38
Drakell was sitting alone at a table in the corner, enjoying a few minutes of solitude as he finished his breakfast of grainy bread and hard cheese. He had already carried three loads of the family’s baggage out to the stables and had helped Orolan’s men to load the horses. His father, the women and the children had finished their breakfast and were now upstairs making final preparations for departure.
Just as Drakell washed down the last of his bread with a mouthful of tea, the door of the inn flew open. A frisson of fear ran down him as he saw a captain of the Royal Montrayan Guards stride in, flanked by four soldiers. The captain gave an appraising glance around the room and did a double take as his eyes lit upon Drakell. With a brief word to his soldiers, the officer left them sta
