The Bonding (The Song and the Rhythm) by Hager Brian C

Author:Hager, Brian C. [Hager, Brian C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian, Fantasy, Epic, General, Fiction
Publisher: OakTara Publishers
Published: 2014-02-26T00:00:00+00:00

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They reached a small town the following afternoon. Rain still plummeted from the sky, though it had slackened a little and didn’t pound on their heads quite as hard as it had for the last several days. A sign had been strewn over the entrance to the town, but Vaun could not read it because of the darkness and the rain. Upon reaching the only inn, whose sign was also obscured, they hurriedly dismounted and gave their steeds over to the two stableboys who came plodding from the shelter of the barn next door. The ragged youths led the horses away, muttering assurances that they would be properly cared for. The travelers then hurried to the warmth and dryness of the inn.

Once the door scraped shut behind him, Vaun hesitated at the entrance to let his eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. He noted the heads of the dozen or so patrons turned toward him and his companions and then away after only a cursory glance. Glad their arrival caused no suspicion, the young Swordsman followed the others as they found a table next to the fire, having hung their cloaks to dry with the other patrons’.

The blaze in the hearth could hardly be called a fire, but because the common room was so small it provided adequate warmth. The patrons were all Galesians, or so Thorne told his young companion, and they all hunched over their tables as if guarding their food and drink. From the stories he’d heard so far about this place, they probably had good reason. All but one had black hair, and that one’s hair was barely light enough to be called brown. Vaun noticed the Galesians had typically pinched faces, as if they were continually plotting something. According to Thorne, they were.

The tavern itself was only large enough for the dozen people in it plus the adventurers, with only one open table. The bar was a small semicircle about twelve feet directly across from the fire, and there was only the bartender and a single barmaid, who looked like the man’s daughter, to serve the guests. From the looks of things, the bartender might have been able to do everything on his own.

Finally out of the rain, the six welcomed the first warm meal they’d had since beginning the second half of their journey. Vaun even drank the ale placed before him, allowing its strength to drive the cold and damp from his body despite his dislike of the drink. After their meal, which hadn’t been all that appetizing when compared to the fare in other inns, Merdel ordered five cups of heated water, causing his companions to grumble irritably and call him unfriendly names.

“I don’t care what any of you say.” The wizard added a fine powder to each of the five cups of steaming water, deliberately not meeting their unfriendly gazes. “Either you drink what I give you or stay here. I’ll not risk repeating what happened the last time we traveled during the rainy season.

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