Page 92 of Soul Forge

The inn they sat in was crowded and rowdy, heat from many bodies keeping the place warm enough that the fire didn’t need lighting. Elda was squashed at a small wooden table between Sypher and Gira, an untouched goblet of wine sitting in front of her.

“This place is a cesspit,” Reiner muttered, glaring into her ale. Her hand stayed resting on her heavy mace like she expected someone to attack her the moment her back was turned. Unlike the leers and winks Elda was getting from the men, they cowered from the ex-captain, hardly daring to look in her direction.

Sypher hadn’t been lying when he said the women ran the town. The owner of the inn was the tusked woman Elda had seen earlier, and she freely admitted she was a worker at the brothel in her spare time. She handled the male patrons with an expert hand, even tossing one outside by his collar when he drank too much.

“Most people live and die miserably,” she’d said, flashing a broad grin. “I get to live and die doing what I enjoy.” She’dearned a raucous cheer from the other men and women, who all seemed to agree wholeheartedly.

“The philosophy in this village is very different to Saeryn,” Reiner noted. “At home, these women would be shunned as harlots. Here, they have status because they sell themselves.”

“Only if they want to. They have more freedom here than anywhere else on Valerus. The men are the ones on the back foot,” Sypher replied, taking a sip of his ale and wrinkling his nose. "Stars above,that’s vile,” he grimaced.

“Why is a full-blooded orc running an inn in Grimgarde? I thought they stayed in the citadel,” Elda asked curiously.

“It is rare to see one away from their homestead,” Reiner agreed, “but orcs have their own codes and rules. If a half-blood is born, the full-bloods mark them and kick them out along with the mother.” Elda thought back to the scar across Edward’s face and shuddered. “Perhaps the owner is the mother of a half-blood, though I see no marks on her.”

Sypher’s eyes flickered to the right, and when Elda followed his gaze, she found a shifter looking at her lips like he wanted to bite them. The Soul Forge bared his teeth threateningly, dropping a hand down on her thigh and squeezing, leaving it there even when the shifter averted his gaze. Elda tried to ignore the heat of his palm through her leather trousers.

“It feels like the whole village is in here drinking,” Julian mused, looking around the packed room. The place reeked of sweaty bodies and stale beer. Elda had never smelled anything quite like it – keeping her nose and mouth uncovered took a surprising amount of effort.

“They are,” Gira answered. “Spirits help them if the demons in the soil get over the wall.”

“This place has been a fortress for years. I doubt that’ll change tonight,” the vampire snorted.

“It might,” Sypher shrugged. “Demons are drawn to me.”

“Do you think they’ll get over the wall?” Reiner asked.

“They’re certainly trying.”

“How do you know?” she frowned.

“One of the horrible things about being the Soul Forge is being able to sense any demon within a certain distance of me.”

“Is that how you knew there were wraiths in the storm that day?”

He nodded. “The bigger the demon or the larger the swarm, the further away I can be and still feel it. And they can feel me, too.”

“You want to go out on watch,” Julian noted, recognising the look on Sypher’s face.

“I do. I can’t take Elda out there with me until she’s had more experience fighting.”

“I can handle myself,” she protested.

“Not tonight you can’t.” His hand tightened on her thigh. “The eroni are vicious, and you are a novice. Please listen to me.” Her brows knitted together, but she nodded. “Do not let anyone touch you. As far as they’re concerned, you’re mine, and I’ll kill anyone who tries to take you. Play on that.”

“You say that like it isn’t true,” Julian quipped.

“I will hit you again,” the Soul Forge warned.

“Relax, jeez.” The vampire held his hands up to ward off Sypher’s ire. “He’s right though, pipsqueak. You don’t have enough experience to go into a fight with a bunch of demons blind. You should stay here.”

“Reiner will keep you safe.”

“Anyone that touches her will be leaving without their heads attached,” the ex-captain promised.

“I don’t want you alone in this village, not even for a second,” Sypher said before Elda could protest again. She closed her mouth and frowned at him. “Gira, Julian, and I can handle the demons. Stay.”

Reiner scooted to the side to let the trio up from the table. She took the vacated seat beside Elda, leaving her mug of ale untouched. They sat in tense silence for several minutes, waiting to see if they could hear or see signs of fighting above the noisy patrons.

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