Chapter Thirteen

  Torald had the sense to move ahead and warn his party of escorting knights away before they caught sight of Ulbert, and while it wasn’t much, it did show at least some forethought on the part of the knight, though where he sent them, Ulbert didn’t know, or care enough to ask. “M’lord, if it please you,” Torald said as they dropped the horse at the stable, “I’ll have some dinner brought up to the room and we can begin your lessons.”

  “That would be fine, Torald, but,” Ulbert said while looking around them, even though the stables were hardly front and center to anything, the noise of so many people going about their business, good and less than good alike, was substantial, “how did you manage to get rooms in a place this crowded?”

  “Easy, Lord Ulbert,” Torald said with a shrug, “The crown pays one inn in every town one gold coin per year to always have one room empty for traveling officials. They aren’t always in use, but when they’re needed, they’re needed.”

  Ulbert’s estimation of the crown of the Draconic Kingdom went up another notch. ‘Paying for it instead of passing a law costing the poor inn-keepers… and I’d imagine a gold coin is more than a single room would make all year long in most circumstances, at least in cheaper inns…’ It made too much sense, and the practicality of it appealed to his views.

  “It won’t be much, m’lord.” Torald said as he clapped his horse on its flank and walked away, “But times being what they are, I promise you I’m doing my best.”

  “It’s fine.” Ulbert answered, “You can’t get blood from a stone.” He replied, and Torald cocked his head.

  “Sorry, m’lord?” Torald asked.

  “It’s an expression in a-” he paused, “a faraway land. It means you can’t get out of a thing, what it doesn’t have in the first place.”

  “Oh, aye, I understand, thank you, m’lord.” Torald answered, “This way.”

  “Have you been here before, Torald?” Ulbert asked and did his best to not breathe too much, horse feces littered the dirt road in places, and the people didn’t smell a great deal better.

  “I have, m’lord. We passed through here on our way to find you.” He replied, and Ulbert then asked…

  “Does your country not use public bathhouses? Or is it that the ones you have are overwhelmed?” Ulbert asked, and Torald’s tanned cheeks reddened a little.

  “Forgive the smell, m’lord. It is as you say, most towns have only one house per district, and those are not meant for many. Towns like this, even with a lake handy, can't meet the demand. After the first hour or two the water is so foul you’d be sicker from a bath than you would be by staying filthy.” Torald admitted and cleared his throat, “I promise, we won’t be here long. And when we reach the nearest city, I will make sure the establishment does not lack its own facilities.”

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  As Torald seemed to make a point of not looking at him, Ulbert read into his words, ‘I’ll make sure you don’t have to stink.’

  The transformation magic that made Ulbert human, fortunately, did not have the ability to show embarrassment. He restrained the urge to shout ‘I don’t stink!’ and only let out a grunt of acknowledgement instead.

  Around them the flow of humanity was thick, it was so impossible to keep totally personal space that people brushed into each other all the time, this reminded the demon far too much of his time on his old world. ‘Just being used to crowds is not the same as liking them, and I won’t be sorry to leave Sasbay when we can.’

  The inn, like the rest of the buildings, was a simple wooden framed structure with a thatched roof protecting wooden slats, interestingly, it did have a gutter system in place that would keep rainwater from striking those who went in and out of the entrance.

  However, rather than the common metal gutters of home, these were simple bark strips that were softened, shaped, and dried, and tilted ever so slightly toward a barrel at the far end of the building. Every building he saw had a similar setup. “Does this town have a shortage of wells?” Ulbert asked as they passed through the swinging double doors.

  “Sasbay has no wells.” Torald explained and stamped his foot on the wooden floor. “It’s the ground, the rock is too hard for people to dig through easily, and the magic needed is a bit too potent. So even if there is water down there, there’s no getting to it. It’s not that it can’t be done, but the magic needed for it is fifth tier, and getting a fifth tier magic caster to come dig a public fountain or well is a tall order. Excuse me, m’lord.” He said, and left Ulbert’s side for a moment, the inn was full of people of widely varied social positions.

  ‘No wells… magic too weak…?’ A temptation came to mind as Ulbert thought that and looked around the room.

  There were a handful of nobles in clothing that probably was far cleaner and far finer looking before recent days, as well as a handful of soldiers in armor that was clearly battered and bearing bloodstains that hadn’t been properly cleaned.

  There were also merchants with haggard, haunted faces, gaunt faced peasants bearing scars from wounds that hadn’t had magic used to heal them, and even common soldiers whose expressions ran from hard and cruel to lost and haunted.

  There wasn’t one of them, peasant or soldier, noble or merchant, rich or poor, that seemed to care who they were around or how they looked, or how they smelled.

  ‘It will be a long time, one way or the other, before this Kingdom is healed from the war with the Beastmen.’ Ulbert privately acknowledged, and when Torald returned holding an iron key in his hand, he followed the knight up a set of stairs that creaked and groaned beneath their weight.

  “Our room, m’lord.” Torald said and using the key on a somewhat rusty lock that was in turn embedded in a door that had clearly seen better days, with chips and gouges aplenty where rot had been cut out, he swung the door out and allowed the demon to be the first to go inside.

  “I’ve asked for the food to be brought up shortly, then we can get started.” Torald promised, and for his own part, Ulbert walked to the window at the far end of the room, out toward the center of the small town and thought…

  ‘Yes. Yes, I will.’