The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [53]
Getting up from the bed, he crosses the room and opens the window to let in some fresh air. He finds that it overlooks the stable and courtyard below. Now that the window is open, the noise from the common room is more pronounced. It’s not long until he hears a knock on the door.
Opening the door he finds Melinda carrying a tray of food balanced on one hand with a flagon of ale held in the other. He takes the tray from her and sets it down on the table. She brings over his ale and asks if there is anything else he would like.
“No, not right now, thank you,” James tells her.
“I’ll be back in a while to take the tray back downstairs, after you’ve finished.” With that she leaves him to his dinner.
The roast beef is surprisingly good, not too tough and a little juicy. The half loaf of bread that came with the roast beef is somewhat fresh, with a hint of nuttiness about it. It doesn’t take him long to finish the meal. After sopping the last bit of juice up with some bread, he goes over and stretches out on the bed. He lies there awhile, thinking about the last few days and where the next ones will take him.
Knock! Knock!
Not wanting to get up, he hollers “Come on in.”
The door opens and Melinda walks in. “Is there anything else you will require this evening?” she asks him.
“Nothing, thank you,” replies James.
Coming over, she sits on the bed next to him, “Are you sure there is nothing else that you want?” She lays her hand on his leg and gives him a look that leaves little doubt what else there is available.
With the state of personal hygiene that he has seen since coming to this world ever present on his mind, he says “No, not tonight I’m afraid.”
Getting up off the bed, she gives him a disappointed look and then goes over to the table to gather the dinnerware. As she leaves, she turns to him and says, “I’ll be around all night if you should change your mind.” And with that she turns and walks out the door, closing it behind her.
James gets up and hurries over to the door, securing the lock. Turning to the table he blows out the candle and then gets undressed before crawling into bed. He fervently hopes there will be no biting bedbugs, then slowly drifts off to sleep.
The morning dawns bright and sunny, the sunlight coming through his window awakens him from a dream of home. Getting up, he quickly dresses and after gathering his things, heads downstairs for breakfast. There are still a few people at the tables eating and he makes his way to the same table under the window where he sat the night before.
It doesn’t take long before a girl comes over to take his order and is soon enjoying a breakfast of ham steak, potatoes and eggs. While he eats, he notices two gentlemen at a table in the middle of the room in the midst of a friendly conversation. One is in his mid forties and the other is a younger man, perhaps early twenties. They look like father and son, both dark haired and dressed well.
James takes notice of another man sitting alone at a table in the corner. He isn’t eating, just having a drink. He soon comes to realize the man in the corner is taking an unusual interest in the two men. His clothes are a bit ragged and is unshaven, hair uncombed. His eyes never stay on the two men for any length of time, but James notices that they come to rest on them often.
Finishing his meal, James sits back and takes his time finishing his drink. Wondering what the man in the corner is up to, he just relaxes and waits. Sipping on his ale, it’s almost gone when the two men finally finish their meal and head for the exit leading out to the stables. Out of the corner of his eye, James sees the man’s attention is now completely focused on the two men. As they exit the inn, the man gets up and follows them out.
Curious, James walks over to the door and peers through to see what’s going on. He finds the two men