The Song of Karamurat

[Severyane]

Kalevi wrinkled his nose at the stench of the place. The rotten smell of the sewers and decaying things filled the air and gave him an overwhelming sense of nausea. Had he any other choice, he wouldn't even be here. He ground his teeth together in anger remembering the events which placed him in this position, events that had occurred only so many months ago. He shook himself and with his hood drawn low he maneuvered his way through the crowd spotting his destination in the distance. A small, downtrodden inn stood at the corner of the compact street. "The Barb and Bee" looked as if it were ready to collapse in on itself. Kalevi frowned, if only because he knew he needed rest and this was likely the only place in the city that would offer him a bed. He made his way up to the rotten looking door and pushed it open to reveal an even worse-off looking interior. Several chairs and tables had been broken, presumably in a drunken brawl on some previous night. There was a sullen looking bartender behind the counter, cleaning mugs with a moth-eaten dishrag. Kalevi stood, taking it all in. He was so distracted that he hardly noticed the barmaid approach him. She looked to him as if she didn't belong in a place like this.

"Well sir, what is it you'll have then?" she asked him with a bit of agitation in her smooth voice.

Kalevi cleared his throat. "Do you have any rooms available? I require one for the foreseeable future."

The barmaid scoffed at him. "Well if you can afford for a room, you'll certainly get one."

"Of course I can afford a room. Why else would I ask?" The reply was a bit more forceful than he intended.

The barmaid grunted at him. "Fine, it's four gold a night. Five if you want a hot meal at the end of the day. You pay now, and I'll show you right to your room."

Kalevi reached into a small leather pouch attached to his belt and pulled out five dull yellow coins. He handed them to the woman who turned and began walking towards the opposite side of the inn's main floor. Kalevi followed closely behind her, stopping when she did at a small door. She opened it revealing a quaint little room containing a bed, desk, chair and a candle. He nodded to her and entered the room, setting his pack down near the desk.

"Your meal'll be served in twenty minutes. Best be ready or you'll miss out." He nodded to her as she turned to leave. After she was gone he heaved a great sigh as he sat down on the edge of his bed. Just months prior to this he had been at the head of a great army, leading an assault on his former master's stronghold. He hadn't wagered on his initial success being the prelude to a trap. After he and his men entered the foyer of his master's keep they were ambushed. It had been a miracle that Kalevi had even escaped with his life. Now here he was, reduced to sleeping in inns in the sewer-cities of the world. He looked up as a bell rang just outside his door. He entered the main floor of the inn again to take a seat at a table in a darkly lit corner of the place. Only moments after he sat down, the barmaid brought out a plate of piping hot food and a mug of dark ale. As soon as she left, he hungrily dug in.