Page 21 of Embers of Ruin

While dragging my aching body downstairs, the smell of bread and oats hits me before I reach the last step, rich enough to make my stomach tighten in sharp anticipation. A smile tugs at my lips knowing Otto has food waiting before we begin our long journey. He’s been so kind, unlike anything I’ve experienced from anyone aside from Mara.

I turn and let my gaze linger on the spread on the long wooden table: bread, still warm from the oven, a bowl of oat porridge sweetened with dried berries. Next to that is a wedge of hard cheese. There is even a small pat of butter softening in the warmth of the hearth, which feels unnecessarily luxurious for a place that, by his own admission, does not have much to spare. By now I’m full on grinning, because the gesture feels far kinder than it needs to be.

I sit before it with what I hope is dignity and what is almost certainly the expression of a half-starved animal trying to remember proper manners. The food in Elvora isn’t terrible, but the food at the inn is absolutely delicious. Is it because I’ve been food deprived for days? Probably. I’m grateful either way. I stare at the food and my mouth practically salivates from the delicious smell alone.

Otto notices, naturally. He doesn’t seem to miss much.

“Eat,” he says, setting another heel of bread onto my plate. “Lycar doesn’t have much, but what we do have, we share.”

Something in the way he says it makes me glance around the room. I immediately notice that the tables are worn but scrubbed clean. The tattered burgundy curtains hanging over the windows have been patched more than once, but it makes me smile knowing someone has taken the time to mend them neatly instead of letting them fray into uselessness. I notice the boots lining the wall by the door in a muddy, practical row. I’m taking everything in, because I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to this place, and I want to remember the first place that has ever shown me hospitality.

“What you have is more than enough,” I say with a warm smile, attempting to hide my sadness. Knowing that we’ll be leaving soon dampens my mood, though I’m sure Otto will find some way to turn that around. For now, my heart feels heavy. It’s an awkward feeling, missing something you’ve never had but have longed for most of your life.

Otto shrugs in an easy motion. “Eh, it isn’t. But we care for all things we have because we are grateful.” He jerks a thumb toward the window, toward the waking village beyond it. “Strong roofs, strong men, stronger women. That’s how we endure.”

“And the Shadow King?” I ask before I can stop myself. “Would you have to endure if the king didn’t hunt the very magic that could save his kingdom?”

The room doesn’t go silent, but something in the atmosphere changes. The tension in the air feels palpable and I notice spines stiffen, along with sharp intakes of breath as if I’ve said something wrong. Maybe I did, but I’m not going to take it back. I want to know exactly what the Lycarians think of our rightful ruler.

Otto’s hands hover for half a second over the bundle he has been wrapping in cloth while Onyx, who has been fastening our packs near the door, lifts his head. Their eyes meet briefly, sharing a look so quick I might have thought I imagined it if I were not watching for exactly that sort of thing. I want to see their reactions, and if they harbor the same resentment I do.

The moment passes and Otto clears his throat, tying the parcel tight. “Food for your journey,” he says, holding it out to Onyx as though I have asked about the weather. “Bread, dried meat, apples, and those honey cakes Onyx steals when he thinks I’m not looking.”

Onyx gives a knowing grin but I narrow my eyes.

Cowards. Both of them.

Onyx takes the parcel and thanks Otto, and I catch the faintest shift at the corner of his mouth, the kind that makes me feel as though he is in on some private joke that I’m not privy to. I don’t find Onyx amusing, so I don’t smile. The man is infuriating, and every smirk or side eye makes me question his motives, especially with him being so irritatingly unreadable most of the time.

By the time we step outside, the cold bites hard enough to drag me fully awake. My skin is screaming in protest, missing the warmth from the inn almost instantly. Looking around, I notice the frost that clings to the fence posts in a thin white crust, and the morning sky hanging low and gray over Lycar. Even here, with their lack of sun and scarce resources, they still find ways to bring positivity and hope to their village.

The village is awake despite the cold threatening to freeze us all, bustling with the sounds of life. People are out moving around, conversing amongst themselves, and it makes me smile. I watch in fascination as a woman sweeps her front step with brisk, offended movements as though winter itself has personally inconvenienced her. I want to laugh, but don’t want it to come across rude so I hold it in, watching on as Lycar carries on with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It all feels so…. normal.

Across the street, a woman lifts a hand in farewell toward Onyx, signing Illurine’s blessing before she walks away, smiling as if he asked for her hand in marriage. Three things immediately stand out: she’s a raven-haired beauty with a lean, willowy frame, she appears to be about my age, and she looks incredibly pleased with herself.

She turns around to glance at him once more and I catch the slow blush creeping up her cheeks as she clutches a small object in her hand. I can’t see what it is, but nosiness has me wondering what he could have given her that has her grinning from ear to ear. I look to Onyx to gauge his reaction but as usual, there isn’t one. His face has morphed back into its usual stoic expression. Go figure.

I want to ask him who she is, because she’s exquisitely beautiful—a wife, a lover perhaps? Then I realize it’s absolutely none of my business what Onyx does with his free time, so I do the only sensible thing and pretend not to look startled by their interaction.

To keep from staring, I turn to Otto and place a palm across my heart, thanking him for his hospitality. The horses are already saddled, our packs are strapped down neatly and we have a few days’ worth of supplies which gives me an idea of how much longer we’ll be traveling. Now, off to see the one man in the kingdom I wouldn’t mind sending to meet Ryza.

My thoughts are drifting to a dark place when Otto takes the wrapped food from Onyx and presses it into my hands instead.

“More food for the road so you don’t run out,” Otto says, smiling warmly at me. His eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles, just enough to let me know that he is exactly as sincere as I thought he was when I first met him. “Just making sure you don’t bite him before noon.” He winks at me before nodding his head in Onyx’s direction as if we’re in on our own private joke.

“I make no promises,” I tell him jokingly, taking the wrapped food. And I mean it. Whether it’s a bite from starvation or anger, I make no promises. Onyx is absolutely infuriating, but better a bite than a blade, right?

Otto’s expression gentles. “Come back to Lycar someday when the circumstances are less ridiculous. You will always be welcome here, Lyra Tarethyn.” The way he says it tugs at my heart, and I pull him into a hug before mounting my horse, whose name I learned earlier was Bromir.

I’ve never given hugs freely before, but something about this place—the warmth of the people and the upbeat atmosphere despite the dark surroundings—makes me feel comfortable. I would even go as far as to say it feels like… home. By the time I’m saddled and strapped in, my mind is made up. If I survive King Thorin and whatever he has planned for me—I will be returning to Lycar.

I swallow around the tightness in my throat and nod, giving Otto one final wave. “Thank you, Otto, truly. For the room, the bath, and the food. And…” I stop, looking around Lycar one last time before my gaze returns to his. “Thank you for your stories. I think I will take you up on your offer and come back one day, should I find myself in need of the best food in town.” By now, I’m smiling so hard that my jaw is starting to ache. Gods, I’m going to miss this place even if I was only here for one night. I wish it could last forever.

Otto smiles and dips his head, and there is nothing teasing in it as it usually is. “Safe travels, girl. May the gods be with you both on your journey—wherever you may find yourselves.”

I don’t trust myself not to say anything that would irritate the hell out of Onyx or be completely treasonous, so I settle into the saddle and dip my head in gratitude again.

Lifting my head high, I inhale deeply as I compose myself before I get too sentimental. I’ve never been good at goodbyes, and I think there is very little dignity to be found in growing sentimental over an innkeeper I have known for less than a day. But still—he offered me kindness, and I will always know in my heart that I owe him a favor. Just one. And if he ever needs it, I won’t hesitate to repay it.