In the beginning, Clay had been a stranger to her and she couldn’t trust his motivations. He claimed he was sent to rescue her but refused to tell her who had sent him and what they wanted with her. All Lana knew was that he was taking her to his homeland. Over time, something changed and she began to trust him in spite of her reservations.
It was almost impossible not to feel safe with Clay. He had a presence that spoke of stability, strength and protectiveness. When they would spend time together, he was very careful of her, helping her over fallen logs and spreading his cloak out so she could sit comfortably. He was always a gentleman and never tried to force his attentions on her.
Clay gave her the space she needed to come to terms with her new situation and Lana wasn’t sure when it happened, but at some point during their journey she had let go of the suspicion and fear and simply embraced her new life as a free woman. It was liberating.
The trio had traveled several miles that morning when suddenly, after cresting a rise, a town was stretched out before them. It was maybe a mile away and didn’t look like much, not compared to the castle that she had lived in all her life and the sprawling city at its feet, but it wasn’t exactly small either.
“What is this place?” she asked Clay, turning around to look up at him.
He smiled down at her and she could feel her heart flutter.
“This is Coalfell, a mining town. Fairly prosperous. We’re going to spend the night and resupply.”
“I can’t wait to sleep in a real bed again,” Nym said. She was standing up in her stirrups with a hand shading her eyes as she peered at the town in the distance. She sat back down and urged her horse to a trot.
Laughing, Lana and Clay trotted up to join her and before long they were passing through the gates, the guards paying them very little mind. Clay urged their horse forward and the crowds parted for them. He seemed to know his way around and soon they were standing in front of a sprawling three story building. The sign on the front declared it to be The Whispering Raven. He dismounted and helped Lana down, then took their saddlebags and slung them over his shoulder. Flipping a copper to a stable boy who caught it with practiced ease, Clay handed over the reins of their horses and led the women inside.
Lana thought she would be excited to be in her first town but instead she was frightened. She had never been around so many people before, it was all so overwhelming. She clung to Clay’s arm tightly and he looked down at her in concern. She just shook her head and stared forward, one arm in his and the other holding her staff firmly. She knew enough about the weapon now that she could lay any of these people out pretty quickly. That gave her courage.
The inn was bustling and loud. A woman was standing on a small stage in the corner playing a lyre and singing in a very sweet voice but it was hard to hear over the conversations. A group of men in dusty coats were playing at dice in the corner, and many of the other tables were taken up by groups of two or three. Most appeared to be travelers of some type and none of them paid any attention to the newcomers.
“Hello!” exclaimed a short, thin woman with rosy cheeks and flaming red hair. She approached them and gave a short bow. “Welcome to The Whispering Raven! My name is Susie, would you like a table?”
“Rooms, please.” Clay said politely. “Two. One for us and one for our companion.” He nodded toward Nym. Lana blushed furiously. Does he think he’s going to share a room with me? But she knew they had to keep up the pretense so she gritted her teeth and tried to smile at the woman. Perhaps she wasn’t so successful because Susie took one look at her, widened her eyes and then shot a quick, apologetic glance at Clay. He put his arm around Lana and surreptitiously pinched her arm in warning.
“Certainly, sir. Certainly. Just up the stairs here, come along.” Susie herded them up the stairway in the back and led them to two rooms right next to each other. They were identical as far as she could tell, consisting of a large bed, a stone bathtub in the corner, a table with two chairs and another table near the bed with a stone basin and a pitcher for washing up.
It was comfortable enough but Lana only had eyes for the bathtub. Oh, how she missed bathing like a normal person! Taking a dip in a pond or using water from a stream to wash up worked to an extent, but it was nothing compared to soaking in a hot bath.
Clay set their belongings down by the bed and walked around the room, looking out the windows and examining the furnishings.
“Thank you, Susie,” he told the proprietor warmly. “This will do perfectly.”
She beamed at him, charmed. “Please feel free to come downstairs and one of the servers will see that you get a hot meal. You look starved!” Clay nodded at her and turned to Lana. “Come join me when you’re ready, I’d like to go sit and see what news I
