Heart Over Sword - Chapter 124

Ger and Axel opened the double doors to the tavern, instantly quieting the crowds at the newcomers. But they returned to their drinks when the pair walked towards a table in the corner of the room that overlooked everyone. It was the best spot in the inn which made it a little suspicious that nobody would take up such a space, though people glanced in their direction as they sat down and murmured to one another. A barmaid arrived then, placing two tankards of ale onto the table.

“On tha ‘ouse,” She said before turning on the spot. Ger reached out and stopped her from leaving; his hand gripped her wrist, making her jump and flinch. He’d never scared someone before, but he expected as such, they were, after all, in Kuramji. The barmaid was probably used to bar fights and the like.

“Why are these on the house?” He asked, eying her then glancing at the innkeeper.

“We don’t want no trouble,” She replied and slipped her arm out of his reach. Ger let her go and looked at Axel. Maybe it was good sometimes to look notorious, though he suspected that wasn’t the case with the varying eyes on them. Ger put his hood up then and settled back into his seat before searching for his pipe. Axel started to sip on the ale, his guard still up as his gaze flickered around them.

Ger inhaled on his pipe while looking at the table Evanna sat at when they were last in the Snake Pitt Inn. The day she was captured still replayed through his mind, and the day they found the gem missing. Most of his heart was filled with guilt. Even with her meticulous planning and confidence in them, it still went wrong, and they weren’t any closer to helping her mother. In fact, Evanna’s circumstances were much more dire now.

Ger knew within his heart that she was alive because surely he would know if she was no longer among the living?

“Snap out of it,” Axel’s disgruntled voice snapped him out of his daze. “We cannot help her by sulking.”

Ger exhaled the smoke from his pipe. “It’s not as simple as that. The last time we were here was with her. And even then, things weren’t going our way. She was attacked.” Ger scowled at a man who looked at them suspiciously, but the man looked away.

Axel sighed and sipped his drink again, his gaze still roaming the room. “I know it isn’t, but we cannot keep beating ourselves up about it. Now we can only move forwards. You, of all people, know how she is. By now, she’s probably caused problems for..” He looked around and lowered his voice more. “The Flori. We must only focus on the gem for now. That was the task she left for us.”

“Exactly, and Cilv stole it from us. As much as she was useful, it was the worst choice Raven made regarding this trip. She could never be trusted; even with the deal they made, it did not guarantee anything.” Ger gripped the pipe tightly, his knuckles going white from how angry he felt at the shapeshifter. He never even let his guard down with her, and she was still capable of taking that gem.

Cilv really was heartless. She knew the gem was for Evanna’s ill mother, and yet greed still consumed her, and she snatched away any hope left for the princess and him. It was not just the princess who fought for the gem; Loraven was also like a second mother to him. He also knew from the trip that Axel and Ronan had sworn their absolute loyalty to them. This, too, was now their mission to make Evanna’s wish come true.

The pair sat in silence, listening to the busy tavern’s chatter, rowdy laughter and even watched men play ‘bishop’ the game where men placed the palm of their hand on the table and stabbed a knife in between their fingers, increasing the pace as they go. Many were betting on it and joining, while others merely watched and cheered the brave men on.

“Yeah, they entered not too long ago.”

“I wonder why they are here. They must know Kuramji does not care for royals.”

Ger’s ears pricked at a discussion on another table. He narrowed his eyes but continued to listen as well as he could in the noisy tavern. Word was spreading about the royal guard entering Kuramji, though they did not specify which royal guard they belonged to. Ger frowned, looking down at the table as he placed his pipe down.

The king would not search for his daughter, though he would send his soldiers out in search of her. Either way, they needed to keep their heads down. People in the palace knew of his relationship with Evanna, and he went ‘missing’ the same day she did. He chuckled lightly; he could only guess at what horrific gossip was surfacing about him and the princess in the royal court.

“We should head back to the room, whether Roach is done or not. We need to stay hidden,” Ger whispered to Axel, who nodded his head. They began to scoot their chairs back when the double doors to the inn opened, and everyone looked in the direction of the newcomers. Ger halted in rising from his seat and instinctively pulled his hood even further down.

Even in disguise, the man entering the inn had a powerful presence that demanded attention. Ger’s brows drew together, his teeth clenching together at the man who Evanna hated as a child. He walked further in, his strides long to go with his tall height. Women gaped at him, and men looked at him warily.

Prince Conrad of the Hatherland kingdom was standing in the Snake Pitt Inn. His closest guards were also with him and dressed down as well. But like with Evanna’s outfit, anyone could tell that the leader had much money.