Page 140 of Golden Queen
As we walked, I kept my head down watching my feet since they were the only thing I could see in the swirling mass of white. I was counting on Io to keep me from running headlong into any obstacles.
But then one step felt different than the others as my feet landed on more solid ground. I looked up to see the faint outlines of buildings on either side of what I presumed to be a road. It was empty, of course, since only true idiots would be out in a snowstorm of that magnitude.
Io led us closer to the buildings as he searched for an inn.
We found one after no more than ten minutes, but as soon as the warmth of the lobby began to seep through my clothes, the innkeeper informed us that they were full.
"Storm brings 'em all in," the man said apologetically. "You can try the Snowshoe down on Cotter Way."
We left, trudging back through the snow. Io still held my hand, so that even my toes were reasonably warm in the thin-soled boots.
The Snowshoe Inn had the same bad news for us. "We fill up fast before a storm like this," the innkeeper said. "Those that live rough in the mountains and such always crawl down the hills and be lookin' for warm."
Three more inns had the same bad news, so we ended up in a little mercantile that catered mostly to tourists who came to trek up the mountains to see the glaciers. We drank warm cups of chocolate with heavy dollops of cream. It was so rich and thick that I couldn't finish mine. Aben took my cup, and happily downed the last half, wiping his mouth on the back of his large hand.
We left the little shop, intent on taking shelter with the dragons, but just as we began the long trek back through the snow, the shopkeeper poked her head out the door. "Try the Beaver Trap!" she shouted, pointing across the street where a tall gray building sat collecting snow drifts.
We thanked her and crossed the street. As we neared the building, Io halted, shaking his head. He had a rueful smile on his face.
Aben barked a laugh and hurried his footsteps across the road as Britaxia gave him a dark look of warning.
"What’s wrong?" I shouted over the wind that had once again picked up speed, whipping my hair in my face so hard it stung.
"It's a brothel," Io shouted.
I burst out laughing. Of course it was a brothel, because the fates had a fucking sense of humor. Theywouldfunnel the lust swirling around in my chest straight to the place where it had all started.
I held tightly to Io’s hand and pulledhimthrough the snow for a change. By the time we reached the steps up onto the little porch, the smile had faded from his face entirely.
There was music and laughter coming from inside. It sounded so much like the Mouse's Ear that I felt my heart contract painfully. The memory of what that time had been like was a physical ache in my chest that nearly stole my breath away. I wanted to go back. I would have given anything to go back to Albiyn to see my friends again—to play cards with Arkadian, Petta, and Rhychulson—or to sit at the bar and talk politics with Anetta.
I swallowed the knot of grief as we stepped through the door. The inside of the Beaver Trap was nothing like the Mouse's Ear. Where the brothel in Albiyn had an air of sophistication and catered to a certain elite group of people, the Beaver Trap was well...a beaver trap.
Rough looking men sat at tables with their bearded faces buried in the bosoms of bare-chested women. Or at least one of them did since I averted my eyes at first glance and stopped looking around after I saw the big man dip his coarse, whiskered face for a nibble of pale white flesh.
The laughter was raucous, and the room smelled like stale body sweat and smoke mixed with the faint aroma of cheap alcohol.
Aben and Britaxia were already in the taproom, the big man leaning across the bar in conversation with a slim man holding a bottle of liquor and looking wide-eyed at the seven-foot-tall giant who had appeared before him.
A colorfully dressed older woman met us in the lobby by sliding a hand down Io's chest. She leaned in close to breathe a whiff of stale garlic in my face. "You lot looking for a third? I can make you a good deal," she purred.
I shook my head as Io began to pull me back to the door. "We just need lodging," I said, tugging on his hand to hold him in place as I gave her a warm smile. "Everyone is full and we—" I indicated Aben and Britaxia at the bar, "—thought you might have a couple spare rooms."
I watched her face fall a little as she eyed Io at my side.
"But thanks for the offer," I added, to soften the blow. I leaned in, giving her a wink as I said, conspiratorially, "I'm afraid I'm not any good at sharing."
I gave Io another wink, expecting him to look uncomfortable, but he was trying to suppress a grin.
"It'll cost you dear if you want them for the whole night," the woman said as she rearranged her large breasts in the bodice of her ill-fitting gown.
"That's fine," Io said before I could open my mouth to even attempt to negotiate.
"If you think I'm leaving you alone for even a second in a place like this, you're insane," he whispered as we climbed a narrow, creaky set of stairs to the second floor. The faces of the patrons in the taproom had followed us all the way across the room.
I ignored him. "Do you have a room with water on tap?" I asked the woman as she reached for a doorknob.
She stopped and turned to us. "That depends, you have a gold piece? I mean two," she added quickly, sizing us up.
