Page 8 of The Nightmare Queen
“You’re welcome.” I bite, exhaustion pulling at me.
We guide the horses a few miles further before I couldn’t take it anymore. Our bodies were littered with cuts and bruises and my lack of sleep had finally caught up. No wonder her military is considered professional, if this is what they have to deal with. “It’s your night to take watch.” I say, as I flop onto my mat.One more day,I think as I close myeyelids. One more day, and we’ll be in Oriya. One more day and we will be one step closer to surviving Hadar.
The next day’s ride was simple. No unusual sounds, no beady red eyes, or shifty horses. By nightfall we could hear the city before we actually saw it.
Tall spires of cream buildings with dark brown beams came into view. Relief sinking into my shoulders.People.As we brought our horses closer we could see the buildings were lit with bright orange flames.
“Well, this is shocking considering what lay just a few feet outside it’s borders.” Will mutters. I’m inclined to agree. The place had an energy around it that was in direct contrast with both what I expected of Obsidianandjust experienced out in the outer lands.
I spurred my horse on galloping the rest of the stretch into town. The streets were busy. Vendor carts filled with lively patrons, music from every corner, and not a single person caring to notice us. A tavern comes into view and I pray to whatever god is desperate enough to listen to me that this tavern will have a bed for me to stretch out on. We tie our horses up outside by a water trough, they look in much better shape than Will and I, who drag our dirt and blood covered bodies into the building.
It’s packed.
We elbow our way through to two vacant spots at the bar, a surly woman says ‘hello’ while handing us two mugs filled with a dark drink. I mutter a brief thank you and swivel the stool around to look at the locals. They have darker hair, and mostly darker complexions than the my people, but other than that they don’t seem much different. Loud music plays from one side of the room, people dance in the center, whileothers disappear into alcoves and upstairs. “Can I get ya anything else deary?” The barmaid asks.
“Two beds, if you can.” I say, giving her my best smile. Her nose scrunches at me.I must not look too appealing,I muse. She slides to keys over to me before disappearing down the counter. Will catches my attention with his gagging. “Blech!” He spits his drink back into the mug, coughing and sputtering.
“Lightweight.” I snicker which forces him to look up and scowl at me. He then gestures at my untouched mug.
“You try that and tell me you wouldn’t sputter and gag too. Go on,” he nudges my elbow beckoning me to pick up the mug. I lift it to my lips and sip. I suppress the urge to retch, stopping the drink from coming back up my throat, the burn overwhelming the taste of the alcohol.
“See?” I force the word out of my mouth steadily, but fail to conceal my grimace. Will’s face lights up in a smug grin.
“I told you! Call me a lightweight.” He whines, mindlessly he grabs the mug and takes an accidental sip and ends up repeating the same, spitting, coughing, and sputtering he did just a minute ago.
A large gentleman with fiery red hair, his face marred with a jagged scar cutting through both brow and cheek, looks us up and down as he tips his own mug back. “You two don’t seem like you belong here.”
My mouth curves into a whisper of a smile, polite enough, but not exactly warm and welcoming either. “We have important business here.”
His brow quirks, “Oh? With who? Know just about everyone here. Maybe I can point you in the right direction.”
I shake my head, “I doubt you’d know her personally.”
Lifting his cup again, he gulps down the rest of its contents. “Ah. I see.”Thud!He drops the now empty mug onto the ale logged counter sliding it to the barmaid. The man gets up from his seat swiftly, callingout a farewell to the barmaid and turning towards us. “Well, good luck with your ‘important business’.” His fingers crook into air quotes on the last sentence before he makes his way to the door where a small shadowy figure stands in the arch of it, waiting for him. He loops his arm around her shoulders but the act looks more parental than it does romantic. The hood on her cloak covers her face concealing any features except for two inhuman gold eyes that bore into me. My Wield flickers underneath my skin the longer I hold her stare, only settling down when he urges her out into the street.
“You alright?” Will asks.
I shake my head and refocus on the present company. “Yes, yeah, of course. Tired is all. We should get some rest before tomorrow.” He inclines his head and hands me one of the two keys.
The rooms weren’t anything special but it wouldn’t have mattered, the bed in the center of the small room was all I wanted next to the bathtub that connected our two rooms to each other.
The warm water almost put me to sleep and I had to drag myself out of it and onto the lumpy mattress. Morning I knew would come to quickly. And I was right. Will claimed to have spent fifteen minutes shaking me awake until I finally came too. I had expected to be the more anxious one when it came to our plan to just show up on her doorstep, but it was Will who couldn’t stop fidgeting next to me as we stared up at the imposing castle.
“Do we knock?” He asks. His voice is as twitchy as my Wield, which writhes under my skin in anticipation or maybe that feeling is dread.
CREAKKKKK!
The doors open to reveal a group of guards laughing and spilling out onto the steps. The men nearly colliding with Will and I.
“You.” The guard closest to the opening points at me his voice filling with vitriol. I have to squint for a moment until the recognition hits me,the man from the tavern.Same red hair, same scar, just this time his hair is pulled up and he wears armor.
He sweeps down the steps quickly drawing his sword. The rest of the men follow suit, caging the two of us in. I put him my hands up in mock surrender. “Me.” I say, but his face remains hard. Mistrust and anger taking over. “Based on your clothing today I guess you do know the woman I’m looking for. If you recall, I have business here.”
“Not here you don’t.” He growls, the blade pressing deeper into my shirt.
“Oy!” Someone whistles from inside flagging the redhead over to him, when he doesn’t heed the summons, the other soldier trots down the steps to whisper into his ear. He looks unconvinced of whatever the other man is telling him, nevertheless he drops the sword from my stomach and beckons us to follow him.
“Ror, do you really think this was a good idea?” Will whispers to me, trying to not draw the attention of our silent escorts.