Hands shot out from the blankets trying to grab the Yulari. She danced out of their way and continued to bounce about on the bed. In a flash, the man threw the covers off, catching Azalea by surprise, and knocking her off the bed. She landed hard on her backside as Dao raced past her to the washbasin. The man was naked from the waist up, and Ean couldn't help but notice the field of scars covering his arms and torso. Sticking his head into the empty bowl, the man made a horrible sound that Ean recognized all too well from mornings after he had drank a bit too much. After what sounded like the entire contents of the man's stomach had emptied, Dao wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and gave Azalea a look of utter disgust.
"I was trying to avoid that happening, you foul creature."
"You'll feel better now that you've gotten it up. Which means less complaining that I'll have to deal with from you as we travel."
"So happy for you." For a moment he looked like he might sick up again, but instead swallowed it down. "You do realize the owners of this establishment will charge us extra now to clean this up."
"You've come into a bit of money. I'm sure you can handle the extra coin."
"Yes, well . . . " Dao glanced at Ean, who made sure his expression alone told the man he would receive no help from him. Just because Ean didn't want to waste the effort on being mad at the man for his deception over the food didn't mean he had forgotten about it. Dao gave an over exaggerated sigh. "I suppose you have a point."
"Of course I do."
Azalea climbed off the bed and began the process of putting on the rest of her armor. At the same time, Dao moved to his things and began to root around until he pulled out a small metal flask. Twisting off the top, he took a long swig, gave a shudder, then replaced the cap, and put the flask away. When he started getting dressed as well, he seemed to be in a better condition. Dao still moved to the washbasin every now and then, but he didn't get sick again. With nothing else to do while they got ready, Ean decided to rouse the still slumbering imp.
"Time to get up, Zin," he said, giving his friend a gentle prod.
"If you didn't think I was already up with how loud you've all been," Zin said, his eyes still closed. "Then you're a fool. I've just felt no need to get up or add anything to the conversation."
"Well, we're almost ready to go now."
"Almost. It’s not like I have to pack up anything. Now leave me be until we are ready to walk out the door. Between you talking in your sleep and the Yulari flopping about, my sleep wasn't exactly restful either."
"Be happy I even let you onto my bed, imp," Azalea said as she pulled on a sleeve of her armor. When Zin didn't reply, she looked over at him and frowned, then started beating the mattress with her hand. "Did you hear me?"
"Not getting pulled into an argument with you, Yulari."
"Nobody is any fun in the morning . . . " Azalea mumbled and returned her attention to her armor.
They finished getting ready in silence. With nothing else to do while the others went about their business, Ean sat on the bed next to Zin and let his mind wander. As much as he tried to think of other things, his thoughts kept going back to his nightmares. The people of Rottwealth had always disliked him. Maybe that had been because they had seen something in him even before he had gotten his hands on the Abyssmal Tome. When he arrived in Rensen a few weeks ago, the people had greeted him like a hero, a wonderful feeling he would never forget. Did they now, after he had blown a hole in the inn wall and fought a Seeker out in their streets? On top of that fiasco, the followers of Alistar had been spreading half-truths and full-out lies about him. And who could forget how the priests of Ni'Aren had barred him from entering the temple? It seemed like wherever he went, he invariably ended up on everyone's bad side.
That covered a good amount of the people of Ven Khilada. Now, the people of the Deadlands . . . no, he needed to think of them as Zu'raians. The Zu'raians had two seasons’ time to spread tales of his part in the destruction of Ulundkin and the people there. Even though Ean hadn't been the sole cause of the town's destruction, could he fault the survivors for laying all of the blame at his feet? Didn't he deserve some of it for unleashing the creature that caused the damage, even if unintentionally?
So many questions that he couldn't answer. Couldn't hope to ever find the answers for. They hammered him with doubt worse than the Plague battering against his defenses. By the time the others had finished getting ready and were leaving the room, Ean's mood had sunk into a pit darker than a starless sky.
They moved down the hallway in silence. Zin disappeared and ran off ahead, the distorted blur that marked his presence vanishing down the stairway. When Azalea placed a hand on his back, her concern flashed through their bond for a moment and sliced through his dark thoughts like a ray of light bursting through storm clouds before being swallowed up again. The thought of shrugging off her hand crossed his mind, but even in as dark of a place as he was, he wouldn't let it ruin one of the rare moments that Azalea let a little humanity override the walls she had built around herself.
When they reached the first floor, Dao handed a purse over to Ean.
"I'll go load up our things and bring our horse and cart around front. You square things up with the owner. And don't let Azalea say a word. I don't want to get overcharged for anything else."
Ean grunted a reply. In his current mood, he might be just as detrimental to the man's purse as Azalea would.
As Dao exited out the back, Ean and Azalea made their way to the bar. The common room was empty of people, which caught Ean as strange. He never frequented the common room of inns on a regular basis, usually just walked through or had a drink and meal while spending the night.
Not this morning though. The room was bare. Not a single waitress bustled about cleaning up from the night before, and neither of the sisters that owned the establishment sat behind the bar. A voice in the back of his mind tried to point out how odd it seemed, but his dark mood smothered it. Who knows how the people of this land behaved? An empty common room in the morning could be normal.
"Oh well." Azalea said, leaning over and looking behind the bar. "Not here. Guess we don't have to worry about--"
Ean rapped his knuckles on the bar. The sound of his hand hitting the wood echoed through the room.
"I suppose we are waiting then," Azalea grumbled.
It took three more loud knocks before one of the sisters–Bora maybe–pushed open the door behind the bar and stormed out.
"What idiot . . . " When she saw them, Bora paused. Her face went completely blank for a few moments, then the scowl returned. "Expected you to just sneak out."
"No, I'm here to settle whatever extra charges for the room--"
"Just leave your key and be off with ya."
"Are you sure? My friend . . . "
"Leave it and go." Without waiting for a response the woman spun and walked back through the door behind her.
Azalea let out a laugh. "What a lovely woman. We really should stop by here again when we make the trip back home."
"Come on, Azalea." Ean tossed the key on the bar and headed towards the door, his boots clunking against the floorboards. He found the whole situation unsettling. Azalea, on the other hand, seemed undisturbed. Her attention seemed to be fully on him.
"So now that it’s the two of us, will you talk to me?"
"About what?"
"Don't be daft. I'm smart enough to know it's your bad dreams that makes you act so surly and taint our connection. Just so you know, your mood tastes like dung.”
"If you don't like the way I act or taste, why are you still here?"
"Well, if you know everything, what is there left to talk about?"
Ean stumbled as a sharp pain flashed across his ear. Touching it gingerly with his fingers, he was surprised to find a few drops of blood on his gloves. Worried about being attacked, Ean spun and found Azalea staring at him with her arms crossed and her eyes smoldering.
"Did you just cut me?"
"You deserved it. If you're going to keep acting like a grumpy child, I will discipline you as one."
Ean's mouth worked, but he couldn't find the words to say how he felt. He didn't even know how he felt.
"Now stop being a baby. Since we're the only ones here, tell me what's bothering you."
"Nothing worth talking about." Ean dodged another swipe of her hand and hurried towards the door. He appreciated her unique way of showing she cared, but he just could not handle talking about things right now.
"You come back here, Ean." Azalea was storming towards him. He picked up his pace and reached the door with the Yulari close on his heels. "We are going to talk about this right now."
Just as he passed through the door, she got a hand on his arm and tried pulling him back in. She was strong, but Ean had momentum on his side and pulled her outside.
"Ean, we need--" Azalea cut off. It took Ean a few moments to realize why.
Surrounding the front of the inn looked to be the majority of the citizens of Driavarage.
And they did not look happy.
Chapter 25
A sharp wind picked up, creating a shrill whistle as it blew through town. It was the only sound Ean heard as he stared back at what could be the entire population of Driavarage. Azalea pressed up against his back. Her grip had tightened on his arm and a mixture of nervousness and fear flowed through their bond. Ean tried to send reassurance and comfort back to her, but at the moment he was in short supply of both.
The wind died off just as suddenly as it had started. The silence it left in its wake thundered against his ears. Ean felt the weight of dozens of eyes pressing against him. Whatever was going on, it was not good.
"Ean," Azalea whispered. "What is this?"
"I don't know," he whispered in reply. "But I'm going to find out."
"Wait!" she hissed.
But Ean was already moving. He took a couple of steps and checked to make sure his scarf was tightly around his face before he lifted his hands in a peaceful gesture.
"Hello there." The words sounded stupid as soon as they left his mouth, but he had no idea how else to address a mob. "I'm assuming you are all here to see me?"
A man stepped forward from the crowd. His dark blue skin was highlighted by a mop of blonde hair and a well-trimmed beard. He was a good head taller than most of the other villagers and walked with the gait of a man that expected people to get out of his way. Hanging on his belt was a pair of farmer's hand sickles at each hip. Ean's stomach dropped as he realized the man was wearing a suit of leather armor similar to his own, except with dark red plates. It was the exact same armor the guards had worn in Ulundkin.
"We are looking for you," the man said. "And the two others you came into town with."
"Why?"
The man raised a hand and waved it forward.
Two men, dressed in plain clothes dragged another man out of the crowd by his arms. The prisoner's clothes were a mess, covered in grime and dark stains. A trickle of blood ran from his nose, one eye was swollen shut, and his lip was cut in two places.
"This man–," said the leader of the group, looking at the prisoner for a moment before locking his gaze back on Ean. "This man purchased food from the other man that travels with you. I believe his name is Dao?"
Ean tried to remain calm, but something in the man's voice rubbed him the wrong way. "So?"
"So the food was fresh. It is clear he somehow got it from the lands to the South. As I'm sure you are aware, no one in Zu'raia has seen fresh food in quite a long time. We want to know how you acquired it."
"We? The entire town?"
"Yes," the man said simply. A small murmur of agreement rustled through the crowd before a look from the man silenced them.
Ean was starting to get annoyed. "And who are you to be speaking for an entire town?"
"Jalvar Cindersown." He said it in a way that made it sound like he was naming a god. The murmur that arose again from the crowd seemed to confirm its importance. It meant nothing to Ean.
"Well, Jalvar," Ean said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. As pompous as the man was, he did have a whole town of people behind him. "We're simple traders trying to make some coin. I'm sure you will understand if I don't want to give away where I get my supply. If I did, anyone could go and find it. Then we'd have dozen of competitors." It was a fine enough lie.
"You would take advantage of the misfortunes of your own people?"
Jalvar's hand moved towards his side for a moment, but instead of grabbing one of his weapons, he raised his hand and waved to someone behind Ean. Both Azalea and Ean turned to see who the man was signaling. Three burley men had a firm hold of Dao, holding him up on his feet, which dragged along the ground. Dao seemed to be in even worse shape than the other prisoner. His face was a mosaic of purple bruises and both of his eyes were swollen shut. The way he bobbled around in the other men's grips made it appear that he was unconscious.
Rounding back on Jalvar, Ean took a few steps towards the man. All thoughts of diplomacy fled from his anger.
"Why did you do that to him?"
"When he was confronted about the food, he tried to flee town. We stopped him and made sure he wouldn't try again anytime soon."
That caught Ean by surprise. Sure, Dao had only known them for a short time and had doubted Ean's motivations. But to abandon them? He was working for The Silent King. Surely he wouldn't abandon his king's orders at the first sign of trouble. Especially when he had been the one to cause it. No, this Jalvar fellow must be lying.
"We are on a mission for The Silent King. He would not--"
"He is not here," Jalvar said, his face contorting into a scowl. "We haven't heard from the capital since the events that happened in Ulundkin. Our king has abandoned us." More mumbles of agreement from the crowd. "So you will tell us where you received your supply of food and how we can get more. If you are lucky, we will sell you some of that food and you can take it back to Novufyr. That way, maybe The Silent King won't punish you too harshly."
"And if I told you there wasn't any more food?"
"Then we wouldn't need any of you at all."
Ean didn't have to guess what that implied. Time to try a different tactic.
"We can get more untainted food, but first we have to go to Novufyr."
"Or you could get to the city and hide behind its walls. Tell The Silent King how the people of Driavarage have turned against him." Jalvar shook his head. "You must think me a fool."
"I think you are a fool for going against your . . . our Silent King." Ean was struggling with himself. Part of him wanted to find a peaceful solution. Another part wanted to put this man in his place. Or at the very least make him nervous.
"The Silent King is waiting for us. If we don't arrive, he will send people to find out what happened. Once he learns the truth–and he will learn the truth–your town will share the same fate as Ulundkin."
Jalvar's eyes went wide for a moment, then a fire seemed to ignite behind them. When the man spoke, his voice was as cold as a winter's chill. "Are you saying The Silent King was really behind the destruction of Driavarage?"
"No, I didn't . . . " Ean trailed off as a thought struck him. Why not let the people here believe that lie? Let the blame for what happened to Ulundkin shift from Ean to The Silent King. After all, he held no alliance with the leader of this land. The people of this village already seemed to hold some animosity towards him. Why not take advantage of that to clear his name?
The temptation to blame The Silent King slid to the tip of his tongue, but he clamped his mouth shut. If he lied now, he wouldn't be any better than the monster the rumors claimed him to be.
"No, The Silent King had nothing to do with Ulundkin. I was just saying you shouldn't go against him."
"Then your threats are meaningless. Stop wasting our time." Jalvar made a motion towards the men holding Dao. One of them pulled out a knife with his free hand and held it up to Dao's throat.
&n
bsp; "Wait!" Ean raised his hands, first looking at the men carrying Dao, then at Jalvar. "Wait. Dao is the one that knows how to get the food. If you kill him, then you lose the only connection you have to it."
"Then we don't need you."
Jalvar moved faster than Ean expected. One of the sickles appeared in his hand, and before Ean even knew what was happening, a blinding pain lanced through his neck. He grabbed his throat with both hands, his gloved fingers finding injured skin becoming damp. Ean's knees buckled as the strength left them, and he struggled to comprehend what was going on. Somewhere behind him he thought he heard a woman scream, but everything seemed like he was hearing it through a damp cloth. His vision blurred and grew dark. He was face down on the ground now, his eyes growing heavy. The last thing Ean saw before his eyes closed was a thin trickle of red trailing in the dirt leading away from him . . .
***
Zin dropped to his knees in shock, the pain of hitting the wooden tiles of the roof not even registering. It had all happened so fast. One moment Ean and the man in the red armor were talking, the next, Ean was face down on the ground, his life spilling out from his neck and into the dirt. Azalea was on her knees as well. Zin had heard her scream, but now her hands covered her mouth. Six men were moving towards her, each with a weapon or sharp farming tool in their hands. The man in red stepped over the now still form of Ean and approached her as well. He still had a sickle in his hand. Its blade was now covered in red.
Zin struggled with indecision. Ean was down. Dao was unconscious. Azalea, even with her strength and speed, might not be able to handle six men and the man in red. She might be able to take a few of them, but then the rest of the town would realize how dangerous she was and she would eventually be mobbed. He had to help her get away. Cause some kind of distraction. Dao would have to fend for himself. There was no way they could escape if Azalea was dragging him along as well. As for Ean . . .
Enemies and Allies (Bound to the Abyss Book 3) Page 21
