I fingered the note on the dresser with some consternation. It took a moment to read past the curly letters to get the meaning underneath.
I opened my mouth, but it was Silah who spoke first.
"Water pump, bath with a boiler, and a separate privy down the hall."
I nodded while looking at the note, feeling my weakness with reading, realizing I had trouble deciphering the word pump from the script, but had gotten the general meaning of it. I looked over at Silah, who lie naked on the bed, covered, but not hiding, with a corner of the coarse cotton sheet. It had been terribly uncomfortable, but the way she lounged on it made it seem like the most luxurious place she'd been.
She smiled wide and winsomely as I suppressed an embarrassed grin and nodded.
I picked up the pitcher and proceeded down to a joined hall near the harbor that had more rustic signs with simply written words. The water pump was outside of both rooms standing tall above a drain. The bath and privy were clearly labeled.
I wouldn't put it past Hagan if this was filled directly from the harbor itself. The thought turned my stomach.
My thoughts continued to spin out of control as I glanced over at the room with a solitary pit toilet and grimaced quietly.
It had been a while since I had gone through my full morning routine with all of it's scrubbing, splashing, cleaning. Silah watched from the bed lazily as her smiling expression began to sour.
"Ugh. I'm hungry. I hate this feeling." She flopped on her back, making the bed creak loudly.
I smiled as I scrubbed at my teeth and tusks with a wooden wedge looking in the warped mirror inset on the washbasin stand. I was happy to have her back to her old self, even if this was likely a rare moment between her newly wisened state.
The feeling of being settled and complete surprised me. This apartment was the closest thing to a permanent dwelling that I had even lived in. With that—and Silah feeling more at peace—I felt like I had finally found home.
Or Breena? Should I call her Breena? I shook my head at the thought.
That was a long time ago. Maybe I'll consider it later, but now wasn't the time to start bringing back the past.
Silah stood, letting the slip of sheet fall from her, and moved up behind me. I glanced back and saw the mischievous look on her face as a she ran her warm hands down my back and over my rump.
"Yes?" I ask with a smile, "Do you want something?"
"I'm going to eat everything in sight at The Sea Witch if I walk in there in this state." She said, pulling gently at my small clothes. "How about you make sure they're safe from me?"
I wicked the water from my face and smiled. I hooked my hands under her arms and lifted her easily, taking her back to bed.
As mid-morning rolled around, we finally made our way into The Sea Witch. The bustle from the Festival was well underway and the usual population in the tavern was double the usual clientele. The others were settled in, simmering gently in the activity.
"Good of you to finally show up." Floki said as we walked in.
I had a hopeless grin plastered across my face as I pulled a chair from the table and held it for Silah, who sat gracefully. I then took the seat next to her. There were obvious, knowing glances around the table. Bromm seemed nearly as weary as he did last night, Sig and Floki seemed well rested. Danin was Danin, you couldn't read anything from him that he didn't plan on showing.
"Where's Rana?" I asked him.
"She's getting ready for the festival." Danin said with a nod.
"The temple of Acionna has a large wine barrel out front. We should go back that way. Two coppers a glass and everyone has said it's very good that the wine is a special craft for them."
"Oh, we know." Sig nodded. "We've done this before."
I nodded, remembering I was among Hlofreden natives.
"I'm hungry." Silah said suddenly, glancing around the table shrugging her shoulders, "I just am. I can't help it. I hate this."
Bromm grinned at her explanation.
"A plate of food for the lass." Bromm snapped his fingers and pointed to Silah.
One of the other serving girls, Vi—I think her name was, stepped up and looked to Silah for more instructions. Silah shook her head.
"Bread, eggs, gravy, and whatever meats you have prepared. And let's make that two." I said to the woman with a smile.
"Very good." She dipped slightly then turned to Bromm acknowledging him, "Master Bromm."
She whisked away toward the kitchen.
"Master Bromm? I guess things are different when you aren't talking to your sister?" I chuckled.
He seemed to retreat at the attention. I thought it was a tad unusual for him. I gave him a questioning look and he shrugged.
I looked to the others Sig and Floki were talking over some spent plates. I knew I'd be following these men around for the next few days to get a feel for the festival.
A new face pressed through the door. The girl, or woman, rather, was dressed impeccably in a slight green dress that composed entirely of complementary colored leaf shapes. It was held in place with two golden strands, baring her slender, but muscular shoulders. Her tousled dark blonde hair was held up and tied in place with what looked to be actual vines. Her blue-gray eyes narrowed in on us immediately and she walked toward us.
It was Floki and Danin that recognized her first.
"You clean up well, Sis." Floki said, giving a proud grin and a nod.
Danin stood and pulled a chair for her. Rana was increasingly aware of the eyes on her and her self-consciousness started getting the better of her. She scratched at her bared shoulder leaving some angry red lines on her skin.
"I feel naked." She nearly whispered, ducking her head.
"You look amazing." Danin said, leaning in and kissing her cheek.
She immediately flushed, nearly hiding the angry welts on her shoulder. I grinned to myself. She was entirely unaware of her own elegance and beauty.
Vi returned with two plates of food. Placing one in front of me and looking curiously at the slight woman next to me before placing the brimming plate in front of her. She looked concerned, then shrugged.
"Enjoy your meals." She said with a quick dip prompting Bromm to retreat a bit further into his long coat before she turned away.
"I'm not sure I understand what is going on." I said, looking to Bromm while shaking my head.
"All eyes have been on us since we've gotten back." He said quietly, "I don't like this much attention. It usually means I'm in trouble."
I nearly choked, laughing at his response.
"You take some bold actions for not liking this much attention." I said, wiping the tears from my eyes.
I laughed and coughed a bit more then raised my hand quickly, "Could I get some water here?"
"I don't think I've seen you like this." I sputtered again while Vi spun towards me with a mug of water setting it down with a clunk in front of me.
"These kinds of heroics don't suit me, it's tarnishing my bad reputation." He smiled grimly. "What's worse, I'm not sure where people are hearing it from."
I shrugged. He was right. It was clear that there had been eyes on us since we returned. It may have been from Amalia's ship coming in or other information that had managed to cross the boundary the skirmishes had created.
"I wouldn't bother him too much, Hakaar." Silah said with a sly grin. "You haven't been so accepting of your fair share of fame."
"Hey, I thought you were on my side?" I grumbled at her.
She looked incredulous.
"Believe me, I am." She said, her grin widening to a smile. "I have to look out for both of us."
I narrowed my eyes at her.
Perhaps she was dipping back in our past too much. I thought, hesitantly.
"Regardless, what we've done is ours. We should own what we've accomplished, in one way or another." I said, turning from Silah's mirthful gaze.
Even as I said it, I wasn't sure exactly what it meant to me. It had felt like wise words, but I was suddenly feeling very exposed, just like Rana was, fidgeting anxiously against the straps of the slight dress she wore.
There was a clattering noise at the front of the tavern a flustered Beidrick stormed in turning heads as he bumped into every other table to get to us.
"One of my boys is hurt and we've got the regatta race tomorrow." He said, sounding surprisingly clear-headed. "I was wondering if one of you could help out?"
I looked at him with a question.
"The races? Come on. They happen every year." His face collapsed into a grimace. "Not that you would know that."
"They take a ship and crew and run a barrel of ale around the horn." Sig said, then his eyes widened, "Wait. Bromm, there may be an opportunity here."
Bromm raised an eyebrow at Sig's look and the two of them leaned in and started talking quietly. Floki, his interest piqued, also moved in on the conversation.
"We just need some extra muscle on the boat to run the oars and whatnot." Beidrick was now looking directly at me.
"I'll help." I said with a nod.
"And I'll help, too." Danin said, giving Beidrick an annoyed look. "You weren't going to bother asking me?"
"We don't need two more on the deck, but I have some weak performers we could kick off the boat for the race." He stroked his beard, looking at Danin who clearly didn't appreciate the sentiment.
"Well, that's settled then. Both of you, bright and early. Don't make me hunt you down in the morning. We have preparations to do." He said, now smiling.
"This should be interesting." I said as I sipped some of the tepid water.
"Quite." Silah smiled, "Hope you can keep up with Danin, there."
This elicited a confident smile from Danin, who nodded slowly at her words. I rolled my eyes, then looked back to Beidrick.
"How are things with the ‘package'?" I asked.
"Stella?" He hushed as soon as he said her name.
"Well, she's … feisty." He looked at me, glanced at Silah, then back to me with a nod.
Silah raised an eyebrow.
"Feisty." She said flatly.
Beidrick looked uncomfortable, now trying to avoid Silah's intense eyes.
"Well, the girl's laying low now. I thought to have her work on the boat, but we've spent so much time at Dowry it's not the best place for her with how, uh, obvious she is. She's not one to, uh, play coy. I think, though, that the reality is setting in on her that she'll have to forego her, uh, appearance in order to get out more." Beidrick had settled at the table and was wringing his hands.
I looked at him curiously and then it dawned on me. Beidrick liked her. She did seem his type; lovely, wild, and likely to snap him in two.
"You're a good man for taking her on." I said with a half-smile.
"Yeah." He looked lost in thought. "A good man."
A silence settled over him briefly as he studied the table. Then he rapped both sets of knuckles on the table rhythmically and looked around, avoiding all eye contact, then nodded to himself with a concerned look on his face.
"I best be off," He said it to the air then found the resolve to look at Danin and I again, "Bright and early, remember."
He pushed back from the table, his face heavy with thought, and slowly bumped through the same series of tables he failed to avoid on the way in.
(Get to know Akeron.)
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