The inn that finally accepted them was a small hole in the wall establishment that was far enough from the main street that guards didn’t bother to patrol. The Beastman that greeted them at the door was a dog, pot-bellied and with a cheerful smile. He waved the humans in, thanking them up and down for their patronage.
“Welcome, welcome my friends!” The innkeeper grinned, showing yellowed teeth with gaps and rotted spots. His fingers looked like over-stuffed sausages as he rubbed them together. “Humans don’ come into Rhodia no more. Doreos ‘n his boys see to that. But way I sees it, gold is gold!” his laugh was short, sharp bark. Kae’s nose scrunched up from the smell of the inkeeper’s rancid breath.
“Yes, I see.” Loren said patiently. Every inch of the inn was covered in a fine layer of dust, with a path cut into it from the door to a counter. “Well, we are willing to pay gold for a night’s rest, some food, and...” she paused, glancing at the shuttered windows. “…some information.”
The dog Beastman gave Loren a smarmy wink that set her skin crawling, and took a long look at Loren, eyes going up and down over her body. “Information, you say? I gots that ‘n more. Maybe I’ll even tell you somefin’ for a trade.”
“Food first.” Kae said curtly, pointedly laying a hand on the new dagger in her belt. “Then talk.”
The innkeeper huffed at the obvious threat and gestured at one of the dusty tables. “Sit if you want food. I’ll have me lovely prepare a room for you, but first I want to know if y’can pay!”
Loren sighed. She began to feel a pressure building in her temples from having to listen to this man speak. She was tired from the journey, she needed to find Kaiten, and she just wished this would be all over. Without a word, she reached to her belt and withdrew her coin purse. It was full and heavy in her hand from gold coins. Loren tugged at the string that knotted it closed, and offered the innkeeper the barest peek of the gold. He grinned the widest she had seen a Beastman grin, and his sausage-like fingers waggled in delight.
“Wonderful! Food and a room for you, my new friends, right away!” He laughed his bark-like laugh and set back along the path cut in the dust. Loren shared a look with Kae, and shrugged.
Loren idly picked at the meal the innkeeper provided for them. It wasn’t entirely bad; hard and stale bread paired with a cold stew of meat and lentils, to be washed down with ale that smelled like an old saddle. It was still somehow palatable. The innkeeper sat with them, watching Loren a bit too closely as she ate. Having the innkeeper’s beady eyes and hot, heavy breathing so close to her face killed her appetite very quickly.
“So, sir…” Cassendir started slowly, noticing Loren’s discomfort. “We heard from the gate guard that the king has been assassinated? My apologies for being so forward, we heard the news only now and it comes as quite a shock.”
The innkeeper huffed. “Gaturr? Heard that his flayed hide was offered as a gift to the human king. Probably threw his carcass to the hounds.”
Loren swallowed a chunk of dry bread. “What happened to the king’s son? Kaiten?”
“The little lion cub got himself captured, I heard. Saw the ruckus in the streets for myself. They dragged him by the tail out of the palace and threw him face first into the mud. Then they threw him into a sack, threw the sack into a carriage, and went off.” The innkeeper was nonchalant as he picked at this teeth with a long grimy nail.
“You saw it yourself?”
“I did. You see right there-“ He pointed to the shuttered window and the main road past the alley, “-That road leads up to the palace itself. I can see enough from the alley, I can hear even more from in here. That cub put up a fight, but there was a human with swords, wicked mean ones too. Threatened to skin him from crotch to gizzard just like his da’ if he didn’t stop screaming.”
Kae made a face, and gulped down a spoonful of the cold soup. “A human that’s good with swords, and better with scaring people. Does it sounds like someone you know?”
Loren nodded. “Seraphis Dagan. Good sir, did you see which way the carriage went?”
“Oh, I dunno.” The innkeeper drawled, scratching at a spot with his chin. “My memory isn’t as good as it used to be, you know? My old age and all that…” he winked at Loren.
The princess sighed and rolled her eyes. She flicked a gold coin at the innkeeper’s face. “Which way did they go, innkeeper?”
“Up the road, you know? Past the palace, the barracks, and towards the gate.”
Another coin sailed towards the innkeeper.
“The human with the swords, it was a female I think, fiery hair, two swords at her belt and a travelling cloak over her shoulders. The men guarding the carriage had a sigil on the armor that I got a peek of under their own cloaks; was two lions it was.”
“And which way did they go? North or south.”
“I can’t remember, my old
