The Dragonblade [On Hold]

Chapter 8: Lodging

The next morning, after a breakfast of toasted flatbread, dried meat, and nuts, the three of then saddled their horses and got back on the road. They continued on their way, putting more distance between them and the academy that they had left behind.

About halfway through the morning, they reached a river, with a dirty, decrypt old shack on the other side, with a bridge connecting the two sides. As they stepped across the bridge, a man emerged from the house.

The man was short, fat, and was wearing rags that could just barely be classified as clothes. He stepped up to the end of the bridge and said, in a hoarse, wheezy voice, "Passin' the bridge, ain't you? You're gonna have to pay for that." When he spoke, the trio was able to see his teeth, which were more gum than teeth.

Shigeru opened his mouth to protest, but Kameko silenced him with a glare. She turned to the man and asked, in a resigned tone, "how much do you want?"

The man's face broke into a smile. "Ten crowns," he said, rubbing his hands.

Shigeru opened his mouth to protest again. Ten crowns would have bought them all food for a week. Hitoshi poked him in the ribs and whispered, "shut up."

Kameko handed the man the money, and they all watched as he put it into a small sack that he had on his belt. As they walked past the man, Kamkoe tripped and ran into the man. He snarled, "Watch where you're going," as she staggered away.

When they were past the bridge, Shigeru turned on his friends. "Why didn't you let me say anything? He probably doesn't even own the bridge, and he completely ripped us off!"

Kameko and Hitoshi shared a look before answering the question. "Because," Kameko said, "I didn't want to have to waste time arguing with that idiot. And besides, who said that I let him keep the money?" She opened her hand and revealed the sack that was hanging off of his belt.

Shigeru's mouth dropped in amazement. "You cut his purse?" he asked in a disbelieving tone of voice.

Kameko winked at him. "It held a surprising amount of money in it too," she said in a cheery voice. "Our friend should've known better than to keep so much in one spot. He probably is going to figure out what I did in about three, two, one..."

As if on cue, a scream of rage rose through the air. The three looked at each other, and they all laughed. They remounted their horses and continued down the road, laughing and joking with each other.

When it was noon, they chose to keep going rather than stopping, eating in the saddle. After they ate, Hitoshi nudged his horse towards Shigeru and motioned for Kameko to join them. "Where are we going?"

"There's a village about twenty-five kilometers from here," Shigeru replied. "I want to get there before dark."

"Well, we'll probably make it with some time to spare," Kameko said, "We have about two hours before dark."

She was right. The trio arrived at the village about an hour before the sun had set. It was a sizable village, easily the biggest one for miles around. The first thing they did was find the horse merchant of the village. There, they sold their horses and bought new ones, using the money they had "liberated" from the man at the bridge.

They over to the inn, one of the few two-story buildings in the village, for even though it was a large village, that didn't mean that its inhabitants were any wealthier than others.

They put their horses in the stable, unsaddling them and making sure that they had enough food and water. When they were done taking care of their horses, they walked out of the stables and into the inn.

They were greeted by the smell of sake and roasted meat, and a wall of heat coming from both the fire and too many people in one place. Shigeru saw a waiter walk by and tapped her on the shoulder. "Do you know if there are any empty rooms that my companions and I can stay in?"

"I don't know," she said breathlessly, "you'll have to ask the innkeeper about that."

"Thanks," Shigeru replied.

They found the innkeeper behind the bar, serving sake to some of the other patrons there. While the other two found a table and ordered food, Hitoshi bartered with the innkeeper over the price of a room to stay in.

After the two of them had reached an agreement, Hitoshi went over to the table that his friends were seated at. "We agreed on eight crowns for three days stay. We have two rooms upstairs," he said, sitting down next to Kameko. "One for Kameko, and one for the two of us."

"That seems about reasonable," Shigeru replied, mumbling through a mouthful of lamb stew. "Does that include meals?"

"Yes," Hitoshi replied, digging into his bowl of stew.

When they were halfway through their meal, the door opened to admit a man. He was followed by two people, all dressed in identical uniforms. They wore embossed leather armor, and on the breastplate of each was a symbol of two entwined dragons.

"Hanzo's soldiers," Shigeru muttered to the others, and they both nodded in understanding. The eyes of everyone in the inn fixed on the soldiers. 

"Who are you?" The innkeeper asked, glaring at them. 

"The correct form of address would be Captain, peasant," the man in front replied, spitting out the last two syllables.

The innkeeper shrugged indifferently. "And?" He demanded.

The man in the front scowled when he realized the innkeeper would not be cowed.  "And," he said, emphasizing the word, "I am here on order of Emperor Hanzo Shimada. There are some rogue apprentices from Kenjutsu Academy. They went missing just before the Emperor came for his inspection of the academy."

"Well, they're not here," the innkeeper replied, an annoyed look on his face. "If they truly were fleeing from something, then they probably would be smart enough not to stay here. Besides, we have no lodgers right now. Slow time of year."

The captain stared at him for a few seconds, before turning towards the patrons of the room. Most of them were normal townsfolk or farmers, nothing interesting. He turned to leave when something caught his eyes. He walked over to the table at Shigeru and his friends were sitting, standing over them and holding a lantern at them so he could see them more clearly. 

"Who are you three, and what are you doing here?"

Shigeru looked up at him and replied, "My name is Seishiro Taniguchi, and these are my coworkers," gesturing towards his three friends. "We work for the town watch. We just got off duty and wanted to grab a bite to eat before we turned in for the night."

"They do," the innkeeper called. "I've seen them on duty quite often. They usually come here after their shift."

The captain studied him more closely. The boy did have the look of a fighter, he thought to himself. Satisfied with the answer, he left the table, taking his lantern with him, gesturing for his comrades to follow.

He stopped and the door and turned back towards the room. "If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of the three, then come to me. Information will be rewarded. And if we find out that you have been withholding information from us," he added, "there will be dire punishments." With that, he shoved open the door and left, his companions following in his wake.

A babble of conversation rose behind him as people carried on with their conversations. Shigeru finished his food and went up to the innkeeper. "Thanks for that," he said, "not that we were the ones that he was looking for or anything."

"Think nothing of it," the innkeeper replied. "Hanzo's soldiers have been giving us enough trouble as it is. We certainly don't owe them any favors."

"Just wanted to thank you for it," Shigeru said. "If you need any favors, just give me a call."

"Sure thing," the innkeeper said. "My name's Akuro."

"Mine's Shigeru,"Shigeru replied.

Akuro looked at him. "I thought you told him that your name was Seishiro or something."

"I thought you said you had no lodgers," Shigeru retorted, and the two shared a grin before Shigeru turned around and headed upstairs, determined to get a good night's sleep.