Hillary returned to his office at the inn, escorted by Jayden, while Laelynn led us to another building within the same compound.
Perhaps I hadn't fully grasped the size of the compound at first. That was only natural, considering it was slightly secluded from the rest of the bustling city.
I learnt quite a lot from Laelynn along the way. We asked a bunch of random and downright weird questions.
"What's today?"
"How is everything so civilised? Why isn't this place in ruins?"
"What about the war? Tell us more."
"What kind of food is popular here?"
"What's the currency?"
She didn't hesitate to answer, no matter how crazy our questions became. Honestly, I wouldn't have blamed her if she'd started suspecting something was wrong with us by then.
By the way, I learnt that it was Saturday. Hillary wasn't just an inn owner; he was also a teacher at a magic academy. Laelynn had graduated from the same academy, while Jayden was still a student there.
Soon enough, we stood before a simple, single-storey building.
"Welcome to our humble abode!"
Laelynn raised her hands excitedly, her basket still clutched in one of them.
The building was a decent size, with fresh white paint that made it look inviting. Two balconies faced us, and the window frames were adorned with flower vases.
In short, it was beautiful.
If Hillary hadn't told us he was going through hard times, we never would have guessed.
Laelynn unlocked the door and ushered us inside.
The wooden interior left me stunned. Paintings and family portraits adorned the walls, while lanterns illuminated the rooms, giving every corner a warm, welcoming feel.
The entrance opened into a decent-sized living room, with two doors facing each other on either side. Beyond it lay the dining area, and a third door faced the dining table. I suspected it led to the kitchen.
Everything about the place felt warm and lived-in. The wooden floors creaked beneath our feet, and the furniture, though simple, was arranged with an obvious sense of care.
It was the kind of place that made you feel welcome before anyone even offered you a seat.
Laelynn led us up a flight of stairs beside the kitchen door.
The wooden steps creaked under our weight as we climbed. At the top, we emerged into an upstairs hallway that opened onto a balcony overlooking the surrounding houses. Wooden railings bordered the open side, while potted plants decorated the corners.
Three doors lined the hallway. One stood on the left, while the other two faced each other on the right.
"I hope you don't mind sharing a room..."
She opened the two doors facing each other.
"One for the gents and the other for the ladies."
"Gents call dibs on the bigger one!"
Zayn threw his hands into the air before rushing ahead to claim the larger room, leaving the girls mumbling about how they were more numerous.
He only let out an evil laugh.
Sometimes, I refused to believe Zayn had grown up with us. For very obvious reasons.
The room we were given was empty, but it would definitely be enough for the four of us. Its whitewashed walls contrasted with the dark wooden floor, and a window on the far wall let in the fading daylight. A few flower vases rested along the sill, their colours adding life to the otherwise bare room.
Two brown doors stood side by side, probably leading to a bathroom and a closet or something.
At least we wouldn't be sleeping in a cramped box.
"We rarely have guests, so the rooms are mostly empty. We should have some spare mattresses from the inn. I'll go get them. Y'all should just get comfortable."
Laelynn gave us a little smile before closing the door. She repeated the same instructions to the girls before heading downstairs.
The room fell silent for approximately three seconds.
Then Zayn threw himself onto the floor.
"Home sweet home!"
I stared at him.
Shaking my head, I walked towards the window. From there, I could see the neighbouring rooftops and the faint glow of lanterns beginning to appear in the distance.
For the first time since we'd arrived in this town, we had somewhere to rest without worrying about where we'd sleep next.
I wasn't sure how long that would last.
But for now, it was enough.
Behind me, the others were already arguing over where the mattresses should go.
Three months, huh?
I had a feeling staying here was going to be more complicated than we'd expected.
Annabeth stood at the centre of our room, staring at us with unbothered eyes as Zayn and Jace begged her to create bunk beds for us.
Zayn hugged her legs while Jace offered to give her a shoulder massage.
She sighed, finally giving in to their torment.
"I'm not doing anything without some form of payment."
After some sort of agreement was reached, Annabeth turned towards the empty space beside the wall and raised both hands.
A faint shimmer of light gathered around her palms.
Metal began to form in the air before her, stretching into long, slender rods. They bent and curved at her command, joining together to form the rectangular frame of the first bunk bed.
The structure took shape quickly, and for a moment, I thought she had everything under control.
Then she stopped.
She stared at the frame.
Her eyebrows drew together.
"Wait. Where does this part go?"
Zayn, who had been watching with great interest, tilted his head.
"You don't know what a bunk bed looks like?"
Annabeth shot him a look.
Jace pressed his lips together, clearly fighting a laugh.
She turned back to the frame, studying it before adjusting one of the horizontal supports. The metal shifted into place with a soft clink.
"There," she muttered.
She continued working, adding the supports and connecting the different sections until the first bunk bed stood firmly on the floor.
Annabeth stepped back to inspect it.
Then she looked at the empty space beside it.
"One down. One more to go."
She raised her hands again.
The second frame began to form, this time with fewer pauses. She seemed to have a better idea of how the pieces should fit together.
When she finished, two sturdy metal bunk beds stood side by side.
Annabeth lowered her hands and flexed her fingers.
"Now..."
She turned towards Jace and Zayn.
They immediately looked away, clearly regretting their decisions.
Cody and I watched them, thoroughly amused.
They immediately looked away, suddenly finding the walls and ceiling very interesting.
Cody folded his arms, while I leaned against the wall, already anticipating the entertainment.
"Payment time," Annabeth announced.
Zayn slowly turned back towards her.
"Payment? What payment?"
Annabeth raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten our little agreement already."
Jace cleared his throat.
"Annabeth, surely we can discuss this matter like reasonable people?"
"Reasonable people?" Annabeth repeated, looking amused. "You were practically worshipping me five minutes ago."
"That was an expression of our deepest respect," Jace replied without missing a beat.
Zayn nodded vigorously.
"Exactly! We were just honouring your greatness."
"Wonderful." Annabeth clasped her hands together. "Then I'm sure my loyal subjects won't mind showing their appreciation properly."
I could practically see the regret spreading across their faces.
The two boys stepped forward and dropped to one knee before her.
"Your Majesty!"
My eyes widened before I burst into hysterical laughter. Cody joined bending forward as he tried to catch his breath.
Annabeth created a slender metal pipe and tapped them on their shoulders.
"You may rise, my knights," she said calmly, barely holding back a chuckle.
Zayn's face reddened like a tomato, while Jace smiled dreamily, almost as though he were enjoying the situation.
Annabeth finally returned to the girls after the whole charade.
"Can I get some help, please?"
Laelynn's voice came from downstairs.
"I'll go help her," I offered before making my way downstairs.
The moment I reached the front door, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Nine mattresses.
One girl.
I stared at the enormous stack before slowly turning towards Laelynn, who stood beside it with a huge bag by her side.
"Did you carry all that? Alone? All the way here?"
Laelynn let out a cute laugh.
"It's a magical world, Hunter..."
She paused, looking at me as though hoping she'd guessed my name correctly.
I nodded, giving her a pleasant smile.
Satisfied, she returned my smile.
I glanced at the mattresses again. For all I knew, she'd carried them one at a time and stacked them up before calling for help or did she have some sort of ability that helped?
Still, nine mattresses were a lot for one person to handle alone.
I decided to help her distribute them, hoping I might get the chance to learn more about her abilities along the way.
Laelynn informed us that lunch was served at two and dinner at six. She also handed us little bags from the huge one she'd been carrying earlier.
"I noticed you didn't have anything to change into, so I went to the nearest store to get you all some clothes. I just hope they fit."
"Oh my God! Thank you, Laelynn!" Amanda exclaimed after looking through the contents of her bag.
The rest of us expressed our gratitude as well.
We really appreciated everything she was doing for us.
"I'll go make dinner now. Just settle in, kay?"
I guess since our arrival was impromptu, we'd have to wait for dinner.
She spun on her heels and left.
Back in our room, chaos ensued.
"I say we set the bunks by the windows," Jace suggested, dragging his mattress towards them.
We all nodded in agreement.
"I'm taking the top bunk!"
Zayn announced before racing towards the bunk bed and claiming the upper bunk in a blink.
Cody merely accepted his fate. He knew better than to argue with him.
"Wanna call tops? I don't mind," Jace asked, turning towards me while still holding his mattress.
I didn't mind either.
"Nah, I'm good," I said, dragging my mattress towards the bottom bunk.
"I'm going to take a shower," Cody sighed.
He pulled a towel from the bag Laelynn had given us, checked both doors, and headed through the one that led to the bathroom.