Bone Lord 4, стр. 57
We reached the Five Phoenixes tavern after around half an hour of walking. It was a small, cramped place, with gentle illumination provided by a sea of tiny paper lanterns. Since the place was empty when we arrived, we had plenty of space. The barkeep was a stout, matronly lady, with a friendly cast to her face, which lit up when she saw Rami-Xayon.
She rushed out from behind the counter to embrace Rami-Xayon, who jumped into the woman’s flabby arms and flung her arms around her neck.
“Tong-Tong!” Rami-Xayon said.
They jabbered in Yengish for a while, before Rami-Xayon introduced me and the rest of the party to her.
“My my, what a handsome god you are!” Tong-Tong looked me up and down. “My Rami certainly has good taste in men. When are you two getting married? You’ll produce gorgeous babies, and many of them!”
“Uh. . .” I hadn’t exactly thought of children, and I was tongue tied for the first time in a good while.
“Here in Yeng an important, powerful man—god, I mean—is expected to have many wives and concubines!” Tong-Tong continued.
I had to chuckle at her enthusiasm. This was a woman who, within seconds of meeting me, already felt like an aunt who’d known me all my life.
“Sounds like I’d fit in here,” I said to the matron.
“You should stay here in Yeng, all of you,” Tong-Tong said. Then, as she continued, the smile melted from her face and she sighed sadly. “Everyone else is fleeing. Look at this place! No customers for the third night in a row. Gongxiong is becoming a ghost town. And even with this steep drop in business over the last few months, the Glorious Emperor’s tax collectors still hound us relentlessly and do their utmost to squeeze every last drop from us. I’ve owned this tavern for three decades now, but it’s looking more and more like I’m going to have to abandon it. I can’t afford to keep it going anymore.”
I opened my purse and pulled out a couple gold coins.
“I’d like to buy a drink,” I said as I dropped the gold coins into her hand. “Whatever you recommend, Tong-Tong.”
“I’ve got some excellent ales behind the counter,” she said, “but I don’t have nearly enough money to give you change for this!”
“Keep it.”
She stared at me. “But this is more than enough to pay for several barrels of ale.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said with a smile.
“Thank you, Vance, thank you!” She gripped me in a tight bear hug, tears welling up in her eyes. “Come, sit, all of you—drinks for all, after your long voyage!”
My party and I took a seat around the largest table in the venue while Tong-Tong went to get us all drinks.
“Your aunt seems fun,” I said to Rami-Xayon.
She chuckled and nodded. “She was always my favorite relative growing up.” Rami-Xayon’s expression turned serious. “When we were talking in Yengish, she told me she’s very worried about my parents. She heard reports that the Warlock’s reptilian creatures were ransacking villages near their home, and she hasn’t heard from my parents in weeks. I need to go straight there and see if they’re all right. I’m worried sick now, and so is she. There are also some Wind temples in that area, and I need to see if I can rally what’s left of my former worshipers to gain some more powers for our upcoming battles.”
“I get that. Family comes first. If my father had still been around, I’d have done the same for him.”
“You’ll have some extra help in Yeng,” Rami-Xayon said. “Tong-Tong also told me that my sister, Yumo, has returned after a long enjarta mission. Tong-Tong will send a sparrow to tell her to meet you on the road in a day or two.”
“A sparrow?”
“You know, the little brown birds. We use trained sparrows in Yeng to fly short messages across distances. We tie tiny scrolls around their legs. The birds know where to go.”
“Interesting, but I think I’ll stick to my harpy when it comes to flying.”
“I’ll accompany you, Rami-Xayon,” Elyse said. “Even if you’re making a detour to your parents’ place.”
“I’ll also come along, as planned,” Isu said.
With that settled, we chatted over drinks about our plans for Yeng, leaving enough space for banter in the gaps. And then, booming rolls of thunder and a howling wind appeared out of nowhere and cut our conversation short.
“Another storm.” Tong-Tong sighe. “Even the weather has changed. Thunderstorms like this were once a rarity in Gongxiong. Now they happen every other day. And they seem to be getting stronger all the time too. One of these days my whole tavern’s going to get blown away. If you all want to cram into the two spare rooms upstairs you’re welcome to, but I have to batten down the hatches before the storm hits.”
“We’ll find an inn,” I said. “Judging by how many people we saw about, it shouldn’t be too hard to find enough beds.”
“You’ve got that right,” Tong-Tong said, shaking her head sadly.
I surreptitiously slipped a few more gold coins into Tong-Tong’s pocket before we headed out. Streaks of lightning flickered across the sky, illuminating the deserted port town every few seconds in brief flashes of violet. The wind was so strong we could barely walk against it, and we’d gone too far from the Five Phoenixes to return there.
“This is the work of the Warlock!” I yelled at Rami-Xayon. “You’re the Goddess of Wind; can’t you counter whatever magic he’s using?”
“I’ll try!” she answered.
She balled her hands into fists and scrunched her face as she reached into her core to summon her strongest powers. Then she raised her hands to the sky and blasted two long,