Chapter 4 The Unexpected Visitor - The Magical Inn of Aradessa

Chapter 4: The Unexpected Visitor

Yasmine's POV

"Everybody or... umm, everything, assemble!"

I clapped my hands together as I commanded.

They shifted out of their hiding spots, aligning themselves according to their purpose. The tables stood in one section, the chairs in another, and the rest followed suit.

I rolled up my sleeves and tied my hair into a bun before wrapping an apron around my waist. Then I reached for my magic dust, ready to get the job done.

"Let's get to work!"

I sprinkled the magic dust over the lifeless cleaning equipment. Within seconds, the brooms sprang to life, shaking off the dust covering their bristles. The mops wiggled their wooden handles while the buckets bounced excitedly on the floor, nearly knocking into one another.

Well, at least someone or something was excited about cleaning this place.

I flicked my fingers at the broomsticks, directing them towards the corners of the inn while the mops and buckets waited for their turn.

I made sure every corner was swept, which had me sneezing every few seconds. Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if anyone had cleaned this building in the past hundred years.

"The amount of dust in this place is quite alarming."

I waved my fingers towards the mops, and they immediately dipped themselves into the buckets before gliding across the floor. I watched with satisfaction as the dusty wooden boards began to shine.

Things were finally going according to plan.

Before I could even pat myself on the back for the excellent work I was doing, a sudden gust of wind blew the entrance door open, revealing the shadow of someone standing at the doorway.

"What a reckless witch."

A deep voice echoed through the inn.

That single distraction was enough to send everything spiralling out of control.

I lost my concentration, and the mops went completely berserk. They began racing around the room, chasing the furniture while the chairs and tables scattered in every direction. Dirty, soapy water splashed across the walls, and one particularly aggressive mop smacked a bucket straight into a chair's leg.

The chair let out a squeak before sprinting away.

I stood there in horror, wondering how things had gone from perfectly fine to an absolute disaster in the space of a few seconds.

One of the mops was now charging towards the stranger at the entrance, while another was making its way towards me with frightening determination.

"Stay down!"

The voice at the door rang through the room, and, to my surprise, the mops immediately stopped moving. One by one, they dropped to the floor, their bristles going limp as the magic holding them together faded.

The furniture also returned to its original positions, although a few chairs were still trembling.

"What a mess," the stranger remarked.

I turned my head towards the entrance so sharply that I was certain I heard a crack.

"HELLO?! Everything was going perfectly fine until I heard your aggravating voice!"

"You call that perfect?"

The tall figure stepped into the inn with confident strides, as though he owned the entire building and had every right to criticize it.

The dim light from outside fell across his face, revealing a very handsome man with sharp features, a defined jawline, and dark, neatly styled hair. His deep eyes scanned the messy room before settling on me.

I couldn't help staring at his annoyingly handsome face. I'm not going to lie; he looked like he had stepped straight out of one of those mystical paintings where everyone wore expensive clothes and nobody ever smiled.

Unfortunately, his face wasn't the only thing that came with him.

"Magic shouldn't be used in such a careless manner."

His annoying voice dragged me out of my thoughts.

"And who are you to tell me how I should use my magic?"

His lips twitched into a small smirk, the first sign of expression I'd seen on his otherwise cold face.

"I am Lucian, a trusted adviser to the Guardians, and I've been sent here to supervise a witch who has clearly gone out of hand."

I opened my mouth in disbelief.

"A witch who has gone out of hand?!"

He stared at me for a moment before glancing at the mess surrounding us, as if the state of the room proved his point.

"I can't believe the Guardians sent a babysitter to watch over me. I knew something was off when they entrusted an entire building to me."

"I am nothing close to a babysitter." He adjusted the shining silver emblem attached to his royal-looking robe.

"First of all, I don't care if you're a babysitter or the Guardians' errand boy. All I know is that I've got this under control, and I don't need anyone watching over me like I'm some caged animal."

He let out a quiet, mocking laugh.

"You really think so?"

I frowned at him. "Well, I did before you appeared!"

While our argument continued, the inn remained completely still. Not even a chair dared to move, and the brooms laid scattered across the floor like ordinary cleaning tools.

I didn't think much of it. I was too busy imagining all the unpleasant things I could say to this irritating man.

"I'm not here to argue with you, kid. I'm here on a mission, and I intend to fulfil it."

"No, you did not just call me a kid! I am a fully grown woman."

"If you say so." He shrugged.

I was boiling with so much anger that I wished I could strangle his annoyingly good-looking self.

Instead, I folded my arms and watched him make his way further into the inn, inspecting everything as if he had already decided I was incapable of doing anything right.

"How hard can it be to bring an old building back into order?" he muttered confidently.

"Oh, you'll see about that."

I gave the furniture a subtle nod, silently encouraging them to do their thing while Lucian continued his inspection, completely oblivious to what was coming.

The ever-cunning inn seemed to understand me perfectly.

As Lucian approached a window, the curtain suddenly sprang to life and ruffled his neatly styled hair until it stood in several ridiculous directions.

He froze.

"What was that?"

"Must have been the wind." I shrugged, wearing my most innocent smile.

He eyed me suspiciously before brushing off the incident and walking towards the fireplace. He bent down to inspect the soot-covered opening, bringing his face closer to the stonework.

"Oh, this is getting interesting." I crossed my arms, anticipating a wonderful show.

Just as he leaned in for a better look, the fireplace let out a loud puff and spat a cloud of coal dust directly into his face.

He stumbled backwards, coughing as the dust settled over his hair and royal-looking robe.

"Okay, that was unexpected," he muttered.

I pressed my lips together, fighting the laughter threatening to escape. I couldn't afford to laugh just yet. Not because I cared about his feelings, of course, but because I didn't want him getting suspicious about what was coming next.

"This needs fixing." He pointed at the fireplace.

"Oh, really? Why don't you check what else needs fixing, great adviser?"

I smiled innocently.

He rolled his eyes and moved towards a table with a medium-sized crack along its side. Crouching down, he ran his fingers over the damaged wood, inspecting it with the seriousness of a man examining a crime scene.

Then the table moved.

Lucian blinked.

He shifted to the other side, and the table promptly shuffled away from him.

"Did it... just move? or are you playing tricks on me?"

"Don't look at me." I spread my hands. "It shouldn't be that hard to fix, right? Remember your words?"

"Come back here!"

I watched in pure awe and satisfaction as he chased the table around the room. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the furniture seemed to take that as an invitation to join the fun.

A chair shot past his legs. Another spun around him like a dancer who had lost its mind. The chandelier lowered itself from the ceiling and hooked its curved arms into his precious robe, lifting the back of it until he was forced to stretch on his toes.

"Get this thing off me!"

I covered my mouth, my shoulders shaking as I struggled to hold back my laughter.

The curtain seized the opportunity to ruffle his hair again, while a broom darted between his legs, forcing him to hop over it. A bucket rolled across the floor and stopped directly behind him.

He stepped backwards.

Splash!

Dirty water soaked the bottom of his robe.

For a moment, Lucian stood completely still, staring at the wet fabric as if he couldn't believe the universe had personally decided to humiliate him.

Then he slowly raised his head with his eyes brewing with anger.

"Enough!"

The word thundered through the inn.

Every chair froze mid-scamper. The chandelier released his robe and swung back towards the ceiling. The curtain fell straight against the window, and the broom dropped beside the bucket with a pathetic little clatter.

Silence settled over the room.

Lucian straightened his robe, brushed the dust from his shoulders, and gave the furniture a look that could have frightened a fully grown dragon.

I stared at him, with my laughter dying in my throat.

How in the world did he manage to make everything stop so quickly?

He turned towards me, looking rather pleased with himself despite the coal dust in his hair and the dirty water dripping from his clothes.

"You see, you don't always need to use magic when you have authority."

I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn't get stuck.

"Oh, please. Don't start giving me a lecture. The furniture was only having a little fun."

"A little fun?" He gestured towards his soaked robe. "Is this what you call fun?"

"Well, you did say bringing an old building back into order couldn't be that hard. I was simply allowing you to experience the process for yourself."

His eyes narrowed.

I smiled sweetly.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. I was beginning to think he might finally have run out of irritating things to say when a strange sound rose from somewhere beneath our feet.

Grrrrrrr...

My smile faded out with the speed of light.

Lucian slowly turned his head towards the floor.

The sound came again, louder this time, followed by a low, guttural hiss that sent an unpleasant shiver crawling down my spine.

"What the heck was that?" he whispered.

I stared at him, suddenly forgetting every clever response I had been preparing.

"I was hoping you would know," I whispered.

He shot me a look. "Why would I know?"

"You're the trusted adviser, remember? I thought you were supposed to know everything."

"Now is not the time for your nonsense, Yasmine."

I opened my mouth to remind him that he was the one who had started this whole argument, but another growl cut me off.

This time, it sounded much closer.

We both fell silent.

Near the far end of the room, an old rug began to tremble. Its edges lifted slightly before settling back against the floor, as though something underneath it had shifted.

I took a cautious step away from it.

Lucian noticed."Tell me that's part of your little cleaning routine."

"Do I look like I'm in the mood to joke right now?" I snapped back at him.

The rug shifted again.

Then came a sharp, metallic scrape from beneath the floor, followed by three slow knocks.

Knock.

We stared at the rug in complete silence.

Something was down there.

Something that had apparently been listening to us this entire time.

And judging by the furious hiss that followed, it wasn't happy about being disturbed.