AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The burly man we had beheld before was situated behind the bar. He eyed us with a sharp look as he cleaned the glasses. A waitress bounced over with a tired smile on her face.
“What would you like?” she asked us.
“A mug of your finest ale and a black coffee,” Ben told her. “And what’s on the menu?”
She nodded in a general leftward direction. “Some freshly baked bread from the bakery just down the street and a pot pie.”
“The meat?”
Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “Do you really want to know?”
Ben grinned. “We’ll find out with two small helpings.” She nodded and bounced away to obey.
One of the tables near us was occupied by two men in their early forties. They each clasped a large mug between their hands and sported long beards. Their attire was simple and slightly mud-stained, denoting an earthly occupation.
One of the men leaned toward his compatriot and lowered his voice, but not so much that I couldn’t hear was he was saying. “Did you hear about the shadow that attacked Farmer Gebur’s cows last night?”
His companion took a drink of his draught and licked the cream off his lips. “I heard something about it, but what’s it about?”
“Something slipped into his barnyard and magicked them into a panic,” the other man told him as he scooted closer to his friend. “Nearly stampeded the whole lot of them into the forest. I reckon it’s them werewolves trying to get their meal for the month.”
“Now don’t go spreading those rumors, Maersung,” our waitress scolded him as she whisked up to their table. She held a platter against her hip and a smile on her face as she set her free hand on her unoccupied hip. “We have enough trouble without inventing more.”
Maersung leaned back and beamed at her with his mustache covered in beer froth. “No trouble if it’s true, Aida, and you can never trust those werewolves to be thieving our animals. I’ve had more than one chicken go missing.”
She laughed as she picked up his empty mug. “That’s because you won’t fix the hole in the back of your coop. Now will you be wanting anymore?”
“Not for me today, Aida,” Maersung mused as he pushed his chair back and stood. “I’ve got some stuff to do on the farm. You know, mine’s awful close to that attack and I don’t want my own animals stampeding about.”
“Lemme come with ya,” his companion insisted as he leapt to his feet, nearly overturning his chair.
Maersung leaned in and narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of some shadows, Earg.”
Earg shrugged. “You never can tell what’s in the dark, Maers. Might be a spook.”
Maers curled his lips back in a sneer. “You know there isn’t any such thing, you coward.” He grabbed the back of his shrunken friend’s collar and tossed him toward the door. “Now stop wasting time with your fool questions and let’s get going.”
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
The two disappearedthrough the open door. The moment they had gone, Ben raised his hand and caught the attention of our waitress. Aida bounced over with a mischievous smile on her face. “You’re meal isn’t quite ready, sir. The cook’s still trying to catch it.”
Ben grinned. “I’m sure with his experience we’ll soon be eating his catch, but I was wondering if this place was generally a haunt for the farmers.”
Aida put a hand on her hip and turned her head to face the door. “You mean like those guys? I’d say it is. The Moon Palace is close enough to the main road that they have no trouble reaching it and just out of view enough if their wives should they drive into town for some shopping.”
“Is Dugal a regular patron of the place?” Ben wondered.
She wrinkled her nose. “Not really. He comes in here on occasion, but he’s been here these past few months to ring up quite a tab.”
“He owes me a cool baron!” the barkeep chimed in.
I whistled. “That’s a lot of drinks.”
Ben stood and sauntered over to the bar. The keeper eyed him with a sharp look until Ben drew out his purse. “Then I’ll see to that tab, if you don’t mind.”
The barkeep’s eyes widened as he watched Ben draw out a baron and hold it out to him. The man took the coin and turned it over in his palm with his mouth agape. “Well, I’ll be.” He frowned and drew the coin to his mouth where he bit down hard. The man winced, but quickly tucked the money into his pocket and eyed Ben with new respect and more than a little curiosity. “What are you to him?”
“An old friend,” Ben replied as he drew out another baron which he set on the bar. “And I hope this will cover his future expenses and ours today.”
