The Congruent Wizard (The Congruent Mage Series Book 2) by Schroeder Dave

Author:Schroeder, Dave [Schroeder, Dave]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: fantasy
Publisher: Spiral Arm Press
Published: 2017-12-23T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 38

Inside the Dormant Dragon

“Well, well,” said Dârio with a bit of a sneer as Eynon and Merry entered the common room of the Dormant Dragon. “So glad you could join us.”

“Your Majesty,” said Fercha. “Don’t be an ass.”

“Sorry,” said Dârio. “It’s hard to drop the role when I’m among friends.”

“Not to mention you’re so good at it,” said Nûd.

“Hey,” said Dârio.

“Nûd,” said Fercha. “Behave. It isn’t easy being king of Dâron.”

Nûd shook his head. “Sorry, Mother. That’s a job I’d never want.”

Fercha sighed and glanced at Damon. The old wizard was studiously looking down at the bowl on the trestle table in front of him. He was focused on a honey-and-raisin baked apple wrapped in a sweet pastry crust.

The common room of the inn was large—larger than needed by a town as small as Arthábben, thought Eynon, unless there was something about the place he wasn’t aware of. It held six long trestle tables with benches on either side. A sizable stone fireplace filled the left-hand wall, while a wide, well-worked tapestry depicting a sleeping blue dragon hung on the wall to the right, next to the stairs. That explains the name of the place, Eynon considered. I’d rather deal with a sleeping dragon than one wide awake and angry. A polished wooden bar with a pass-through to the kitchen behind it occupied the side of the room across from the entrance.

“Innkeeper,” said Dârio. “Two mugs of cider for my friends. They must be thirsty.”

A solid-looking middle-aged woman in pants, not skirts, nodded at Dârio and drew mugs of rich brown liquid from a barrel. She put them on a tray and collected a platter of bread and cheese from a slender woman about the same age on the other side of the pass-through. She must be the cook, thought Eynon. The cook touched the innkeeper’s hand after putting the platter on the tray and gave the innkeeper a loving smile. This must be a family business, Eynon realized. He knew what a happy couple looked like from observing the way his parents treated each other.

At the far end of the bar, Eynon saw two small unwashed faces under wild, straw-colored hair peek out to look at him and Merry, then disappear in a chorus of giggles. The cook and innkeeper’s children? Eynon wondered.

Merry turned to Eynon and raised an eyebrow. Dârio noticed her look and explained.

“A few minutes ago, the children raced in from the courtyard telling their parents about the strange noises the sleeping wyvern was making,” said the young king. “When one of their mothers asked what they meant, the children did an exceptional job of repeating what they’d heard.”

High-pitched imitations of sounds of love-making came from behind the bar.

“That’s enough of that nonsense,” said the innkeeper as she rounded the end of the bar where the children were hiding. She brought the mugs and platter out to Eynon and Merry, not bothering to hide a grin at Eynon’s evident embarrassment. Merry’s face was also red, but she was smiling and nudged Eynon in the ribs.

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