Chapter 18: The Art of the Deal

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: The Art of the Deal

The Rusty Tankard was warm and loud. A fire crackled in the hearth, filling the room with the smell of woodsmoke and roasting meat. Men sat at tables, nursing mugs of ale and laughing at jokes Daniel couldn’t hear. A few women moved between the tables, serving drinks and food. It was the kind of place that felt lived-in. Comfortable. Safe.

Daniel liked it immediately.

He and Lyra joined the short line at the front desk. A young man was ahead of them, counting out copper coins onto the counter. The innkeeper, a balding man with a thick mustache, watched him with bored eyes.

"A week," the young man said. "That’s twenty-one copper, right?"

"Twenty-one copper," the innkeeper confirmed. "Room seven. Up the stairs, second door on the left."

The young man scooped up his key and disappeared up the stairs. Daniel and Lyra stepped forward.

The innkeeper looked up. His eyes landed on Lyra first, and something flickered across his face. Recognition. Then distaste. Then he looked at Daniel, at his plain clothes and bruised face, and his expression shifted to something like disdain.

"Room?" he asked flatly.

"Yes," Daniel said. "One room. For the both of us."

The innkeeper’s eyebrows rose slightly. He looked at Lyra, then back at Daniel. "One room?"

"Yes."

The innkeeper shrugged. "Fine. That’ll be fifty copper."

Daniel blinked. "Fifty copper?"

"That’s right."

Daniel glanced at the young man who had just gone upstairs. "He paid twenty-one copper for a week. You’re charging us fifty for one night?"

The innkeeper’s mustache twitched. "Prices vary."

"Based on what?"

"Based on who’s asking." The innkeeper’s voice was flat. Unapologetic. "You want the room or not?"

Daniel felt his face heat up. His hands curled into fists at his sides. Fifty copper. For one night. When a week was twenty-one. It was blatant. It was robbery. It was because of Lyra. Because she was the abandoned daughter. Because she was blind. Because they thought she was trash.

He was about to explode. He could feel the words building in his throat, the anger boiling in his chest. But then he stopped. He took a breath. Then another.

Getting angry wouldn’t help. Punching the innkeeper wouldn’t help. He needed to be smart. He needed to be cunning.

He needed to slap this man with words.

Daniel’s face shifted. The anger melted away, replaced by something calm. Something almost pleasant. He smiled. A warm, friendly smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

"Fifty copper," he said, nodding slowly. "That’s interesting. Because I was just outside, talking to the town elder. You know, the old man with the walking stick and the two guards? He gave me ten silver coins as an apology for the behavior of the townspeople. Said he was embarrassed. Said he wanted to make sure my companion and I were treated well."

The innkeeper’s face went pale. His mustache twitched again.

"Ten silver?" he repeated.

"Ten silver," Daniel confirmed. "That’s a thousand copper, if my math is right. Which means I could buy this inn. Maybe not outright, but I could certainly make life difficult for the owner if I wanted to."

The innkeeper swallowed. "I... I didn’t know the elder was involved."

"He is now." Daniel leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Here’s the thing. I don’t want to cause trouble. I just want a room. One room. For me and my companion. And I want to pay a fair price. The same price that young man paid. Twenty-one copper for a week."

The innkeeper opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

"That’s... that’s not..."

"Or," Daniel continued, "I could go back to the elder and tell him that the owner of The Rusty Tankard is overcharging guests. Especially guests that the elder personally vouched for. I’m sure he’d be very interested to hear that."

The innkeeper’s face went through several shades of red. He glanced at Lyra, then back at Daniel. His jaw worked silently.

"Twenty-one copper," he said finally, his voice tight. "For the week."

Daniel smiled. "That’s better. But I think we can do even better."

The innkeeper’s eyes widened. "What?"

"You overcharged us because of who she is," Daniel said, nodding toward Lyra. "Because she’s the abandoned daughter. Because you thought you could take advantage of her. That’s not very neighborly, is it?"

The innkeeper said nothing.

"I think an apology is in order," Daniel said. "And a discount. One copper. For the room. For the week."

"One copper?" The innkeeper’s voice cracked. "That’s insane!"

"Is it?" Daniel tilted his head. "Because I think it’s fair. You insulted my companion. You tried to rob us. One copper seems like a small price to pay for keeping your reputation intact. Unless you want the elder to hear about this."

The innkeeper stared at him. His face was a mask of fury and fear. He looked at Lyra again, then at Daniel. Then he reached under the counter and pulled out a key.

"Room nine," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Up the stairs. Third door on the right."

Daniel took the key. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a single copper coin. He placed it on the counter.

"Pleasure doing business with you," he said.

The innkeeper said nothing. He just stood there, trembling with rage, as Daniel and Lyra walked toward the stairs.

They climbed in silence. The wooden steps creaked under their feet. When they reached the top, Lyra finally spoke.

"One copper," she said. Her voice was quiet. Disbelieving. "You got the room for one copper."

"I did."

"How?"

Daniel shrugged, even though she couldn’t see it. "I just talked to him. Reasoned with him. Made him see things my way."

Lyra was silent for a moment. Then she laughed. A soft, surprised laugh.

"You’re dangerous," she said.

"I know."

They walked down the hall and stopped in front of room nine. Daniel unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"After you," he said.

Lyra stepped inside, her cane tapping against the wooden floor. Daniel followed, closing the door behind them.

The room was small but clean. A bed against one wall. A small table with a candle. A window overlooking the street below. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

Daniel set down the bags and looked at Lyra. She was standing by the bed, her head tilted, her fingers brushing against the blanket.

"One bed," she said.

Daniel looked at the bed. Then at her. Then back at the bed.

"Yeah," he said. "One bed."

There was a pause.

"I’ll take the floor," Daniel said quickly. "You take the bed."

Lyra smiled. "You don’t have to do that."

"I know. But I want to."

She nodded slowly. "Thank you."

Daniel walked over to the window and looked out at the street. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The town was quiet now, the shops closed, the streets empty. It was peaceful. Calm.

He felt a notification appear in front of his face.

[Harem Member Illness: Blindness]

[Curing... Time until cure: 1 hour 47 minutes]

[Countdown: 1:47:23]

Daniel smiled. Less than two hours. In less than two hours, Lyra would be able to see.

He turned back to her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her cane resting against her knee, her face turned toward the window.

"Hey," he said.

She turned her head. "Yes?"

"Get some rest. You’ve had a long day."

She nodded. "What about you?"

"I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse days."

Lyra lay back on the bed, her head resting on the pillow. She closed her eyes behind her glasses.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything."

Daniel smiled. "You’re welcome."

He sat down on the floor, his back against the wall, and watched the sunset through the window. In less than two hours, everything would change.

He couldn’t wait.

[Author’s Note: am feeling really happy today... I got 50+ collection after uploading for 3 days, it might not sound like a lot but that’s a new record for me.... So am going too be uploading bonus Chapter’s until I reach Chapter 50 as gratitude for the lovely Reader’s that gave me power stone. ]