Page 35 of The King's Sword
“Thank you.” She smiled.
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
“To me, it was,” she said as sweetly as possible.
“Are you done slurping down that soup?”
“I think the baby and I have had all we can handle,” she teased, knowing he was going to regret this little ruse of theirs. She never did anything half-way.
“Then come on, wife,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go find a room for a few hours since I can’t seem to keep my hands off you.” He tossed some money on the table, then the two of them exited the tavern. It seemed he didn’t do anything half-way either.
Outside, a light rain had started to fall. “Do you ever get sick of it?” she asked as they headed along a narrow walkway and across a bridge.
“The rain?”
She nodded.
“No. Never.”
“At first, I couldn’t figure out why you have these wooden walkways everywhere,” she said. “But now that I see how much it rains, it makes sense. No one would want to be covered in mud all day long.”
“And some of them are built right over the water,” he said, taking her hand.
“How do you know where we’re going?” He couldn’t possibly be familiar with every single town up and down the canal.
“How do I say this,” he mused. “The more reputable inns, such as one a husband and wife expecting a child would stay at, are a few blocks from the canal. The ones along the waterway are for single men traveling for work.” They went down another road, this one less crowded. “See that sign ahead?”
“The one with the square symbol?”
“That’s the one. The square with the angled line above it and the three dots in the middle indicates a family-friendly inn.”
She thought it sort of looked like a house. “And if it isn’t family friendly?”
“Then it would only have one dot.”
She made a mental note in case she ever found herself needing to find a place to stay in Avoni.
They went into the inn. Evander spoke with the woman at the front counter, telling her that his pregnant wife needed a bed to rest for a few hours. He handed over some money.
Evander turned to Sabine. “Let’s go, honey.” He held out his hand.
She slid her hand into his, and he led her down a hall, opening the second door on the left. The tiny room had a single bed, only large enough for one person.
“I apologize, but this is the only available room.”
“I’ll take the floor,” Sabine said.
“You’ll take the bed. I’ll prop myself up against the door.” He pointed to it. “No lock.”
“Do you want to look for another inn?”
He shook his head. “It would be suspicious if we left.”
She removed her cloak and bag.
“We’ll leave in five hours,” Evander said as he sat on the floor, leaning his back against the door.
After taking off her boots, Sabine climbed into bed. She laid on her side, facing Evander.
