Ire Taverness's Arc

Chapter 12 of 19

They walked out of the trees at midday and saw the tavern's roof over the last rise. Ire stopped on the path. Kael waited a step ahead. The chimney was smoking. A cart stood at the side door. Someone was hauling a crate down the step. "It's standing," she said. "You said that yesterday." "I meant it yesterday too." He took her hand. They walked the last stretch together. The front room hit her like a wave. Full tables. The new floor girl weaving between them with a tray on her shoulder. The second cook shouting an order back through the kitchen hatch. The widow's boy stacking mugs at the bar, faster than Ire had ever taught him. No one looked up for a long moment. Then the widow's boy saw her and dropped a mug. It bounced on the boards and rolled. "You're back," he said. His face went red. "You're back early." "We're on time," Kael said. "We thought— we wanted to have the books ready." "Show me tonight," Ire said. "After close." She went behind the bar and ran her hand along the wood. It was clean. The taps were clean. The cellar hatch had a fresh chalk mark on it, the second cook's tally from that morning. Everything was where she left it. Everything was better than where she left it. After close they sat around one of the long tables. The floor girl brought a jug. The second cook brought the ledger. The widow's boy sat with his hands flat on the wood, waiting. "Two caravans came through," the second cook said. "We turned no one away. Cellar held." "Wages," Ire said. "Paid. On the day." "Coin box." The widow's boy pushed it across. It was heavier than when she left. She opened it, counted, closed it. She looked at Kael. He was watching her, not the box. "You did this without me," she said to the three of them. "We did it because of you," the floor girl said. The second cook cleared his throat. "There's more. A trader asked if we'd take a standing order. Every week. If we say yes, we need a third hand in the kitchen by month's end." Ire set the box down. A month ago the word standing order would have closed her throat. Tonight it did not. "Draft the terms," she said. "I'll sign in the morning." They went upstairs. Kael shut the door behind them. She sat on the edge of the bed and pressed her palms to her face. "They can run it," she said. "They actually can." "I know." "Then you can go do your last job." She looked up at him. "And come back." He did not answer right away. He sat beside her and took her hand. "One job," he said. "Then I’m all yours.”