Let us sing in merriment, our voices large and small.
For all we fear in the shadows, will be destroyed with the light.
Talonsphere rises from the ground, and brings fire to the night.”
Suddenly the inn’s door creaked opened slowly and two tall figures stepped through it. Everyone’s hair stood on end and a chill tickled their spines as they recognised the dark presences that had entered the room. The songstress gasped and lowered her violin as her song was interrupted, and all turned to see Kassina and Derian, arms crossed, standing in front of the now-closed door. Derian wore his royal robes and his father's crown. Kassina stood tall, with her hair draped over the leather shoulders of her corset and covering the right half of her face. Daggers were bound across her ribs and her tight pants disappeared into a pair of leather boots laced to her knees. The hilts of a pair of swords peeked out from behind her shoulders.
Tusdar reached behind his seat slowly and grasped Vartan’s bow, which was still resting against his chair. Sweat formed on his brow and his heart pounded in his chest.
“Songstress,” sneered Kassina, “you don’t have to stop on our account. Please, continue on with your tale of this legend.”
She took a seat with Derian near the fireplace, crossing her legs and dangling her boot playfully. As everyone remained silent, her smile morphed to a scowl. She twisted her wrist and sent a bolt of lightning into one of the men closest to her. He screamed out in agony as his body went into convulsions.
“I said, finish the song!” Kassina snapped. “Certainly you are not deaf as well as stupid, or I should be surprised that you could play such an instrument.”
Hildar's eyes narrowed defiantly. “That’s enough!” he growled. “Tell us what you want from us, witch.'
Kassina viciously kicked back her chair as she rose in anger, snarling at the inn’s patrons. “How dare you! Is this how you greet your new king and queen? We should kill everyone, here and now, solely due to your insolence. Come to think of it, all of this is starting to make me feel hungry.” She turned her head to Tusdar’s table, watching him from the corner of her eye. “And please, get your hands off Vartan’s bow. I would recognise that weapon anywhere, and I can see exactly what you are doing. You, of all people, couldn’t handle such a weapon. I am sure you are not in the mood for much bloodshed tonight. Would I be right?”
Tusdar said nothing.
She arched an eyebrow. “Although it does bring to mind the obvious question, what on Marithia are you doing with his bow in the first place?” she asked, scanning the inn with her piercing eyes. “Is he here somewhere? Hiding upstairs, like the cowardly little boy that he is? Or shivering in some dark corner at my presence?”
Tusdar's voice strained and his lip quivered as he answered. “No, great sorceress… I mean… my Queen. His horse found its way home to the inn and I took the bow from his pack. You will not find him anywhere here, so you best look elsewhere if you want to find him. I speak the truth and would not defy you.'
Kassina smiled, revealing small glints of fang. “Thank you for your amazing report. But you think you speak the truth? I’ll be the judge of what the truth is. Although it is a pleasure that finally there is someone here who can show his new queen the respect she deserves. As for the rest of you, I will spare all of your lives if you tell me where to find that slippery rat Aidan. Derian tells me that Aidan was the only royal guard to escape Greenhaven alive. His blood left a trail in this direction, so don't bother lying to me.'
One of the men in the room spoke up. “My Queen, I was here a few days ago when Aidan was brought into the inn in Vartan's arms. He was taken upstairs by a healer, but that is all I know.”
Kassina turned to Derian and giggled. “Would you look at that, my sweet? We have some potential in these humans other than to whet my appetite. Consider your life spared, young man. Derian, let us pay a hospitable visit to the rooms upstairs, shall we?”
Hildar sent an icy-cold stare toward the informant as he interrupted them. “Why don’t you have some drinks and join us, so we can welcome you properly as our new king and queen? After all, this would be cause for a celebration and it would be an honour to serve you. There is nobody up there but a few of our paying guests. That man is confused, and I have never seen him here before today. My inn does not hold any injured men.'
Trisa wet another soft rag with cool water and laid it gently on Aidan’s forehead. 'You have already begun to heal and are well on the road to recovery.'
The room was warmed by the small fireplace near the bed, and Aidan couldn’t help but feel very comfortable in her care. When he spoke, his voice was weak. “I don’t know how I will ever thank you, Trisa… you saved my life.'
“It is not me you should be grateful to. I am just doing my work. Thank the young knight who left a pile of shiny king's gold to save you. I believe his name was Vartan.'
Aidan smiled as he began to recall snippets of the events that had taken place. “Of course, I remember now. It was Sir Vartan. One kind deed deserves another, and I will never forget him. I owe Vartan a lot more than I ever did for him in Greenhaven. How long have I been here?”
“Many days have passed before your eyes opened, but your will is strong and so are my potions. Thanks to your friend's gold, I was able to make the rare ones needed to keep your body alive while I used enchanted scrolls to speed up the healing process.'
All of a sudden loud, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs. Aidan shot up in bed and then winced, hunching over at the pain from his healing ribs.
He desperately searched for a weapon near his bed and he asked through quickened breath, “Who is that?”
Kassina and Derian ascended the inn’s stairs to discover three locked doors with low light escaping the cracks in the door. They stood at the entrance to the corridor, their silhouettes flickering shadows in the firelight from the inn's fireplace.
Kassina's laugh echoed down the corridor. “Derian, do you feel lucky tonight? Maybe we should get a room and start really enjoying our time together. What do you say?”
With a grin on his face, Derian marched his way to the first door and kicked it with all his might. He sent the door flying across the room, narrowly missing a frightened couple making love in the bed.
“Oh dear, it appears we interrupted something that we want to be doing. Don't let us stop you — please continue on with our blessing!” laughed Derian as they approached the second door.
Kassina shook her head and sighed. “Derian, do be more subtle. What good is anyone to us if you’re just going to splatter them like the bugs they are? Allow me.' She lifted her index finger, which bore a ring in the form of a coiled snake, to the lock, and she whispered a spell. The lock hummed and clicked open. She eased the door open slowly as it let out a groaning sound. The room was empty, save the inn’s dusty furniture.
Derian pouted. “Does nobody ever clean this place? Disgusting! Well, that leaves only one room.'
Kassina turned her head and stared disdainfully at Derian. “ Well, I would have never known that. How amazingly perceptive of you. Did they teach you to count in that big city as well?”
Trisa turned her attention to the door as footsteps came closer and the shadow of legs could be seen. “Who is it?” she asked, sliding a shiny dagger out from her boot.
Derian knocked playfully on the last door of the inn. “Hello, little mouse? Why don’t you just open the door for us and save us the trouble of opening it for you?”
They waited a few tense moments without a reply. Derian shrugged. 'Then you best get out of the way!' he yelled. He growled as he booted the door open with his full strength.
Trisa spun around at the sound of the door being smashed open and crashing into her cottage walls, to see a tall man stumbling in and trying to keep his balance, his arms piled high with wood.
Trisa put away her dagger. “Jamik!” she yelled. “How on Marithia can you be so clumsy? The doors have handles, you know!”
Jamik replied sheepishly. “I’m sorry, madam. I lost my balance, as my arms are full of the firewood, you know? I tripped into the door.”
“By the gods, Jamik, you managed to scare us half to death!” said Trisa with a warm smile. “Thank the stars we moved out of that horribly small inn and came home. Remember that part of the healing process is to not kill people with fright, even if it does generate business.”
Jamik placed the wood down carefully and nodded as he closed the door behind him. Aidan eased himself back into his bed and rested his eyes once again. 'I thought it was that wench, Kassina.'
“Never fear, Aidan. I may not be a dark sorceress, but I have some tricks of my own. She would have great difficulty finding us here. In fact, nobody should be able to find us here. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for
