To call this building a tavern would be a vast exaggeration. It was a small hut, only marginally larger than the others in the ramshackle town. One common room and a small kitchen, with a rudimentary counter knocked together along the back wall. But it was also the only gathering place for two days hike in any direction. Hudson had finally managed to follow Sianna?s path this far ? he just needed confirmation that she had stopped here, and a direction of her further travels.
The room was filthy, the light was poor, and the locals were surly. Of course, Hudson?s prominent Fraiser badge was most likely half the source of their ill-will in this area settled by MacKenzies. Hudson didn?t care. He wasn?t there to start a fight, just to find his sister, and it was with that aim in mind that he struck up conversation with the man behind the counter.
?Ye recall seeing a bonny bardess a?traveling through, some four years agone?? He?d eased into the conversation by talking about the wandering minstrels who traveled from village to village, playing songs and passing news for their living. To see a woman doing such traveling was unusual enough that Hudson hoped it had stuck in the other man?s memory.
?Four years, ye say? That?s a long time tae be remembering anything. But?? The man scratched at his grizzly chin, thick fingers rasping on the gray stubble. It looked like the effort of thought was painful. Finally his expression brightened, ?Aye, I recall. Bonny wee bit o? a musicker, sweet voice tae her. Aye, she stayed here a night before she moved on.?
Hudson actually smiled briefly at that ? a rare expression since his Moira had passed away of fever some six months before. He?d set out after the funeral to find Sianna. He and his brothers had been fretting for four years now, and with his wife gone he felt a desperate urge to leave. He couldn?t face waking up alone in the bed that Moira had shared for so many years.
His smile vanished as the man continued, the inn-keep?s voice a leer. ?Woulda liked tae have tupped th? lass, time or twain, frigid bit or nae. Ye looking tae be chasin? tha bit o??? Hudson?s fist impacted with the other man?s face solidly, staggering back the much larger man. His frame was deceptively compact, the hours of fishing packing on lean muscle without building bulk. The tavern-keeper hadn?t been expecting the blow.
It was a mistake to lay out the MacKenzie inn-keep in a room full of MacKenzies. Especially when he was a member of the hated Fraiser clan. He didn?t care. As the first of the other patrons charged toward him, his face was fixed in a feral grin, the flare of temper awoken by the inn-keep?s words seeking a suitable outlet. Sianna?s trail would be even colder by the time he moved on from this place.
The room was filthy, the light was poor, and the locals were surly. Of course, Hudson?s prominent Fraiser badge was most likely half the source of their ill-will in this area settled by MacKenzies. Hudson didn?t care. He wasn?t there to start a fight, just to find his sister, and it was with that aim in mind that he struck up conversation with the man behind the counter.
?Ye recall seeing a bonny bardess a?traveling through, some four years agone?? He?d eased into the conversation by talking about the wandering minstrels who traveled from village to village, playing songs and passing news for their living. To see a woman doing such traveling was unusual enough that Hudson hoped it had stuck in the other man?s memory.
?Four years, ye say? That?s a long time tae be remembering anything. But?? The man scratched at his grizzly chin, thick fingers rasping on the gray stubble. It looked like the effort of thought was painful. Finally his expression brightened, ?Aye, I recall. Bonny wee bit o? a musicker, sweet voice tae her. Aye, she stayed here a night before she moved on.?
Hudson actually smiled briefly at that ? a rare expression since his Moira had passed away of fever some six months before. He?d set out after the funeral to find Sianna. He and his brothers had been fretting for four years now, and with his wife gone he felt a desperate urge to leave. He couldn?t face waking up alone in the bed that Moira had shared for so many years.
His smile vanished as the man continued, the inn-keep?s voice a leer. ?Woulda liked tae have tupped th? lass, time or twain, frigid bit or nae. Ye looking tae be chasin? tha bit o??? Hudson?s fist impacted with the other man?s face solidly, staggering back the much larger man. His frame was deceptively compact, the hours of fishing packing on lean muscle without building bulk. The tavern-keeper hadn?t been expecting the blow.
It was a mistake to lay out the MacKenzie inn-keep in a room full of MacKenzies. Especially when he was a member of the hated Fraiser clan. He didn?t care. As the first of the other patrons charged toward him, his face was fixed in a feral grin, the flare of temper awoken by the inn-keep?s words seeking a suitable outlet. Sianna?s trail would be even colder by the time he moved on from this place.