NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: The Unfriendly Inn
Father quickly intervened before it got worse. "Rose, please don't blame my daughter. What's done is done."
He continued, his tone turning advising, "If returning home is so important, then I advise you to start working with Astraya as soon as possible. To begin with—don't you think Lord Zedd gave you both this task because he believes you can achieve flight together regardless of age?"
He paused, his tone gentle but firm. "Or are you saying Lord Zedd was wrong in his judgment?"
Rose froze. "Oh no, no! He's never wrong about things like this!" she said quickly, shaking her head.
"Good," Father said with a faint smile. "So how about we work together?" Father was usually good at this kind of situation, diffusing the bomb-like worries and disagreements.
Rose sighed, crossing her arms. "Mmm... I guess you're right. But if I see she's not taking this seriously, I'll train on my own."
Astraya shrugged. "Fine by me, old lady."
"Stop calling me old! I'm sixteen!" Rose yelled, stomping her foot in frustration.
Father chuckled softly. "And don't you two worry," he said, hands clasped behind his back. "I'll help as well. I am a Manomancer, after all."
Rose blinked, then frowned. "Manomancer?! Aren't you people the ones who go against the teachings of the Rainbow Sun?"
She then added, her voice sharp with disapproval, "Mana is a divine gift! It's not meant to be treated like some lifeless science!"
Ohhh, I see. So she is against Manomancy. Not really bad, though; Dad was just studying it to get better results. How bad could that be?
Father's smile didn't falter. "Manomancers are thankful to the Rainbow Sun and its infinite knowledge," he said. "From mana, we learn. Don't you think, in some way, we're the same?"
Rose scoffed, clearly unconvinced. "No, we're not! Never!" she said dramatically. "This is why some bloodlines and kingdoms will never be as strong as the Great Four! One should treat mana with reverence—it's sacred, beautiful, a gift! Manyblood just won't understand; you guys basically started this whole practice!"
Father nodded, patient as ever. "Let's agree to disagree. Let's keep it at that, shall we?"
"Fine," she agreed, though her chin remained stubbornly raised. "But I'm not using anything that is from Manomancy to enhance my mana or casting."
He smiled, stretching slightly. "Well, will you look at that. What a day we've had in Blackroot."
He looked at us with genuine concern. "You must be tired. In fact, we all must be. Isn't that right, Astraya? Astraga?"
We both answered at once, "Yes, Father."
All of a sudden, as if she had all her energy sucked out, Astraya held onto Father, looking weak and tired.
"Oh no, I think she is feeling the delayed effects of that healing," I said, concerned.
Father touched her forehead, checking for a fever. "Yes, her body lost a lot of mana. She needs immediate rest," he confirmed.
"I need her at full strength if I want to return home. Is there an inn or somewhere we can stay?" Rose asked, clearly prioritizing her own needs.
Father, ever proactive, had already researched the area. "There's a local inn nearby, enough for all of us," he said. He easily held Astraya and lifted her onto his back. "Alright, let's go."
Rose remained skeptical. "I hope it's up to standard and not some watered-down inn." She looked around at the dirt road and surrounding forest. "So, these are the hinterlands of Manyblood."
I couldn't help but retort, "If it's good enough for us, then it must be good enough for your royal self."
She scoffed, "I doubt anything in Manyblood can match Aetherhall."
"Too bad you can't go there now. Such a shame you couldn't just fly there," I whispered, rubbing it in.
"Alright, alright, let's get a move on!" Father interrupted, cutting off the escalating squabble.
We finally arrived at the inn.
The Silver Anvil Inn is a stout, two-story structure of dark, rough-hewn timber and fieldstone, its steep, slate roof bristling with a few mossy patches. It sits back from the dirt road in a small, cleared area, with a stable block and a large, fenced-in yard for coach turnaround beside it.
The main attraction, and the immediate source of unease, is the heavy signpost near the entrance. It's an elaborate wrought-iron affair shaped like an anvil, beneath which hangs a simple, thick wooden plaque with the words "No Non-Believers Allowed"
I couldn't be sure if Father was playing dumb or he felt he had a way around it, as he was indeed a smooth talker and knew how to get to people.
"Alright, I'm going to go in and get us rooms, okay, Astraga? Look after your sister," he said, resting her carefully beside me. Astraya was looking more and more sleepy, muttering random, sleepy things as if she were on anesthetics.
"Mana bubble tree! Wooo!" she giggled softly.
Rose looked at Father skeptically. "How are you going to get us rooms? You clearly see the signs, can't you? You know they mean you, right?"
"Well, I would like to talk to the owner, personally," Father said, flashing one of his most charming grins.
"Alright, fine, but be quick! It's getting really late," Rose conceded.
As night began to set, people were heading home in Blackroot quickly, as though someone could snatch them off the street.
Rose replied, her voice low with concern. "Why is everyone so uneasy, walking fast?"
I couldn't resist. "Look who is finally interested in problems that aren't hers."
"Cut the crap, kid. Talk."
"Fine. The town has been having trouble with missing people."
"Missing people? How? What do you mean?"
"You know, missing people. They never come back, just disappear types. There is a missing board. Till date, nobody has been found."
"No way! Till date? How long back?" Rose looked genuinely concerned now.
"Four years type of long," I said.
She looked shocked, as Astraya mumbled more random stuff. "How hasn't Manyblood Capital done anything? Or the Mayor, or something?"
"Well, if they would, they would have. But it looks to be a mystery. Nobody knows, nobody sees a dead body, nothing. They just go missing. But they did send some annoying royal to come investigate the matter."
"Good! I need to get out of this town. What if…" Before Rose could finish her statement, we heard a voice.
"Can't you people read?"
We turned and saw the little girl with some wood approaching.
"You won't find rooms in there," she announced flatly. "Aren't you two the Manomancer kids?"
The girl wasn't really little, clearly bigger than us, probably around ten or eleven. She looked to be carrying wood, most likely for the fire, and she gave Astraya and me a nasty look.
"My father's already inside. He would get us rooms; he has a way with people," I asserted confidently.
The girl looked back at the entrance of the inn and then back at me, completely unamused. "Your father has a way with people? Well, the owner of this inn has no ears for non-believers people who go against the teachings.
"How can you be so sure? Why are you so sure?" I pressed, trying to shake her unwavering confidence.
She didn't even have to pause. Her response was a declaration, not a guess: "I can be sure because No matter how much of a sweet talker your father is, My father won't listen. Especially now that everyone in this town knows he is a Manomancer."
What was this girl on about? It's not as if he killed anyone, Father just studying mana! And to top it off for the progress of the kingdom!
Father finally came out of the inn, immediately walking toward us with a forced, tough grin.
" let's go," he told us.
already sensing the futility we began to move.
"AND STAY OUT!" a man's voice deep and booming rang out from the doorway.
The annoying little girl immediately ran to the chubby, middle-aged man who had shouted. "Daddy! Daddy!" she cried, grabbing his hands.
"New plan, kids. Let's find a place to stay, as it's getting late," Father said, trying to maintain a cheerful front.
Rose stated the obvious, panic creeping into her voice. "Isn't this the only inn in this town? Where are we going to go now? I can't imagine someone like me sleeping outside!" She looked down at her fine attire beneath the cloak. "I'm not built for this."
We began walking away from the hostile inn. I nudged Father. "What happened in there?"
Father kept his eyes forward. "Don't worry about it. Don't want to talk about it. What's important now is we find where to sleep and rest," he replied, adjusting Astraya on his back.
Then it hit me. "Oh, yeah, Dad, why don't we go to Granny Maera's house?" I suggested. She clearly said if we needed a place to stay we could go to hers. I thought to myself, she probably knew this would happen. Tsk.
"Yeah, that's right!" Father looked hopeful. "Problem now is how to get there."
Just then, Astraya, who had been mumbling random words, said the obvious over Father's shoulder. "Ask around," she slurred, adding more soft nonsense.
"Yes, baby girl, good idea. Let's ask around," Father said.