Warwielder - Book 1 of The Evernoth Odyssey

Chapter 10 - Betrayed

The waitress placed four mugs on the table before the group of sitting bandits.

After exchanging the Paravellan for his second payment, Kollo wanted nothing more than to leave this backwater town. However, after spending almost a week in the forest hunting and foraging for their meals, when one of his men suggested a visit to a local tavern, Kollo was hard-pressed not to accept the offer.

Now they were sitting at a table positioned at the corner of two stone-brick walls, waiting for their meals. While his subordinates wasted no time downing their beverages, Kollo's gaze wandered around the room. Multiple candles decorated the interior, casting a warm amber glow on the wooden columns and beams holding up the roof and framing the brick walls. It reminded Kollo of a simple yet sturdy skeleton propping up a comfortable establishment. An establishment that fostered a dull silence encouraged by the lack of patrons within. Kollo didn't mind waiting in the quiet while the faint smell of their meals began to waft from the kitchen, whetting the appetites of him and his men.

The bandit leader then faced his men to see them still drinking and conversing with one another. Kollo, however, distanced himself from their interactions and frowned down at his own untouched mug.

He was still thinking of the Paravellan. A shame, really. He did like him. But when the option was presented to him, Kollo knew that he made the right decision.

The bandit suddenly felt a soft tug on his sleeve. He looked down to meet his son's eyes. "Hm?"

"You okay?" the boy asked.

Kollo furrowed his brow before realizing that he had been staring blankly at his mug for the past few minutes in silence. The bandit closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them up again. He then offered his son a small smile while ruffling his scruffy black hair.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Is it your hand? You don't look so good. You should get that looked at."

"I said I'm fine."

The boy fell silent before asking another question. "Do you think the Paravellan will be alright?"

Kollo didn't answer straight away. He picked up his mug. "He's fine. If the employer wanted him dead, he would have paid me to do it." He then drank his beverage.

His son tugged at his sleeve again. "Papa?"

Kollo placed the mug back down onto the table. "Hm?"

"Can I see it again?"

With a raised brow, the bandit followed his son's gaze at the ruby dagger strapped to his belt. He looked back at the boy to see him patiently waiting. Kollo could only frown as he eventually capitulated to his son's whims, pulling the dagger from his belt and slowly handing it to him. "Be careful."

The boy snatched it from his father's grasp. "I'm not gonna cut myself." Kollo watched his son hold up the blade and admire it with little regard for the other strangers in the tavern.

"That's not what I meant," said Kollo as he placed a hand over the dagger to gently force him to lower it from view. "This is valuable. So you shouldn't wave it about."

For good measure, Kollo scanned the tavern around him for any covetous eyes. Luckily, not only did no one notice the aesthetically extravagant dagger but there weren't many people in the tavern to begin with.

"Don't worry, boss." Kollo turned back to his table, facing the bandit who spoke. Corey was his name, if he recalled. Corey continued, "They're all afraid of us. We're safe here."

"Besides," another bandit chimed in, "there's not that many people in here."

Kollo fought not to roll his eyes at the obvious statement as his men all nodded in agreement. The bandit leader studied the tavern and its residents once more to ease his mind. "Hm."