Chapter 24

The priest led her through another door and down a short hall to an enormous room filled almost entirely with beds, the kind she mostly saw in barracks with one stacked on top of another. But the front third of the room was given over to chairs and tables, a few bookshelves filled with books, games, and other ways to pass the time.

Thanking the priest again after he'd shown her to a bed, Shanna dropped her saddlebags on the floor, then sat on the edge of the bed and simply enjoyed not moving for a little while.

When she finally felt a bit rested, she rose and went in search of the baths. The water was tepid, but thankfully not frigid, and by the time she was done, Shanna was refreshed enough to actually feel hungry.

The priest was waiting for her in the sitting area, and escorted her to the dining hall with a smile. Minus a few other priests who looked more asleep than awake, there was no one else there.