Day Nine, Dark

Tired and hungry, they approached an empty looking village Markium referred to as Ommaxam. The village was small, a single tavern, a trading post, a blacksmith, all things one would expect in a village. Markium gently grabbed Eve's hand and walked with her toward the tavern.

"I'm exhausted," she whined. "I don't wanna walk anymore."

"We're almost there," Markium calmly said. "Just a little further and we'll be in nice comfy beds with a hot meal in our bellies."

She closed the space between them and whispered in his ear, "I love it when you talk dirty." She giggled at the shocked expression on her face and started running toward Ommaxam at a full sprint.

Markium ran after her and grabbed her waist. "Ease up," he whispered. "God knows how they'll react to someone they don't recognize running into town. Everywhere I've been, they weren't always too kind to strangers who'd just wander in."

"How many places have you been?" she asked, walking next to him with his hand on her waist.

"Three; Shivanna just south of the cottage, Mayara is further south, and Cannera."

"Let me guess, south of Mayara?"

"No, east." He pushed the tavern door open and a young girl looked up from a beer mug she was cleaning.

"Need a room?" she asked and set the mug down.

"Yes," Markium confirmed, reaching into his pouch and pulled out three gold coins.

"We only got one left," she said while he dropped the coins into her waiting palm. "You two hungry? Lav, our cook, has some leftover stew from dinner."

"That sounds delicious," Eve spoke up, her hand nervously held Markium's on her waist.

"A lady with an appetite, I like you." The woman yelled back to Lav for two bowls of stew and some chunks of bread. She turned back and gestured to the stools. "Sit, relax, Lav will bring your food out in a moment. Where you two from?"

Markium and Eve sat at the bar, surprised at her generosity.

"Just south of here actually," Markium answered. "We've been walking for about two days."

"Oh my gods, you two must be so tired! Here, let me get you an ale." She walked off and went into the kitchen.

Eve leaned over to Markium and whispered, "Not that kind to strangers, huh?"

"Hey, I said not always," he answered defensively.

She laughed softly and saw a drunk man stumbling over to them. Her hand instinctually grabbed Markium's hand and she turned toward him.

"What?" he asked quietly and saw the man behind her.

"Hey, pretty lady," the man slurred and leaned forward on her, his hand uncomfortably close to her breasts. "Why you spending time with this child?" He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against his chest. "When you could be spending the night with a real man."

"Let go!" she yelled and kicked away from him.

Markium stood from his stool and pushed Eve behind him. "Maybe you should go home, friend."

The drunk jabbed Markium's shoulder with two fingers. "Maybe you should go home, PAL."

Eve gently grabbed Markium's arm and pulled him backward a bit, whispering, "Maybe we should sit somewhere else?"

But he pulled his arm away and continued to stare down the drunk man.

"Colin," a scratchy voice called behind them.

They all turned to see a short, green and yellow scaled man with a dragons face staring at them. He stood from his seat, roughly five feet tall, and pointed a pipe in the drunk man's direction. "You leave that girl alone," he warned; his voice reminded Eve of Grumpy from Snow White. "I'm sure your wife won't like hearin' you're out here spendin' all your hard earned money on ale and women." He walked toward them as he spoke, a long tail trailing behind him.

"Damned kobolds," Colin grumbled.

"Speakin' of your wife," he continued, standing next to Eve. "How's that little baby you got? Still keepin' her busy?"

"I don't havta take this from the likes of you," Colin replied and bent low to look the little creature in his yellow eyes. "You're the one who's too busy cleaning my house to talk."

"Oi!" a woman's voice called. They all looked to see the barkeep emerge from the kitchen with two bowls of steaming stew. "Colin, you causing trouble again!?" She slammed the bowls on the bar and pointed. "How many time do I have to tell you to leave these girls alone!? Get home before Chim here happens to let Clara know what your up to!"

Colin, the drunk man, finally turned his back and shuffled out the door, his head hung low like a scolded child, muttering, "Told off by a kobold and a child."

"Don't worry about him," she said, setting a smaller bowl and mug of ale into the hands of the short man. "Thanks, Chim."

Chim smiled and bowed his head. "Anytime, Amerella."

She smiled and put two larger mugs of ale by the bowls of stew. "That was Colin," she explained. "He's come in every night since his wife had a baby. Poor girl."

"She's got some help, remember?" the short man pointed out, crawling up on a stool next to Markium. "I'm Chim." He put his hand out, his fingers long and muscular ending in dull claws.

Markium sat next to Chim and grasped his wrist. "I'm Markium, this is my companion, Eve."

She waved nervously and sat with them.

Amerella looked at Eve and put a hand over hers. "Don't worry, sweetie. You're safe with one of us around. I'm Amerella."

"Eve," she said shyly and examined the stew. "This looks so good."

"Thanks," a gruff voice spoke from the back. She looked up at, what could only be described as, a goblin! She flinched and stood quickly. "I work hard on what I make."

"This is our chef, Lav," Amerella explained, handing the pale yellow skinned creature a foamy mug of ale.

Eve sat carefully as Lav took the mug.

He stood only four feet tall with pale red eyes shifting around the room, a wide, flat nose over a snarling mouth with two sharp fangs sticking out from his lower lip. His red eyes settled on Eve as he drank, took a deep breath and spoke.

"Don't worry thar, missy," his voice sounded like an over exaggerated pirate impression. "I ain't hurt a thing since I got that bear in that thar stew we're eaten."

"He's the best damned cook I've ever met," Amerella boasted, putting a hand on Lav's shoulder, just barely reaching her breast.

"Well I'm not so sure about that," Markium joked, putting her arm around Eve's waist. "My girl here cooks the best damned rabbit I've ever had and the only rabbit I've ever had was made by me."

They all laughed, drank, talked and ate until late into the night and went up to bed for some well-earned rest.