The party stayed as long as they could in the library, Wren and Iyona going back and forth to the nearby villages for some provisions. At some point though Orme’s injuries got better, and he could walk again. They hit the road, slowly but surely.

They brought the book with them, and every other one they found precious enough.

They were headed for the closest city, hoping to trade them for more long-term provisions and information.

It took them about 3 weeks to arrive. Slowly the barren land turned more green, with trees ever more present. A new river serpented on the left, leading them to the gates. The gates opened wide, and tall. And inside they could see houses and shops, towers and a castle. And more people than they’d ever seen before.

They joined the long queue to enter.

There were all kinds of people around them, from hunters looking to sell their prey to washerwomen looking for work.

“Holy Marmot, there are so many people!” Wren whispered in Orme’s ear. He couldn’t help but smile. It was true, they’d never been in a crowd together before.

Orme had, back when he was a Captain. Every port has its crowd. The bigger the port, the more people in it. And so many wanting to come and work on a ship. He often had to throw people overboard at the quay, who had come up and hidden away during the night. Once, one managed to stay hidden for three days. Later on, he became Orme’s Second. 

“We’re moving, come on!” Iyona got him out of his reverie. They were indeed moving a little.

An hour later the companions passed through the gates. They had no map of the city and no idea where to go. "Let's stay together,” Orme said. “We don’t want to be split in such a place.”

They joined the crowd on the biggest street. It must’ve been the main street. They followed it, the buildings on each side getting bigger and less dirty as they passed. Eventually they arrived at a big plaza, surrounded by what seemed to be shops, taverns, and an inn.

The party had a few coins left. Wren, who kept them, suggested going to the inn for the night and figuring out where to go from there. 

It wouldn’t hurt to have some hot food and a bed for the night. Orme’s leg was aching. They went.

The inn was huge. A good twenty tables were set out, for people to eat and relax. There was a big chimney in the back, although it wasn’t lit. The counter spanned the entire length of a wall, with only a small hole for passage. There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, with magical candles, over every table. The atmosphere was warm and brown. Brown the chairs and brown the walls, brown the tables and brown the apron that the server wore who came to take their order.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” He asked.

They asked for a room for 3, a bath, and some dinner for later. He gestured at them to follow him upstairs. 

The third room on the left was theirs. It was bigger than necessary, with 3 average sized beds, 6 chairs, a big table, and a desk in the far corner of the room. The big window opened to a side street. It seemed quiet and comfortable. Orme wondered how much it would cost, their remaining coins being, at best, meager.

As the server left to prepare the baths, Wren shook their head. “We can only stay one night here, after that we’ll have to find some other place and sell the books or find small jobs. We can’t afford this. At least not more than a night.”

They all put their packs down while they talked, and each claimed a bed. There was some time before dinner, so Iyona went to take a bath while Wren and Orme relaxed. The beds were comfortable and soft, with nice fresh blankets and sheets. Orme almost fell asleep on the spot.

After they all had a turn at the bath and changed clothes for less filthy and not blood covered ones, they went down to eat. They took up seats around a table for 4, and waited. They all felt out of place in such a place.

Dinner arrived. The waiter said it would be 3 courses. That was way more than the companions were used to, and Iyona’s eyes shone in excitement. The entrée was brought to them, and silence fell over the table. The colours of this food were simply incredible. Red tomatoes, green cucumbers, purple blueberries and white cheese. It was served with a light, chestnut mead.

They ate quietly and tried to make it last, but all too soon their plates were empty and the server brought the main course. 

It consisted of ale marinated meat pies, with sweet potatoes.

Once again eyes shone and mouths watered They dug in, drinking mead, hypnotized by the sweet and sour scent that emanated from the pies. 

When they were done, dessert was served. A whole platter of fruits with whipped cream on the sides. Orme had never seen many of these fruits in his long, travelling life. Strawberries and cherries were among those he recognised, and they were delicious.