her eyes at him. “I’m sure it is, but a good minstrel doesn’t only attract more paying customers. They also attract thieves, and usually more than one. It’s the perfect place for us to ply our trade. A busy location where most of the patrons will eventually drink too much, and where they will often dip into their pockets to buy ale, food, or even tip the minstrel. So I suggest we keep a low profile in there. Don’t be asking the barkeep about horses or supplies, we can figure that out ourselves in the morning. The last thing we need is for someone overhear that we have enough coin to buy horses and supplies with us.”
Lusam nodded mutely and removed several coins from his pouch, before securing it safely back inside his tunic. Neala leaned in and kissed his cheek, feeling slightly guilty for the way she’d just spoken to him. But she knew it was for his own good.
“What was that for?” he asked, grinning at her.
“Because I love you. Now give me those coins, and let me do the talking,” she said, holding out her hand and smiling back at him. He dropped the coins into her palm without a word, then followed her into the Tavern.
Neala pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside, the heat within the large room felt welcoming against her chilled face and hands. The delightful aromas of freshly cooked food and fine ale and wine assaulted her senses, causing even her stomach to growl in anticipation. She took in the entire room in one casual glance, locating any potential threats, and marking two other exits from the building. It was an old habit, but one which had served her well throughout her years as a thief.
Several patrons looked up as the tavern door swung open, but they quickly returned their attention back to the female minstrel in the corner of the room. Her voice was clear and strong as she expertly sang a well-known love ballad. She strummed at her lever harp flawlessly, punctuating each rise and fall of her voice with the appropriate notes. She momentarily locked eyes with Neala, and after the briefest of pauses gave her a wide friendly smile, before shifting her gaze to Lusam and doing the same.
Neala almost immediately spotted two potential thieves within the tavern. One she was certain about by the way he had watched her and Lusam enter the tavern, and also by the way he now scanned their clothing for any sign of hidden items or coin. The other man she suspected simply because of where he had chosen to sit. She knew that he might be nothing more than a regular patron, there to enjoy the music and ale. But she also knew that if she wanted to watch the entire room, as well as overhear many of the conversations, there was no better place to sit than where he had chosen.
Neala walked slowly and purposely towards the barkeep, a man almost as wide as he was tall. He looked to be in his middle years, with a balding head and a barrel chest. Old military tattoos covered his exposed muscular forearms, signalling a former life spent in uniform. His friendly brown eyes peered out from beneath a set of thick dark eyebrows, and he wore a welcoming smile on his face as she approached.
Just before reaching the bar, Neala glanced over her shoulder towards Lusam. She had intended to see who else in the room might pose a threat to them, but instead, something else grabbed her attention. She couldn’t help noticing that the female minstrel was watching Lusam intently as he crossed the room, never once taking her eyes off him. The minstrel suddenly noticed Neala looking in her direction, and gave her a disarming smile, before returning her attention back to her instrument and the other patrons in the room. Anger flushed Neala’s cheeks at the minstrel’s brazenness. She knew how liberal minstrels often were with their affections, both male and female. They were well known throughout the land for bedding anyone who took their fancy, or even anyone who tipped them handsomely enough for that matter.
“Is everything alright?” Lusam asked quietly, noticing how she was staring at the minstrel. Neala almost dared her to look up in his direction again, but she kept her head down and continued to sing her ballad.
“Yes,” Neala replied testily, dragging her eyes off the minstrel to look at Lusam. He had the look of a small child who’d just been scolded by an adult, and she couldn’t help smiling at him. “Yes, everything is fine, don’t worry,” she said, taking hold of his hand and pulling him gently towards the counter.
“Welcome to The Rotten Oak. What can I get you two lovebirds?” the barkeep asked, jovially. He had obviously seen her reaction to the minstrel’s attention of Lusam, and she wasn’t the least bit surprised by that. There was a well-known saying throughout Afaraon: if the barkeep doesn’t know what’s going on in the room, neither do the Gods. Neala didn’t believe that literally, of course, but the saying certainly held merit. Her old thieves’ guild, The Crows, had employed many barkeeps as spies, and she was certain that many other guilds did so too.
Neala smiled at the barkeep and leaned over the counter so he could better hear her voice above the singing. “We’d like a room for the night, please, and some food and ale too,” Neala said, keeping her voice low enough so that it didn’t travel too far.
“Of course. Have you stayed with us before at The Rotten Oak?” he asked, obvio
usly knowing that they hadn’t.
“No, it’s our first time,” Neala replied.
“Well, as you can see, we offer a friendly and relaxing atmosphere here at The Rotten Oak. And we would like to keep it that way,” he said looking directly at Neala, making her cheeks flush with anger for the second time that evening. He was no doubt concerned that she might confront the minstrel and cost him lost trade, as well as the possible future goodwill of the minstrel herself. Neala forced a smile onto her face and nodded her understanding, but made no verbal assurances to him.
“Good,” the barkeep said, smiling back at her. “I have no reason to doubt you, and you know what they say… the customer is always right…”
“…and it’s the barkeep that decides who is still a customer,” Neala finished for him.
“Ah… excellent. I see that we understand each other perfectly then,” he said, grinning widely at her. “The cost of the room is fifty silver, and that includes the use of a bath, as well as breakfast in the morning. The food I’m not so sure about. I’ll have to check with the cook to see what she has left at this late hour, but I’m sure she can rustle you something up in any case.”
Neala nodded again and placed a gold coin on the counter. The barkeep looked at the coin but didn’t attempt to take it. If he was surprised by the colour of it, he didn’t show it. Instead, he took down a key from one of the hooks behind the bar and placed it on the counter next to the gold coin.
“If you will excuse me for a moment, I’ll go speak with the cook to see what she can offer you two lovebirds to eat,” he said, bowing his head slightly and disappearing through a doorway behind the bar.
“What was all that about?” Lusam whispered in her ear.
Neala shook her head slightly. “I’ll tell you later,” she whispered back. There was a large mirror behind the bar, and whilst the barkeep had been speaking with her, she had been surreptitiously watching the man who she suspected of being a thief. He had been taking an unnatural interest in them for someone supposedly there to enjoy the music and entertainment of a minstrel. His attention had been piqued even further when she had placed the gold coin on the counter.
Neala turned towards the man, leaning against the counter with one elbow, and made direct eye contact with him. With her other hand, she momentarily brushed back one side of her tunic to reveal two of her throwing knives. She knew the thief would take the opportunity to see what was hidden beneath her clothing, but judging by his face, he never expected to see her knives. His eyes snapped up to meet hers, and she gave him an almost imperceptible shake of her head in warning. She saw the recognition in his eyes even before he bobbed his own head slightly to acknowledge her warning. Without a word, he stood up from his seat and took his drink to another table at the opposite end of the tavern. She was fairly certain that he was not local to the area. If he had been, he would no doubt have challenged her right to be there. Instead, he probably thought it was her patch, and as such, relinquished the spot to her. It wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that he followed the minstrel from town to town, knowing that rich pickings awaited him at each venue. If that was the case, he would be used to being subservient to any local thieves. To do otherwise would mean almost certain death at the hands of a local guild. It was generally true that there was honour amongst thieves, and few would kill him without a warning first.
Neala was startled out of her reverie by the returning barkeep. “I guess you’re in luck. The cook said she has plenty of roast beef and potatoes left to serve two people, along with vegetables and bread. If that’s agreeable to you, I’ll get one of the serving boys to bring it out when it’s ready, along with a couple of mugs of our finest ale and your change?” he said, finally picking up the gold coin from the counter.
Neala opened her mouth to reply, but Lusam beat her to it. “Yes, very agreeable. Thank you,” he said enthusiastically. Neala had already picked out a suitable table for them over near the back wall, and pointed it out to the barkeep. She had always preferred keeping her back to the wall whenever possible in establishments of this nature. It was yet another habit she had picked up from her former life as a thief, but one she didn’t ever intend to change. Not having to worry about who might be behind her whilst she drank or ate, certainly added to the relaxation of it.
“We’ll be over there,” Neala said, nodding towards the empty table, “and thank you.”
The barkeep smiled at her. “My pleasure. I’m always happy to help if I can. Besides, you must know what the official barkeep motto is, right?”
Neala looked at his face and could tell he was teasing her. She wasn’t in the mood for it, but she decided to indulge him anyway, seeing as he had been so helpful. “No… sorry, I don’t know it,” she replied, shaking her head slightly. The barkeep’s smile widened, as if he had just won some great battle of wits with her.
“A good barkeep should always try to be the reason why someone smiles today… or the reason they drink. Whatever works,” he said, winking at her. Neala couldn’t help smiling at his words.
“You’re just overflowing with wisdom today,” she replied sarcastically, shaking her head at him. He chuckled at her reaction, then turned and disappeared through the same doorway without another word. Neala picked up the room key from the counter, then led the way towards their table with Lusam following close behind. She glanced twice at the minstrel on the way to their table, but neither time did she catch her looking at Lusam again.
They soon made themselves comfortable at their chosen table, but Neala found herself unable to look away from the minstrel. She knew that she had no reason to be jealous of her. It was just that she was so pretty. Pretty, and talented. Her voice was almost as heavenly as Aysha’s herself. And her hair… Neala would have given anything to have hair like hers. It was perfect. Long, straight and golden. And her lips… how could any man resist those sensual red lips of hers? Just at that moment the minstrel glanced up and noticed Neala staring at her. She smiled at her, revealing a set of perfect white teeth as she continued singing her love ballad. It was very brief, but Neala definitely saw her make eye contact with Lusam again, and her blood began to boil once more. Fortunately for the minstrel, and probably for Neala as well, the food arrived at that precise moment. Whether it was intentional, or completely by coincidence, the young serving boy stood directly in Neala’s line of sight to the minstrel, blocking the view of her entirely.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?” the young boy asked, placing the two tankards of ale in front of them, along with their change.
“Err… No. No, that will be fine, thank you,” Neala replied, handing the young boy a few silver coins from the change.
His eyes lit up at the sight of the silver coins. “Thank you very much, madam,” he said bowing his head slightly. “I hope you enjoy your food.” With that, he spun on his heels and half skipped across the floor of the tavern.
“That was a generous tip for a serving boy,” Lusam said, between mouthfuls of food.
“What? Oh… yes, sorry. I wasn’t really thinking straight,” Neala replied.
“Yes, I’ve noticed that you’ve been acting a little… strange, ever since we first arrived here. Is there a problem that I should know about?”
“No, it’s nothing important. Eat your food before it gets cold,” Neala replied in a motherly tone.
Lusam chuckled. “No fear of that,” he replied, with a mouth half full of food. Just at that moment, the minstrel brought her song to an end, and with a final flourish of notes on her lever harp, the crowd roared their appreciation, startling Neala slightly. The crowd cheered and clapped loudly, as a tall skinny man circulated amongst them collecting tips in a hat. Neala hadn’t noticed him before, but he was obviously with the minstrel. No doubt as protection, she thought. The man eventually reached their table, and reluctantly, Neala dropped a couple of coins into his hat.
When Neala looked back up, she saw the minstrel once again looking directly at h
er and Lusam. She smiled divinely in their direction and nodded her head in thanks for the coin. Neala’s cheeks flushed with anger once more, but before she could finish chewing her mouth-full of food, the minstrel raised a hand to quieten the crowd so that she could speak. She quickly brought the crowd under control, then masterfully made them wait for what she would say next. When she finally spoke, not a sound could be heard in the room, apart from her own crystal clear voice.
“My next song is one, I’m sure, that many of you have been waiting to hear all evening.” With that, a murmur of excited whispers rippled throughout the room, but she raised her hand, and as one they ceased almost instantly. She played a dozen slow notes on her lever harp, as if teasing the crowd with what was to come. But for every one of those slow notes, she never took her eyes off Neala and Lusam. And even when she finally spoke, her eyes remained firmly fixed on them both.
“This one is called… The Heroes of Lamuria.”
The crowd roared with their appreciation, and Lusam almost choked on his food.
Chapter Four
Lusam listened slack-jawed as the minstrel recounted to music the terrible events of that fateful day outside Lamuria. Some of the details which she sang about were true, but most of it either never happened at all, or if it did, it occurred in a far less dramatic fashion than she was depicting in her song. Some of her over-embellishments were quite staggering to hear, and he couldn’t help flushing brightly under her almost constant gaze.
Neala also couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and scanned the room frantically for any signs of recognition by the other patrons. It was obvious that the minstrel suspected who they were, but the question was, had anyone else in the room recognised them? Neala suddenly saw the minstrel’s earlier interest in Lusam in an entirely different light, and it made her feel slightly foolish at how she had overreacted. As she listened in disbelief to the words of the song, she couldn’t help cringing every time her name was mentioned. Especially when she heard some of the outrageous things that she had supposedly done. Such as single-handedly killing thousands of undead minions with nothing more than a knife and her undying love for Lusam. Or her incredibly heroic feat of rescuing an entire battalion of paladins, who if not for her interventions, would have met with their certain demise under the deadly touch of Aamon’s evil creations. But all of that paled into insignificance compared to what Lusam had supposedly done during the battle.
