Page 38 of Immortal Origins (Chronicles of the Immortal Trials #1)

Though no one else bowed, they certainly were watching them.

The entire tavern fell silent as they scraped the legs of their chairs and sat.

The seats groaned beneath their weight from the countless nights of patrons that used them.

The long table stretched enough for them all to sit comfortably, but none of them were comfortable. Not with what they’d seen that day.

A waitress skipped up to them, pad and quill in hand.

“Well isn’t this a lovely surprise? Royalty?

In our little town?” She was pretty, but a simple pretty.

The kind that would make most men in there turn their heads but wouldn’t hold a candle to the women in the palace.

She wore a simple dress with an apron covered in flour that said she helped in the back of the tavern as much as the front.

She had a striking figure and rosy cheeks that made it appear as though she were always blushing and only she knew why.

Her accent was slight for the farmlands, more like the accent in the city.

A mixture of the two blending together into something new.

Akadian didn’t respond, though she looked right at him.

Unfazed by his rudeness she smiled at them.

“It’s not every day the crown prince himself walks into our dingy tavern.

”— Understatement— “My name’s Mary and I’ll be taking care of you.

What brings you to our neck of the woods? ”

The seven of them glanced at each other, none of them had much energy to speak when Felius clapped a hand on Ambrose’s back.

“We’re taking this one up into the Fae Forest towards the northern border.

It’s our duty to make sure she travels safely so, that’s what we’re gonna do. ” He gave Ambrose a weak smile.

“How long are you staying here in town?” Mary asked, hand on her hip and blonde ponytail bouncing around her head as she spoke.

Ambrose cleared her throat but couldn’t clear her mind. “Just for tonight. A farmer offered us a place to stay. Artie Rowe, I believe?”

The young woman beamed and her face lit up with her smile as she tapped her quill excitedly.

“Artie is my father! What a small world.” She looked down at Akadian who continued to ignore her.

“I suppose I’ll be seeing you again tonight then, won’t I?

Lucky me.” To the table’s surprise, Mary placed a hand on the prince’s shoulder.

“Do all royals have such charming looks? Or are you something special?”

Ambrose expected retaliation—no one spoke to the royals so informally. But instead of engaging or punishing, Akadian grabbed her hand and took it off his shoulder before swatting it away.

For some reason, Ambrose wanted to rip it from her arm.

Mary continued as though the prince hadn’t just openly rejected her. “What has you all going into the forest? That’s a dangerous place for most to be, though I can’t imagine anything in there would be a problem for you.” She winked at Akadian.

Maybe murder isn’t so bad. Ambrose’s mind wandered.

“We’re aware, how dangerous though?” Felius implored.

“Well.” Mary crossed her arms and her smile vanished.

“Most townspeople avoid going in entirely. There are things in those woods. No one even really knows everything, but what lurks in them is enough to make the bravest turn tail. Most who go in don’t come out unless they know what they’re doing, and even then…

” Mary trailed off and her eyes glazed over.

“We had two more people go missing just this week.” Her face scrunched and she nervously squeezed her pad. “One of them was my older brother.”

“What happened to them?” Ambrose asked, eager to get as much information about the woods as she could. She’d need to know everything if she was going to survive out there on her own.

A man sat with his back to them at the bar, sipping the same ale as when they walked in. Ambrose couldn’t shake the feeling he was listening to them.

Mary frowned. “They were supposed to come back with a new shipment of dragon hide to be made into leather, but they never returned.”

Felius bowed his head. “I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure they’re alright.”

No one believed that, but Mary returned a smile all the same.

Ambrose couldn’t imagine what she’d do if Adym ever went missing. She’d tear the continent apart to find him, if that’s what it took.

“Thank you,” Mary said with a grateful nod. “That’s quite enough sad talk.” She took a deep breath. “What can I get you all?”

They relayed orders of meat and wine and Mary returned, mugs in hand with a basket of bread and honey for them to eat while they waited on their meals.

Felius attempted to lighten the mood with jokes from his home village but no one understood the references and they fell short.

Podara drank an entire bottle of wine to herself before the meat even arrived, hiccuping as she carved into her bird.

They ate for a while but the meat tasted like ash in Ambrose’s mouth as she thought about the girl in the courtyard.

“Suppose there might be dragons then?” Oryon said between bites.

“O-of course there will b-be dra-dragons.” Podara hiccuped.

“Well I don’t want to run into any of those.” Oryon shook his head and pointed a fork full of meat at Ambrose. “Is that what the fancy clothes are for?”

“Yes.” She didn’t want to lie to them. “But dragons will be the least of our worries.” She thought back to her earlier conversation with Akadian and wondered what horrors they might encounter.

“Whatever it is—” Danthan bumped her shoulder and offered an encouraging smile. “It’s nothing we can’t handle.”

She really hoped that was true.