“Would you like some tea?” Breno’s voice carried fatigue, or perhaps he was forcibly trying to seem unpleasant.
“No,” Eldric and Alissa answered in unison while Freyah said with a smile, “Chamomile, please.” She received reprimanding glances from her friends and a snort from her host.
“Should I be worried about you showing up at my house out of nowhere after all this time?” Breno asked his old friend, standing up.
The last time Eldric had seen Breno was over a decade ago. They had studied together for years in their youth, but they were not close friends like Alissa and Freyah. Given Eldric’s childhoodhistory of being forced to carry the responsibilities of adulthood way too soon, Breno was the closest friend he had.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was coming. I imagine you understand we are traveling under unusual circumstances,” Eldric said, his lips pursed.
“Oh, you are talking about the posters with all your faces on them… You’re worth a hundred silver coins a piece, did you know that? It would make any of us rich for life.” Sarcasm dripped from Breno’s every word. “Don’t think your shaven hair, the beard, or this stupid uniform fools anyone here, Eldric. We all know you are in deep shit.” He raised his voice, the kettle of water already boiling over the furnace as he prepared Freyah’s tea.
Breno turned around to take a better look at them, his eyes taking Alissa’s threatening pose as she cleaned her nails with the tip of a blade and Freyah’s innocent gaze as she petted his cat lying on her lap. “Who the hell are they?”
“They’re my friends.”
“Nice to know you’ve spent the past decade making friends with criminals.” Breno’s face contorted in disgust when Alissa glared at him in response to the insult.
Breno had always been a disciplined, rule-abiding man, and Eldric could tell that having three fugitives in his home was a complete nightmare for him. He could see how Breno’s feet tapped a restless rhythm on the wooden floor and how his grip on the kitchen counter tightened, his knuckles turning white. Unfortunately for everyone, Breno was their best option.
Eldric sighed, approaching his oldest friend. He squeezed the man’s shoulder in an attempt to ease his temper. “Look, Breno, I know it’s odd for me to come here when we haven’t been in contact for so long. I wouldn’t have come if I had another choice.”
“Dear blessed land, Eldric. What do you want from me?”
“We need a place to stay while we’re in the capital.” Eldric shot him a hopeful glare.
“Absolutely not.”
“Hopefully we won’t be staying long,” he insisted, his voice higher than usual.
“Hopefully,” Breno repeated. “Look, Eldric, I’m happy to see you, and I wish you the best, but I’m not having dangerous people sleeping under my roof, endangering my family.”
Alissa stood in Breno’s way as he moved to the door. Freyah approached to intervene, anticipating that Alissa would snap, but she was wrong.
“We’re not dangerous people, sir.” Alissa added the “sir” in the end to replace her will to punch him in the face with a polite greeting. Freyah seemed to be proud of her restraint.
“If that is true, how come the entire kingdom is looking for the three of you?”
“We were attacked by several men in Porjea on our way here. All we did was defend ourselves.”
The man’s eyes softened. Porjea was a place that triggered back nightmares of the dark past of the woman he loved.
Seeing her persuasion efforts take a positive turn, Alissa continued. “The only reason I am here is that my daughter is at risk, and I came to the capital in hopes of finding a way to save her.” Alissa’s eyes shimmered with tears. “I understand if you won’t have us here, and we’ll be on our way if that is the case, but we will be deeply thankful and in your debt if you welcome us into your lovely home for a while.”
Eldric leaned on the threshold with his hands crossed in his chest, his foot on the wall behind him, surprised by Alissa’s unexpected display of soft skills.
Breno watched them carefully, his eyes narrowed as he once again fought an internal battle.
“Is this true, Eldric?”
“All of it.” Eldric thought it was best not to mention the part where they killed the men in the wheat field or the fact that his friends had escaped Bryniard.
Breno sighed, defeated, and nodded.
Alissa, Freyah, and Eldric celebrated the small victory as if their whole mission had been accomplished. They were still only halfway there.
“I promise we’ll be great guests,” Freyah spoke with enthusiasm.
“Calm down, miss, you haven’t gone through the hardest part yet.”