Chapter 10

Crowkeep, the Kingdom of Wuthia, 1125

Richard Laenas

We stopped in the small village of Crowkeep and rented rooms at their local inn for the night. It beats sleeping outside again, along with being attacked as well. Mabel has not awakened yet. I just hoped she wasn’t too badly hurt while fighting off those Wild Men. I decided to walk around the village, while Solomon decided to remain behind and look over Mabel, hoping she’ll wake up real soon.

The sun has begun to set above. Townsfolk went about their days, bartering, conversing with neighbors, taking the day as it was. The simplicity of it all.

I just hope that we can get back to that once we’re in Olnfield.

So much has happened to us in these last few days that I’m starting to forget the comfort that simplicity contained.

My mind is plagued with worry and the many changes that we encountered on our journey. I just needed some sort of familiarity to anchor me back on these grounds, for I feel I would be lost to the sorrows and grief that lie in my heart.

I looked forward to where I noticed a wooden sign that hung over a building on the right in front of me.

Ye Olde Seagulls Pub.

What the hell. I could use a drink to clear my head. The Father Above greatly knows I do.

I entered the pub to find a dimly lit room with a few people scattered about the near-empty establishment. An old man lay slumbering up against his empty mug. He let out a long snore as I passed him by and made it up to the barstool. This surely wasn’t the Narrow Nugget. Or any tavern that I would normally grace with my presence.

I don’t even know if I should call this place a tavern.

An older man, bald with a thick beard, came up to me behind the bar. “You’re new. Haven’t you seen your face in this village?”

“My siblings and I are just passing by,” I started, putting on my charismatic charm. “We’re just stopping for the night.”

“Well, welcome,” he said,” what might I get you?”

“Just seems like rum would do nice,” I said.

He poured a mug of rum from the barrel behind him and then placed it in front of me. I placed a few coins down as a payment before I started drinking it. A little bitter. But you can’t expect a fine mug of rum from an establishment such as this one.

I looked around.

It was like a ghost tavern.

Nearly bare and nearly empty.

As I continued my drink, my eyes caught a figure coming from the back room. A bar-maiden, and pretty fair one at that. Her hair was black and cut short. She was dressed in a pale green tunic and pale brown trousers. Her dark brown eyes matched mine as we both gazed at each other. She quickly broke the gaze and went up to the old man who served me my rum.

“Finished in the back,” she said to the man. “Anything else needs attending to?”

“Keep a watch on the place,” the old man said, as he scurried off to the back entrance the woman had just come out of. “Nature is calling.”

She made a disgusted face as she took her position behind the bar.

We were now facing one another.

“Do you need a refill?” She asked with a smile.

“Not at the moment,” I grinned. “But I can use some company. What’s your name?”

“Bridget,” she said as she pulled herself a drink. “Yours?”

“Richard,” I said. “My siblings and I are just passing through and resting for the night. Is it always this quiet here?”

“Mostly,” she said, taking a sip from her mug. “After the King raised the taxes on imported liquor, our stocks started to run dry around here. Frank -” she shrugged to the back, indicating to the old man who just left – “started to add some water with the rum to last us. He thinks the village folk won’t notice. But they noticed.”