"Why of course!" exclaimed Tioli. "Head through that door and it will take you into our dining area. It's open all day and night. Tell the bartender or waitress what you want and they will be more than happy to prepare it for you."
"Oh, I can't wait to eat!" said Nemeth joyously. "Thanks Tioli!"
"Enjoy yourself while you are here," replied Tioli. "My duty is to accommodate all those who are staying at the Norfolk Inn. If there's anything else you need, please come back and see me."
Nemeth walked towards the door of the dining area. He rubbed his hands together with excitement. He opened the door, walked in and slowly shut the door behind him. The dining room area was a sight to behold. It was very extravagant and something like he had never seen before. The room was lit by dozens of candles held from the ceiling by crystal chandeliers. It felt like it was at least 10 steps up from the dining areas back at Lord Dragomir's Academy. Nemeth scanned the room to see if there was anybody there. There appeared to be a slim, teenaged girl with long blonde hair asleep at one of the tables in the center of the room. There was a slim, handsome man with brown hair standing behind the bar cleaning a glass. Nemeth walked over to a barstool and climbed atop it to sit down.
"Hello there young fellow," said the bartender. "The name's Divato. I'm the bartender here at the fabulous Norfolk Inn. What can I get to you drink?"
Nemeth looked at a large menu of drinks that was posted behind Divato. There were all sorts of drinks. There was Pear Juice, Grape Juice, Tomato Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Blueberry Juice and a lot more. They seemed to have every type of fruit or vegetable available in juice form. Ambrule was also listed, but it had been crossed off with an X.
"Why is Ambrule crossed off of your menu?" asked Nemeth.
"Well, I couldn't serve Ambrule to someone as young as you anyhow," replied Divato. "That is, unless you are a dwarf or midget. You aren't a dwarf or midget are you?"
"I'm not a dwarf or a midget!" replied Nemeth with an angry tone.
"I was just fooling around kid," replied Divato. "We don't have any Ambrule because our entire supply of it was stolen a few days ago. We won't get another shipment of it in for at least another week. We still don't have any leads as to who stole it either. It's really bothering everyone who works here, especially Tioli since he's the owner. He's been rather paranoid and anxious. He's tried accusing just about everyone that comes inside the inn of stealing it. He's even accused his loyal staff here at the inn of stealing it. I found it to be highly offensive when he accused me of stealing it. He's going to wind up hurting business if he continues acting the way he does. Hell, I wouldn't put it past him to even accuse a young kid like you."
"I'm sorry to hear that," replied Nemeth sincerely. "He didn't accuse me of anything though. I've seen kegs of Ambrule before and they're rather large. I'm sure he didn't think a midget like me could be capable of carrying them out."
"It's good to see you have a sense of humor after all!" laughed Divato. "Your first drink is on the house kid."
"I'll have a Pomegranate Juice then," said Nemeth. "It looks like all of these drinks will give me the energy I need. I'll let you mix up that drink and then I'll tell you something I think you'll find very useful."
"One Pomegranate Juice coming right up!" exclaimed Divato.
Divato turned around and began to mix the drink for Nemeth. Nemeth kicked his feet back and forth in anticipation of his beverage.
"Do you want some food also?" asked Divato.
"Yeah, my stomach's been growling all day," answered Nemeth. "Show me a menu whenever you get the chance."
"You'll have to wake up the waitress who is sleeping over at that table behind you," said Divato. "She handles all of the food orders. I'd wake her up normally, but she'd probably just get upset at me. She'll be much happier if she opens her eyes and sees a kid like you instead."
Divato put the mug of Pomegranate Juice in front of Nemeth. Nemeth gulped down his Pomegranate Juice in a hurry. Nemeth hopped off of the stool and then walked over to the girl who was asleep at the center table. She seemed to be at such peace. He was jealous because he wanted to be asleep too. He tapped the girl on her shoulder several times. The girl quickly awoke and she sprung upright in her chair. Nemeth felt bad that he woke her up, but he was starving.
"Sorry for having to wake you," said Nemeth in a serious tone. "I just arrived here after a long trip and I'm starving!"
"Well aren't you adorable?" said the girl. "My name is Tienna. Have you thought about what you wanted to eat?"
Nemeth started to blush put his hands behind his back.
"I didn't get a chance to look at a menu," replied Nemeth. "I think if I could eat anything right now it would have to be some roasted chicken. If you have it, I want that for sure. If you don't, I'll take a look at a menu."
"Why sure we have roasted chicken cutie!" replied Tienna. "It's only 25 silver coins. I'll go in the back and put your order in with our chef. His name is Kaleo. Just have a seat and your order will be ready shortly."
Nemeth began to blush even more and he sat down on the opposite side of where the waitress was previously sitting so he could face the bartender. The waitress made her way into the kitchen area.
"I think she likes you!" laughed Divato. "Before you start blushing even more than you are, I should tell you…NO NOT IN THAT WAY. You kinda look like her younger brother. She always likes telling stories about him."
Nemeth seemed relieved by what Divato said.
"Hey Divato, can I get another Pomegranate Juice?" asked Nemeth.
"Of course you can," said Divato. "That'll be 5 silver coins please."
Divato began to pour another glass of Pomegranate Juice. Before he was done pouring, Nemeth had already brought over 5 silver coins and placed them on the bar counter.
"Here ya go kid!" exclaimed Divato.
Divato handed Nemeth another mug of Pomegranate Juice. Nemeth walked back over to his table and sat down. Shortly after sitting down, Tienna made her way back from out of the kitchen area and came over to Nemeth. She looked at Nemeth and smiled.
"Oh I've just got to sit down and talk to you!" said Tienna who was beaming with joy. "You'll never guess who you remind me of!"
"Oh I bet I can guess!" exclaimed Nemeth. "I remind you of your little brother right?"
Tienna blushed and smiled even more.
"How did you know?" questioned Tienna.
"I've got psychic abilities," said Nemeth jokingly. "I have the ability to read minds, tell the future, the usual psychic stuff. In fact, I'm in town because I'm interviewing for the town's fortune teller position."
"Oh you're so silly!" said Tienna with laughter and excitement. "You can't fool me though. I know you're not in town applying to be the new fortune teller. I haven't seen anybody come in here wearing those colors in such a long time but I know what they represent. Those are the colors that the best and brightest from Lord Dragomir's Academy wear. You must have done quite a great job to graduate so early. Did you come here all the way by yourself from there?"
Nemeth nodded his head at Tienna.
"So you must have met my younger brother there right?" inquired Tienna. "His name is Elijah. If he worked hard, he would have just made it out of his second year. He's nine years old. Oh and I apologize, what is your name?"
"Well I've escaped from Lord Dragomir's Academy," replied Nemeth. "I wish I could say I graduated but I just finished my third year there. There's a lot of trouble happening over there right now. I don't recall meeting any student named Elijah either. I'm sorry, but there are just so many students there. Oh, and my name is Nemeth."
"Nemeth, what kind of trouble is happening there?" questioned Tienna with peril in her voice.
Nemeth waved for Divato to come over. Divato walked over to the table and sat down with them.
"It's a very long story," said Nemeth. "I'll try to make it brief, just because I'm pressed for time. The third year students were having a graduation party at a place called Sere
nd Lake which is still within the walls of Lord Dragomir's Academy. I got to the party later than most people. By the time I got there, it seemed like everyone was drinking Ambrule even though it's a banned substance there. I have a feeling that whoever brought the Ambrule to the academy probably stole it from here. That's what I wanted to tell you earlier Divato. To make things worse, there is a monster called Terazhul who attacked the academy while everyone was intoxicated. Terazhul cast some sort of devious spell that is slowly corrupting anything related to the forest. There is also a Black Orb that needs to be destroyed since that is where the spell started. So unfortunately I have to go back to the academy. The world is pretty much doomed unless Terazhul is stopped. His spell hasn't hit Norfall yet, but it soon will. I've got to get equipped with the correct items and then head to the Great Temple of the Forest and destroy him."
"You've got quite an imagination!" said Tienna while giggling.
"I'm actually being serious," said Nemeth. "This isn't some fable."
"This does sound quite serious," said Divato. "So this Terazhul character is responsible for stealing our Ambrule supply. However, that's the least of our problems now isn't it? The way you tell the story, it sounds like the world is going to end."
"Oh no!" exclaimed Tienna. "That means my brother is in danger already! Could you please do me a favor?"
Nemeth shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe," said Nemeth. "It depends on what the favor is."
"The food is ready!" said a voice from the kitchen. "Come pick it up!"
"There's your food," said Tienna. "I'll be right back with it."
Tienna hurried into the kitchen area. A few moments later she came out with a plate with a large roasted chicken on it. She put the plate down in front of Nemeth. Nemeth began to chomp away at the roasted chicken.
"Now where was I?" questioned Tienna. "Oh yes, I have a favor to ask of you. I have an amulet that I would like to give to you. It's supposed to bring good luck to those in battle. I think it would be helpful to you now. Once you're done defeating that monster, could you please give it to my brother? You did say you were going back to the academy after all."
Nemeth stopped chomping down his roasted chicken. He took a swig of Pomegranate Juice and looked at Tienna. Tienna handed over a silver amulet with small emerald fixed in the center of it. Nemeth placed Tienna's Amulet into his backpack.
"Sure, no problem," said Nemeth. "I'll ask Professor Phantas who he is and I'll deliver it to him personally."
"Oh no!" replied Tienna with a look of concern on her face. "Not Professor Phantas! He's the reason why Elijah and I haven't seen each other in so long! I didn't want to end up being a guard or soldier, so I just gave up and stopped doing all of my work there. As my punishment, I was expelled from the academy five years ago, at the age of 9. I was a second year student. Being expelled is something that I'll always regret though. My brother was still being cared for at Kokinos Nursery. He was only 4 years old at the time. I was only concerned about myself. I never appreciated the fact that I was one of the few people that knew I had a real biological family member in the academy with me. I'm lucky that I made it alive to Norfall and that Tioli gave me a job here at the inn. Also, the town fortune teller Milana lets me see what Elijah looks like whenever I visit her. I've gotten to see him grow up from afar but it's not the same as being there with him. Please, please, please can you find Elijah and deliver the amulet to him yourself?"
"If you wish," said Nemeth. "I won't tell Professor Phantas about this at all. In fact, I didn't see him at the graduation party. I hope he's alright."
Nemeth disliked that he was being assigned more responsibility. However, Tienna's story made him very curious. Tienna ran around the table and gave Nemeth a big hug. Nemeth began to blush once again.
"Thank you so much Nemeth!" exclaimed Tienna.
Tienna let go of her hug and sat down next to Nemeth.
"I have a question for you Tienna," said Nemeth. "Everyone's memories regarding family history are supposed to be erased when they enter the academy. So how do you know that you and Elijah are really brother and sister?"
"Magic is not a perfect art," answered Tienna. "When one of the professors tried to erase my memory, the spell didn't work. When I was questioned about my family afterwards, I just told them the answers I thought they wanted to hear. They believed that the spell worked. It's almost impossible for the spell to fail, but in my case it did. I'm sure there are other students at the academy that know the truth about their families but they haven't come forward about what they know."
"I'm very jealous of you," said Nemeth sincerely. "After I defeat Terazhul, I want to find out the truth about what happened to my biological family. Hey Tienna or Divato, is it true that there is a weapon shop near this inn?"
Tienna didn't respond. She was just gazing at Nemeth.
"Yes, there sure is kid," said Divato. "They're even closer to each other than you'd think. They're practically attached together. You could probably jump from the roof of the inn onto the weapon shop if you were crazy enough to do so! The weapon shop is closed for the day though. So if its new equipment that you're seeking, you'd best head up to bed, get a good night's rest and then go on over there in the morning."
"There's really not any time for me to go to sleep," said Nemeth. "I've told you the situation already. Can you think of any other way to get into the weapon shop before it opens?"
Tienna nodded her head breaking her long gaze at Nemeth's face.
"There's a trapdoor behind the innkeeper's desk," said Tienna. "It's supposed to lead to a system of tunnels underneath the town. You can probably just travel through the tunnels and get into the weapon shop that way. Just don't get yourself into trouble!"
Nemeth began to think about what they said. He now had a couple of options for getting into the weapon shop. Tienna and Divato had practically told him to go ahead and steal whatever he wanted from the weapon shop. Nemeth finished up the last bite of his roasted chicken and gulped down the remainder of his Pomegranate Juice. He put 25 silver coins on the table.
"Thanks for your help," said Nemeth. "I'm going to head up to my room now. I haven't even seen what it looks like yet."
"Nice meeting you kid," said Divato. "Thanks for letting us know what's going on. I'm not sure if we should stay in town or head out."
Divato got up from his seat and walked back over to the bar area.
"Please remember to keep your promise!" said Tienna excitedly. "I know you'll defeat Terazhul pretty soon. Finding your biological family might take longer and I'm so sorry for that. I know how painful it is to be an orphan as well but that pain was eased knowing that I had Elijah as a brother. So, to help ease your pain, I'd very much like for you to be my honorary little brother. That is of course, if you don't mind having me as your big sister."
Nemeth hugged Tienna and lifted her slightly off the ground.
"I'd love for you to be my big sister!" exclaimed Nemeth. "Thank you so much Tienna! You've given me an extra purpose in life."
"You're gonna make me cry…" replied Tienna. "I can't be all teary eyed if customers come in. Now go on little brother, you've got work to do! I'll see you soon!"
Nemeth put down Tienna and let go of his hug. Nemeth nodded his head and headed out of the dining area into the main lobby. The innkeeper was nowhere in sight. The front door appeared to be heavily locked from the inside. He headed up the flight of stairs on his left to the second floor.
"Ok, room 11, room 11, where are you?" asked Nemeth.
The first room number he saw was 59. The next room number he saw was 58. This was a most unusual numbering system for the rooms. The second floor rooms were labeled in the 50s. The third floor rooms were labeled in the 40s. The fourth floor rooms were labeled in the 30s. The fifth floor rooms were labeled in the 20s. The sixth floor rooms were labeled in the 10s. Room 11 was the final room on the sixth floor. Nemeth eagerly grabbed the room key out of his backpack and took it out. He put
it into the lock, turned it sideways and opened the door. He made his way into the room, closed the door and locked it. He then quickly put down everything he was carrying on top of the large, elegant desk that was at the front of the room. He dashed toward the large king sized bed in the center of the room and leapt onto it face first. Nemeth's body slowly sank into the comfortable bed. This bed was much better than the one he had back at Justile Dormitory.
"Jaida…" said Nemeth. "JAIDA???"
Nemeth's body began to glow and Jaida emerged from his body and began floating overhead.
"Jaida, I'm going to need some sleep," said Nemeth. "I feel like I'm going to crack from the pressure of all this if I don't get a little bit of rest. A half hour nap should be all I need and I'll be ready to continue. Can you please wake me up in a half hour?"
"If you so desire master," replied Nemeth. "Just remember that as each second passes, Terazhul grows stronger. In a half hour, the Forestial Corruption spell's area of effect might even reach here."
"You sure know what to say to a kid to make them have pleasant dreams," said Nemeth sarcastically. "It's a risk that I'm willing to take."
"How can a boy this lazy and irresponsible be capable of stopping Terazhul?" asked Jaida.
"Oh please…" replied Nemeth. "Not this again. You saw what I was able to do against Madame Magica. Plus, I've got an honorary big sister now…"
Nemeth drifted into a deep sleep in the middle of his sentence. He started snoring loudly and drooling on his pillow. Nemeth began to have vivid dreams of his past.
"Nobody knows the answer?" said Professor Darcy. "I understand that all of you are first year students here at Lord Dragomir's Academy, but that is no reason for an entire classroom to be unable to answer such a simple question. This is not Kokinos Nursery anymore so you will not be treated like babies anymore! Well if nobody raises their hand, then I'm just going to have to call on somebody. Surely SOMEBODY knows the answer!"
Professor Darcy began to look around the classroom for the student that appeared to be the most timid.
The Orphan Wars (Book One) Page 10