In the dream world, Bordon said solemnly, "Mr. Skyl is the man I swore to follow. He isn't only my savior, he is also Daggerford's benefactor. I would put my body between him and an attack, and I would use my sword to cut down his enemies."
Livia's eyes lit up, and she asked hopefully, "Do you want to become a paladin?"
Bordon's ears turned bright red. He stammered, "If I could become a noble paladin, that would be wonderful, but I'm afraid I... In any case, if becoming a paladin means I can repay Mr. Skyl for his help, then no matter how dangerous it is, I'll do my best."
Livia encouraged him, "Keep going. You have to believe in yourself."
"I still don't know how someone becomes a paladin." The young groom scratched his head and smiled shyly.
"There has to be a way in the Tower of Tomes," Livia said, comforting him.
Zim, the boy from Waterdeep, curled his lip. "Once I learn magic, I'll be better than him."
Livia and Bordon both glared at the boy for his big mouth.
With everyone looking at him, Zim became even more pleased with himself. That reckless, lazy grin belonged to every ignorant kid who had ever thought the world was smaller than it really was.
Livia did not let Zim keep showing off. Instead, she turned to Tawna, the halfling.
"You met Mr. Skyl at the Way Inn. Could you tell us what happened back then?"
"Of course." Tawna sounded delighted. She was a lightfoot halfling, lively by nature and not unlike a hobbit.
"Where should I start? There's just too much to say about the Way Inn. On the Trade Way, the most famous, most luxurious, most comfortable inn with the best food is ours. We don't get many guests in winter, but once spring comes and the roads thaw, we're busy again, washing vegetables, chopping them, preparing spices. We have seventeen signature dishes, and the best bar snack is our spicy potato wedges. If you ever come to the Way Inn, you have to try them. Ale, rum, gin, kumis, wine, anything goes with spicy potato wedges. You drink until your head sweats and eat until your belly is warm, like you swallowed a little furnace. Folks say even taking a leak feels like breathing fire."
Livia's poker face finally broke from embarrassment, and she covered her mouth as she laughed. Her eyes were bright, though, because compared with tongue-tied Bordon, this halfling cook knew how to tell a story.
Tawna was open and easygoing, and when she spoke, she carried a little frontier swagger she had picked up somewhere.
"Mr. Skyl only stayed at the Way Inn for one night. He had come to meet Mr. Stan. Speaking of Mr. Stan, the Way Inn hadn't had such an amazing bard in ages. During the few days he was there, all of us were happy, and we had more guests than we usually did even in summer. Once the sun went down, everyone sat in the hall, the fireplace was lit, and wooden mugs of ale were stacked high on the trays. I stayed by the stove roasting meat until my cheeks were nearly peeling from the heat and my eyes were bloodshot.
"But I didn't dare take a break. I didn't even dare blink too much. Oh, and it wasn't because I was greedy for money, and it wasn't because the innkeeper forced me to work that hard. I just wanted to free up my hands sooner so I could sneak into the hall. I had a little stool to sit on, and I could hold a small cup of ale and quietly steal two spicy potato wedges from a guest's plate. That was my happiest time. When Edgin the Bard sings, people start dancing, but Mr. Stan only told stories. Real good stories, the kind no one had ever told before."
Livia nodded quickly, eager for Skyl to enter the story.
"Ah, the day Mr. Skyl came, he arrived just in time for a heavy storm. A lot of guests had already left early, because if they didn't go then, they wouldn't have made it out at all. The last storm of summer had turned the road into rotten mud. There were so many travelers passing through, and half the wheels of their carts and carriages sank into the ground. Even whipping the packhorses didn't help. In the Misty Forest not far from the road, all kinds of animals came running out. A lost elk smashed through the inn's window, and a few starlings fell down the chimney and into the fireplace.
"I sat in the corner of the hall, and business was slow all day. The guests staying at the inn came to the kitchen for a little food, then went back to their rooms to rest. Near noon, a group of hooded guests arrived. Mr. Stan quietly told me those fellows were no good."
Zim had heard this story more than once. He said lazily, "Spoiler, those people were Red Wizards from Thay. They came to steal something."
Livia glared at him again, and the boy gave her that annoying grin of his.
Tawna was not angry. She went on, "At dusk, Mr. Skyl arrived. His horse didn't have a single drop of rain on it, and there was a glowing head hanging from the saddle, brighter than a lamp. The storm couldn't trouble him at all. Skyl came in with someone wrapped completely in a hood. Mr. Stan happily went up and hugged him, then tried to treat him to spicy potato wedges."
Just how good were these spicy potato wedges? Livia wondered to herself.
"I sat to the side and listened to them talk. Skyl said, 'Mia is dead. I need a large diamond.' So it turned out he was worrying about money. The hooded people came over, and one of them said, 'You're short on money. We can lend you some.' Skyl only smiled when he heard that. Mr. Stan told them to leave quickly. After that," Tawna's tone turned mysterious, and she lowered her voice, "the group walked away. Mr. Skyl planned to stay at the inn for one night. But the strange things happened that very night. After dinner, people in the inn began dying one after another."
Livia cried out in surprise, "It was those Red Wizards killing innocent people! They're rotten to the core!"
Tawna shook her head. "No, they weren't the killers, because the first person to die was a Red Wizard. Then an innocent traveler died, and after that, a rich dwarf who had been staying there for a long time. With something that serious happening and the storm outside still not letting up, no one came in, and no one left. The innkeeper had no choice but to gather everyone in the hall and have them figure out who the killer was."
Zim raised an eyebrow, clearly about to spoil it again. Seeing that, Livia quickly shouted, "Don't say it!"
"Why not?" the little thief asked with a grin. "It's my mouth."
"Don't say it, or else... Anyway, don't say it."
"I can keep quiet, but you have to agree to one condition."
"You scoundrel! Fine, say it."
"You live in Waterdeep too. I want to talk to you alone. Let's find a time to meet tomorrow. What do you think?" Zim lowered his eyelids, hiding a poor boy's inferiority behind nothing but a provocative smile.
Livia found it hard to decide.
"We can write letters."
"I can't read," Zim replied casually. Then his expression darkened. "I'll learn soon enough. Are you agreeing or not?"
"I can't go out." Livia lifted her chin, but the idea had already stirred in her heart. If members of the Tower of Tomes could contact each other outside the dream, then they really might be able to help one another. This dream organization would only grow larger in the future. Maybe someday they would meet someone truly impressive.
"Tch." Zim laughed coldly, then simply left the dream.
"That annoying pest is gone. Tawna, please continue."
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