The Wandering Inn_Volume 1

by Pirateaba

  “Oh. And uh, what do you do?”

  Erin could think of nothing else, only that she wanted to continue talking to Hawk as long as possible. She could hear…a voice in her head. No, a song.

  Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh…

  If she saw a stuffed yellow bear she was going to lose her mind. But Hawk was real in a different way. He wasn’t like Rabbit, more like the rabbit-version of Usain Bolt. Yeah, that was probably closer.

  Hawk rolled his shoulders and shrugged. He smiled again, exposing a row of teeth which…Erin had always wanted a bunny.

  “I’m a Courier.”

  Erin paused. She tried to remember what that was. Some kind of Runner? It sounded important.

  “That’s cool. Do you see a lot of different places?”

  Hawk looked slightly crestfallen that Erin wasn’t more impressed.

  “No, we run long-distance deliveries from city to city.”

  “Oh, like City Runners?”

  Selys bit back a laugh. Hawk looked amused and shook his head.

  “We’re a bit more important than City Runners. Couriers are rare. There are less than a hundred of us on the continent, I think. We take big jobs or none at all.”

  “Whoa. So you’re like, special runners? How far do you run?”

  “On any given delivery I’ll go around a thousand miles. Sometimes two, if it’s a round trip. It’s a dangerous job, but rewarding. Of course, I can protect myself. I’m considered—”

  Hawk suddenly froze and his body was suddenly tensed, low. Erin had heard the loud crack of wood on wood too, but it was Hawk’s reaction that surprised her. He hadn’t moved so much as instantly changed positions.

  He was staring down the street at the source of the noise. A Gnoll was tossing slats of wood onto a cart. The sound was loud, but Erin had heard much of the same all day. But Hawk’s ears twitched violently every time the wood slapped together and he winced.

  “I wish they wouldn’t do that.”

  Okay. He was jumpy as a rabbit and fast as lighting. Erin stared at Hawk, forgetting completely about everything else. And he had a tail! A tail!

  He started grumbling about inconsiderate Gnolls and Drakes while Selys edged over to Erin. The Drake elbowed her in the side.

  “Don’t touch his tail. Remember Culyss?”

  “But it looks so fluffy and poofy and—”

  Erin couldn’t tear her eyes way from the fuzzy tail that protruded from Hawk’s pants. Selys rolled her eyes and twitched her own tail.

  “Maybe you want to explain why you live in Liscor, Hawk? Erin hasn’t seen many Beastkin here.”

  He nodded. It seemed like he was used to the question.

  “Well, I live here. I was born and raised in Liscor ever since I was a kit, and it’s where I’m comfortable. My original parents left me here, and a Drake couple took me in. Liscor’s my home and where I love to live. Most of the time.”

  He eyed the Gnoll who’d made the noise severely. Selys rolled her eyes.

  “I still don’t know how you manage to sleep at night. There’s noise all the time—how do you sleep?”

  “Soundproofing spells. It’s costly, but I make more than enough to pay for the magic.”

  “There you have it, Erin. Our resident Courier is afraid of loud noises. Try not to shout around him.”

  Hawk glared at Selys, but with no real intensity in it. He seemed to be a good-natured rabbit. Erin was still staring at his tail.

  “I’m not just a Courier! I’m trying to become a [Chef] as well!”

  “Right. And you’re doing research today?”

  “Maybe I would if I ever got to eat this delicious thing.”

  Hawk stared longingly at the burger on the plate, but he was too polite to take it. Selys nudged the human at her side.

  “The burger, Erin?”

  “Oh, right! Sorry!”

  Erin remembered why Hawk was here and held the burger out to him. It was still warm thankfully, and Hawk eyed the rising steam appreciatively.

  “Mm. This is good. I’m glad I came.”

  Erin watched Hawk bite into his burger and chew, her jaw slack. Selys stepped on her foot again, and that shut Erin up long enough for Hawk to say goodbye.

  “It was nice meeting you, Miss Erin. If you ever need a long-distance delivery, ask for me at the Runner’s Guild, okay? I’ll give you a discount, especially if you have more of these burgers!”

  He stepped away, and then sprang down the street. There was no other word for it. His powerful legs blurred and he covered more distance with every step than Erin would with five of hers. And he was fast. In an instant he’d rounded the corner and was out of sight.

  “No wonder I never see him.”

  Erin breathed the words as she stared at the place Hawk had been. She turned and looked at Selys.

  “You never told me there was a talking rabbit in Liscor!”

  Selys looked perplexed. She looked at the empty street and shrugged.

  “What, Hawk? He’s part of the city, and he’s always in and out. Why is he special?”

  “He’s a rabbit…a—a bunny!”

  Erin couldn’t even find to words to explain why that was special. Talking Drakes? Okay? Gnolls? Totally normal. But bunny-men?

  “If you’re interested in him, forget it. He likes Drakes, not Gnolls or Humans.”

  Again, that statement threw Erin off a cliff metaphorically speaking. She hadn’t even considered—no! And what was that?

  “He likes Drakes? But he’s a bunny!”

  “Don’t call him that to his face. He gets touchy, and he’s not a Courier for nothing. When the undead attacked he killed one of those Crypt Lords and quite a few undead by himself! He carried over a hundred people out of harm’s way as well.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, he’s strong. Don’t let Relc hear you, but he’s probably one of the few people who could bother Relc. And if it came to a chase, I’d put money on Hawk.”

  “And he likes Drakes.”

  “I said that. Too bad Drakes don’t like him back.”

  Erin couldn’t cope. She shook her head.

  “He’s a cool guy. Fluffy. Nice. Why don’t any female Drakes like him?”

  Selys looked awkward.

  “No reason—well, I mean, it’s not like he’s a bad guy. You couldn’t ask for a nicer Beastkin. But he doesn’t eat meat. Or rather, he doesn’t eat much meat.”

  “I saw that. He ate meat! But what’s the problem with not eating meat? That’s not a problem right?”

  “It sort of is. We—Drakes—can eat vegetables. We just don’t…like to like he does. And all he keeps offering us are dishes with carrots in them.”

  “Carrots.”

  It was too good to be true. But Selys just looked disgusted.

  “It’s all he likes to make. Couldn’t he try something else when he’s courting? But no, it’s all carrots. Carrot pies, carrot soup, carrot salads, raw carrots, noodles and carrots, carrots baked into bread…”

  “Shrimp gumbo, pan-fried shrimp, deep-fried shrimp, shrimp sandwich, shrimp burger…”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Just a joke. Sorry.”

  “Anyways, we think it’s bland and not too good. If he could make the food sweeter or more savory…”

  “What about carrot cake? That’s sweet.”

  “What’s that?”

  Erin sighed as she realized this was yet another thing she had yet to introduce to this world. Cake—well, she was pretty sure she needed baking powder for that. Maybe Ryoka could help. That would be amazing, because Erin missed cake almost more than she missed ice cream.

  Sweet things were harder to come by in this world, especially anything made with sugar. Sugar itself was wickedly expensive—not that Erin remembered how much sugar cost when she went shopping at Meijers or at Costco.

  She missed Costco. There was something nice about a store where you could buy a fifty pound bag of sugar and no o
ne looked at you as if you were weird. Then again, it was nice going to Costco when your parents paid for membership and not you.

  “I just can’t believe it. A bunny.”

  “Rabbit. The correct term is the Long Ear Tribe of the Beastkin, but that’s too much work to say.”

  “Right, right. But he’s so fluffy.”

  “You keep saying that, but why does that matter.”

  “It just does. Now, are you going to tell me more about him or am…I…”

  Erin trailed off.

  Market Street was usually full of people, but there was a lull in the crowds. And at the edge of the street, she could see into a distant alleyway. Someone was crouching in the shadows of a building.

  A girl dressed in ragged clothes stared hungrily at the shops. Her face was thin, and she might have been beautiful if she was clean. She had bright blonde hair, dirty from being unwashed. She was staring right at Erin’s stand, where the smell of cooked meat was permeating the air.

  For an instant, her eyes met Erin. There was animosity in her bright blue eyes, but when she realized Erin was looking at her, the girl’s eyes widened in panic.

  “Erin. What are you looking at?”

  “I just saw—”

  When she looked again, the filthy girl was gone. Erin paused, and wondered if she was going crazy. But maybe the girl was some kind of orphan, like Hawk? Whoever she was, she looked cold. And hungry.

  “Never mind. I uh, thought I saw a customer.”

  “We’re running out. Might be a good time to call it a day. I know my tail is sore.”

  Selys stretched and took a few steps as Erin wondered if the girl was going to come back. She probably didn’t have any money, but if Erin saw her, she’d give her a burger for free. She spoke to Selys, still watching the alleyway.

  “When do we quit?”

  “When you get tired. Or when we stop getting customers.”

  Erin glanced at her table.

  “We’re out of ketchup.”

  “I’m not making any more.”

  “That’s fair.”

  Selys came to warm herself at the brazier. Erin eyed her and tried to speak nonchalantly.

  “So. Bunnies.”

  “Rabbits. Erin, it’s rude to say—”

  “I know. I won’t say it around him. But he’s so quick! And he’s…ripped.”

  “He does have a good body.”

  “And he’s nice. I can’t believe it never works out with other Drakes!”

  “We try, now and then. But you know, it just doesn’t work out. Every time it ends badly with him. Take me for instance. We were together for only two weeks before we broke up.”

  “Wait. What?”

  —-

  Two hours later, Erin walked back to her inn. She wasn’t alone.

  “So you sold how many burgers?”

  Erin had to think. Her arms were so tired that Ceria had offered to carry Erin’s mostly empty shopping bag back. But Erin had refused. Ceria might be well enough to leave the guardhouse, but she was still thinner than was healthy.

  “I think…a thousand? It feels like that. Probably closer to six hundred. Maybe eight?”

  “For a city with just over ten thousand souls, that’s a really good profit.”

  “Yeah. But uh, a lot of people came back for seconds or thirds. Relc ate eight in total.”

  “I can just imagine. But I’m truly glad it was a success. Even in the barracks I heard people talking about your food. Olesm tried to get one for us, but the line was too long.”

  “That’s too bad! I’ll invite him over tomorrow and I’ll make you guys as many hamburgers as you want.”

  Ceria waved her good hand at Erin.

  “You don’t have to do that. Really, I feel bad imposing as it is. I can’t pay you right now.”

  “Are you kidding? I don’t have to worry about money ever if I keep making this much every day!”

  Erin indicated the jar she’d filled to the brim and her bulging coin pouch. She’d had a red letter day today, she could tell, even without counting the exact amount of her profits.

  Erin had sent Selys off with enough silver coins to make the Drake walk awkwardly down the street. It was just as well the Watch had a strong presence in Liscor, Selys had said, or she’d have been really worried.

  They came to the inn quite quickly. Erin was all too glad, because it meant she could put away her stuff in the kitchen. She still slept there, out of force of habit more than anything else.

  “Take any room you want upstairs. I’d like to chat or—or something, but I’m so tired.”

  “You go to sleep. Thank you again for letting me stay here.”

  Erin waved a hand at Ceria and yawned hugely.

  “You wan’ food? I got food if you didn’t have dinner.”

  “I’m fine, really. Thanks Erin.”

  Erin went to bed smiling. Her inn felt a lot less lonely with someone else in it. She wondered what Toren would think when the skeleton got back. Hopefully he wouldn’t bother Ceria too much.

  The coins she’d earned were safely stored under a floorboard in the kitchen. Erin had seen that on T.V. once, so she’d asked Pawn to install one. Which meant that if anyone ever robbed her, she’d have to start looking at Workers funny.

  But Erin was tired, and even thoughts of her missing skeleton and thoughts of Antinium sneaking into houses and robbing people blind couldn’t keep her awake. She drifted off peacefully and slept well.

  Until she heard Ceria screaming.

  —-

  The sound woke Erin up from a pleasant dream about playing chess in Burger King. She heard Ceria’s voice cut through the night, high pitched and shrill.

  Erin reacted with a speed born out of panic. She always kept a frying pan out on a counter, and it was that she seized as she charged out of the kitchen. She had no idea what was attacking Ceria, but she didn’t hesitate as she dashed up the stairs.

  She’d put Ceria on the furthest room from the staircase—because the half-Elf had insisted she didn’t want to take any space. Erin ran into the room and saw Ceria sitting half-naked in bed, clutching at her hand and screaming. Nothing was attacking her, but her eyes were wide with panic and fear.

  “Ceria! What’s wrong?”

  The half-Elf’s head turned towards Erin. She didn’t seem to quite see Erin, but she clearly realized someone was in her doorway. Ceria shrieked and turned towards Erin, eyes wide with horror.

  Her skeletal hand rose and the fingers moved. Ceria pointed at Erin and the girl ducked. A spike of ice caught some of Erin’s hair and ripped it out as it struck the far wall and embedded itself in the new wood.

  Erin crawled to the door, heart pounding out of her chest. She scrambled outside and tried to make herself as small of a target as possible.

  “Ceria! It’s okay! It’s just me!”

  Erin shouted as she curled up into a ball on the far side of the wall. She wasn’t sure if the [Ice Spike] could penetrate the thick walls, but prayed Ceria wouldn’t fire again.

  Mercifully, she didn’t. Erin heard Ceria draw in a shaking breath, and then her voice.

  “Erin! Oh ancestors, what have I—Erin!”

  “I’m okay!”

  Erin crawled past the doorway and waved her hands to reassure Ceria. Her friend’s face was deathly white.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—I thought you were—”

  Ceria choked as she reached out for Erin. The girl immediately stood up and went to her. Ceria was shaking so hard the bed was moving.

  “It’s okay! Really! It was just a spell! Are you okay? What happened?”

  “A—dream. Just a dream.”

  Ceria shook her head, and kept on shaking.

  “I nearly—ancestors. I nearly killed you.”

  “But you didn’t! And your hand! Ceria, did you see—?”

  But Ceria wasn’t listening. She started to struggle in her sheets, trying to get up.

  “I’ll go. I can’
t stay. I’m a threat to you and—”

  “No!”

  Erin caught Ceria by the wrists. The blackened skin on her right hand was deathly cold and clammy to the touch, but Erin ignored it. She looked into Ceria’s eyes, trying to breathe calmly. Her heart was still racing.

  “Ceria. No. It was an accident. Stay. Please. I don’t blame you.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks as Ceria looked at Erin.

  “I’m so sorry. So sorry.”

  Erin hesitated, and then hugged Ceria. The half-Elf shuddered at the contact, but didn’t push Erin away. She just trembled in Erin’s arms. She kept repeating the words.

  “I’m so, so sorry.”

  Erin didn’t think she was just talking about nearly hitting Erin with the spell. She held her as the night deepened and Ceria wept.

  —-

  It was a long time before Ceria could collect herself enough to stop shaking. She and Erin sat on her bed as the half-Elf stared at her hands, one good, one dead.

  “I thought I was back in the coffin. Only this time, Skinner found me and opened the lid.”

  Erin shuddered. Just the thought of his dead body made of skin made her stomach clench.

  “I don’t blame you for attacking. If it were me I’d throw everything I had. And I’d probably have hit you, with my [Unerring Aim] skill and all that. Actually, it’s a good thing you were the one who got scared, huh?”

  Ceria laughed shakily, but it was a laugh, and that’s what Erin wanted. She stared at her dead hand and shook her head.

  “I thought I was still back down there with the others. I thought they needed my help. They’re dead. I keep forgetting.”

  Erin’s heart caught in her chest. She closed her eyes for a second.

  “I—”

  She let the word trail off. There was nothing she could really say. Ceria was silent too, but then she raised her arm and stared at her limp skeletal hand, protruding from the blackened flesh. It had been days, but the skin wasn’t rotting and the bone still looked…normal.

  “My hand—”

  “It moved.”

  Erin was sure of it. It had been just an instant, but you didn’t tend to forget a near-death experience.

  “You moved your hand. Was it with magic?”