Thom grimaced. “Two singles.”
“Singles? What’s the point of a room if most of us end up sleeping on the floor?”
“We could push them together,” Thom suggested.
“Unless my bedmate’s a lady,” Rafferty piped up, white-blond brow raised, “I’m not sharing.”
Evylin rolled her eyes. “What choice do we have?” she asked. “There are two rooms. We’ll have to split and make the most of it.”
A smattering of disgruntled looks spread through the troop, primarily among the married couples. But it was Ilain’s downcast gaze that caught Ethenn’s attention the most. From the moment he’d entered the tavern, she hadn’t looked at him. He wondered if she regretted recruiting Thom’s help.
At first, Thom’s offered advice had greatly angered Ethenn. Who was he to tell him what to do with his wife? Not only was Thom a notable screwup, but he hadn’t even had a single successful love affair. How would he know the appropriate manner in which to handle their situation?
Yet, Ethenn found himself considering his friend’s words.“Ilain wouldn’t ask for help if she weren’t desperately lost.”
Studying his wife in the dim tavern light, Ethenn wondered at that. Why was Ilain so desperate for his physical affection that she’d go to Thom for help? It didn’t make sense.
“Shouldn’t you make her feel loved?”
With a sigh, Ethenn set the saddlebags on the floor by their table and then stepped away from the group to head for the bar. Men lined the counter, tankards in hand, and spoke in grumbling and gruff tones. He pushed into a singular empty spot, flagging down the barkeep.
“Can I help ye?” the man asked in a clipped Ephrian accent. It seemed the mountain region had its own dialect.
Ethenn leaned in so he wouldn’t have to yell. “Anyone in the village looking to make extra coin?”
The barkeep raised his bushy eyebrows. “That’s everyone in the village, lad.”
“Anyone with a spare room in their house?”
He gave a bored blink. “I already told yer friends; there’s nothin’ but my two rooms upstairs.”
The zitherist finished her song and began packing away her things as a man stepped up. His dark-skinned, bald head shone amber in the firelight. He wore only a tunic tucked into his trousers, but a red and blue woven tartan draped across his chest like a sash. Ethenn knew his announcement before he made it.
“Thank ye, Laurey,” he said to the elderly musician, then faced the crowd with outstretched arms. “The night’s entertainment shall begin in twenty minutes.”
The crowd cheered, stomping their feet under the tables. Ethenn clenched his jaw.
“Our champion is back again to defend his title,” the man proclaimed, thrusting his hand toward the back of the room. “Aangus the Hammerfist!”
While the room roared with applause and excitement, a bull-like man with a green and yellow plaid raised his boulder-sized fist in the air. His scraggly bearded face split into a proud grin, and he let out a bellow of challenge.
Ethenn pressed his lips together. He’d fought many men like the Hammerfist. Men who were broad and muscle-bound with skulls thicker than a sheep’s woolly pelt.
The announcer continued with his exuberant speech. “The Hammerfist told me this morning that he’s ready for a challenge, so any man who wants to test his worth against our champion, come forward. We’ve a grand prize for the night: the title, three crowns, and as much ale as you can drink.”
Laughter and chatter filled the room. A few men rose to put their names in the ring.
Ethenn turned back to the barkeep. “Surely, there’s someone with a room,” he said.
The barkeep shrugged lazily. “Sorry, lad, can’t help ye.”
Grinding his teeth, Ethenn’s back grew warm. “You’re telling me that out of an entire village, no one has a bed to spare?”
“We’re small if’n ye didn’t see, laddie.” The barkeep’s eyes were dark with agitation. “Everyone with rooms has got them filled with their own loved ones. We ain’t got space to house travelers.”
Unwilling to give up, Ethenn bristled at the idea forming in his mind. But he held the barkeep’s gaze and asked, “And where do you sleep?”
The man’s expression pinched angrily. “Ye threatening me, lad?”
