Lies of the Line

Chapter 5

"Here we are." Greyson stepped off of his horse and gestured to the rather large stone building.

"The Red Tavern." I read the sign swinging above the door aloud. "How did I let you talk me into this again?" I got down and tied Griff next to Greyson's horse.

"Who remembers?" Greyson walked to the door and waited for me to join him. He propped the door open, and let me in before him.

The room was bustling with people. Women wove through the tables, setting down drinks and plates before quickly moving to the kitchen. There were only three tables open in the large, open, well-lit, room. The quiet buzz of conversation was quite the contrast to the quiet, windy air outside, and a fire crackled in the corner. Greyson stepped around me walking to the open table in the middle of all the chaos. I followed behind trying not to trip over chairs and people.

"This isn't going to take long is it?" I asked as I pulled out my chair and sat down.

"Not at all." He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair.

A woman with fiery red hair and a pale complexion walked over to our table. "Hello, I'm Erin. Would either of you like something to drink?" She looked between us.

"I don't need anything." I smiled politely.

"Alright." She turned to Greyson.

"I also won't be drinking anything," he answered.

Erin walked back through the rows of tables, stopping now and then to collect an empty mug on her way to the kitchen before disappearing behind a corner and into the kitchen.

"How do you know what they serve?" I asked, looking around.

"You don't get a choice unless you're royalty." He winked at me.

The men at the table behind us roared with laughter about something someone in their group had said, and I was regretting allowing him to convince me to eat at the busiest tavern I had seen. Erin came back a few minutes later with two bowls of pottage and a plate of rye bread.

"This is the best tavern in Accomes? I can get this anywhere." I looked down at the steaming liquid in front of me.

"Try it, and you'll understand why." Greyson grabbed his spoon and began eating while I looked at my food skeptically.

I picked up a piece of bread from the plate and dipped it into the pottage before taking a bite. The flavors were very powerful, and the warmth of the pottage stayed present even after I had swallowed it. The vegetables were blended perfectly, and I hated to admit it, but it was the best pottage I had eaten outside of the castle.

"Wow." I took another bite.

We finished quickly and Greyson set a few coins down on the table before we left. The weather warmed up as we passed over the border and into Timor. The conversation was lighthearted and the silences in between didn't feel forced or awkward. The time passed smoothly as we talked away the hour or two it took to reach the border of Timor and the capitol. Streaks of red and orange painted the sky over the square when we broke through the clutters of homes and to the capitol.

"This is where you stop and wait. I can't bring you inside without alerting everyone of my presence." I stepped off of Griff and handed Greyson the reins.

"What am I supposed to do in the meantime?" He took the reins hesitantly as he looked around for a place to tie the horses.

"Get the horses something to eat." I said before leaving him in the crowd of people going home for the day.

Lamorence's capital, Nyer, had a market a few blocks from the square and stopped at the castle walls. Accomes' capital, Kebel, had a market that revolved around the town square and there were no walls, per se, just reinforcements to keep horses on the bridge. Kebel was free and Nyer was strict. As I walked past the businesses that prided themselves on having a building in the center of town, I saw the dreaded walls I had run from. Two knights I had never seen before were standing on either side of the gate, and inside I could see squires for the royal guard training and laughing with each other like there wasn't a care in the world.