by Pirateaba
“They’re the best I’ve seen, too. They must be a [Strategist]!”
“That’s a different type of [Tactician]?”
“No—it’s like a [Spearmaster]. They’re class changes that occur when you reach a certain level. You get specialized or…better skills.”
“Ah.”
Erin beamed, and she wondered when the mystery player would play her again. He’d won one game. Normally Erin didn’t feel bad about losing but—
It was a glorious day. She had french fries that were easy to make, Ceria and Olesm in her inn, and Val and Hawk and Ryoka as well!
But then the Couriers decided to leave, which was fine, and Olesm decided he needed to get back to the city as well. That still left Ceria and Ryoka, and Erin was happy to have them both here.
“What should we do? We can talk, or play games—other than chess—or we can go to the city or—”
“Hide.”
Ryoka was staring out a window. Erin followed her gaze and her heart sank just a little.
Frost Faeries were swarming around her inn, peering through the glass, making faces, and then—
Entering?
No. It couldn’t be. But as Erin watched in silent horror, the door slowly opened inwards to let a Frost Faerie into the room.
The small, azure creature looked around the room and smiled as Ryoka froze and Erin became a waxwork of horror. Ceria backed away until she was nearly towards the stairs, but too late. The Frost Faeries flew in.
They blasted in with a gust of cold air that put out the fire in the fireplace and reintroduced winter to Erin in a painful, freezing way. Ryoka and Erin covered their faces as icy particles stung their skin, and then the faeries were everywhere.
“Look, look! Two humans and a filthy halfling!”
“An inn! A place to rest and eat!”
“I shall have grilled pig! No! A grilled horse!”
“Look how they stand there, dumb and slow!”
“‘Tis without iron! Without pain!”
“What’s happening?”
Ceria shouted above the din of voices as Ryoka and Erin stared around. Faeries were everywhere, climbing walls, sitting on tables, upending plates—
“My kitchen! Hey! Stay out!”
Erin ran, waving her hands and shouting as faeries disappeared into the kitchen with shrieks of laughter and the sounds of breaking dishes. Ryoka was swatting at the nimble fey as they flew around her, tugging at her hair or pulling strands out. But as the air around her froze, even the runner had to give up.
But the worst afflicted was Ceria. As soon as Erin managed to chase the faeries back into the inn and they lost interest bothering Ryoka, the entire herd seemed to fixate on Ceria. And not in a good way.
“Half-elf! Whore!”
“Bastard’s daughter!”
“Filthy whelp!”
They flew around her as Ceria curled up, shielding her head. Some of the fairies dropped shards of ice on her; others threw patches of snow.
“Stop it!”
Erin’s voice wasn’t quite thunder, but it was louder than even the din of the faeries. They paused, and she hesitated, realizing she had no idea what was going on or what to say.
But Ryoka did.
“Why are you in here? I though faeries never entered buildings!”
The tall Asian girl faced the Frost Faeries without a trace of fear as they hovered in the air around the inn. Erin stood behind Ryoka with a lot of fear, remembering the avalanche that had hit her last time they’d gotten mad.
“You are not welcome here. Begone from this place.”
The Frost Faeries jeered as Ryoka pointed towards the door. One of them raised two fingers—an insult?—as she floated in front of Ryoka’s face.
“Hah! We can enter this place! It has no filthy iron in the making of it, and we were told we would be welcome as guests! We have a standing invitation, fool!”
Ryoka turned her head to look at Erin. The other girl looked innocently at her feet and mentally kicked herself repeatedly. The other girl leaned over to whisper in Erin’s ear.
“Is that true?”
“I didn’t know! They were going to attack the Workers while they were building so I said—I didn’t know!”
“Faerie bargains. Never trust anything they do.”
“Don’t make them mad, Ryoka! They can cause avalanches…and they know King Arthur?”
“…What?”
One of the faeries had been hovering right next to the two as they whispered. She laughed shrilly.
“Hah! Is that all ye wee mortals think about? King Arthur? The stupid whanker didn’t even know of Caliburn when we spoke of it!”
“Caliburn? You mean the Sword in the Stone?”
Ryoka’s gaze riveted upon the faerie, and Erin felt like an idiot. But the faerie just flipped them both off and flipped away into the air.
“You ask questions of guests? Where is our welcome, our drink and food? We demand our due! Bring us thimbles of wine and golden cakes and marzipan tarts and custards and we may grant you a boon!”
“But first let us chase off this impertinent one who would dare share this roof!”
“Ah!”
Ceria cried out as a faerie landed on her arm, freezing the flesh. Ryoka intercepted the next one, shielding the half-Elf with her body.
“Stop that. Now.”
One of the faeries eyed Ryoka malevolently.
“Ah, ye’d take the bitch’s side, would you, Human?”
Ryoka made no reply. Her eyes were narrowed, and one of her fists was clenched. Erin crouched next to Ceria, trying to think. Ceria whispered to her, eyes frantic.
“What do they want? Why are they here?”
“You can hear them?”
Erin was surprised. Everyone else treated the faeries – or Winter Sprites as they called them – like fuzzy blobs they couldn’t see. But Ceria could see something, clearly. The half-Elf nodded as she squinted her eyes.
“I can only hear these whispers, but I can see—something. They don’t like me. The winter sprites don’t like any half-Elves.”
“Don’t like you? We hate you, whore’s sons and daughters!”
One of the faeries dropped on Ceria’s head, and her hair froze stiff as the half-Elf screamed. She was too afraid of the Frost Faeries—Erin wondered what they’d done to her in the past.
“Stop that!”
Erin tried to swat the faerie away, but it just hissed at her, making her pull her hand back.
“If we give you something to eat, will you leave?”
Ryoka asked one of the faeries, and received only an insolent shrug in reply. She looked at Erin.
“Erin—make something for them.”
“What?”
“Something—”
Ryoka hesitated, and put her hand to her head as faeries flew around her, making faces and rude comments.
“Something sugary. Milk and sugar. Just hurry!”
Erin dashed into the kitchen and grabbed the bag of sugar and the milk she had left. She grabbed a bowl, poured nearly as much sugar as milk into it, and brought it out.
The faeries were at a sort of standoff with Ryoka and Ceria. The half-Elf was crouched as Ryoka shielded her, but every now and then a faerie would dart forward and throw something at her.
Erin shoved the bowl of sugary milk on the table, slopping some over the edge in her hurry.
“There! Food! Take it and go!”
One of the faeries hovered lower to taste at the concoction. She eyed the granulated sugar at the bottom of the bowl, and then dipped one finger gingerly in the milk. Erin held her breath as the faerie tasted it gingerly. And then—
“What is this? ‘Tis only sugar and cow’s milk! Do you think to insult us?”
The faerie shouted in outrage, and the other faeries clustered around the bowl.
“Milk and sugar? Not enough!”
“Only good for a snack!”
“We demand more!”
&
nbsp; In seconds, the bowl was empty. Erin stared at it as the last faerie greedily shoveled wet sugar into her mouth. But while the faeries had eaten, they didn’t seem appeased. One of them floated in front of Erin, sneering.
“I suppose it is enough for a start. But we want more! You are an innkeeper, you slow thing, you. Make us more food! Ten more bowls and we will consider it a boon!”
Erin didn’t have enough for one more bowl, let alone ten. She said so, and the faeries grew even more frenzied.
“Then what about entertainment? No? Then we shall have our own sport!”
They began dive-bombing Ceria, pulling at her hair and clothes. Erin tried to push faeries away, but they were just too fast! They flew around her, inches from her skin, laughing as she swatted at them to no effect.
“Stop it! Stop it!”
Ceria batted at them with her good hand, but the faeries just flew around her. Erin tried to grab at a faerie, but the thing avoided her nimbly, then threw ice in Erin’s face, making her cry out.
“Erin—get a frying pan. And anything iron you’ve got.”
Ryoka was lashing out as well, but slowly, watching as faeries avoided her hands. Erin nodded and ran towards the kitchen, but stopped when a faerie flew in her face.
“What? A frying pan? We are not foolish queens, and you are no witch, bratling!”
“But you don’t like cold iron.”
Ryoka said it calmly, and the faeries froze in the air. The chill in the room—already close to freezing—deepened as she said it.
“Is that a threat, human?”
“No—just a fact. Faeries can’t be trusted. Never go near a faerie mound, never thank a faerie, never eat their food or tell them of your child. They fear cold iron, though, and I don’t believe you can enter a place without invitation.”
It seemed like Ryoka was saying all of this for Erin’s benefit as much as to the faeries. They stared at the taller girl coldly, and Erin shivered. She edged into the kitchen, and reemerged to hear the arguing.
“We don’t steal children! We bring Winter, you cow, you! And we will accept your thanks without stealing a boon! What we offer is in good faith, and you would threaten us?”
A faerie closest to Erin caught sight of her, and shouted in a loud voice belying her size.
“Cold iron! She holds it, sisters! Beware!”
The faeries shrieked, a noise so discordant it made Erin want to drop the frying pan. But she held onto it, grimly, and raised her voice.
“That’s right. And if you don’t leave right now, I’ll—I’ll—”
Erin didn’t actually think she could hit one of the faeries, nimble as they were. Nor, really, did she want to. They were evil pests, but she wasn’t a mu—she didn’t want to hurt them.
One of the faeries floated across the room, staring hard at Erin. The cold that emanated from her small frame was enough to make Erin flinch away, and when she spoke, the faerie’s voice was serious and cold, for once.
“Do ye threaten us with cold iron when we have guest-right? Would you break the laws of hospitality, mortal?”
Erin hesitated and lowered the frying pan. There was a glint in the faerie’s eye that made her very uneasy. And the thought of saying ‘yes’ make huge, clanging alarm bells ring in her head. Not quite as loud as when her [Dangersense] had gone off with Skinner, but almost.
“No. Noooooo…but Ceria’s my guest too! You can’t be mean to her if you want to stay here!”
The faerie snorted and pointed at Ceria.
“Bah! The half-spawn is no guest of yours! She pays nothing, and offers nothing for the boon of hospice! We may do as we please!”
How did they know that? But too late. Now that Erin had promised she wasn’t going to do anything, the faeries resumed attacking Ceria mercilessly.
“Whore! Whore! Whore and slut and bastard!”
“Kill yourself you freak!”
“Abomination!”
Ceria hid in a corner, weeping, as they surrounded her. The faeries were merciless, and Erin and Ryoka couldn’t stop them.
“Why are they so mad?”
Erin shouted it at Ceria. The half-Elf shook her head.
“They do this. They always do this. Ever since I was a child—!”
She yelped and screamed as a faerie ripped out a chunk of hair. Ryoka growled, and the faerie flew backwards, laughing with her bloody trophy.
“A chunk of hair from the daughter of whores! Hah!”
“Stop calling her that.”
Ryoka snarled, and the faeries around her laughed. They stopped long enough for the one who’d ripped Ceria’s hair out to fly back.
“And what would you have us do, Human? Play nice with the daughter of sluts and cravens?”
“No. Just pick on someone your own size.”
The faerie eyed Ryoka incredulously. She flicked a glance at Ceria.
“The pathetic thing is far larger than we, short-sighted fool.”
“Exactly. I’m telling you to piss off and go bother someone else. A snail, perhaps, or maybe a hornet’s nest.”
It was like listening to children, in between the flashes of adult speech and terrifying seriousness. The other faeries ooohed and laughed as the faerie in front of Ryoka shrieked with high laughter.
“Oh, and you’d stop us how? Will you break the guest-right? We will do the same to you?”
She flew at Ceria, and shouting loudly at the half-Elf, hands reaching for her.
“Whore! Whore! Filthy slut and spawn of bastards! Drown yourself you filthy half-breed, you wh—”
Erin didn’t see Ryoka move. Even as the Erin had flailed around desperately, the other girl had been moving slower, slower. She’d been watching the faeries as they flew, and now she acted. Her hand came up and flashed at the faerie as it flew by Ryoka’s face. And caught her.
Ryoka’s punched the Frost Faerie out of the air. Erin heard a yelp of surprise, and then the faerie smacked into the floorboards, and tumbled, coming to a stop a few feet away at the foot of a table.
All sound in the inn—ended. The faeries stopped laughing. Ceria froze up, staring at the frost faerie that was now clearly visible even to the half-Elf. The faerie lay still for a second, and then slowly sat up.
She didn’t appear to be hurt. Her crystalline skin looked undamaged from the impact, and indeed, Ryoka was the one clutching at her knuckles and rubbing at the frost coating her skin. But the faerie’s eyes were hard and dark as she stared up at Ryoka.
Slowly, the Frost Faerie flew upwards until she was at eye-level with Ryoka. The runner stared at her without a trace of fear in her eyes, but perhaps only Erin saw Ryoka’s calf muscles clenching up as the faerie flew within an inch of her face.
“You will regret that, human.”
Ryoka stared back, unflinching. The Frost Faerie glared for another second, and then suddenly, alarmingly, she grinned. She opened her mouth and showed Ryoka some wickedly sharp teeth in her tiny mouth.
“Hah! This is going to be so much fun!”
And then she screamed, and the faeries swarmed, and Ryoka was shouting, running, smashing out the door and into the snow as nearly all the faeries in the inn followed her out into the winter, hounding her, laughing.
Leaving Erin and Ceria behind to clean up the mess.
—-
It was supposed to be a fun day. Erin thought that as she picked up pieces of ice and swept snow into a corner as Ceria tried to light the fire. The half-Elf was shaken, and she needed a bit of healing potion for places where the faeries had cut or bit her or torn out hair, but she was alright.
“Ryoka really saved me. If she hadn’t gotten rid of them—normally they go away if I get inside somewhere, but here—”
One of the faeries had dropped down towards Ceria, and Erin had had her only good idea for the day.
“Pay me.”
“What?”
“Quick, anything! Hurry!”
Ceria didn’t have any coins, but at Erin’s insist
ence, she’d handed Erin her bra. It was either that, or her underwear, and Erin had taken it as payment.
And…it had worked. The few faeries that had elected not to chase Erin had grumbled, but they’d agreed not to bother the half-Elf. Why Erin hadn’t thought of that earlier she didn’t know.
And then they’d hovered around, making faces and rude remarks as Erin cleaned up until Toren came back. He came back!
How? From where? And why were his eyes purple? Erin was so elated, everything else fell away until she realized Rags had joined the inn too, and messed up her game!
But it okay. And then Klbkch had come by with all the Workers he’d promised, and Relc and Pawn too! And that should have been wonderful as well. Except…
“It’s not going to work.”
Erin said it after the Workers had played for an entire hour. She stared at them and shook her head. Something was wrong.
“What is the matter?”
“They’re not…it’s not the same. You’re forcing them to play, and that won’t do any good.”
Klbkch stared at her, uncomprehending. He’d brought twenty Workers to Erin’s inn, to eat some food, but mainly to play chess like he’d said. And she’d explained the game and set them up playing just like last time, but—
“Is something the matter? We must have these Workers learn this game, Erin. It is…very important to the Hive.”
“Yeah, but it’s not going to work. It’s not going to make then individuals, or whatever.”
Klbkch paused. Pawn was busy talking to the Workers, and Relc was slouching against a wall, bored, as the two conferred. Ceria had gone upstairs to sleep off the Frost Faerie attack. But Klbkch—