Soldiers of the Crown by Stephen L. Nowland

Author:Stephen L. Nowland [Nowland, Stephen L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

A pounding sensation in his head brought Aiden back to consciousness, although it was some time before he remembered how to open his eyes. The sound of someone groaning nearby could be heard, and the noise made him nauseous.

Unsure of where he was or why he was feeling so terrible, Aiden looked around with bleary eyes, noting that he seemed to be inside his room at the inn. Light was streaming in through the window, blinding him and making the room spin. Actually, the room was spinning anyway, and it was all he could do to hold on to the mattress with both hands to prevent himself from being thrown off.

Eventually, the room settled down and Aiden celebrated by throwing up into the chamber pot nearby. He even managed to get some of it on target. He slumped down on the floor afterwards, reaching over with unsteady hands to grab a pitcher of water that was sitting on the small table near his bed. A few minutes later, he was starting to feel a little better, so he rose unsteadily to his feet and tidied up his hair.

This was his first experience at getting drunk, and he failed to see the appeal. Flickering images of the previous evening flashed through his mind, but none of them made any sense. Across the room, Pacian was still in his bed, drifting in and out of a restless sleep and snoring loudly.

Aiden’s hearing was playing tricks on him, for the snoring emanating from Pacian’s bed seemed to be echoing. Peering closely at his bed, Aiden realised there was actually someone else under the blankets with him. It was only when they rolled over that Aiden saw Valennia amidst the tangle of blankets.

Shaking his head in amazement at his old friend, Aiden left Pacian to his fate and staggered out the door, heading down to the washroom. He poured a bucket of fresh water into a tub and dunked his head into the icy cold water to shock himself back to sobriety.

The sound of people chatting casually in the common room swept over him as he walked through the door making the walk over to the bar more challenging than it should have been. He gingerly sat down on one of the stools and ordered some stew, silently hoping it was going to stay down.

“You’re looking worse for wear, mate,” Ronan suddenly said, having sat down next to him without being noticed.

“Don’t shout,” Aiden begged, clutching at his head, drawing a quiet laugh from the laconic sailor.

“I wasn’t. First time, huh?” he remarked, receiving a slight nod from Aiden in reply. “Yeah I don’t remember my first time either. Anyway, I’ve got some important news for you.”

“Can it wait?” Aiden rasped as his breakfast was presented by a waitress who was looking at him strangely.

“If it could wait, it wouldn’t be important,” Ronan replied, looking around to make sure no one else was listening. “While you and your friends were drinking, I went

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