Her Orc Warrior: A Monster Fantasy Romance (Black Bear Clan Book 3) by Zoe Ashwood

Author:Zoe Ashwood [Ashwood, Zoe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-11T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Fifteen

In my life, I haven’t had the opportunity to sleep in many inns, so I don’t know how high this one ranks compared to others, but I’m impressed by the three-story structure and its many glass windows, all radiating a soft orange light. Wren gazes at it from my arms, her hands clasped around my neck. She’s happy and alert, bouncing with things to tell me. Ozork had bundled her up in the back of his wagon when the weather had turned foul, and she’d spent most of the thunderstorm listening to his stories.

As Vark mentioned, we’re not the only ones in the courtyard. A party of horsemen must have arrived just before us, apparently traveling in the opposite direction, toward Ultrup. Four horses in total, tired and steaming slightly as they cool down in the yard.

One of them, a bulky man with broad shoulders, looks up as we clamber from our wagons, and sneers. “You’re not going to let that green filth into your inn, are you?” he asks the tall, thin innkeeper who steps through the door, as if he’d been waiting inside for everyone to dismount.

I can’t see the orcs’ faces well in the dim light, but the tension in their bodies tells me enough—they’re waiting for the innkeeper to send us away, back into the rain, in order to accommodate his human customers.

“I’m so sorry, sir,” the innkeeper says, straightening his back. “But all our rooms are full. These orc merchants had a prior reservation. I’ve been expecting them.”

The man curses and splutters. Clearly, he’s used to getting his own way, and staying out in the rain wasn’t a part of his plan. I glance over at Vark. He smirks at me but remains quiet, his hands clasped behind his back. The other orcs also seem to be doing their best to appear nonthreatening, keeping their hands off their weapons belts.

The enraged horsemen mount their steeds once more and tear out of the inn’s courtyard and into the night.

“I do dislike people like that,” the innkeeper mutters. Then turns to us. “Welcome back, Ozork, son of Bram, and your company.”

We file through the door, out of the rain and into the spacious candlelit entryway. Ozork and the innkeeper converse quietly, and gold exchanges hands. I push my hand into my pocket, feeling the gold coin I stole from Vark. This inn is likely way too expensive for Wren and me, but I’ll pay whatever I need to in order to get her out of the rain. I’d wanted to save that gold mark for another time, but if we can get a hot bath here, it might be worth paying extra. I’ll have to talk to the innkeeper after dinner, see if they might need help in the kitchen in exchange for a room for the night.

“Did you really have a reservation?” I whisper to Vark, who’s now playing a game of peek-a-boo with Wren.

She giggles, darting around Korr’s legs while Vark pretends to have lost her in the cramped room.

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