innkeeper's should have been, and he took the two silvers he'd paid so both animals would be stabled and fed before he tossed the purse to him.
"If you try anything like this again, I'll be sure the guild knows that you sell what isn't yours to the folk who are killing your patrons. I'm sure they'll be happy to learn of it."
The man's terrified gaze followed him to where Horse had wandered calmly out of the open doors and was browsing a few patches of grass near the stables.
"I suppose I should count my lucky stars that they didn't take you," the barbarian muttered and patted the stallion on the neck before he began to put the saddle on his back, followed quickly by his supplies.
Horse snorted loudly.
"Oh. And you didn't go along with them." Skharr tilted his head. "I am touched although we both know you only did it with self-interest firmly in your mind. You know I'm the only one who pampers you with apples and time spent at a pleasant farm."
The beast showed no sign of denying this.
"I know your only concern is for yourself. My safety did not even enter your mind."
Talking to Horse again certainly helped to calm his nerves. Heading to Tacham would be an unsettling experience for him. Finding himself face to face with Samor was another situation he would rather have avoided. He'd heard the name a long time before and there were numerous dead bodies associated with it. Many were enemies but too many were those who had signed up to fight alongside him.
That did not change anything, but at least he knew who he would have to fight to free his friend.
Tacham hadn't changed much. The rich smell of alcohol still drenched the town's many inns, most of which doubled as whorehouses for those who were in the mood to indulge in more than one vice at once. It also was home to a few gambling dens and purveyors of substances that could alter the mind, most of which were illegal anywhere else in the world.
It wasn't like the folk cared that it would kill them. Skharr knew from experience that few of those who spent their time in the area expected to see too many winters even without the dangerous habits.
Ahverna's kiss ran out half a day into the trip and he dragged his feet in the last few hours of the day and was barely able to make camp before he was out like a torch caught in a mountain wind blast.
He woke with the sun but the whole of the day's travel had been spent feeling like he was paying for the time when he’d pushed on without rest. His back and shoulders ached like they hadn't since he’d started using his fucking bow, his legs felt like they would buckle at any moment, and his midsection made him groan with every misstep.
The day had involved far too many missteps.
Thankfully, things had improved after a quick sip of a healing potion. Returning to Tacham certainly helped on one level, he conceded.
There was nothing even resembling a wall around it, and Skharr could understand that it had to do with the knowledge that anyone who attacked would be met with reprisals from hundreds of battle-hardened pirates and mercenaries, even if most of them were drunk.
He kept a firm hold on his possessions and made sure that none who approached him came close enough to have a good look at him or to sneak a hand onto his coin purse. It helped that this was the kind of town where folk liked to ignore each other unless there was business to attend to.
And for a place that had more than its share of criminals, there was considerable trust. Folk didn't want to see themselves banned from the inns, brothels, and gambling dens, so they mostly maintained the order.
A few wagons bringing food and supplies to one of the inns had even left their wagon out in the open without so much as a guard as they watched an altercation that took place on the streets outside.
Skharr was not worried about being banned since he doubted that he would return there in the future. With a quick look around, he helped himself to a few packs of food as well as a couple of apples from a barrel for Horse.
The true treasure he discovered was the small glass bottle of a rich auburn liquid that he knew a little too