Once inside they made their way along the main road where they found an affordable inn, with their own stable connected with a courtyard behind the inn. Eager to enter the inn Alex got off his horse and began to unsaddle, which led to him hearing Jack chuckle behind him and the old man saying: "If you're now so eager to unsaddle your horse, you might as well take care of my horse too"

Alex complained a little to himself but did as Jack said. So when Alex entered the inn a little later, he found his uncle casually reclining in a chair and smoking his pipe, grinning at Alex through the smoke when he saw him.

"What took you so long, boy?" the old man said as the teen got up to the table and Alex gave him an angry look, but did not answer as he knew that his uncle would just laugh at whatever he said. Instead, he sits down in a wobbly chair at the worn table and looks around curiously in the shady smoke filled room. Some older men are sitting at a table talking loudly to each other, they seem to be arguing about something important, at another table sat a group of men playing cards.

Alex didn't care because he saw the young woman serving food to a table further into the room, at first he wasn't sure if it was the food or the woman that interested him. In the end it was his stomach that decided with a growl, which at least Jack could hear because the old man started to laugh as he beckoned to the young winch to order a plate of food and cup of ale for them.

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Alex was soon so absorbed in his plate of stew that he almost missed the tall hooded figure as he approached. Soon standing next to their table he discreetly extended his left hand which had a simple ring on it that reminded Alex of the ring that sat on Jack's hand.

The old man frowns his brow in irritation before telling Alex;

"Go out and ready the horses." Alex looks hesitantly between the two before, he obeys his uncle without a complaint fully understanding the tone his uncle used. But before he could get more than a table away he heard his name spoken by the stranger. Alex used his training as a hunter to sharpen his hearing to try and pick up what the two were talking about.

"There are rumors that he's looking for Alexander," The hooded man spoke in a whisper and weirdly seemed to know Alex's full name.

"Right, but those rumors have been going on for years now." his uncle retorted while also whispering.

"The new rumors are that Eric's allies have revealed what role his brother has in the ritual."

"yes, yes, but they've been looking for twelve years now I doubt they'll have...."

All of a sudden Alex heard a noise behind him as he turned his head to see what had happened, he saw the stranger grab his uncle and say;

"Jack it's different now, his allies have convinced him to let them hunt you instead, using that forbidden magic to track you down."

Jack jerked away from the man seeing Alex standing not far away, he moved around the table stopping only to look at the man in the hood. He said a simple thanks and then moved quickly past the stranger and told Alex "Come on we're moving on".