Chapter 114: The Name They Already Chose
The door to the Tallow and Tide closed with a dull, final thud.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Helen stepped in first, her boots quieter than usual against the worn wooden floor, though there was no effort in it—only the absence of her usual force. Brianna clung to her skirt, small fingers gripping the fabric tightly, her wide eyes still fixed somewhere far beyond the walls of the tavern.
Olly followed behind them, slower than his usual easy stride, his shoulders set in a way that spoke of something heavy settling upon him.
The others trickled in after.
There was no laughter.
No muttered jokes.
No commentary on the chill outside or the state of the streets or what had been broadcast.
The tavern, so often alive even in its quieter hours, seemed to absorb that silence and hold it.
