Ileus: The Dark Prince - Chapter 104

Maple roamed the sleepy streets for a while and when she came back, she realized that the place had become very active. She gritted her teeth as she watched men and women going about their usual business on the bustling street. She stood there for a while watching the entrance of the inn. When people started seeing her suspiciously, she took a deep breath and walked inside the inn. 

The lobby was quiet except for a servant who was wiping the furniture clean. A small girl was sitting in the salon. Her eyes were closed and her head lolled to one side. 

"Can I do something for you?" the servant asked with a glint in his eyes. He found the barmaid rather tall and skinny. "Haven't seen you around. Are you new here?" 

With a cold expression on her face, Maple said, "I am looking for the owner." She wanted to make him sleep with her magic and was about to flick her hand, when a voice from behind called the servant. 

"John!" 

"That's the owner over there," said the servant and pointed towards the salon. 

Maple closed her fists and nodded. She turned and ambled to the salon where Lilette was up, now looking at her with red, sleepy eyes and tying her hair in a bun. 

"What do you want?" asked Lilette lazily leaning on the table. "If you've come for a job, then I have to say that we are full." 

"Please miss," said Maple. "If you can give me any job, I would be grateful. I have traveled a long way and have gone without food for a day now."

"Where are you from?" asked Lilette with a frown. 

"I am from Tõrme," she replied immediately with expectant eyes. "And I can do any job!" 

Lilette took a deep sigh. "Look, we are completely full and at the moment we can't afford another employee, but I have heard that the alehouse down the street is still hiring. You can ask over there. You should hurry and go, and if you like you can take my reference," she said with a smug look. 

On the inside Maple felt like blasting the girl with her magic, but she stifled a grunt and smiled tightly. "Thanks, I will go there," replied Maple. Had she forced a little more, the incident would have been remembered. Giving one last look at the stairs that led to the rooms, which had her target, Maple quickly left the inn. 

As such she needed a place to rest, and since she had already attracted strange stares from those in the street, she decided to go to the alehouse. She needed to spread her wings and relax in general. So before going to the alehouse, she turned into a quiet alley and waved her hand over her body to turn into a traveler woman. 

She checked in the alehouse. However, when she went to the room, she realized that it was a dormitory. There were eight more beds and only one was vacant. All the men and women in there were sleeping. Some were snoring… loudly. 

"But you said that this was a room!" she lashed at the servant with ferocious looks.

"This is a room," he replied. 

"But a shared one!" 

He shrugged. "I am sorry, but if you want individual rooms, you should go to the inn, which is down the street." 

She glared at him but the servant simply placed her luggage on the ground and turned to leave. Maple gritted her teeth. Her wish to spread her wings and be alone was crushed. Fuming like a mad, she picked up her box and walked to the bed. And it smelled. With a strong displeasure, she sat on the bed rather noisily. A few minutes later, she was lying on it with extreme discomfort because of her tucked wings and a cloak that she couldn't even take out now and was staring at the ceiling. "I will make you pay for this Anastasia!" she muttered. "I am going to throw you in the stables with horses!" 

An hour later she was snoring just like the others in the dorm, too tired from her journey through Sgiath Biò. 

When Maple woke up, it was still day. Impatient as she was, she walked to the dining hall to eat food. Before returning to her bed, she went out to check the activity at the inn. 

As she passed through the cobbled street, she saw that there were at least two houses that sold brew, for few drunken men were seen brawling in front of it. Snow fell in soft flurries and the road was covered with a thin sheet of white. Voices ran across the squares and glass-less windows. Children were running and screeching as they played with each other. One of them, a small girl, bumped into her. Irritated, Maple shoved her aside and the girl fell down. She began crying. Maple was about to go, when her mother came, picked up the girl and got into a fight with her. Soon a crowd gathered around them. 

"Look what this woman has done," the mother accused. "She threw my little girl on the street." 

"I didn't throw her!" Maple retorted. "She fell on her own."

"And now she is speaking lies!" the woman accused. 

Maple stared at her. She was dying to use her magic and burn them all. Magic burst around her fists as white light cackled beneath her cloak. With great difficulty, she controlled herself. 

"You must apologize," said another woman standing right next to her. 

"No, I don't want her apology. She must pay for the harm she had done to my kid. My daughter is crying and she is hurt badly." 

"But she looks fine to me," Maple countered as she sized up the crying child. 

"She is hurt internally. I have to go to the healer now. You have to pay for her treatment." 

Maple's mouth fell to the ground. She narrowed her eyes and then without speaking further, she took out her purse and withdrew two silver coins from it. "Here," she said and gave them to the woman. 

"It is going to be ten silver coins!" the woman demanded.