14
At midday, the inn was empty and Ryell found himself looking at the door every time it opened. The innkeeper’s daughter, Lefna, brought him another mug of ale and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry. They’ll come back soon,” she said. “They’re never gone for long, and this time they didn’t take many supplies.”
Ryell forced himself to reciprocate her smile, but frustration fueled his thoughts as they once more circled Atissa. Her mocking words when she refused to help him still rang in his ears, but he couldn’t blame her. A high mage, a future archmage, had no interest in helping insignificant refugees. Yet he’d still hoped she might do it for him…
Ryell took a sip of ale. After the fruitless and scathing conversation with Atissa, one that ended with them fighting
