So, here's another little snippet of my story. Please feel free to tell me what you think--I really want to know!
********
Chapter 8
Paodin walked into the Amber Stream
Inn and Tavern just as the sun began to set. The tavern was dark, lit by only a
few candles placed sporadically around the room, and the place was empty except
for two grizzled old men seated at opposite ends of the mahogany bar and the
bartender.
The man tending the bar seemed out
of place in the dusty tavern. He wore rich fabrics most often seen on members
of the Royal Court and even in the dim light Paodin could see they were
spotless. His long coat hung open, which Paodin imagined was a result of his
ample stomach outgrowing the buttons. Unlike most of the common men in
Meinsley, the man behind the bar wore his thick red hair cut short. As Paodin
sat down on one of the rickety bar stools the man turned toward him.
“What do you want?” he asked, bored.
“Are you Red?”
“That’s what people call me,” was
his reply.
Ignoring the man’s seeming
indifference, Paodin continued, “Jamis told me to ask for you once I got to
town. He said you may be able to help me.” At Jamis’ name Red’s interest grew,
and when Paodin placed the leather coin purse on the bar his demeanor changed
altogether.
“Ah! Welcome to the Amber. Any
friend of Jamis is a welcome distraction.” Stepping out from behind the bar,
Red motioned for Paodin to follow. “Come. Let’s see what I can do for you.” He
scooped the sachet off the bar and led Paodin through a small door hidden in
the shadows.
The room the two men walked into was
a complete opposite to the dark and dirty tavern. A large desk sat in the
center of the room, polished until it shone. The chair behind the desk was
massive and covered with rich burgundy fabric, looking fit to be one of the
king’s thrones. Red sat down behind the ornately carved desk and motioned for
Paodin to sit down across from him. Leaning back in his personal throne, Red
laced his fingers together across his prominent belly.
“Tell me, what can I do for you?”
Paodin got straight to the point. “I
have a horse, but I need provisions, enough for a three day journey. I also
need a heavy cloak, warm enough for nights in the mountains. I am traveling
to---”
“Your business,” Red cut in, “is
your own. My business is to provide a service, and to do so I have no need of
knowing your destination. By the looks of you, you could use a scabbard and
some boots. Yours appear to be well worn.”
Glancing down at his feet, Paodin
realized the man was right. His boots were all he had still been able to wear
when the old hermit had given him clothes, but they were by no means in good
condition. Looking back up at the big redhead, he said, “There are many things
I could use, but all I have to give you are the coins in the purse--and even
those have been given to me. I have nothing more to offer.”
Red dumped the coins onto his desk,
talking to himself as he counted them. “This will buy enough food and perhaps a
cloak, but it will never spread thin enough for boots or a scabbard. If I get a
cloak from the old woman it will be warm enough and cheaper, though it will not
last as long. Then there would be enough for a scabbard as well. I still
couldn’t procure the boots for any less than two days’ worth of food, though.”
“My boots will serve me well
enough,” Paodin interjected.
Looking up from the coins, Red
ignored Paodin’s statement. “How are you with a bow? Are you a decent hunter?”
“It has been a while since I hunted,
but I was once fair,” was his answer.
“Good. I’ll give you a room for the
night and I won’t even charge you, and then you’ll have your supplies at first
light,” Red said, grinning with pride in himself. “Follow me,” he said as he
stood. “I’ll even give you one of my clean rooms. They’re usually reserved for
my, um, ladies’ guests, but visitors have been few lately!”
Paodin stood, reluctantly following
Red from the room back into the dingy bar room and up a rickety staircase. “You
are certain my provisions will all be ready at first light? I will need to leave
in quite a hurry.”
“Yes, yes,” the man said casually,
pulling at his long coat as the two walked down a grimy hall. “Your horse will
be loaded up, watered, and waiting for you to drag yourself from bed, and your
supplies will be waiting in my records room, which you saw earlier. Don’t you
worry--Red is working even now.” He opened a heavy door that squeaked on its
hinges then stepped in ahead of Paodin. “Lottie, move on down the hall. This
guest doesn’t require your services tonight.”
As Paodin stepped into the room, a
blonde woman in only a skimpy dressing gown brushed past on her way out the
door. Paodin averted his eyes, not wanting to make the girl nervous. “She can
dress first. I don’t wish to inconvenience her.”
Lottie giggled and patted Paodin’s
cheek. “Too bad, Reddie. He’s a real gem!” With that she blew the two men a
kiss and swayed down the hall.
Red laughed, a big hearty laugh that
shook his belly. “You must be exhausted, son! Good night.” He shut the door as
he stepped out of the room, his laughter echoing down the hall.
