The girl's magic died down to a slow simmer. That's it, he thought, take the time I'm giving you to remember that one man is easier to take than a whole room. You don't really want revenge; you want escape. He didn't know whether he was saving her from these men, or the men from her.
"If you take her, you won't stay here," blustered the innkeeper. "I don't want her kind in my inn."
Tier shrugged, "I've camped before, and my horse will take me a few hours yet."
"Two silver," said Wresen abruptly. The nobleman set his hands on his table with enough force that his sword bounced and the big silver ring on his left hand punctuated his words with a bang. When all eyes turned to him he said, "I've always wanted to sample Traveler bread - and that one looks young enough to bring to heel."
Tier couldn't afford to offer much more than Wresen's two silver. Not because he didn't have it, the better part of nine years of pay and plunder were safely sewn in his belt, but because no one would believe that he, a baker's son and soldier, would spend so much money on a strange woman-child no matter how exotic. He could hardly believe it himself. If they decided he was a confederate of hers, he might find himself sharing the pyre outside. On the other hand, a bored nobleman could spend as much as he wanted without comment.
Tier shot Wresen a look of contempt.
"You'd be dead before your pants were down around your knees, nobleman," Tier said. "You aren't from around these mountains, or you would understand about magic. My armsmate was like you, used to the tame wizards who take the Septs' gold. He saved my life three times and survived five years of war, only to fall at the hands of a Traveler wizard in a back alley."
The mood in the room shifted as Tier reminded them why they had killed the man burning outside.
"We" - he included himself with every man in the room - "we understand. You don't play with fire, Lord Wresen, you drown it before it burns your house down." He looked at the innkeeper. "After the Traveler killed my fighting brother, I spent years learning how to deal with such - I look forward to testing my knowledge. Two silver and four copper."
The innkeeper nodded quickly, as Tier had expected. An innkeeper would understand the moods of his patrons and see that many more words like Tier's last speech, and he'd get nothing. The men in the room were very close to taking the girl out right now and throwing her on top of her brother. Much better to end the auction early with something to show for it.
Tier handed the innkeeper the silver coin and began digging in his purse, eventually coming up with the twenty-eight coppers necessary to make two silver and four. He was careful that a number of people saw how few coppers he had left. They didn't need to know about the money in his belt.
Wresen settled back, as if the Traveler's fate was nothing to him. His response made Tier all the more wary of him - in his experience bored noblemen seldom gave up so easily. But for the moment at least, Tier had only the girl to contend with.
Tier walked to the stairs, ignoring the men who pushed back away from him. He jerked the girl's wrist and pulled her past the innkeeper.
"What she has we'll take," Tier said. "I'll burn it all when we're in the woods - you might think of doing the same to the bed and linen in that room. I've seen wizards curse such things."
He took the stairs up at a pace that the girl couldn't possibly match with the awkward way he kept her arm twisted behind her. When she stumbled, he jerked her up with force that was more apparent than real. He wanted everyone to be completely convinced that he could handle whatever danger she represented.
There were four doors at the top of the stairs, but only one hung ajar, and he hauled her into it and shut the door behind them.
"Quick, girl," he said, releasing her, "gather your things before they decide that they might keep the silver and kill the both of us."
When she didn't move, he tried a different tack. "What you don't have packed in a count of thirty, I'll leave