The Princess and the Bard (Royals of the Realms #1)

Chapter Eight: A Quiet Night at the Inn

After their dishes were cleared and the fire banked, the innkeepers, a husband and wife pair, showed them to the second floor up a short flight of switchback stairs. There were six guest rooms, three to each side of a long, narrow hallway of wood paneling. The wife was a stout woman with dark hair, soft brown eyes, and a face of freckles. She fretted over a cobweb clinging to the wall at the top of the steps, before leading Alori to the first door on the left.

"I wish we had somewhere grander to put you, Your Highness." She lowered her broomstick and made a show of bowing, as if suddenly realizing her erratic behavior wasn't appropriate. "Will you be needing me to help with your... underthings?"

The poor woman's face turned the color of a ripe tomato. Her husband looked down at his boots, grunted, and proceeded to coax Taelan to follow him to another room farther down the hall.

"That won't be necessary, ma'am, but thank you for offering." Alori fought a grin and stood back as the flustered innkeeper fiddled with a noisy key-ring. "I trust you and your husband have been well compensated for your trouble this evening?"

"Yes, Your Highness, and I thank you for your generosity but it's really no trouble at all. It's an honor, just meeting you. I'm Kait, by the way, and my husband's Nedd, though most call him Bulosi. That's our last name." She bowed again, rigidly, still fussing with her keys. The door was sticky but opened with a good push. "This is the only functional key to the room, so no one will be barging in on you." She handed the key separated from the ring to Alori and winked in the direction her husband had led Taelan. "Uninvited, that is."

Alori's neck sweltered. She turned into the shadows within the darkened room to hide her face. "Thank you, Mrs. Bulosi, I appreciate your discretion."

"Mum's the word, princess. You were never here... except for dinner, of course."

Alori detected a nervous undercurrent in the innkeeper's voice, although she tried to hide it behind a bright chuckle. It had to be stressful hosting royalty, and on such short notice. Alori made a mental note to have a care package of fine wines and cheeses sent to the inn in gratitude. It was the least she could do.

"A patroller is posted at the foot of the stairs. If you need anything, just holler down, or have your man come get us and someone will be right up."

Her man? Did Mrs. Bulosi mean Taelan?

Alori was the most powerful mage on Eala, but in that moment she felt helpless in the face of the innkeeper's hospitality. She hated to shut herself in her room without saying a proper goodnight to Taelan, but she knew how it would look if she went chasing after him. Mrs. Bulosi might have sworn herself to secrecy, but there were some things that simply weren't worth the risk.

"Thank you, Mrs. Bulosi, for everything you've done tonight. I truly appreciate it."

At a loss for anything else to say, Alori entered the room she'd been assigned and pressed the door shut, locking it behind her.

Was the innkeeper right, was Taelan her man now?

The blazing fire at the back of the small room afforded enough light to avoid collisions as she navigated the cramped space, so there was no need to search for an oil lamp or wall switch that might trigger an overhead magelight, although she'd have been surprised to find any enchantments here. The Ville-Tokki Inn was a respectable establishment, but it was a far cry from the opulence of the palace or Amethyst district in Ville-Saseum. It was unlikely that the Bulosis could afford to employ a mage to maintain household enchantments for the restaurant and a mere six boarding rooms. Not that Alori minded. The fog of alcohol-induced surreality suited her just fine for the time being.