The Star of Morcyth_ Book Five of the Morcyth Saga - Brian S. Pratt [17]
“Thank you,” he says.
“You’re welcome,” the girl replies as she moves along to help another customer.
“Kind of feel sorry for people like that don’t you?” asks James to no one in particular.
“Some,” agrees Fifer.
Before the end of the meal, an itinerant musician sets up in one corner of the common room and places a bowl on the floor before him for any donations the patrons would care to give. Most musicians of this world have no paying patrons and just go from tavern to tavern looking for a place to play. If the proprietor has no one to provide music already, he’ll let the musician set up and play for tips, often supplying his dinner if he plays well.
They sit back after the meal and listen as he plays. Not nearly Perrilin’s standard, but who is? Still, he does play well and the songs he sings are on key. During one intermission, James goes over and puts a silver in his bowl.
Sitting back down, he notices Dave is gone. “Where did Dave go?”
“Who cares?” says Jiron. His feelings for Dave have hardly become better over the last couple days. While Dave has done nothing further to antagonize anyone, if anything he’s been trying hard to get along, he still has yet to allay Jiron’s feeling of distrust.
“Jiron, stop that,” Illan says disapprovingly. To James he adds, “He said he was tired and was going up to sleep.”
A big yawn escaping him, James says, “I may go on up too.” Then the musician begins playing a song James has heard before, one he especially likes. Sitting back down, he looks to Illan and says with a smile, “Maybe after one more song.”
Illan laughs and James sits back as the musician makes his way through the piece. It’s a whimsical song about a layabout who winds up mistakenly courting his benefactor’s daughter. Rather a long song, but from the reaction of the other patrons there, more than just James like it.
When the song ends, he gets up and stretches. “Definitely off to bed now,” he says amidst another big yawn. “See you all tomorrow.”
“Good night James,” Illan says. The others bid him good night as well.
Heading up to his room, he finds Dave asleep in bed just as Illan had said. Getting undressed quietly so as not to awaken his friend, he slips into his own bed and relaxes as he begins drifting off to sleep.
The following morning when they’re in the common room having a quick bite to eat before heading out, everyone seems to be mellowing toward Dave. Jiron still has an edge, but it’s beginning to soften somewhat as he gets to know him a little bit better. It’s unlikely he’ll ever have total trust in him, but as time goes on, James hopes he will.
They finish their morning meal quickly and are soon on the road. As they pass by the last of the buildings James sees someone standing against the wall of the last building, staring at their party. It’s the woman who the night before the innkeeper told to leave his place. When she notices him looking at her, she turns and runs away. Not looking back, she goes around the corner behind the building and is soon out of sight.
Odd, he muses to himself. Dismissing it as the vagaries of humanity, he returns his attention to the road ahead. Dave beside him begins whistling a tune from their world and he soon joins in.
The next two days fly by fast. By the end of the fourth day, the walls of Cardri come into sight. When the view first appears before them, James can hear a gasp from his friend Dave. Turning toward him, he sees the awe in his eyes. “Told you it was impressive,” he tells his friend.
“I know,” he replies softly. “But I never expected this.”
The scene before them is one of breathtaking beauty. Far away on the horizon, the sun lies low near the ocean, its light a dazzling display of sparkles upon the water. Ships of every size are either at anchor at one of the many docks lining the shoreline or upon the water under sail. The