The Warden's Awakening

Chapter VI - Hillside

Night had been reigning in Hillside as Lacen and Bareek trotted into town. The streets were mostly empty, save for the few late night shoppers, merchants who'd closed their shops late, and men and women looking to earn their living in a less than safe way. One thing Lacen noticed about Hillside was the quiet. In White Whirl, even at night there was more activity than here. He may finally get a good night's rest.

He trotted along a stone path up to a large wooden building with a sign reading "Greenview Inn." This was the place. One of the travelers in White Whirl had mentioned this spot weeks before Lacen left. He'd made sure to remember it when he visited here.

He dismounted and tied Bareek to a wooden post near the stairs to the front door. He grabbed his bag and pushed open the splintered wooden door.

Inside smelt of beer and alcohol. Like a wall, the smell hit him in his face and nearly knocked him over. How did people stay in a place like this? He looked around and saw several tables, most of which had patrons occupying them. He saw several humans, only a few Hemridi, and a good number of Morkai. They were easy enough to spot: their large physiques, red eyes; were he able to see their color, and horns that curled around their head from their eyebrows into a sort of sturdy bone helmet. There was a reason they were often employed as mercenaries.

A woman was leaning over the bar in an apron that covered her simple... Lacen guessed brown dress. The apron had several odd stains on it, and showed signs of obvious use.

"Welcome to Greenview. Need anything?" she asked. Her voice was firm, yet not crass.

"Yes, I would like to rent a room for a night," Lacen said. The woman reached under the bar and pulled out a book with names. She flipped to a page where there was empty space and handed Lacen a pen.

"Fill out your name and any cargo you're carrying with you," she explained. "That includes horens."

Lacen looked at the other names and saw that many of them had just written "One bag," or "Three Horens." He complied and wrote his name, "One Bag," and "One Horen," and handed the pen back to her.

"Thank you. Stable is behind the Inn, just follow the smell. Find an open stall, and it's yours," the Innkeeper explained.

"Thank you," Lacen said, turning to walk out the door. The Innkeeper called him back.

"That'll be fifteen chips," She said. Lacen was a bit taken aback by that price. While he had enough, that price seemed steep. He needed to try and save for Calcinia, where everything would be more expensive. He dug through his coin pouch and fished out the chips, handing them over to the Innkeeper.

"Pleasure doing business with you. Enjoy your night," She said, closing the book and putting it away. Lacen walked back outside and untied Bareek to take him to the stable.

She was right, you could smell it. This stable was in dire need of cleaning. With as much as she charged, you'd think she could find someone to help her with the regular maintenance. There were four other horens tied in the stalls, with six more stalls open. Lacen moved Bareek to one toward the front of the stable, and tied him to it. Bareek sat on his hind legs, and then lowered himself into a sleeping position. The poor horen had been walking all day, and deserved a break. Lacen filled a nearby bucket full of thick grass that was in the middle of the stable, and put it with his friend. There was a large vat of rain water that was more than half full, and Lacen filled a second pail with that. He wanted Bareek fully rested and well fed for their trip to Calcinia.

"Another day ride ahead of us tomorrow, Bareek. Get some rest," he said to his horen quietly. He shut the stall door, and walked out of the stable with is bag.