could take his second step, Nolan swung his cane around, placing its tip right in the man's face.
"Don't say a word. I'm trying to save your life here."
The man stopped, which disappointed Ezzy. She had hoped he would ignore the warning and come at her. If he had, everyone in that tavern would have learned why you don't disparage the Ciantar family name.
"Ezzy," Nolan placed his free hand on her shoulder. "Can we go?"
She let out a grunt and replaced the knife in its sheath at her waist. Nolan was right. Her father would not approve of bar fights and killing drunks. He would have walked away, and that was exactly what she was going to do. Well...
In one smooth motion Ezzy grabbed a stool and swung it at the man.
She hadn't put a lot of force behind it, but the stool caught the man in the chin and rocketed him backwards. He hit the ground without uttering a sound, his arms and legs spread out in every direction. The remaining men at the table stared at their fallen friend with wide eyes and gaping mouths. The other patrons at the inn began to laugh at the fallen drunk. Most of them did, at least. Those that didn't find the situation funny were staring at her with nothing but animosity.
And there were enough of them to make even Ezzy worry.
"Time to go," she said, patting Nolan on the back as she moved towards the door.
"We passed that point," he murmured in reply but followed along after her.
They left the inn, stepping out on the main street. The few lit lanterns did little Even the one moon that should have been up at this point in the night was absent, its light hidden behind a now cloudy sky. Waving Nolan to follow her, she moved past two alleyways and took a left down a third. She chose this alley without a nearby lantern as the best place to watch the inn's entrance. If anyone was coming out after her, she wanted to be ready.
Nolan limped along after her. When he reached the alley he pushed past her and leaned against the wall of the building.
"Wonderful. You know there is only one other inn in this sewer of a town. Deep in some of the worst sections--"
"Quiet," she whispered in a harsh tone. He mumbled something under his breath but grew silent.
He was right of course. Wethrintir was a sewer.
One of the older towns in Ven Khilada, Wethrinter looked as if one of the gods had taken a wheelbarrow full of houses and dumped them out, letting them stay wherever they landed. The complete chaos of tightly packed buildings created a rat's nest of alleyways that went off in multiple directions, often ending suddenly. It was easy to get lost in this town once you were off the main street and was just as easy to disappear in it. That was why over a decade ago, the town had been overrun by an army of bandits, raiders, and thieves who held it for almost a year. It took an army led by one of the strongest Heroes to finally free it from the scum of the land. Every last villain was driven out by the Hero, Yaland the Fist, restoring the town to its former innocence.
At least, that's what the stories said.
As the daughter of one of the most influential men in all of Ven Khilada, Ezzy knew differently. It was impossible to drive all of the scum out of this labyrinth. Main Street was like a shiny butterfly that distracted you from all of the maggots living deep inside the town.
And now Ezzy had killed any chance of them staying in one of the few safe places in and around Wethrintir. Well, she would make it up to Nolan at the next town or village they visited. Probably.
Standing in the shadows, Ezzy watched the door, hoping that the friends of the drunk didn't come out looking for her.
"How long do we have to wait?" Nolan whispered in her ear. He had moved closer to try to see around her.
"Until I'm confident that we can leave without being followed. Now shut up."
"Leave? So we're going to camp outside of town? Great, another night of sleeping on the hard ground."
"You just said the other inn was in the worst part of
"Don't say a word. I'm trying to save your life here."
The man stopped, which disappointed Ezzy. She had hoped he would ignore the warning and come at her. If he had, everyone in that tavern would have learned why you don't disparage the Ciantar family name.
"Ezzy," Nolan placed his free hand on her shoulder. "Can we go?"
She let out a grunt and replaced the knife in its sheath at her waist. Nolan was right. Her father would not approve of bar fights and killing drunks. He would have walked away, and that was exactly what she was going to do. Well...
In one smooth motion Ezzy grabbed a stool and swung it at the man.
She hadn't put a lot of force behind it, but the stool caught the man in the chin and rocketed him backwards. He hit the ground without uttering a sound, his arms and legs spread out in every direction. The remaining men at the table stared at their fallen friend with wide eyes and gaping mouths. The other patrons at the inn began to laugh at the fallen drunk. Most of them did, at least. Those that didn't find the situation funny were staring at her with nothing but animosity.
And there were enough of them to make even Ezzy worry.
"Time to go," she said, patting Nolan on the back as she moved towards the door.
"We passed that point," he murmured in reply but followed along after her.
They left the inn, stepping out on the main street. The few lit lanterns did little Even the one moon that should have been up at this point in the night was absent, its light hidden behind a now cloudy sky. Waving Nolan to follow her, she moved past two alleyways and took a left down a third. She chose this alley without a nearby lantern as the best place to watch the inn's entrance. If anyone was coming out after her, she wanted to be ready.
Nolan limped along after her. When he reached the alley he pushed past her and leaned against the wall of the building.
"Wonderful. You know there is only one other inn in this sewer of a town. Deep in some of the worst sections--"
"Quiet," she whispered in a harsh tone. He mumbled something under his breath but grew silent.
He was right of course. Wethrintir was a sewer.
One of the older towns in Ven Khilada, Wethrinter looked as if one of the gods had taken a wheelbarrow full of houses and dumped them out, letting them stay wherever they landed. The complete chaos of tightly packed buildings created a rat's nest of alleyways that went off in multiple directions, often ending suddenly. It was easy to get lost in this town once you were off the main street and was just as easy to disappear in it. That was why over a decade ago, the town had been overrun by an army of bandits, raiders, and thieves who held it for almost a year. It took an army led by one of the strongest Heroes to finally free it from the scum of the land. Every last villain was driven out by the Hero, Yaland the Fist, restoring the town to its former innocence.
At least, that's what the stories said.
As the daughter of one of the most influential men in all of Ven Khilada, Ezzy knew differently. It was impossible to drive all of the scum out of this labyrinth. Main Street was like a shiny butterfly that distracted you from all of the maggots living deep inside the town.
And now Ezzy had killed any chance of them staying in one of the few safe places in and around Wethrintir. Well, she would make it up to Nolan at the next town or village they visited. Probably.
Standing in the shadows, Ezzy watched the door, hoping that the friends of the drunk didn't come out looking for her.
"How long do we have to wait?" Nolan whispered in her ear. He had moved closer to try to see around her.
"Until I'm confident that we can leave without being followed. Now shut up."
"Leave? So we're going to camp outside of town? Great, another night of sleeping on the hard ground."
"You just said the other inn was in the worst part of
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