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But before I could gather my thoughts enough to think what to ask, the young woman returned to the table and placed a large bowl and a mug in front of me. The scent of the stew was heavenly, and the ale looked fresh and golden.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling up at Agnes. “I truly appreciate it.”
Agnes smiled back at me, her blue eyes sparkling. She clasped her hands behind her back and shifted a little, taking me in like I was an unusual treat.
Something about the flush on her cheeks and the way she seemed to hold her breath made me just a little uneasy. She wasn’t a child by any stretch, but she seemed rather young for her womanly appearance. I figured she was waiting for me to test out the stew, so I took up the spoon she’d brought with it and tried a bit.
“Mmm, this is delicious,” I told her, smiling to make certain she felt complimented. “Did you make it?”
Agnes giggled and shook her head.
“Agnes, go fetch bread for young Conrad here,” Larth ordered the girl. As soon as Agnes skittered back to the kitchen, Larth grunted and said, “I apologize for her. Agnes is relatively new. She came in with the soldiers, but none of them claimed her. When they departed, she was left behind.”
“So she’s not your daughter?” I asked.
Larth laughed. “No, not at all. She’s made herself useful in the kitchen, though.” He shrugged. “My wife likes her. I think Agnes reminds her of our daughter, Flora, who is married and living in Corvus.”
I’d never heard of any town called Corvus. I assumed it was somewhere in the Old Realm, so I nodded and continued to eat my stew.
“I suppose I should count my blessings for having free help here in the inn,” Larth went on.
“You don’t pay Agnes?” My eyebrows flew up.
“I offered, truly, I did,” Larth said. “But the silly girl said she didn’t need anything but a place to live and food to eat.” He laughed and shook his head. “Like I said, my wife likes her, so she stays.”
“How many people live in this village,” I asked, noticing as soon as Agnes rushed back into the room with a small basket filled with bread.
Agnes brought it straight to me, then stood back, as she’d stood before, gazing at me as though I were made of gold.
Or perhaps it would be more fitting to say she stared at me like I was an apple she wanted to take a bite out of.
I sat a little straighter. Agnes was pretty, when all was said and done. She had a sweet, round face and plump breasts. I had only ever fucked with men, but I still found women desirable.
“We’re only about two or three dozen permanent residents,” Larth said, dragging my attention back to him. “Just enough to maintain the inn and to care for the flocks of goats that seem to thrive here. The village is a waystation along the only pass through the mountains between the kingdom and the frontier, though, and as such, we have hundreds of people from either side who come here to earn their keep by guiding travelers to one side or the other.
“We haven’t seen much traffic coming from the frontier in almost a year,” Larth went on as I continued to eat—and as Agnes continued to stare at me. “I hear things were bad on the frontier and that they’re calling this past winter the Dying Winter.”
“They are,” I said, falling into solemnity.
Larth made a sound, as if that were too bad. “Things have been difficult in the rest of the kingdom as well,” he went on. “We’ve had more travelers from the east, but not by much. Which means the number of men who have earned their coins as mountain guides has gone down by quite a bit.” He shook his head before saying, “I’ve built this place up from nothing, so I’m loath to abandon it out of hand, but if travel doesn’t increase in the next year, I may have to abandon the whole thing.”
“That would be a terrible shame,” I said, taking a drink of ale. It was every bit as good as I hoped it would be. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Thank you, friend,” Larth said. “And I do have options. If travel dries up, I could always go into mining.” He pushed himself to stand, then clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Let me ask around with the lads to see who might be able to take you the rest of the way to Aktau.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your generosity,” I said.
I truly did appreciate it. It was enough to make me feel like my trip to Royersford wouldn’t be as difficult as I’d worried it might be.
I turned back to my supper, only to realize that Agnes was still standing there, watching me. Her continued presence and the way she stared at me sent prickles down my spine.
I tried to ignore her and to finish my stew, but she said, “You’re pretty,” in a high, thin voice.
I didn’t know how to respond to that other than to say, “You are too.”
Agnes giggled and covered her face with her hands.
“Agnes! You’re wanted in the kitchen,” Larth called to her from near the kitchen door.
