Dream Walker✔️

4.4

I nodded my thanks at the borin and turned toward the door. Before I'd taken two steps, a slithering of scales on stone made me pause.

"Wait," Neza said, a heavy defeat weighing on his tone. "I can't pay fifty planti a piece and still make a profit. But I can pay forty."

The borin chuckled as I turned around and gave him a questioning look. "It's a decent price. Could be better, but it's decent."

"Then I'll take it." I returned to the counter but didn't let go of the feathers, not until I watched him count out one black, one white-gold, and two semitransparent coins. This transaction seemed to please the old borin, so I took them without complaint and finally released the feathers.

"Thanks." I tucked the coins in my pocket and left the shop. Grinning, I barely resisted the urge to skip back to the others. "We are sleeping in real beds tonight, guys!"

"That's great," Aster said in a relieved voice that made me regret not translating any of that interaction for him. "You not worried about that snake guy coming after us?"

"Well, I wasn't until you just mentioned it." Whatever else I might've said was drowned out by Izzy's excited squealing as she danced around the dufflar.

"Ooh, I can't wait. I've missed real beds so much—oh, and a bath, think there's a bath? Or a shower, I'll take that too. Hell, I'll take standing in the rain if it's warm enough. Anything but snow and dirt and more snow."

"I can arrange you that," an austere voice said in heavily accented English. I spun around, overestimating my balance and falling against the wall. My hood threatened to fall back, but I barely held it in place. Aster's strong arms propped me up, and his nimble magic cleansed the dizziness in an instant.
"You know English?" he asked the borin man standing just outside the shop.

"Yes, we have some humans come on festival days. Over years, I learned their language." He nodded at Izzy and Vance. "But you talk better than I." Smiling, he tucked his bag of flour under his arm and ambled toward us. "I have a place for sleeping and eating in. A- a inn, yes, that's it. You should come to my inn and eat and sleep. We have large, large rooms with very good food and drink, enough for all your friends. Oh, yes, and a place for the sheep horse." He patted the dufflar's rump as he passed.

I snorted. "Is that why you helped me, so I would have plenty of money to spend at your inn?"

He smiled over his shoulder at me. "One way, yes. Another way is Neza cheats me often, and I like to see he loses sometimes. Third way is you look like you need much help today." He pointed at a borin woman standing behind a wooden cart just a little ways away. "My good daughter and I bought many things today, and I saw you in trouble in all places."

Oh, great, we were so remarkably recognizable as clueless that a complete stranger had taken pity on us. At least this would make it easier to find a place to stay tonight. "Well, since we're so troubled, would you consider a pity discount?"

Chuckling, he shook his head as he set the flour in his daughter's cart. "I would, I would, but my daughter says we will run out of money if I bring home more... not-paying bums."

I would've been offended, but the way he said it was more of the way you would talk about a cute stray dog than a dine-and-dasher at a restaurant. The borin's daughter palmed her forehead. "Papa, what are-" she started in Bontair.

"Be nice, daughter. They talk Bontair." He patted her shoulder, and she started pushing her cart down the street in a huff. He followed, waving for us to do the same. "Don't worry, daughter, they can pay."

Izzy popped up by my side and flapped her excited hand against my arm, squealing all the while. "This is so great."

"Yep, so great." It would've been better if my arm didn't hurt so much, but I couldn't pretend I wasn't excited for a night's stay at a inn. Staying for more than one night might even be worth it in the long run, if I could heal enough to be fully recovered before I headed out into the world again. I might even be able to carry a couple of riders and speed up our travel if I was fully healed.