The name was unfamiliar. Not a place I’d stayed many times then, at least.Halfway.Perhaps I’d found myself in Elrune, the midpoint between the capital and Literra. “Because Elrune is the halfway mark from the castle to the port?”
She snorted. “Among other reasons, yes.”
I narrowed my brows, not following. The innkeeper picked up the bottle and handed it over. “I enjoy a play on words.” She sucked in her lips and leaned over the table, her attention going pointedly below my waist. “Though with you, half might be all I could take anyway.”
“Half—” I cut myself off, catching her innuendo. I drew a sharp breath and released it. “I am in need of clothing.”
Without skipping a beat, Maerel grinned. “It would appear you are, and I am now in need of a cock.” When I spluttered on the wine, she laughed, and I met her gaze with a sharp expression. She gestured with her chin to the dead rooster on the counter behind her. “I only had the one.”
“Then you shouldn’t have wrung its neck,” I retorted. Sharpness was not the answer, so despite my irritation, I drew a calming breath. If I did not aim to seduce the woman, perhaps I could play at vulnerability or offer compensation. “If you have clothing to spare, I would be grateful. I can send coin to you when I return to my stead.” If I survived long enough to do so. If the castle remained under Harlan’s rule. I swallowed.
“Ididn’t wring its neck,” she countered. Addressing me with her gaze, she released a sigh. “Very well. Stay here and I’ll get you some clothes.”Maerel made for the stairs near the back of the room. “There’s nothing worth stealing in here, and if you try, I will call for the soldiers in the front room,” she said with her back to me.
While I waited, I took another drink of the wine. In the other room, a man roared with laughter.
“Whyhaven’tyou called those men in after me?” I asked when Maerel returned a few minutes later with a stack of folded clothes and a pair of boots. I knew such a question may give me insight into her intentions.Skirting the table, she came to stand directly before me. I raised my chin and took the clothing from her.
“It’s not every day a handsome young man shows up naked in my kitchen. Maybe if I keep you around a while, you’ll warm to me.”
I grunted and drew an off-white cotton shirt from the pile, then stepped into the pants.Acquire clothing and coin, then get word to Harlan. Whatever it takes.
Maerel leaned against the table. “Do they fit alright? They were my husband’s.”
“They fit.”
“Good. Now I believe you owe me some answers. Why are you naked in my kitchen?”
I balanced on one foot, sliding on a cotton sock, then trying a boot. It was a bit tight, but would suffice. “I was with a woman. When I woke, my clothes and coin were gone.” The simpler a lie, the closer it was to the truth, and the less likely I was to stumble over it.
“So, you came to steal clothes?” Maerel deduced. Blunt but fair.
“What option did I have?”
Brushing past my question, the innkeeper pressed on. “What is her name? The woman you were with?”
“That’s not something for me to share,” I grunted, forcing my other foot into the too-snug boot.
“Didn’t think to ask?” Maerel raised a brow.
Again, I had to force down the sting of irritation. “She chose not to tell me.”
The innkeeper’s eyes were knowing, and her expression softened. “That bothers you.”
It did.I set my jaw. This wasn’t about the woman; it was about my duty to my brother, to do whatever it took to protect him and unravel the threat within the castle walls.
The last article of clothing was a worn cloak; its dark fabric was coarse between my fingers. It would give some concealment, at least, but I would need to crop my hair short or tie it back with a cord to keep the wind from stirring it out of the hood. I drew it over my head, and Maerel stepped to me.
With a familiar comfort that was out of place, she adjusted the clasp. “You’re young to have gray hair.”
“I am,” I dismissed. “I will send coin for the clothing. And the rooster. Within a fortnight. I am grateful for your assistance.”
“You speak with too much formality for a man who was standing naked before me only moments ago.”
Unsure how to reply or how to dismiss myself after the first attempt was rebuked, I took another drink of the wine to cover my discomfort. Where would I acquire coin? An unsettling dread clamped down on me. “I’ve found in my profession that being well spoken lends me to greater positions. Now, unless you have work for me, I must be on my way.”
The corner of her lips quirked up. “The days following the festival of Ayrenven bring many travelers and ruffians through my inn.”
“You require protection?” It was too easy; a trickle of guilt edged at my conscience. To fake being a routier, however, was not far off from my training. “For board and coin, I can keep the drunkards from causing problems for your establishment.”
