“Well don’t just stand there. Get in! Get in!”
Kestrel did as she was told. The man closed the door behind her, and together they stared, waiting.
The moments ticked by, but no scourge came.
Eventually, the man heaved a sigh and shouted to the room, “Looks as though we live to see another day, fellas!”
Cheers erupted behind her, and Kestrel had to shield herears as she turned around to see the type of place she’d just stumbled into.
From the outside, it had appeared abandoned, ready to crumble. But now that she was inside and the threat of the scourge had passed, a boisterous energy rose from every corner of the open room, one alive with tomfoolery and merriment. Of the dozen tables Kestrel saw spread out across the space, every single one of them was packed with patrons. Some were deeply immersed in an arm-wrestling match or card game. Others clanked their mugs, a frothy substance spilling over the tops like hoppy waterfalls. A few more clung to the women on their laps or argued about who amongst them would’ve been able to take the entire scourge.
This wasn’t an infirmary, Kestrel realized.
It was a tavern.
Already, her chest was starting to tighten again, much like it had in the marketplace. It wasn’t nearly as packed in here as it was there though, so Kestrel did her best to veer around the clustered groups, keeping her distance, not letting anyone bump into her or crowd too near.
A brawl broke out at the table closest to her, and the claws of panic squeezed her chest. Kestrel had to dodge out of the way as two men fought, scrambling over each other and sending one another staggering back, as they made their way outside.
Yet again, Kestrel found herself at odds with what she was seeing versus what she had expected.
It didn’t make sense for Thom to be here, especially when he was meant to be home weeks ago. No one here was injured or sick. In fact, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves rather thoroughly. Kestrel kept a keen eye out for the pick-pockets and poisoners, for the thieves and murderers Thom had said were all that was left of the humans of the Wilds, but Kestrel found none. Only friends. Even the fellows who hadbeen punching each other eventually ambled back inside, their arms thrown around one another’s shoulders, smiles wide as they shouted at the barkeep for another round of ale.
This was nothing like the world she had been preparing for. The world that Thom had told her about. And if he was here? Kestrel was starting to worry what that would mean for the two of them—for her and everything she had been led to believe…
Someone collided into Kestrel then, a gruff man with a ragged beard that fell down to his belly.
It was only then that anyone seemed to notice how out of place she was. The man watched her the entire way back to his seat. He kept watching her as his ale arrived, and he downed half of it in one gulp. Kestrel was uneasy under his scrutiny, and she realized she wasn’t doing herself any favors by just standing around and gawking.
Even if Thom was a liar, even if he had a lifetime of truths to make up to her, she still wanted to find him—neededto see for herself what state he was in.
She took a deep breath and immersed herself further.
Each table hushed at Kestrel’s passing.
The farther into the tavern she ventured, the more it felt like she had just willingly walked into a den of wolves. Or at least, that’s how her body was responding. Her heart had only ever beaten this fast when she was running from the cinder or the Maw. She swore as she passed by the tables, she could hear every single person in the tavern breathing. It was both wonderous and grating. All the shouts. All the hearty laughs. The scuffing of wooden chairs on wooden floors. The clinking of mugs.
Once she found Thom, things would feel right again, she reassured herself.
Thom would help alleviate the pressures building inside her. He’d reassure her that the worst of her fears were wrong,and he’d tell her all about how he’d needed to stop here to recover after his grueling journey. How he had planned on returning the minute he was able to.
All would be well. She would have a friend in this loud and busy place.
Thom would be right there beside her, making her feel safe and grounded, the way he always had. And maybe, now that they’d found this place, they could even move here and become a part of something good. Something bigger than just surviving in their tower. Maybe that’s why he was still here, scoping the place out to see how safe it really was for them.
A smile started to bloom across her face.
Then Kestrel would never know boredom again.
Never be alone.
From the middle of the tavern, Kestrel finally spotted him—or rather, heard him. Laughing somewhere near the back. It didn’t matter if every person in the tavern suddenly stood up to block her path, nothing could’ve stopped her from plowing through them to seehim. To see Thom. The only person who mattered to her in the entire realm.
Kestrel barreled around patrons and tables, and in a few short strides, there he was, sitting with his back turned toward her with five other men and women at the table around him. Kestrel didn’t need to see his face to recognize him—although the goggles resting atop his head helped. But even without them, Thom was the most familiar thing in the world to her—the way he slouched, the way he mindlessly rubbed the thigh of his bum leg, the way he periodically dragged a hand through the slicked-back greasiness of his tree-root hair.
She would recognize him anywhere.
But it was the bellowing sound of his laughter as it carried into the dusty rafters that removed any question of doubt. It washim.
