by Pirateaba
It was still odd, talking to him. It felt like talking to a ghost, or—almost a stranger. But he was the same.
But different. And it made Erin hurt inside a bit to know it.
“I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to make more Workers like Pawn, right? By playing chess?”
“Ah.”
Even Erin could figure that out, given enough time. She shook her head.
“It’s not going to work.”
“May I ask how you know?”
“Remember the first time we played and I taught them?”
It seemed so, so long ago. But had it only been a month ago? Two? Erin wasn’t sure. But it felt like nearly a year.
“I recall. You played both Olesm and me, as I remember.”
“Yeah, and then I invited the Workers to play. But that was it. They weren’t forced. And later—I asked Pawn his name. That’s how he chose it.”
Klbkch was silent for a second, staring at Erin.
“You asked him his name? That was…dangerous. Most Workers become Aberration if that occurs.”
“Yeah. I know. But he managed to do—something. Because he played chess, I get that.”
“Because of you.”
“Not just me.”
Erin shook her head, but Klbkch was insistent.
“You have the quality. It is that which we seek.”
“Yeah—maybe. Probably not. But either way, you’re not going to get it by forcing the Workers to do anything. Ordering them around won’t make them individual because they’ve got to do it, see?”
Kblkch was silent for so long, Erin was worried, but then he nodded.
“I…believe I do. Odd. I believe…yes, I believe I do. It is a strange thing, for Antinium to comprehend. And it raises a problem which must be considered. But yes; I understand.”
He’d nodded, then, and ordered the Workers to stop playing. He was so bossy with them, but then Klbkch had told Erin they’d try again later, and that would have been fine. Fine, if it wasn’t for what happened afterwards.
“Stop. That.”
Erin stood in front of Relc, trying not to tremble. Was this how Ryoka had felt? He loomed over her, and only now did she realize how big he really was. How strong he looked. How—
She saw Toren moving behind the Drake, although he didn’t have a weapon. Erin shook her head slightly, and shifted to protect Rags. No one could stop Relc with force, she was certain. But maybe she could talk him down. She had to.
He stared at her with hurt and rage, and then a Frost Faerie had flown up and landed on his head. He’d run shouting from the inn, and Erin had sagged against one table.
“I will make apologies for my partner, Erin Solstice, and to you, Rags. I believe he cares about me, and you. But he fought in the Goblin Wars and thinks of Goblins as enemies. I will speak to him, but it may be best for all if the Goblin does not come here for a while.”
She’d nodded, and the faerie had flown back in, looking smug and satisfied.
“There! ‘Tis the boon fulfilled for your meager offering, Human! The hotheaded oaf will not bother you again today!”
And so she’d left and Rags had left, wounded and full of pride, and Ceria had gone to sleep and the faeries had flown off and Klbkch and Pawn and the Workers had left until Erin was all alone.
Except Toren was back.
Erin sat in her inn, at a table, tired, cold. But no longer alone.
“It was supposed to be such a good day, you know?”
He stared at her. Good old Toren. Where had he gone? But he couldn’t answer her. He was just…just…
What was he? Erin stared at him. He was more than a thing, but he was so slow. Could he think? He was an undead servant, according to Pisces.
“A lot’s happened, you know. A lot of good. Some bad.”
She felt tired. Yesterday had been wonderful, beyond words. And the days before that equally good. She’d rebuilt the inn, and created success out of failure.
“But I guess I can’t do that every day.”
Erin put her head down. Ryoka was gone, and Erin wasn’t sure when she’d come back. Faeries were flying in and out of her inn whenever they pleased, Ceria could move her hand, Toren was back, the Antinium had a weird problem, Relc was being a jerk even if he sort of had a reason, and Rags was hurt and missing and her tribe might be killed if they came back.
Some good. Lots of bad. But Toren was back. On the whole, Erin would consider that even-steven with the universe’s karma.
If nothing else happened today, she’d consider herself fortunate.
Erin put her head down and went to slee—
—-
She was a [Princess], and she was starving. For too long, the winter chill had cut her to the bone, and the wary shopkeepers and suspicious guards had made stealing far, far harder. And her magic was running out.
She had only a few charges of [Invisibility] left, but she was starving and so she used one now. It was the dead of night, and no one was around, anyways.
The stalls were left locked, but she had spells to take care of any locks, magical or otherwise. And besides, richness was her birthright; she deserved everything she took from the filthy mongrels and the disgusting serpents living here.
But tonight it seemed one fool had left their stall without closing it. Warm blankets sat to one side, next to rows of dried food and most tempting of all, a fresh ham sitting on a stool. The [Princess]’s mouth watered as she stole near.
“There you are.”
The voice came from out of the shadows as the [Princess] whirled in fright. A massive Gnoll—a huge creature of dark fur and muscle stood up and walked out into the moonlight. She had a deep woman’s voice, but all the [Princess] saw were her fangs, and teeth as she spoke.
“Hrr. Too long we have allowed you to go free. Between Gazi and the undead, we have not had time. But now you smell and you are without your magics hiding your scent, yes?”
She pointed in the general direction of the girl even as her eyes searched the empty street.
“Invisibility is not enough for our kind. And we have ways to catch you. Do not run—!”
Too late. The girl ran, but no sooner had her footfalls began to echo than the Gnoll was on her. She screamed, but that just made it easier for the shopkeeper to catch her up in one huge paw.
“I have you. Now, we shall soon see what you look like, yes? And then you shall answer to the Watch, for damages caused and mischief done, yes? Do not struggle. I will not hurt you.”
The invisibility spell, weak from the residual magic in the girl’s cloak and strained from the contact, broke. The ragged [Princess] swam into view, and the Gnoll smiled down at her.
“There you are.”
All the [Princess] saw were the teeth. Her mind was clouded with fear, and so she raised one finger.
She had rings on every finger, but the magic of each had long since faded from her journey from overuse. But one still shimmered with violet light. The Gnoll saw it glowing as the [Princess] called magic to it and spoke harshly.
“Do not—”
Again, too late. Too late, and too slow. The girl raised the ring and screamed one word.
“Ignis!”
The fireball that burst forth from the ring was nearly twice the size of her head, but when it struck the stall behind the Gnoll and girl, it exploded into a burst of fire that blew the girl off her feet while the flames engulfed the Gnoll.
For a few minutes the girl couldn’t move. She only heard the roar of flames, and the panicked shouts as people from nearby houses poked their heads out and saw the fire. Slowly, aching, the [Princess] got up. She stared at the burning stall, full of precious goods and a lifetime of work. The fiery display began to crumble, and flying embers began to ignite the street again.
Something seized her from behind. The girl screamed and whirled, raising her ring, but a massive hand descended, capturing her hand in a grip that promised broken bone if she moved.
The [Princess] stared into a snarling face and burned fur. She screamed and screamed, but too late. Two sets of fangs opened, and claws drew blood.
2.19
She sat on a grassy hilltop and slowly picked a fuzzy dandelion. Seeds scattered in the wind and she gently raised it to her face to blow the rest into the air.
Caught by the breeze, the seeds scattered across the grassy landscape. Below Erin, the white clusters of dandelions stood out among the grass.
Odd grass. Erin shifted, and realized it wasn’t nice and soft like the grass on suburban lawns. This grass was short, tough; crabgrass. In places, the grass grew tall, or so high they would go up to her knees. Small rocks filled her hilltop, a danger to her bare feet.
This was nature. Not just a thing to admire, and it had thorns. Erin stared down at the forest sitting at the bottom of the hill.
The trees were gnarled, some of them. Others were tall. So tall that they were at a level with her hill. Dark shadows flitted through the forest, and Erin thought she saw hooves.
Suddenly, the forest began to grow. Erin sat back as the trees suddenly shot up, until they were far taller than her small hill. They towered above her, and the forest grew, expanding until it covered the grass and her.
Erin sat up, and found herself sitting in a dark forest glade. The canopy was so high overhead that when she looked up, she couldn’t see more than patches of sunlight, filtering down from thousands of feet overhead. She felt lost, tiny, and alone on her small grassy mound.
She got up, and began to walk. She had to find something. It was why she was here. Why go somewhere unless you’re trying to find something? Or be found.
Was she lost? But no—Erin saw a sign. It sat at the foot of an ancient, crooked tree. Only a few dark leaves clung to the branches, and the trunk itself seemed to curve over with age. But still it stood, and below it, glowing words had been carved into a place bare of bark.
A sign, and a stone coffin sitting below the tree. How had Erin not noticed it? She looked down. It was rough granite, and unadorned. But still, it was special. So was the sign. Erin read it, and felt a chill.
Here is Albion. Here lies the King of Knights. Resting, until the day of most dire need.
Erin looked around. The stone coffin had been nearly swallowed by the tree sitting behind it. Roots covered the front of the coffin, but she thought she could still move the lid. Should she? If—
The girl hesitated, and then put her hand on the lid. She began to lift it, but then a voice, a real voice, spoke in her ear.
“It is only a dreaming thing. What you seek is not just in your head, mortal.”
Erin looked around. A tall lady dressed in silver robes stood behind her. She looked at Erin expressionlessly; perhaps only a trifle of impatience coloring her features.
“What is?”
The lady waved her hand at the coffin. She was…hard for Erin to understand. She was neither beautiful nor ugly; not striking in any way, nor tall or short or anything at all. In fact, the more Erin looked at her, the more confused she became until she ended up speaking to the air behind the woman.
“‘Tis only a dreaming thing. The true King still sits on the battlefield, dying of her wounds. The King has sailed away. The King walks among you. He has risen—he never was. Only your dreams may make the truth of it.”
Erin understood this even less. But the dreaming self in her knew exactly what to say.
“So he’s only a story?”
“A story made flesh. In this world, and others. How many times will you mortals tell it? Ah, but they are all worthy in their small way. But he is not here for you to wake. Not in dreams, anyways.”
Erin stared down at the coffin. She wanted to say something profound, but the words escaped her,
“Maybe we need him. Now, I mean. More than ever.”
“Mortals always think so. Perhaps he will come. But that would be a miracle, and you are only dreaming. If he comes, it will be in the waking times, not now.”
“Oh.”
Erin sat on the coffin. She felt guilty, but it was just a fake thing. The lady seemed to approve, and sat with Erin.
“An odd mortal, you are. Odd, to listen deep enough to hear our voice. Odder still, to walk into this place, even a small fragment in dreams.”
“I can’t help it. I think it’s a Skill.”
The lady snorted in a very un-ladylike manner.
“If the game of Gods were all it took to meet us so, we would be long dead. No. Even if it was something taken from them, the start of it came from you.”
She prodded Erin, and it hurt even in the dream. Erin frowned and rubbed at the spot.
“Why are you so mean?”
“Why are you so dull?”
There was no helping it. Erin decided not to talk, which suited her companion. For a while, they sat together as the forest grew and darkened around her.
“It is past time to go.”
At last, the other woman said it and Erin nodded absently. She felt…like she was melting into the dream. Becoming part of everything and nothing. She received another prod, and this time didn’t even look around.
“Now, human.”
“Okay.”
Erin obediently began waking up. The world began to dissolve around her.
“Pst. Human.”
The woman leaned towards Erin, and she grunted. The woman was suddenly intent on her, and she spoke into Erin’s ear.
“Will you give me something for naught? A gift?”
“Mm? Sure.”
“I would like all the sugar in your kitchen. May I have it?”
“Sure.”
The woman smiled, and vanished. Erin looked around. Everything was fading away, and she felt herself leaving. But it felt so disappointing to her. She might never come back.
Stuck by a sudden impulse, Erin reached out and moved the lid of the coffin aside. The inside of it was empty; just a dark hollow. But when she reached down, her hand grasped something far below.
Erin grasped the hilt of the sword in the stone, and pulled at it. It came loose, and she held it aloft. It was just a dream, but it shone with a light unlike anything she’d ever seen.
Erin stared at it, and felt a tugging at her ear—
—-
“Give it back!”
Erin opened her eyes, as someone pulled hard at her ear. She yelped, and let go, and then sat up.
In her dark kitchen, something flashed with golden light, just for a second. Erin blinked, and then it was gone. She looked around, and realized she was awake just an hour before dawn.
But she was not alone. A gentle blue light filled the room, radiating from a small body that hovered just in front of Erin. The girl looked up into the face of a scowling Frost Faerie.
“Are ye a thief as well as a fool? You are not a king, but you would be, and twice damned to take what is not yours!”
Erin blinked at the tiny face, head full of clouds and her dream and stupidity.
“What?”
The faerie made an exasperated noise and flew off. Erin watched her settle on the counter, and then realized she was grabbing at something. The tiny faerie was shoveling something…into her mouth? She looked like she was standing at the foot of some massive dune.
Then Erin realized the ‘dune’ was white, made silver by the moonlight, and that it was in fact her sugar. All of it.
“Hey!”
Erin shot to her feet. The faerie looked at her and fluttered away as Erin ran over to her sugar. What had—? The faerie had somehow managed to take the bag of sugar out of one of the cupboards and spill it onto the counter. Already, she had consumed over three times her body weight and the rest of the sugar was covered in small ice crystals.
“My sugar!”
Erin stared in horror. Then she rounded on the tiny faerie, who was flying about the room merrily.
“Why did you do that? That’s stealing! Who said you could come in here and eat anything you wanted?”
&nb
sp; The faerie looked at Erin as if she were an idiot. She pointed to Erin.
“You told me I could have it, you silly fool!”
With that, the faerie landed on the pile of sugar again and began to gorge herself anew. Erin wanted to swat her away, but the faerie turned and hissed at Erin and the girl backed away hurriedly.
She’d never said anything like that, Erin was certain. Only…
She remembered her dream. It was already fading, but parts of it still stuck with her. She’d—no, that had been someone else. Right?
Erin hesitated, and it was enough for the faerie to keep eating. She kicked some sugar off her feet, and flew into the air, shedding the particles like dust.
“I am finished. It was a tasty snack.”
She grinned at Erin, revealing sharp teeth, and flew out of the kitchen. Erin watched her go. She really, really wanted a flyswatter.
She had faeries. It was like having bedbugs, or lice or…crabs. Not that Erin had ever had any of those, but she thought she might prefer an infestation of bugs. At least they could be killed.
The thing was—the reason Ryoka and Erin didn’t try to frighten them or swat them was—it was simple really, but sort of embarrassing. It was just that both girls were scared spitless of the faeries, or at least, Erin was.
They were…scary. Really scary. Just as Ryoka had learned, Erin was aware that the faeries might actually be able to kill her. Well, not ‘might’. They could probably do it quite easily. In fact, super-easily. One big avalanche and her inn and everything in it was toast.
If cockroaches could start earthquakes, there would be a lot more of them crawling around regardless of how horrible they were.
Maybe the inhabitants of this world treated the faeries like pests, but Erin remembered being buried in that avalanche of snow and ice. She’d thought she would die more than once before Toren managed to dig her out and Pisces melted part of the snow. Afterword, he’s said not a word, but left the inn. And he’d stayed far away from the faeries ever since, not even coming near the inn when they were around.