Heirs of Hyarch

Chapter 134: The Lurking Child

The door slammed shut just a moment before he reached it.

Myronel reached down and tested the door handle. It did swing inward slightly, before someone - probably the boy they'd seen - pushed it back shut. While he certainly was strong enough to force his way through, that would only terrify the child, and Myronel didn't want to do that just yet. Now, how could he calm the boy down?

"Shit," Nela swore, banging one fist on the door. "Did he really just lock us out?"

"No," Myronel said, raising his voice so that the boy could hear him clearly. "We aren't going to try to break in. We're just travelers who were looking for a place to stay. We want to know what happened here."

A few long minutes of silence passed, then the door creaked open, the boy peering around the crack. Myronel held up a hand, figuring that Nela would've lunged to grab the door if given the chance. That would just lead to more fear when they needed calm.

"See? We're friendly." Myronel extended his other hand.

"You're...you're an elf." The boy leaned forward, revealing his own pointed ears. He looked to have seen a hex and three summers, or maybe a hex and four. With how skinny he was, it was hard to tell.

"We both are. My name is Myronel, and this is Nela."

"I'm, uh, Zerendel." While the boy relaxed slightly, he remained where he stood, halfway protected by the door. Really on edge, which told Myronel whatever had happened hadn't been pleasant.

"This your family's inn or something?" Nela spoke up.

Zerendel nodded slowly, a somber look on his face. It did not belong on the face of someone so young.

Better to not try and grab answers just yet. "Do you think they would mind if we stayed here?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Father said he'd take anyone if they had the coin."

"And how much did he ask for a room?"

"I don't know." Zerendel's answer wasn't surprising. Someone that young wouldn't have that strong a grasp on haggling.

Usually the cost for an inn room was around two hexty a night, more for the nicer inns. Hamond had made sure to count out what they could spare, and it normally would add up to two rooms for four or five days. Not ideal, given that even if they were able to rush through their plans, they would still be leaving Melyn with almost no money at all.

"Any way we can help you out?" Nela was just as aware of this as he was. "I'm guessing there's something we could do in exchange for letting us stay here. Cleaning the inn up, maybe?"

Myronel had mixed feelings about that. While it would help them conserve what they had, it would be all too easy to fall into taking advantage of Zerendel. No, it was probably better that they try to find another roof to sleep under...after making certain Zerendel had somewhere to stay as well.

"You might...could you go find a healer?" It was not the question Myronel had expected, and not one he was entirely happy to hear either.

"Wait, who needs a healer?" Nela, of course, immediately jumped on it. "Is there someone else in there?"

"No." Letting go of the door, Zerendel reached down and pulled up the leg of his trousers.

"Shit," Nela swore, "How were you even running around with that?"

Myronel wondered the same. The boy's ankle and foot were swollen and discolored, shades of angry red and purple painted across the skin. An injury like that could leave a man in bed for days even with proper care. Zerendel obviously hadn't gotten that, even though he desperately needed the help.

He was about to comment when, on the very edge of his vision, he saw a familiar face peeking up over the stairs. Jylania was sneaking around as usual, likely out of some mix of boredom waiting and wanting to get away from Sedat. It wasn't like he could call attention to without interrupting their discussion with Zerendel, even if Jylania needed yet another reminder to keep her curiosity under tighter rein.

"Just two days." That wasn't the most reassuring thing to hear, but now they had an idea of the timing of whatever had befallen Zerendel's family.

"I'm guessing wherever the Elefae healer in Melyn is, it's nowhere near here." Nela reached down for a second, then stopped. "Shit, I left my herbs down with the other bags."

"I suppose someone should go get them," Myronel hoped the hint would be taken. Sure enough, Jylania slid down out of view, the stairs distinctively creaking as she did so.

Nela took notice, glancing in the direction of the stairs with a scowl. "Really...just how long was she there? Never mind. Let's get this boy on whatever bed's in there before he messes up his foot worse."

"So you'll find me a healer?" Zerendel asked, not moving.

"No, a healer found you," Nela stated, "You better thank the Fae it's me and my friends who walked in here. Now, you going let Ronny take you to the bed? Because you sure don't need to be walking another step today."

"Ronny?" Of course that was what confused the boy, instead of Nela proclaiming herself a healer. Maybe she needed to hold off a bit more often, Myronel thought.

"She means me." That aside, he knew his part. It was not the first time moving wounded and ill folk around for her, and it wouldn't be the last either. There weren't many ways he could support her work, but Myronel did what he could.

Zerendel complied as Myronel lifted the boy up in his arms. Not especially heavy for his age, further emphasizing how thin Zerendel was. Knowing Nela, she would insist on making sure Zerendel would be well fed while under her care, no doubt bringing in Hamond's talent as a cook to assist with that. Really, Nela did so much to keep their group going, more than any of the rest of them.

Laying Zerendel out on the bed, Myronel felt a twinge in his shoulders. Either the elven boy was heavier than he looked, or he'd been getting weaker. He'd have to double his training, but between that, his plans to learn spells with Edeline, and everything else going on...

"Got the herbs." Jylania sprinted into the room, clutching the pouch tightly.

"Good." Nela barely spared her apprentice a glance, focusing on Zerendel. In turn the boy was now staring at Jylania with an odd expression. Zerendel wasn't quite old enough to have that sort of interest in girls yet, leaving Myronel wondering just what that was about.

"Need anything else?" Jylania hadn't seemed to notice.

"You to stay where someone can see you," Nela remarked, still not looking at Jylania. "Now, this is probably going to hurt a lot, so brace yourself." She laid her hand on the swollen foot, pressing down.

The resulting scream of pain was far higher and shrill than Myronel would've thought possible. He reflexively covered his ears, even though the gesture did little at this point. Even if no one had seen them enter the inn, anyone nearby knew someone was in here now.

"It's as bad as I thought," Nela said, not even flinching. "Got a couple of bones that broke in there, and they've already started to mend themselves together. I can relieve the pain and swelling, but that's going to be a limp you have the rest of your life."

"You...you can't fix it?" Zerendel stammered, face still pained. "But...the other healers, they could..."

"They can't do anything for the same reason I can't. We weren't there when it happened." Nela shook her head, loose hairs flying away from her head. "None of us would even risk trying breaking the bones again at this point to mend them. Foot bones are just a big mess to deal with. I'm sorry, but any of the others here in Melyn would tell you the same."

Myronel had never been more grateful about the one time his arm had been broken, it had been a simple thing to fix. Well, almost simple. He'd since forgiven Hamond for that mistake.

"Did he get it crushed under something?" Jylania asked, stepping forward. "Or was it...never mind."

She'd only barely stopped herself from mentioning the royal knights, Myronel realized. Good, although not for the reasons Jylania thought. Again, they would have time to question the boy later. For now, he needed to have his foot mended as best as Nela could.

Zerendel, however, picked up on it as well, rising up to a sitting position. "You know about the men who came here?"

Myronel had to take a moment to think how to answer that. "We don't what men came here. We have heard stories spreading about foul thugs who would harm the innocent, though, so we know to be wary. If men like that showed up at your family's door....well, I can imagine it how that would've went. If, of course, that was what happened."

"There were...a hex of them." What little chance there was that it didn't happen that way was gone with Zerendel's next words. "I don't know why, but...father told me to run when they pulled out weapons. One of them swung at me with...a club or something."

"A mace," Nela said through gritted teeth.

"Indeed," Myronel replied. Those were more common among the men from southern Hyarch, compared to the swords and spears that the guards and knights of the rest of the kingdom tended to use. While it still could have been one of the city guards here, everything pointed to the involvement of the royal knights they'd been told were here.

It just left the question of why this inn, and Zerendel couldn't answer that.

"I just managed to get away and hid up here. When I came back down later, they were all gone. It was just me. And it hurt to walk around for too long, so I just stayed here. No one else came until you did."

Little hope remained for the boy's family, given that, but Myronel wasn't about to say such to him yet. "Thank you for telling us," he said, "We know what to expect now. Don't worry."

"Lay back down now," Nela said, gently pushing Zerendel back down. "Panakeia logos." The glow of healing magic surrounded both hand and Zerendel's foot.

"Thank you," Zerendel offered.

"Don't celebrate just yet. Jylania, grind that willow leaf up, then mix it with some water and clay. Make sure to get it the right thickness."

At this point, Myronel figured he would just be in the way, and quietly slipped out of the room. It seemed all too common these days for them to stumble into situations that required Nela's healing knowledge. Maybe that was a truth about the kingdom, that there were so many wounded and suffering that needed tending to.

It did little good if those in charge kept pushing people into that pain. They had better meet with Lord Melyn as soon as possible, both for the sake of requesting aid for Lasfont and learning what was happening here. As much as Myronel wanted to search for the men who had done this, figure out a way to bring justice for Zerendel and his family, that would have to come about afterwards.

The stairs creaked again. Myronel turned to see Hamond climb up into view. "This stair is way too steep," he complained.

The steps were tall and narrow, although Myronel hadn't really noticed it being that hard. Now that he thought it over, it must've been even harder for Zerendel to get up and down them. Small wonder his leg was in such poor shape.

"Did you need something?" Myronel asked.

"We were searching around the kitchen and found...well, I think you better come down and see yourself. You probably would know more than either me or Edeline."

His curiosity rising, Myronel nodded and followed Hamond down.