All the way back to the Horsling Tavern William and Muriel were speechless. William was reluctant to explain what he had just experienced, and Muriel didn't seem to dare to ask either. For both of them, the incident by the river was a harrowing experience. There was blood, and death, in levels they had never imagined before.
Various kinds of emotions were mixed in William's mind. He was annoyed and started to get angry. Why would he accept the dagger from Master Horsling, then change the course of his life to be like this? He already had a pleasant life in the village, why now he had to spoil it?
Master Horsling said that after experiencing this William could recognize who he really was. But what can he learn now, other than knowing that he can actually kill ruthlessly?
Master Horsling also spoke of the path of life. Does this incident mean William's path of life is to become a killer?
"Wait here," William said to Muriel as soon as they arrived at the tavern, "and—"
"… hide in a safe place." Anxiety was still visible on the girl's face, but her words sounded quite calm. "You don't have to worry about me."
William shook his head. "Worry makes us wary. I just learned that." He forced himself to smile, then entered the tavern.
He looked around. There were only four other diners left at this time, gathered at one table gambling drunkenly. It seemed that those guys had also reached the last limit of their strength, and would probably stop and come out in a bit.
William looked at Master Horsling who was standing behind the bar counter. The man's gaze was unpredictable. What was he thinking? Did he know what had just happened to William?
William walked forward and sat down at the bar.
Without being asked Master Horsling handed him a cup of wine.
"Drink. You need this."
William stared intently at the tavern owner, yet to accept the offer. "Do you know what happened?"
"Tough night, I guess."
"Guess? No. You don't just guess, you know what's going on," William said sharply. He took out his dagger and placed it on the table. There was still blood on the blade, and he hadn't bothered to clean it yet. "You know what will happen, sir. That's why you lent it to me."
"You accuse me?" asked Master Horsling calmly. "Do you think I planned everything? I am the one who got you trapped there?"
William had not yet removed his hand from the dagger. He didn't want to be careless, in case Master Horsling suddenly wanted to take the dagger back and use it to attack William.
He asked back, a little nervous, "Am I wrong?"
"Yes, you're wrong. I really don't know what will happen. I just sense it."
"Sense?"
Seeing that William didn't understand what he meant, the bar owner continued, "Look, son. For you, I will tell you a little about myself. I've been through a lot of terrible things in my time, far more than you might have just experienced. A person like me wouldn't be able to live long in a place like this if I didn't have the ability to sense. I'm not as strong as you think, but I do have a small advantage that other people don't understand, and that's very important."
He leaned closer to William, then spoke more quietly, "You see what I mean? I can sense, and judge, everyone who walks into my tavern, and predict what they will do next. Do you see those four people gambling? They looked rude and dangerous. But they have no evil intentions. Most of my visitors are like them. Yes, maybe because they were afraid of me from the start." He chuckled when he saw William was still tense. "Come on, have a drink first. Release your tension. Are you really not thirsty?"
William was stunned. Master Horsling's words made him even more curious. He knew he had to leave immediately. Muriel was waiting for him, and so was Rogas, but he wanted to know what exactly Master Horsling had to say. He took a sip of the wine that the tavern owner offered him.
"Thank you," he said.
"Do you feel more comfortable now?"
"Yes …"
"You see, they are harmless, these people. Cunning, but harmless. But," Mr. Horsling's smile disappeared, "it was a different feeling when I saw your friends talking to each other." He glanced at the empty table and chairs that Rogas and Mornitz had previously used. "They are dangerous."
"They?"
"The soldier and the black robe. They're both your friends, aren't they?"
"Only one is my friend. The other one isn't. I mean, are they, both of them, dangerous? Not just one of them?"
"Both." The tavern owner's eyes flashed as if pleased to have caught William by surprise. "I don't know what they're planning, but the bad intentions in their heads are clear to me. So when they left, I expected something bad to happen. Someone's going to die, I think."
"Then you did know something was going to happen!" cried William angrily. "And you allowed this!"
"What should I do? If both of them are bad people and want to kill each other, do I have to interfere?"
"What if your guess is wrong? What if only one was truly bad? You're going to let someone who isn't bad die?"
"My guesses are rarely wrong." The tavern owner looked a little arrogant. "Besides, I'm not doing nothing. Because, you came back, right?"
William's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"You came to me and said you were looking for them. I thought, well, let this be your business. Let you clean it up." Master Horsling chuckled.
"Clean it up? You almost got me killed!" cried William angrily.
A moment later he caught his breath, as soon as he realized his harsh words made the gamblers turn around. Luckily the drunks didn't care and went back to playing the game.
"But it didn't happen, right?" Master Horsling smirked. "In fact, it was you who killed them, or one of them. Once again my guess was not wrong."
"I didn't kill them. Both are still alive."
Master Horsling nodded. "Well, but … you did kill people, didn't you? There is blood on this dagger."
William was upset. He remembered the time when he plunged daggers into his enemies by the river. One by one. Blood gushing and clinging to his hands. The moans and pained faces of those people. His eyes were fixed on Master Horsling.
"You made me do it," he whispered furiously.
"Don't be upset. I believe you can get through times like this," replied Master Horsling in an annoyingly calm manner, "and then learn something."
"I don't feel like I learned anything good from all this!"
"Try to sleep well tonight, and you'll understand tomorrow."
"No. I don't want to hear your bullshit anymore!" William stood up. "I'll return your dagger. It has helped me, and I thank you. But whatever your reasons were, you've changed my life, and I'm not sure it's for the better. I shouldn't have followed your advice."
Master Horsling smiled. "Actually I can give you more advice. But, given your circumstances, it's probably best not to. Let yourself be the one to prove whether what you said was right or wrong. But … I want to say one more thing if you don't mind."
"Say it."
"I can sense you."