The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [57]
The room is much nicer than the one in which he spent the night before. He’s pleased to note there are two windows, one in the wall opposite the door and another in the wall to the right which overlooks the river. The bed is larger than the one from last night and when he sits on it, finds it softer as well.
There’s a table with two chairs, a nightstand and a picture of a swan in flight on the wall. There is also an upright closet with two doors along the left wall. James opens the doors and finds a rod with several hangers available. He puts his bags in the closet then lies down on the bed. Tired from his journey, his eyes quickly close and he nods off for a little nap before dinner.
Music coming from downstairs draws him from a particularly nostalgic dream of home. The sun’s gone down already and the room is dark, with some light coming in through the windows from the moon above and lamps along the street. He feels very relaxed but the grumbling of his stomach will not be denied. With the music coming through the floorboards, he gets up and makes his way carefully through the darkened room to the door.
Out in the hallway there is but a single candle positioned in the middle of the hallway to ward off the dark, its light barely reaching the door to James’ room. Removing the key from his pocket, he closes the door and locks it. He then puts the key in an inner pocket before going down the stairs to the well lit, crowded dinning area.
A small stage is set along one wall and a man is there playing what looks to be something similar to a guitar, entertaining the inn’s patrons with a song. Finding an empty table along one wall, he sits with his back to the wall so he can watch the bard. The song reminds him of folk music, something from one of the old Errol Flynn movies he and his grandfather used to watch together.
He listens to the music and gets a touch of homesickness. Before the song comes to its end, a server approaches his table and asks, “Good evening sir,” a young woman greets him. “What can I get for you this evening?”
“I’ll take the house special and some ale,” he replies.
“We do have some good mulberry wine if you would care to try that instead?” she suggests.
“Ok, I’ll try that,” he agrees, feeling adventurous.
“I’ll have the wine over in a second, but the special will require several more minutes,” she explains.
“That’s okay, I’m not in any hurry.” James sits back as she leaves his table and continues to enjoy the music the bard is playing. The song is a happy one with a good beat and a catchy chorus. He catches himself tapping his finger to the rhythm of the music.
His server brings over a glass and a bottle. She opens the bottle and fills his glass with the dark red liquid. Setting the bottle on the table, she smiles at him and then moves to another table and waits on another person.
Holding the glass for a moment, he lifts it to his nose and enjoys the aroma of the wine, it has a strong berry scent. Lifting it to his lips, he takes a small sip and berry flavor bursts in his mouth, sweet and mellow. Man that’s good! Downing the rest of the glass, he pours himself another, this time intending to take his time in drinking it.
The bard finishes the song to a rousing applause by the audience. Bowing to their admiration, he starts into another one, this time a ballad of love, soft and slow. About this time his server brings over a large platter with a whole stuffed goose. The goose has been roasted to a golden brown and the stuffing within steams, emitting an aroma of nuts and honey. Encircling the goose is an assortment of varying vegetables, all well cooked and soft to the touch. She also sets a basket with several rolls down next to the platter with the goose along with a bowl of gravy.
“Here you go sir. Do you require anything else?” she asks.
Taking out his knife, he says, “No thanks, I think I’ll be fine for a while.” Looking around, he notices that people are using their hands, spoons and knives to eat. Apparently forks are not the custom.
“If you need anything, just catch my eye and I’ll