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I stood up from the settee to head back to my room, but before I could leave I had to mention, “Pater, I have a new requirement for my position as the assassin.”
Slight shock and a hint of concern appeared on the king’s face, probably because I have never asked for anything before. “Well, let’s hear it.”
I extended my arm, pointing to the velvet seat. “I want one of those, and not just any settee, the magically soft kind like that one. I want it in my room.”
Pater tilted his head back and let out a genuine laugh, relieving some of the exhaustion I witnessed in him before.
“Well, you are the King’s Favorite, after all.” He smiled, “Consider it done.”
I gave the king my brightest smile and walked back to my room, already planning out the books I would read on my new lounge chair.
???
It was raining.
You have got to be kidding me.
The one week a year it rained, and it was the time when I had to walk around the world and back. My hooded cloak kept the water off my face, but the clothes Pater gave me were completely drenched, and water had gotten into my shoes, soaking my socks as well.
I mumbled curses of annoyance to the stars all the way up to The Rowan and Ivy, and after an eternity of walking in the rain, I was finally trudging up the steps to the inn. My cloak was completely soaked, and I knew it would look suspicious to keep it on inside when it was drenched. I grabbed the stupid bonnet out of my small leather bag and put it on. I would never admit it, but I was thankful that Pater forced me to pack it, even if I did look ridiculous.
The inn was packed, to put it lightly. With the first floor of the inn being a pub, every single seat had to be filled, some people sitting on top of each other. I could probably get away with not even purchasing a room, with the amount of people in here to get out of the rain. But I walked over to the check-in desk anyway to obey Pater’s orders.
The Rowan and Ivy was a very cozy place, despite the amount of people inside. It looked and felt a lot like the cabin type of home I stayed in when I was in Vicinus. It was a wooden building with low ceilings. There were different types of animal horns hung on the walls, as well as cuckoo clocks. I could only assume that the owner of the inn was some kind of collector. There were two sets of stairs towards the back of the room, one on the left and one on the right, that led up to the floors with rooms. The pub had long tables and benches that filled almost every space on the floor, leaving barely enough room for people to walk. The tables were filled with pitchers of beer and stacks of drumsticks. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the smell of food hit my nose.
“Hello,” I greeted the older woman at the coin desk. She had short black hair with streaks of gray, and she wore round spectacles that rested on the arch of her nose. “I would like a room for the night. One bed is good.”
She pursed her lips and looked me up and down. She looked at the clothes I wore and probably assumed I couldn’t even afford a room.
“Do you even have any money?” she asked with an attitude.
I grabbed the pouch of coins out of my pocket and set it on the counter.
“I suppose I’m able to just magically know how much is in there?” she asked sarcastically.
I breathed in through my nose loudly to try and suppress the anger that was ready to hit the surface after my hike in the rain and this lady’s unnecessary rudeness.
Feeling my patience slip, I opened the pouch and let the coins fall on the table.
She looked at the table with a small amount of shock but not enough to cover the constant look of annoyance. Her eyes met my glare. “We’re sold out.”
“What?! If you’re sold out, why did you ask me how much money I had?”
She shrugged, then walked away from the counter and into the back room without another glance in my direction.
I aggressively shoved the coins back into my pouch and then into my pocket. At least with the rain outside, no one would think anything of me being here without a room.
I scanned the room for any possible sign of the Red Bones. I wanted to get in and out of this inn as fast as possible. I squeezed through the aisles and strained my ears to hear anything that could lead me in the right direction.
I noticed a group of men huddled together in the corner of the room and could only assume it had to be them, if there were even any Red Bones Members here.
I strode over to the table and slipped on the mask as I got into character. The bonnet may have hurt my approach, but I tried to act sultry and older as I glided my hand over the back of one of the men sitting at the table, like I’d done a million times before. I looked down on him, giving him a hungry gaze. He looked to be middle-aged, with dark long hair that reached his shoulders and a beard to go with it. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me in towards him, the scruff of his beard scratching my cheek.
“Floor two, room seven, princess. I’ll be there soon.”
I pulled back, letting my lips softly graze his cheek. I kept my head turned away as much as possible, to not allow the rest of the table to get a good look at me. I made my way up the wooden stairs to the second floor and found room seven unlocked. I stepped inside, sat on the bed, and waited, and waited, and waited.
If this man didn’t show up in the next five minutes it would officially be the tipping point of the night, and I contemplated jumping out the window.
