Revival: Of Cethore ✔

Chapter Four

Chapter Four: Pieces of a Puzzle

Samari needed information and that meant she needed to find people with rumors. Of course, news is not free, but buying a sucker a couple of drinks can very easily loosen their tongue.

So she found herself the loudest, smelliest, most crowded tavern she could find. Yippee de do da.

After renting a room at the inn and dropping off her bag, she elbowed her way into the crowded tavern. She set a stool that a drunk bloke had just fallen out of onto its feet and took her place at the bar, right in the middle of the chaos. The stench almost made her gag, but she had dealt with worse before.

"Li'le lady, you mus' be very los' 'o wander in here," the barkeeper said to her.

He was tall with dark skin and dark hair. He was a thin man, contrary to the big barkeeper stereotypical. Why he didn't pronounce 't' was a mystery to her.

She slid a bronze sheckle to him, simply saying, "Give me the...lunch special and...any juice y–you have."

She was surprised at the sound of her voice, dry and strained, and how much it hurt to speak. Her fingers met irritated skin when she felt her throat, which was raw and bruised from Viper's grip. Her hands were also irritated every time she even touched them against something.

How did I ignore the damage until now?

With a smile on his face, he scooped up the coins and walked away. Soon he was back with a plate of food and a drink. "Here you go, and your change," he said, handing her a few grey yules.

She was surprised by his response, assuming that he would have kept the rest for himself. With a wave of her hand, she rejected the coins, picking at her meal with her fork.

"Why, 'hank you, missy."

Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Do you...know of an–anyone named Shadow...Knight?"

He paused as he thought, but he shook his head. "No'hing I really know of. I don' pay enough a'en'ion 'o wha' people are saying," he admitted. 

Nodding, she turned her focus to her plate. It will not be that easy.

Samari kept her head down and her ears open as she slowly ate her food. Mostly, the sailors and merchants here talked about this girl or that shipment or trade routes. She hoped for some good info when a group of soldiers came in, but they mainly just shared about the people they had to deal with and how tired they were.

She thought back to the fight. Shadow Knight had saved her, then he threatened to kill her if she interfered. That made her think that he desperately wanted to defeat Viper. If that was the case, then why did he stop his attack just because other people's lives were threatened?

It didn't make any sense! Was it just because more than one Dixon would die, or was it that even one of their lives were more valuable than hers? They probably have families who need them to live, and she had no one but herself. If she had died then, there wouldn't be any name on her headstone.

What am I doing? I should be looking for a job and finding a place to live, not searching for a mysterious man who saved me from a terrorist! She mused.

It was early evening when she was finishing off her third drink. Nothing good had come by, yet she was not ready to give up. Even if she had to flirt–the thought of which repulsed her–she would get what she came for.

Just her luck, a wealthy looking man came up next to her. He was tall with dark hair that held an orange tint to it. His eyes were slender, and his face had sharp features. A thin layer of brown hair formed a mustache on his upper lip, matching his study build attractively.