Marin, Book 1 (The Xortha Chronicles)

Chapter 8: Poor Thinking

Marin

Chapter 8: Poor Thinking

    Marin was grateful for the free room the innkeeper gave her for rescuing the villagers of Hadley's Stump. While she ate her rations in the common room, the innkeeper wanted to set and talk to her about magic. "Did you train at the ShinTzu school? Where the lessons difficult?" On and on, he went. Marin did her best to answer his questions, occasionally yawning. Finally, he said that he needed to repair the door and left her alone. Marin went up to her room and fell fast asleep when her head hit the pillow.

    The next day Marin gathered her things and left without a morning meal. She didn't think the town had anything left after the orcs raided their stores, and she had eaten the last of her rations the previous night so, grudgingly, she fasted.

    The final leg of her trip to ShinTzu was uneventful and Marin arrived at a dock on the Thalandril River and took the ferry over to ShinTzu on the otherside. Once in ShinTzu city Marin was amazed at how big it was. Endless rows of shops, homes, warehouses, inns, and taverns. There was just so much to see! She didn't know where to begin. Since it was time for evening meal, Marin looked for an inn. When she found one, the common room was filled to bursting. Not an empty seat in the place. She tried elsewhere and was met with the same situation. All full. In the end, Marin tried seven inns and all were full and had no vacant rooms. One innkeeper said he was renting each room to three different people so they had to share a bed with complete strangers! Marin wasn't going for that so she tried asking someone if they knew of a quiet inn that wasn't full. A constable told her that most inns are full this close to Convergence Day and her best bet would be to try the tenter grounds which he said was on the far west side of the city. Marin thanked him and went in search of the tenter grounds.

    The tenter grounds was a large lot surrounded by a high fence with a shack by the gate. The lot had small camp sites set up in rows with each site having a hitching post with water trough, a stone lined fire pit, and a clear spot for your tent. When Marin arrived, it was full, save one spot at the far back of the lot. A sign on the shack said "Tenter's Inquire Within". Marin went in the shack. There was a very large, round man with greasy hair, setting at a desk, and two guards.

    "I'd like a place to pitch my tent, please," said Marin.

    "You're in luck. We have one spot left, five falcons per night," said the big man.

    Marin's eyes bulged. "five gold for a spot to pitch a tent!?"

    The man smirked, "Take it or leave it, up to you."

    Marin sighed. She took out her coin purse and payed the man, who then turned to a guard and said, "Show her in."

    The guard escorted Marin and Socks through the gate and closing it behind them. Then he went over to some buckets, taking one and holding under some sort of pipe while pumping a handle. He handed her the bucket and said, "Freshwater. If you want fire wood it's one sparrow a log."

    Trying to remain calm, Marin said, "No thank you. My camp site, please?" And they walked on. They arrived at the last empty camp site and the guard stood there as if waiting for something. Marin said, "Thank you and good night." then turned and began pitching her tent. She could have sworn she heard the guard call her "cheap" as he stalked off.

    As night fell, Marin tried to settle in, but as soon as she started drifting off to sleep, someone in the tent next to hers began snoring so loud she thought they woke the entire lot! "Five gold for this." She began worrying about getting some work. Everything here was expensive and Marin only had a falcon and a few sparrows left. She decided to try the city hall first thing in the morning and see if they had any job offers.