No Place For Magic Book 4 (Completed)

Chapter 10

It was nearly noon when we left the banshee's castle. We started out by following the row of pine trees that she'd mentioned. Stone markers showed that an old road had once run beside them, but it had long since fallen into disuse and was mostly overgrown. Because we still couldn't find anything to eat, we continued walking long after we normally would have stopped. When darkness fell and the pine trees melted into the rest of the forest, we asked Li'l for help. She was happy to lead us and flew off to look around.

The night was well along when we reached the village that Li'l had found, making the few candles still burning in the windows a welcome sight. Grouped around a small central field, a cluster of narrow houses with steeply pitched roofs had been built so close to each other that they seemed to present a united front to the surrounding forest. Only a narrow gap separated the houses, leaving barely enough room for two people to walk side by side.

"I hope there's an inn here," said Eadric. "And I hope they're still serving supper."

I yawned and brushed my hair out of my eyes. "And I hope they have some rooms available after we've eaten."

"I hope they have a nice bucket of water," Shelton said from inside my sleeve. "And maybe a little salt to add to it."

"I'll see you later," said Li'l. "I don't like inns. There are always too many people there who like to hit bats."

After walking the length of the path that led between the houses without seeing an inn or anyone to talk to, Eadric declared, "We're not sleeping outside tonight. This village is too close to the troll's mountain. Anything could be in these woods." Picking the closest house, he rapped on the door with his knuckles. The thump was so loud in the otherwise silent night that I was sure everyone in the village must have heard it.

I gasped when a man stepped out of the shadows only a few feet away. "May I help you?" he asked with an odd accent to his words. The light from the windows did little more than outline his shape in the gloom, and I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"We're seeking lodging for the night," said Eadric, stepping between me and the man. "Is there an inn close by?"

The man chuckled, but it wasn't a pleasant sound. "No inns that you could reach tonight. However, I have some empty rooms that I let out to travelers. Will it be just the two of you?"

"Yes," said Eadric, placing his hand on Ferdy's hilt. Apparently I wasn't the only one who felt ill at ease around the stranger. "And if we could arrange for supper as well. . ."

"Of course," said the man. "I'm sure my wife can come up with something."

I took Eadric's hand as the man led us to the largest house in the village. As narrow as the others, it was two stories tall with a pair of windows on the upper floor that looked out over the street. Despite the candles flickering in the windows, it didn't look as if anyone were home. I drew back when the door opened to a dank, earthy smell that seemed out of place indoors. "Are you all right?" whispered Eadric as he tucked my arm in his.

"Yes," I said, "but this house-—"

"Right this way," said the man, leading us into the large front room. A table had been set with two trenchers and two mugs as if we'd been expected. I looked around, thinking we were alone in the silent house, and was surprised to see a grizzled old man watching us from the corner by the hearth. "My neighbor, Humphrey," said our host, who I could now see was fair-haired with pale skin and piercing blue eyes. There was a whisper of sound, and a young woman with the same coloring stepped into the doorway of another room. "And this is my wife, Sulie. She'll see to your needs. My name is Corbin. Please sit. Sulie will have your supper ready soon." With a nod to his wife, the man disappeared out the front door.