Chapter 249: Accidental Adventure
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
Abraham Lincoln
We walked back to the inn in stony silence. I was a little sheepish now that I had considered how far I had travelled; what if I had been unable to make it back? Then there was Asta, who was a little crushed by the cold shoulder she was receiving from Namir. And Namir? I was unsure what he was thinking or feeling, but his intimidating presence did not invite continued conversations.
We entered the inn only to nearly bump into Sedjorn just as he was leaving and, judging by the look on his face, looking for Asta. “There you are. Your father said you had gone to the temple. Want to take a walk.” He offered.
“Not tonight,” Asta murmured as she pushed into the inn. Slipping past her suitor, her whole demeanour changed as her face lit up when she started to work the crowd on the way back to the bar. Which face was correct: the sadness we had sensed on the way back or the current cheerful personality bubbling around the tables, picking up glasses as she went? It was impossible to tell, but it was not our problem either way. We were just passing through.
“Kai, room,” Namir commanded as we watched her work the crowd. We headed straight for the stairs to return to our room. Poor Sedjorn was left at the doorway, unsure of whether to actually leave the inn or return and attempt to find a seat when the room was so full and busy.
Even when the door finally closed to our room, Namir still silently stalked through it, gesturing ahead into the small cubby attached to it. Understanding without words, I opened up the entrance to my spatial vault in the tiny privy that came with the room. It was a superficial layer of deception, but it would prevent anyone who barged into the room from seeing the portal. I stepped in ahead of him before Namir followed me into the privy and the portal, closing the door behind him as we went.
Once we had entered, he ordered, “Close the portal.” I closed the entrance, hiding us from the world. “What happened ?” He finally asked.
“Fortuna said hello and even thanked me for spreading her faith and rewarding me with a new skill.” I summarised the conversation we had during that moment of frozen time.