Shadun

The Swordman

Chapter Two

<The Swordman>

When Relda came back into the kitchen Mosa was busy rebuking two cook girls. The cook mistress didn't notice Relda, and Relda hurried past before she could.

Nothing changed much from the time she left the the common room. It still had that warm feeling, with customers eating and drinking around tables. There were a group of merchants around one table; garbed in silk with mountains of embroidery. All dark haired, Helkr foreigners.

While travelers dominated most of the other tables, a few locals that looked like wagon drivers, wearing whips curled around their necks spoke and laughed raucously at the other side of the room. And lastly, a group of soldiers sat quietly at the corner drinking ale this early. So they were probably the night guards. Though they looked bleary eyed and depressed for some reason.

Among the travelers was a man that looked anything like a swordman. Where the rest of the travelers looked travel weary or excited, the tall man sitting at a table towards the middle of the room, beside the merchants, had a dangerous look in his ruby eyes. He was slender and very good looking, his black hair was long and held by a serpent hair pin. A beautiful long sword in a silver scabbard stood propped at his side, hilt against the table top. Adding it all the man wore red coat, fashionably embroidered but strong and practical.

Before Relda could approach him, Ori, a plump Wolan serving maid her age came to her saying master Trom was looking for her. "I'll see him later," Relda replied reflexively.

"Oh no," Ori shook her head. "Master Trom looks ready to break something, I don't think he'll have it. He might have Yurk and Landr hurl you to him."

"Fine," Relda grumbled, "I assume he's in his study?"

"Yeah,"

"Of course, why am I even asking? It's where that psycho likes to interrogate." She stormed upstairs in a bad mood. The study was the attic. Master Trom being too stingy to waste rooms; it was either the attic or the basement, but I guess the basement fitted better as the store.

The room looked like a small library, with books and trophies from the innkeeper's racing days lining the various shelves on the walls. A door stood at the other end which leads to his bedroom, and a big oak table sat beside the door way. That was where he sat, behind the table, pretending to scribble some invented words of importance, Relda was sure. It made her purse her lips.

Master Trom lifted his eyes to her as she entered the room and frowned in disapproval. It made Relda scoff and met him glare for glare. "Ori said you wanted to see me." She said.

"I did," Master Trom removed his reading glasses and kept it on the table then sat back. "Relda Evkold, you have been avoiding me," he stated simply.

Relda glared fiercer. "Why would I do that, old man?"

"Oh," his eyes gleamed in mockery. "Let's see..... If for instance you owe me a substantial sum of money. Let's say two Wolan gold marks, would that cause you to avoid me there by avoid paying?"

"I'll pay,"

"Forgive my skepticism but how are you suppose to achieve that?" Master Trom said. Relda opened her mouth but he ran her over. "When you hardly get by and have to depend on my cook for meals...."

"If you hate that I can stop...."

"No no no ,no, no not that. I'm just making a point."

"And what's the piont?"

Master Trom leaned forward on the table, a conspiratory look on his face as if he was going to tell a secret. "Because you can't pay luv," he said. "Not your fault. I mean you are a hard working girl, which is admirable. Despite having your uncle you literally grew up on the streets."