"Laelynn?"
"Yes?"
"Could you remind me of the name of this town? It somehow slipped my memory."
Jace managed to make his question sound surprisingly casual.
"This is the Kingdom of Velmora, city of Elaris..." she answered in a heartbeat. "Not a town."
She explained, giving us a basic understanding of our whereabouts.
After we left the store, Laelynn led us down the path Jayden had bolted along earlier. Before us stood a fairly large compound with an enormous building at its centre.
The building stretched across a considerable area, and although the paint looked old, it still had an inviting appearance. Statues of griffins, gnomes, and dragons were arranged neatly around the compound.
To the far left, slightly behind the main building, was a lovely fenced garden. A few people of different ages were scattered around it.
Jayden was squatting in a corner with two other children. They listened eagerly to whatever he was saying, and a chill ran down my spine.
What on earth was he telling them?
"This is a pretty huge inn," I remarked, admiring the surroundings and the building's appearance.
"Thank you. It might be possible to convince my father. The inn is quite large, but we can't afford to hire people to take care of it."
I wondered why they couldn't afford to hire workers when the business appeared to be flourishing.
Laelynn led us to a smaller building separate from the main inn. At closer inspection, it looked more like an office. A sign hung from the doorframe.
REGISTRY.
She knocked twice.
"Laelynn."
A low voice came from inside.
She pushed the door open and ushered us in.
The room was fairly empty, with a few pieces of pottery and potted plants scattered around. On the wall behind the desk hung a government-issued licence, framed behind glass, granting permission to operate an inn.
A man sat behind the large desk, deeply immersed in the documents neatly arranged before him.
A young lady sat across from him. She wore a red dress with an intricate gold-lace design, and her hair was pulled into a bun. Her luggage sat beside her.
She spared us a brief glance before returning her attention to the man.
His glasses rested firmly on his nose. Through the lenses, his eyes appeared tired yet determined, as though exhaustion hadn't managed to extinguish the resolve within them.
He passed a document to the lady and handed her a pen. After she scribbled her signature, he took a key marked with the number 45 from a rack and handed it to her.
She stood and headed for the door, her luggage trailing behind her without any visible contact.
We watched the scene unfold in silence, almost as though we were seeing magic for the first time.
"Guests?"
Laelynn's father's voice pulled our attention back to him.
"Actually, Dad, not exactly. They need a place to stay for now, at least until they can find a stable source of income..."
Laelynn explained as she walked closer to the desk.
"I'm sorry, but we can't help them. There's not enough money to hire workers, and there isn't enough space to accommodate them either. They'll have to check somewhere else."
He folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.
He looked to be in his early or mid-fifties. His dark hair was pulled back into a knot, with a few shorter strands falling neatly around it.
His expression was stern, and he hadn't even offered us a smile.
"Clearly, but, Dad, they offered to work for us in exchange for food and shelter instead of money. We're definitely in desperate need of workers."
Laelynn tried to reason with him.
We stood there, our hopes slowly slipping away.
"Again, there's no space to offer. I don't mind providing food in exchange for their work, but the rooms are reserved for paying guests, and we're already running short on available rooms."
His resolve seemed impossible to crack, but I was desperate.
We were definitely not spending the night outside.
My gaze drifted towards the rack of keys. Only five remained.
If most of the rooms were occupied, then business was indeed booming. The problem was that, despite the steady stream of guests, they couldn't afford to hire workers or accommodate anyone else.
The only reasonable explanations I could think of were crippling debts, excessive taxes, or both. Either way, the family was probably left with very little profit after covering their expenses.
"Sir... If I may."
Everyone's attention shifted to me.
After a brief moment of silence, I could tell I had his full attention.
"I understand how bizarre this situation might seem, but we're desperate. From the looks of things, what you need is a way to increase your profits. I'm not exactly a businessman, but what if you introduced additional services and charged guests extra for them?"
He regarded me silently.
"The guests I've seen so far appear fairly wealthy, and the inn itself is well-maintained. People who can afford to pay for comfort might be willing to pay a little more for luxury, too."
"Such as?"
"Where I come from, inns and hotels offer services like saunas, hot tubs, and breakfast in bed. There are plenty of other possibilities, too. You could start with a few services and expand as the business grows. If the guests enjoy their experience, word could spread, attracting even more customers."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"And where, exactly, do you expect me to provide these services?"
I hesitated briefly.
That was a fair question.
"Well, I suppose that would depend on the facilities you already have and what you can afford to add. You wouldn't have to introduce everything at once. You could start small and expand later."
"And you believe these services would generate enough profit to make the investment worthwhile?"
His gaze remained fixed on me.
"I think they could, but I can't guarantee anything. I'm not a businessman, and I don't know enough about your expenses or the demand for such services here. We'd have to consider the costs before deciding what would be worth introducing."
For the first time since we entered the room, he seemed to be giving my suggestion serious thought.
He suddenly stood up.
My eyes followed his slightly towering figure. He wore a white shirt beneath a black denim jacket, paired with fitted trousers.
He walked past us towards the door, stopping just before he reached it.
"Follow me."
His low voice resonated through the room.
We followed him across the inn. A few minutes after passing the garden, we arrived at a large, unfinished building behind the main structure.
It was impossible to miss its incomplete state. The foundation and pillars were in place, but there were no finished walls or roof. Moss had begun creeping over some of the exposed pillars, suggesting the construction had been abandoned for quite some time.
"I took out a loan from the bank to extend the inn," he began. "Business was good, so I thought expanding would be a wise decision. Unfortunately, the cost of constructing this building and maintaining the inn became too much to handle, not to mention my family's expenses."
He paused briefly.
"Before I knew it, I was knee-deep in debt, taxes, and losses."
I was right.
Laelynn's father's shoulders slumped slightly beneath the weight of the burden he carried.
"The extension still needs walls, roofing, plumbing..." He gestured towards the unfinished structure. "It's a big job."
He turned to face us.
"I have some savings left, but not enough to hire a construction crew and complete the entire project. If I use what's remaining to purchase the necessary materials, would you be able to complete the building within three months?"
We exchanged glances.
Three months was a tight deadline, but with our abilities, it might be possible.
"We can try," I answered. "But we'd need to know exactly what needs to be done before we can promise anything."
He nodded, seemingly appreciating the answer.
"Fair enough. Here's the deal I'll offer. I'll use my remaining savings to purchase the necessary materials. In exchange, I'll provide you with food and accommodation while you help me complete the extension."
He paused, looking from one of us to the next.
"Once the building is complete, I'll have the space to introduce the additional services you suggested. If they generate enough profit, we can discuss a longer-term arrangement."
He was willing to accommodate us if we could help him complete the extension, giving him the opportunity to expand his business and introduce the new services.
It seemed fair enough.
My heart leaped with joy.
We exchanged relieved glances, the tension that had settled over us finally beginning to ease.
Laelynn gave me a thumbs-up and a proud smile.
"My name is Hillary. I can see you've already met my daughter, Laelynn."
We each took turns introducing ourselves.
"I see. Now, as for your accommodation—"
Before he could finish, an incoming Jayden pounced on him.
"Dad!"
He wrapped his arms tightly around his father.
Hillary immediately bent down and lifted him into his arms, a huge smile spreading across his face.
"Having fun?"
Jayden laughed and playfully tugged at his father's hair knot.
"Oh, please, let them stay, Dad!"
He pointed at us, pleading.
A look of confusion flashed across Hillary's face before it melted into understanding.
"I see you've also met my son, Jayden."
He turned towards Laelynn.
"Laelynn, take them to the house and prepare the guest rooms for them."
Jayden smiled victoriously at me before winking.
I was genuinely thrown off guard by his playful actions.
* * *
Somewhere in the north of the Human Realm, in the quiet, snow-covered kingdom of Aurelia, hidden among the mountains, the door of a little cottage creaked open.
Stepping inside, Andrew pulled down his hood, dusting the snow that clung to his coat.
"For goodness' sake, it's still the middle of June," he mumbled before taking off his shoes.
In front of the burning fireplace, Xavier sat on a sofa, staring into the flames.
The cottage was small and a little cramped, but it had enough space for two. It was warm compared to the howling winds outside.
Andrew sat opposite Xavier, wondering what could possibly be so interesting about the flames.
"It's too quiet," Andrew remarked, hoping to get some sort of reaction.
A sigh escaped Xavier's lips.
"Yes."
"What's our next move? It's been days."
"The Vyre Stones. I still can't believe Zarin managed to steal them from us."
Andrew could only agree. Their escape had been part of Zarin's plan all along. Everything he had done was calculated to make Andrew lower his guard and reveal the stones.
He felt played.
Still, Andrew knew Zarin could have simply killed him and taken the stones. There were two possible reasons he hadn't.
The first was that Zarin still believed two of the Vyre Stones remained unaccounted for. One was supposedly sealed within his daughter's soul, while the whereabouts of the other remained unknown.
Andrew was the only one who knew the truth about the ruby stone. He had hidden it inside Amanda, and he had no intention of revealing that secret—not even to Xavier.
As far as everyone else knew, two stones were still missing.
In reality, only one remained unaccounted for.
Andrew had made his decision for a reason. The five Vyre Stones needed one another to activate their true power. If all of them fell into the Demon King's hands, the consequences could be disastrous.
Keeping the ruby stone hidden was a precaution. As long as Amanda remained with the Guardians, she would be surrounded by people who would do everything in their power to protect her.
Andrew could only hope that would be enough.
The second reason was far more unsettling.
Zarin was enjoying every second of the chase.
He was a demon who had lived a long and undoubtedly boring life. This mission was high-class entertainment to him.
And with no solid leads on the remaining stones, keeping them alive was probably more amusing than killing them.
"How did you get your hands on the stone, Andrew?"
Xavier turned towards him, demanding a fairly reasonable answer.
Andrew studied the former Guardian seated before him. Xavier was older, but age had done nothing to earn him Andrew's respect.
"How are you the only one alive?" he calmly retorted, his eyes locked on his target.
Xavier held his gaze for a brief moment before turning back to the flames.
"Because I chose to live. Is it so wrong that I refused to die like my teammates?"
His reply hung in the air.
A look of disgust crossed Andrew's face.
"Maybe I don't have the right to judge you, but as a man who was once under your command, I'll say this. If only you had made the call, but you..."
His voice carried a trace of anger.
"You chose to abandon the battlefield because you were weak. You live today because millions had to die!"
Xavier remained silent, watching the flames.
"I didn't ask for any of this. Not to be a Guardian, nor to be the Dragon's Chosen. I had enough on my plate already! You want to speak about righteousness? Be my guest."
Xavier's words struck Andrew hard.
He clenched his fist before getting to his feet.
"We'll begin the search for the stones tomorrow."
He turned and headed towards the bedroom.
"Andrew..."
Xavier's voice was soft, almost a faint whisper, but Andrew caught it.
"Redemption is too far away for me. Let me drown in this guilt in peace... Please."
Andrew's brows furrowed.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he retreated to his room.