52 My Brother

Matt the innkeeper remembered Eliard, and Link left an even deeper impression on him. When he saw Eliard, he shrugged and said, "Room? He's not in a room. After you left, Mr. Link has always stayed in the attic."

What? The Attic!

Eliard's heart pounded violently. He forced himself not to show any expression and continued asking, "Why is he staying in the attic?"

"No money, why else?" Matt said matter-of-factly, "Before, he even ate coarse wheat bread every day. Two loaves a day, one for lunch, and one for dinner. Recently it seems he's earning some money, but not much, I'd say. He's mostly cooped up in the attic. If you want to see him, he's right upstairs."

When he heard that, Eliard's heart started pounding again. He knew that after Link gave him the 1300 gold coins, he probably didn't have much left. But he never would have thought that it would get Link into such a dire situation.