(( This is um...kinda long. xD ))
Thirteen hours earlier, a man and a boy arrived at The White Crested Inn.The pair looked worn-down, their clothing dirty , waterlogged and in tatters. They looked every bit as much like beggars and the innkeeper frowned as the pair of them made their way to the reception desk. The man wore a hooded cloak of forest green, his facial features predominantly masked by shadows provided by the cowl; he laid a gloved hand down on the counter, " A room for two, please."
The innkeeper stared at him dubiously, "Sorry, son, but this isn't a poor house. I'll need to see some coin, "leaning back in his seat and rubbing his double chin hidden by a scruffy silver beard.
The lad beside the hooded man seemed to look suddenly smaller, his shoulders slumping and his head lowering as if defeat. The poor thing wore an exhausted and dejected expression, but whatever he was feeling he kept it to herself. He was a thin , delicate thing and like the man standing beside him, he was swathed in a cloak of green that masked the majority of his features.
The hooded man nodded and removed his hand from resting on the desk, " Will this do?"
The innkeeper shot up in his seat and snatched up the gold coin that rested on his desk. Now he narrowed his eyes even more suspiciously at the man , "How come you by this?"
"Ask no more and there is more to be earned." The hooded man replied, holding up a second gold coin. " I'm acquainted with the Captain. I know that you know him, Mister Miller. We're only here for the night and you will hardly notice our presence and we'll be gone by morning. "
The innkeeper nodded, but spoke not a word on the matter. For to speak of mages and of ferrying them away from the Grand Duke's judgment, the judgment of Ansgar was considered a high form of treason. The innkeeper was a religious man, but all the faith in the world hadn't done well for his business. He needed the coin to feed his family and keep his business and sometimes this meant doing business with the devil. But most of these mages he'd done business with were seemingly a decent folk. They all could pay well for the risks that Miller was taking to temporarily harbor them . How could he say no? The Grand Duke certainly wasn't paying him any money for his loyalty so he figured he owed the man little. Afterall, Calent hadn't delivered on any of the promises he'd made before ascending to the throne as far as the bitter old innkeeper was concerned!
"Very well, lad. You have yourself a room for the night and meals and a baths. If you need anything, ask my wife or daughters and they will see to it. " Mister Miller replied with a knowing smile and a nod. He slipped the coin into his pocket then opened his desk drawer up and pulled out a key which he handed to the hooded man, "So, what shall I call you ,good sir?"
The hooded man claimed the key that was offered to him and smiled, "Conner Tremaine and this here is my nephew, Jon. "
Miller knew it was a fake name. Few mages were comfortable with revealing their identity, but he accepted this. It hardly mattered to him who they were so long as he got paid. Miller nodded and smiled, "Welcome to the White Crested Inn, Mister Tremaine."
~
Their room was cramped and hardly even worth a silver, but Alastrom understood what sort of risk that the innkeeper was taking in providing him and Alanna shelter. The innkeeper thought they were simply mages and Alastrom knew that so long as he kept on believing this that he and Alanna could survive this final night in hell . In the morning, they'd be sailing away to freedom and peace.
Alastrom quietly set his traveling pack on the floor at the foot of his bed and paused to glance over his shoulder at the sleeping form of Alanna curled up atop the bed on the opposite side of the room. He watched her for a few moments , smiling softly and shaking his head. Poor girl. She'd been so tired that she hadn't bothered to pull back the blankets or sheets and get under them. He moved over to her bed and leaned over her with the intend to amend that because it was going to be a cold evening and there was no heating in the inn. It didn't help that he clothing was still damp.
He gently pulled the blanket out from under her and brought it up to cover her body up to her chin. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead as he always had when she was a little girl.
Alanna groaned and stirred, " Al? " She opened one eye groggily and stared up at his face. She smiled when he nodded and rested a hand on her head." Jon? Seriously? You couldn't come up with something more masculine?"
Alastrom frowned at her and moved away. He crossed the room and sat down on his bed, " It was the first name that came to my mind. "
Alanna pouted, "I'd rather be Connor. "
"Too late. You're Jon. "
"Ugh..."Alanna pulled the blanket up over her head.
Alastrom shook his head, "Even when he isn't here, you still have to give the poor kid a hard time. "
"Because it's Jon and he's dumb."
With a loud yawn, Alastrom pulled the blanket up over himself and laid his head to rest on the pillow. "Get some sleep. We need to wake a couple hours before sunrise."
~
It was the smell of smoke that woke him first. He lay there for a moment , sniffing and pondering whether or not he was imagining things because it smelled as if something very close was burning and the room itself felt warmer. Then he heard the pounding of fists against wood and the shattering of glass and sat bolt upright in bed. He heard Alanna gasp and when he turned his head to regard her he saw she too was wide awake and already rising from bed.
"What was that?"
Alastrom quickly gathered his pack, "Dunno. I think the inn is under attack."
"I think the building is on fire. We should get out of here." Alanna moved to open the window, but as she drew near it something crashed through it , showering her in wooden splinters and glass shards. Alanna turned her back quickly towards the window to protect her face, the glass fragments tearing mercilessly into her cloak.
She heard a man laughing on the outside of the window. Probably an attacker, Alanna thought.
"Alanna! Get away from that window!"
Alanna moved away quickly and looked down at the floor at the blazing torch that had been thrown into their room. The flames were already hungrily feeding off of the wood floor and spreading quickly. Alanna moved to pick up the torch. Fire was not something she had to fear usually. As an elementalist, she could touch fire without being harmed but now she could feel the heat. Her magic wasn't working. She looked across the room at her guardian whom was already opening the door, " There's a mordecai here. "
Alastrom cursed their luck and gestured for her to run to the door, "Come on, we'll find a different way out! Hurry!"
Alanna needed no second bidding. She ran past Alastrom, exiting the room and stumbling out into the hall. The pair made their way to the common room and found the other patrons of the inn gathered there, huddled together in fear. Mostly women, children and elderly. The few men present at the inn were searching the building for a way out.
Mister Miller himself was at the front door, banging on it with his fists and crying out to their attackers on the other side hysterically , "Let me out! I've nothing to do with these heretics! I beg you! My family and I are innocent! Please, spare us!" He sobbed pathetically.
"Oh Ansgar have mercy!" One old woman cried, " We're going to be cooked alive!"
"Well, if you think you're going to die then don't stand there crying about it!" Alanna snapped. "Do something!"
Alastrom went over to Mister Miller and put a hand on his shoulder, " That won't do you any good."
"Get your hands off me!" The hysterical innkeeper shrieked and wrenched his shoulder free. Red-faced , he spun around and pointed an accusing finger at Kella, "This is YOUR fault! You should go out there and die for what you did! All of you mages should! "
Alastrom quirked a brow and frowned, " It doesn't matter who is to blame. Pointing fingers is not going to save anyone. They think you are a mage supporter and nothing you say is going to make them spare your life. "
"Shut up! I've heard enough from you, Tremaine! I'm not going to die for you mages ! " He moved forward to grab for Kella and Alanna moved in front of his path. She stared up at him defiantly though she was much smaller and thinner and could probably be snapped in two by the sturdy innkeeper. "Leave her alone! Al- er I mean, my uncle is right. Blaming other people is not going to save your life. Instead of fighting each other, we should be getting out of here."
"Get out of my way,you foolish brat!" Miller snarled and lifted a meaty arm to strike her.
Alastrom tackled him in an instant, knocking the larger man up against the door and pinning him there with a strength that wasn't human. "Cooperate or I'll kill you personally." He growled softly, his eyes filled with murderous promise.
He then turned to the people that were still huddled together in the central-most part of the common room, "We're probably going to have to fight our way out unless there's some secret escape route?" His eyes went over to Mister Miller who was slumped dejectedly against the door. The man didn't even look up or acknowledge him, "Miller?" Still no response.
Alanna pointed to one of the windows, "What if we removed the boards around the back?"
"It's no use, " a man towards the back of the common room volunteered, " they've surrounded the inn. Probably because they think everyone in here is a mage. "
"We may not have any other choice, " Alastrom replied. "Let's remove the boards and I'll go out first."
"Right. I'll get the hammer then, "the man replied and went over to a table to fetch the tool. The other men moved to do the same and positioned themselves near the windows to pry the nails from the wood and pull the boards free.