A man stood in the narrow gap between the door and the stone entryway, weak sunlight reflecting off his circular spectacles. His eyebrows lifted past the frames. He held a short crossbow in one hand, aimed at Anji as she struggled to hold Kit up.

“Kit? What are you—”

Anji shouldered past, shoving the man to the side. He might have a problem with her, but she’d rather deal with it inside than out in the street.

The light in the inn was near nonexistent, but Anji found the rough outline of a wooden high-backed chair and settled Kit into it, then collapsed to the floor. A tiny fire smoldered in a dusty black hearth in the main room’s corner. Anji drew her knees to her chest and blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the dark.

A door crashed open behind the bar, seemingly of its own accord. Anji inched back against a table leg. She glanced up at the bespectacled man now striding across the room, the front door slamming shut at his back.

“Back in there, if you please,” he said, motioning toward the bar, making a shooing motion with one hand. “Last time you left the stove you nearly burned the whole—”

“Who is that?”

A short, black-haired boy leaned around the paneled bar, green eyes wide and sparkling. He grinned at Anji, revealing an empty space where his two front teeth should be.

“Berip. Now.” The man pointed back to the kitchen.

Berip threw Anji another gap-toothed grin and darted behind the bar, the door creaking open and slamming closed once more.

“Kids,” the man said, running a hand over what remained of his hair. “Can’t seem to keep him in one spot. You know how it is.”

Anji didn’t, but right then she also didn’t care.

“On the steps,” she said, her voice a croak. She scrabbled to her knees. “There’s a bag, I need to—”

“I’ll get it,” the man said, raising the bow. “And get up off the floor for the Nine’s sake.” He pointed to another chair near the one Anji had dumped Kit into and was out the door before Anji had a chance to protest, though he kept it propped open as he crouched over the steps.

Anji rubbed at her arm and eased herself into the chair.