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sides. In the first light of dawn, the inn could
have passed for pleasant, the sea breeze from
the nearby coast drifting through the lingering
leaves on the hunched apple tree in the center
of the space.
A gathering storm to the north had forced
their ship to find harbor last night—and after
weeks at sea, none of them had hesitated to
spend a few hours on land. To learn what in
hell had happened while they’d been gone.
The answer: war.
Everywhere, war raged. But where the
fighting occurred, the aging innkeeper didn’t
know. Boats didn’t stop at the port anymore—
and the great warships just sailed past.
Whether they were enemy or friendly, he also
didn’t know. Knew absolutely nothing, it
seemed. Including how to cook. And clean his
inn.
They’d need to be back on the seas within a