Riley sold their worn-out carriage and beasts of burden as soon as they stepped inside the city gates.
The merchant who bought it haggled stubbornly, claiming the wheels were nearly falling apart and the wood was already rotting, but Riley still managed to squeeze a few extra gold coins out of him with a calm smile.
With that money, he secured three rooms at a modest inn—not luxurious by any stretch, but far better than camping on the roadside.
He took one room for himself, while the remaining two were shared by the girls, two each.
For Evelyn, Ivy, Sarah, and Grace, even a cramped inn room felt like paradise after weeks of sleeping under the open sky, afraid of bandits, beasts, and the cold.
After washing the dust off their faces, they all gathered around a sturdy wooden dining table near the back of the inn.
The place was loud with evening chatter, mugs clinking, travelers exchanging stories, and the smell of roasted meat drifting in the air.
