Lola looked at Russel with alarm. The news had spread that quickly? She wondered how the people of Howlton found out. Whatever the case was, the town was buzzing with gossip, idle speculation, and what might happen in the near future. Everyone was so loud, it was beginning to hurt her ears and give her a slight headache. She did her best to ignore that though and actively forced her mind away from the powerful emotions the conversations she did hear stirred up.

“Are you okay?” Russel asked. He saw the uncomfortableness and emotional pain on her face. “We can leave. Go somewhere else.”

“No,” she said. “I’ll be fine. We need to eat some real food. I’ll tune it out.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, real concern in his eyes. He might not have known her long but despite that, he had grown fond of her very quickly. Seeing her hurting and in so much pain made him feel an overwhelming, and completely irrational, need to protect her sweep through him.

“Let’s just find a table,” she said, pushing her way through people to an empty table in a dark corner of the tavern. After they sat down, she gave him a tired smile. “Maybe after I get some real food, I’ll feel a little better.”

Russel leaned back in his chair a bit, spotted a server, and gestured her over. She looked red-faced and exhausted, which meant the tavern probably didn’t see this much business at one time. She came over and wiped her arm across her sweaty forehead.

“G’day to ya travelers,” she said. “Welcome, welcome. I apologize for the rowdiness. What’ll it be?”

“Two ales and whatever food you happen to be serving,” Russel told her, setting two silver coins on the table.

“That’ll be a roast, some boiled potatoes, and bread. Will that do for ya?” she asked.

To Lola, the food sounded heavenly. She could already feel her mouth start to water. The trek to Howlton, combined with the intensive training from Russel, had made her extremely hungry. The little bit of food she did manage to get had been completely inadequate.

Once the server left to get their drinks and food, they spent the next few minutes in silence. Both of them wanted to eavesdrop on the conversations around them and try to pick up as much information as possible. The news, from what they heard, wasn’t exactly great. Most of it was probably rumor but a grim-faced woman in a ranger’s cloak and gear was talking in hushed tones to a local.

Before Russel could focus on the ranger’s conversation, the server dropped by with their ales and grabbed the silver coins on the table before heading back over to the bar. Once she was gone, he focused his heightened hearing on her and was able to pick up her words.

“...was sent on a mission to scout the area around Gloucester,” the ranger said. Russel had judged her information as the most likely bit to be true considering she worked for the king’s military. “We found the whole place burned to the ground, not a soul alive.”

“What did it ya figure?” the local she was gossiping with asked.

“Near as we could tell, werewolves. The burned bodies we did find all had slash marks on ‘em,” she replied. She grabbed her stein of ale and took a long pull from it. She set it back down and wiped froth off her lips. “My superior sent me here to gather information. Figured the closest town might have some interesting things to say. What about you, sir? Have you seen or heard any werewolves in the area?”

“What are they saying?” Lola asked.