Winia frowned for a moment. It was true that there were many things she wanted to ask the siblings. Who were they? What was after them? Mysterious events seemed to follow the Casulls, and yet Winia had never pressed them for explanations.
“I… I don’t need to,” Winia murmured at last. Even now, she felt that keeping a distance was the smart thing to do—she couldn’t keep her friends with her forever, so why get too attached and suffer more down the line? The last thing Winia needed in her life was more heartbreak.
“I like all of you a lot, and that’s not going to change. Isn’t it enough to know I like you?” Winia asked with an awkward smile.
Raquel just stared at her blankly.
Shannon took his place on the inn’s small stage and surveyed the large room. Every inch of the place was filled with people, to the point where audience members had to stand in the back or sit on the floor. No one yelled or fought or even murmured quietly, which was odd for a crowd that size. Instead, they sat in silence, eager for the show.
Luckily for Shannon, the expectant crowd had also been drinking steadily for some time. Their wits were just foggy enough to not see through his disguise.
Shannon cleared his throat. Scattered applause quickly escalated into wild cheers. Shannon spotted Pacifica in the crowd and tried to give her a look that conveyed all his frustration at her and the situation. She either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because she gave him a big grin and a thumbs-up.
Shannon raised his lute. The crowd fell silent.
For a moment he stood there, frozen by the prospect of so many eyes and ears on him regardless of whom they thought he was. But that tense moment passed, and his fingers found a gentle melody. He took a deep breath and began to sing.
The song he chose was an old one about a man who was forced to leave his beloved with nothing but the promise of his return. Many years passed, and the man, driven by the memory of his true love, survived countless dangers. When he finally returned to his love’s home, he learned that she’d gotten married, had children, and was very happy. She didn’t even recognize him. It was only when he left again that she went after him. But, it was too late. He was gone.
Shannon’s voice rose as the song came to a crescendo. For an unusually long moment, the Wild Horse Inn sat in complete silence.
Then the crowd erupted into cheers. Shannon could see that many of the audience members had tears streaming down their faces as they clapped and shouted.
He allowed himself a slight smile as he adjusted one his lute strings.
I guess this isn’t so bad, after all.
Hours passed. The atmosphere in the bar went from rowdy to subdued as the night’s drinking caught up with everyone. A bunch of young men around a table laughed at nothing, while at the bar, a woman had passed out right on the counter. A man in the back sang out of tune to a wall. The people who were still up and about were all doing things they’d probably regret once they were sober.
Even though the concert had ended some time ago, all of Shannon’s attempts to escape to his dressing room had failed. Every time he tried to leave, someone new would corner him and drag him back to what remained of the party. He was forced to go from table to table, accepting the drinks that were foisted upon him and brushing off any drunks who became a bit too friendly.
“Come on, Raquel! Pull up a chair and drink with us!” A man pushed yet another drink into Shannon’s hands and pulled him into a seat.
Shannon took some comfort in the fact that he was the one having drinks forced upon him instead of Raquel. Although neither of the siblings had much of a tolerance for alcohol, if Shannon got drunk, he might make a fool of himself or pass out. If Raquel got drunk, she’d probably burn the place down. Combat sorcerers and alcohol were not a good mix.
A drunk came over and put an arm around Shannon. “Damn,” the man cooed. “You’re so good-looking! Spend some time with me, sweet cheeks?”
“Oh, um, thanks, but I have to…”
Shannon pushed the man’s arm away and bolted, only to run into another drunk who groped his rear end. Shannon barely restrained himself from breaking the man’s nose.
“Oh, Raquel!” a man shouted as he ran toward Shannon. “You’re the most beautiful girl in the world!”
“Stop it,” Shannon demanded, but his protests fell on deaf ears. The man gripped him in a bear hug.
“Hey! Quit hogging her!”
“That’s right! Raquel and I already pledged our love to each other!”
“Raquel! I know if you give me a try, you’ll never give those other guys a second glance!”
A crowd started to form as more drunken, desperate men crowded around Shannon.
“Oh, Raquel, I’m a prisoner of your sparkling eyes, your soft hair, and these breasts… ah!” The young man buried his face in Shannon’s fake chest and then looked up, confused. Half a second later, Shannon hit him square in the jaw and knocked him unconscious.
The crowd of drunks roared in surprise.
Damn, Shannon thought through his mild drunken haze. I’ve given myself away. He scanned the room, hoping to find a place to run.
To his surprise, the crowd was cheering for him.
“All right! That showed him!”
“Hit me next!”
“Don’t stop! Pound ’em!”
“Kick him in the teeth!”
Although luckily no one had seen through his disguise, his attack had turned an already-bad situation worse. The crowd of admirers seemed to lose what little restraint they’d had and ran at Shannon en masse, grabbing onto him wherever they could reach.
“D-don’t touch that!” Shannon shouted as he struggled to free himself.
“Come on, there’s no need to get angry.”
“Yeah, Raquel. Just relax!”
“It’s not fair to be sober when everyone else is drunk.”
“Here you go!” Someone shoved a bottle in his mouth. Shannon looked down to discover it was Pacifica, laughing hysterically. Her face was bright red, and she gripped a half-full wine bottle in the hand that wasn’t forcing beer down Shannon’s throat. She must have not realized the wine was alcoholic because of its high sugar content.