The Jewel of Orlegon

Chapter 11: Cold Lesson

It took a few seconds for Alteria's eyes to adjust to the ambient darkness, even though the street they had entered wasn't exactly well-lit itself. The smell of soot and frying, mingled with alcohol, quickly assaulted her nose as she began to discern the details of the room.

The common room wasn't huge, and only about ten roughly made but sturdy wooden tables were scattered around. A large fireplace pierced the wall furthest from the door, where a dying fire emitted occasional sparks. From the ceiling, two chandeliers, similar in quality to the tables, held numerous half-burned candles whose flickering flames created a strange dance on the bare walls. The rough wooden floor was surprisingly clean, except for a few traces of dust in some corners, suggesting that someone was responsible for regularly cleaning it.

Behind a massive wooden counter, a middle-aged man leaned, engaged in a conversation with Ieza. When the latter's gaze caught the arrival of his two companions, he made a quick nod to invite them over. As they approached, Alteria noticed the colossal size of the man behind the counter, towering over the already tall old Enartian. However, the giant did not possess the same lean and angular physique as their selven. An imposing leather apron smeared with grease failed to conceal the substantial belly of the innkeeper, and Alteria could see that the apron's straps had been artificially extended with skillfully sewn leather scraps.

The two men were engrossed in conversation, and Alteria was struck by the transformation that had taken place in Ieza. Far from the usual cold demeanor he had never seemed to shed, the old man appeared to be more relaxed, even warm. Noticing the arrival of the newcomers, the giant boomed in a loud voice, pointing at Alteria.

"Well, well, it seems you didn't only bring back exotic goods from your trip to the island!"

"The daughter of an old collaborator," Ieza replied, turning to his young companions, "who has been providing me with these very goods for decades. Her father entrusted her to me to introduce her to the continent."

"Not a fearful father, that's for sure!" thundered the giant, "may the goddess take me if I ever let my girl go off on the roads with merchants! With all due respect, sir, but in your line of work, we more often come across guys who would drop the kid at the first halt than properly take care of her."

The main subject of the conversation continued to observe in perplexity the spectacle unfolding before her. She hadn't expected their chaperone to engage in such light-hearted and cheerful banter. Furthermore, she didn't understand why he was presenting himself under the guise of an invented merchant caravan. Meanwhile, Nanthamo quickly joined in the selven's game. Grabbing one of his companion's hands, he guided her towards the counter where the two others were standing.

"With hands accustomed to work like these?" he exclaimed enthusiastically, "of course, we won't abandon her anytime soon. You should have seen her help us unload at the dock! And she's unmatched when it comes to keeping accounts! She's been managing her father's inventories since she was a kid! All from memory!"

The innkeeper approved of the calloused skin on the young woman's hands, and a genuine smile revealed his sparsely populated teeth.

"Well, young lady, if you're as skilled as they say, I can offer you a job here when you're tired of wandering the countryside and sleeping with the horses. We always need some labor that can put their brain to use."

"Uh... thank you, that's kind," the interested party stammered, blushing up to her ears, "but my father wants me to learn the practices of the continent... he wants me to... he wants to open a business here soon, well, one day... maybe."

"Faithful to her father, on top of everything else!" the giant laughed heartily before turning to Ieza, "Keep an eye on this one, master merchant. You're going to make others jealous with a gem like her."