Lament (Scars of the Sundering Book 2) by Hans Cummings Read Free Book Online Page B

all their belongings had been unloaded before heading across the
market with Kali.
    “Sure, but I doubt it’s the same
as I remember it. The slavers drove most of us from our homes and businesses.
The last time I was there, to call it a den of thieves and murderers would be
charitable. I can’t imagine the slavers let that stay.”
    She led Pancras through the
now-closed market square to Hag’s End. The sign above the door hung level with
the minotaur’s chin. He coughed and eyed Kali.
    The drak shrugged. “I’m sure they
checked for a larger door. They must have, right?”
    The aroma of roasting meat wafted
into the street as a pair of orange draks exited the building. Pancras ducked
his head and peeked inside. “They probably forgot.” A mass of draks crowded
around one table, oblivious to the minotaur sticking his head in through the
door. They seemed to be celebrating.
    Kali pulled on Pancras’s arm to
move him out of the way. She clapped her hands as she entered the tavern. “Hey,
you lot! I’m back. What’s going on here?”
    A few of the draks turned to
regard Kali. They seemed to recognize her, but through the cacophonous roar of
a dozen drak voices shouting at one, Pancras couldn’t understand what they said
to her. She gestured for Pancras to go around to the alley alongside the
building.
    Pancras located a human-sized
door on the alley side of the building. He still had to duck, but he entered
with minimal discomfort. Inside, however, was a different matter. Pancras
towered over all the patrons and tables, including the one at which Kale,
Delilah, and Edric were seated. Kali had dispersed the crowd and joined the
dwarf and drak twins by the time Pancras arrived, seating herself next to
Edric.
    “I don’t suppose there’s a bigger
table?”
    Kale drank from a tankard and
then wiped his mouth with his arm. “I don’t think there are any, but there’s a
room big enough for you.”
    Pancras moved one of the chairs
to the side with his leg and sat on the floor. His legs barely fit beneath the
table. “Have you paid yet? Perhaps after we eat, we can find accommodations
that are more… spacious?”
    A dwarf approached the table, carrying
a platter laden with vegetables and a steaming leg roast. He laughed and
slapped Pancras on the back. “Not to worry! There’s some human-sized beds in
the cellar. Push as many of them as you need together.”
    After the dwarf left, Pancras
leaned over the table. “This is not ideal.”
    Delilah stabbed a hunk of meat
with her fork and waved it at Pancras, sending bits of juice flying toward him.
“It’s just one night. Besides, this place is close to the road. Did you get
different horses?”
    Kali nodded as she chewed. “Three
lizards, a horse, and a pony for the dwarf.”
    “Pony?” Edric glanced up from his
ale and shrugged. “Better than a mule.”
    “Lizards?” The excitement in
Kale’s voice was obvious. “What kind of lizards?”
    “Nailtooth.” Kali pantomimed a
snapping maw with her hands.
    Delilah’s eyes narrowed. “What’s
that?”
    Pancras held his hand at about
the height of Delilah’s head. “You know those big lizards you find on Deep
Road? The ones you don’t mess with? About that big, but they run around on two
legs. Mouths full of teeth.”
    Kale’s wings fluttered, and he
scratched the back of his neck. “So why are we messing with these?”
    “These are bred for riding.” Kali
placed her hand on his arm. “There’s villages in the Western Wastes that raise
them. They’re fast, loyal, and good hunters, too. Um yeah… hey Pancras?”
    Pancras hadn’t thought about food
for the lizards, and he was afraid the other hoof would now drop. “We need to
buy food for them?”
    “Well, we’ll be passing through a
lot of farmland. We’ll probably need to buy some sheep or other livestock from
farms along the way for the nailtooths. Otherwise, we might get a mob after
us.”
    Edric snorted in his ale. “That’s
all we need.