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“Blessed stars,” he beamed, exposing a mouth missing at least three teeth in the back, “this is what we need after a string of bad luck.”
“What bad luck?” I asked.
“Groups of goblins have been roaming the midlands and stealing everything that they can. They tried to steal a cask of ale. I only just beat them away with the ‘elp of me son. Many of my patrons have been divested o’ their coin. Some lost their horses too. I’ve had to pay stable lads to stay on day and night.” He shook his head in annoyance.
“Horses?” I balked. “How would goblins take those?”
I hadn’t met a goblin yet, but I’d seen images and read stories. In some kingdoms goblins were civilized, but in Winter’s Realm the small tribal fae lived in the wild and rode animals like wolves, wild boars, or, in the case of the smallest goblins, bats.
“Many to a steed, mi’ lady.” The barkeep poured an ale for another patron. “I found it hard to believe, but it’s true. Keep your purse close as you travel.”
I had no purse, but we traveled with a lot of coin. Roar needed to be informed.
“Thank you for letting us know,” I said. “Might we get two ales and two bowls of stew? And start a tab for the warden.”
“Right away, mi’ lady.” He prepared our drinks, handed them over, and said that he’d bring the stew to our table, so Clemencia and I found a spot close to the music and settled in.
Soon after, the food arrived in the massive hands of the barkeep. He set down the bowls, and my stomach rumbled. The stew smelled perfectly meaty and swam with vegetables. My mouth watered, and without a word to one another, we ate.
“Mmmm.” I closed my eyes.
Clemencia gobbled down the stew faster than I did, which made me smirk. Eating so quickly was against all that she’d taught me about etiquette, but I understood. It had been hours since we ate, and the cold made the hunger pangs sharper.
By the time Roar joined us, we’d cleaned our bowls. He smiled. “I hope you left some for the rest of us.”
“We told the barkeep that there would be hungry soldiers arriving.” I sighed as a renewed sense of energy that came with a full belly flowed through me. “He’ll make sure there’s enough. We also started a tab for you.”
“Very good. I’ll have my captain get me one.” Roar turned and hollered to a soldier, who took his lord’s order and strode to the bar.
“The barkeep had news,” I said when Roar turned back to us.
“Oh?”
“Bands of goblins have been raiding the countryside.” I shook my head at the poor luck of the midlands. “They’ve stolen horses from those staying at this very inn.”
Roar laughed in disbelief. “Goblins? You can’t be serious. This far from the mountains?”
“They don’t only live in the mountains, my lord,” Clemencia pointed out. “The Eriking tribe favors the forest.”
“The deep forest,” Roar corrected. “We travel the Queen’s Road, which is too close to many civilizations for their liking.”
“Unless the harsh weather is pushing them to where they can find food and supplies in greater quantities,” I said.
Roar mulled that over until his food arrived. “We’ll be safe. With such a large guard, no one will harm us. And I’ll be sure that after they eat, some of my men stay in the stables.”
I wasn’t sure if he said it for our sake or his own, but his next words made it clear that we needed to drop the subject.
“How are your wings, my love?” Roar gazed at me with concern in his eyes.
“Better than ever.” I rustled them beneath my cloak.
“How would you like to try flying tonight?”
My breath hitched. Before I’d wanted only a meal, a warm fire, and then a bed, but now . . . “I’d love that.”
His lips curled up. “I thought you might. Once I’m done eating, we’ll go to the barn.”
“Why the barn?”
