War-Priests of Kalnath: The Vanished Book 3 by Jay Barnson

Author:Jay Barnson [Barnson, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rampant Publishing
Published: 2023-05-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter sixteen

Arrest

Later that afternoon, the rest of the team returned, and we quietly shared our experiences of the day. I filled in details telepathically that I worried might be too sensitive to say out loud in the common room. As afternoon turned to evening and the room filled up with others for dinner, it was easier to chat without worry of our voices carrying over the overall din.

We picked at the crumbs of our meals. Roark had sworn off alcohol, at least for the day, but Dane was nursing a single ale. My meal of watery chicken soup was not sitting well in my stomach, but I didn’t think that was the soup’s fault. All afternoon I’d been replaying the carriage trip in my head, thinking of a thousand other things I should have said, and at least a dozen different options I could have taken. Not that any would have made a significant difference from the two main ones I’d been forced to choose. Fortunately, my companions seemed to read my mood and kept the conversation light.

Malwyn leaned in close and said, “I know you are trying to explain what a bold criminal this man is, but I am having trouble imagining passenger ships in the sky.”

I sighed. “They are not literally passenger ships. That was just for comparison.”

“It’s too late. Now that’s all I can imagine. A great ship flapping chicken wings.”

Ale erupted from Dane’s mouth with a snort, dribbling down his beard. He wiped the mess with the back of his sleeve. “Blast it, Malwyn. Now that is all I can imagine.”

She giggled. Kaela rolled her eyes. I threw up my hands in mock frustration as Roark stuck out his elbows and made flapping motions with his arms. Even Lyselia hid her grin behind the back of her hand and deliberately looked anywhere but at Roark.

It was at this perfect moment that Danna Ennis approached our table and asked, “Am I interrupting anything?”

She was wearing civilian attire now, with a simple faded blouse that had once been light blue, a heavy wool skirt, a woolen wrap, and a heavy cloak. However, even in the more feminine attire, she still carried herself like a soldier. A thin-bladed sword like a rapier poked its simple hilt out from the opening of her fur-lined cloak.

“Not at all,” Kaela said. “Please, have a seat. We’ve been waiting for you.”

Ennis shook her head. “I do not feel comfortable discussing what I have learned in public. Is there somewhere more secure we may meet?”

Our group sobered up immediately. Lyselia said, “Let’s meet in our room.”

As we walked up the narrow wooden staircase, I took up the rear, ignoring the reproachful stares of some men in the common room. Or were they jealous stares? I could only imagine how it must have looked from their perspective. I felt bad for the women, but aside from Ennis, none of us were going to be around long enough for our reputations to matter.

We filed into the women’s bedroom.

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