Tears of Liscor, page 2
part #9 of The Wandering Inn Series
The food was hot. And it smelled so good. Mrsha just held the poached egg a second. She could see and smell the pepper and salt that had been sprinkled over it, smell the grease from fried bacon that had helped cook the egg. She could even smell the fact that it was a goose egg, not a chicken’s egg. Her stomach rumbled. But Mrsha was afraid. She held the egg until Lyonette and Erin were giving each other worried looks. Then, slowly, Mrsha bit.
The egg was…an egg. But glorious. The taste hit Mrsha’s tongue. It was nostalgic and new. It tasted nothing like the dead monster parts in the dungeon. And then it hit Mrsha. She was here. She was safe. She took another bite into the poached egg and began crying.
“Oh, Mrsha—”
Erin bent down and hugged the Gnoll. Mrsha kept crying, but she started chewing. And now she was ravenous. She filled her plate, snatching food. Lyonette had to divide everything she grabbed into portions that wouldn’t tax Mrsha’s stomach. But she promised, promised the anxious Gnoll.
“Everything will be right here for later. Just eat this much, okay, honey?”
Mrsha did. Lyonette and Erin sat at the table and ate. They didn’t speak. They just looked at each other.
It was the first meal Erin had had with Lyonette in days. The first meal that Lyonette had really had, too. The [Princess] realized she was starving, and after a moment, so did Erin. They ate ravenously until the spread of food was quite reduced. And then they looked at Mrsha. She sat at the table, running her paws over the grain of the wood, looking around. She looked…different.
The dungeon had changed her. Erin closed her eyes. Of course it had. She had seen the cages and the Raskghar’s camp before the adventurers had burned it and retreated back through her inn. She had seen Mrsha’s cage. Normally, the Gnoll would be running about. But today she just sat at the table, looking around as if she’d never seen Erin’s inn before.
Heartbreaking. And yet she was here. Erin felt a bit teary-eyed herself, but she didn’t give into it. Not just yet. She looked at Lyonette and saw the younger girl wiping her eyes.
“I guess I cook really well, huh?”
Lyonette laughed. Mrsha looked up and then her lips moved upwards awkwardly. She kicked her legs at the table. But she didn’t move.
“Do you want to play, Mrsha?”
The Gnoll looked at Lyonette. Then she seemed to remember that yes, she did do that. She stood up hesitantly and looked around. She glanced about Erin’s common room and sniffed the air. Then she held her paws up. She made a shape. A ball.
“Oh. Your ball. It’s…”
Erin stood up. So did Lyonette. They looked about, but Mrsha’s ball had vanished. With all that had gone on, Erin hadn’t thought to keep track of the ball. And wherever it was, it was gone. Mrsha’s ears drooped as she saw the consternation on the two’s faces.
“We’ll find it. I’m sure it just rolled somewhere. Why don’t we—why don’t we all clean up? I can hear someone moving about upstairs. The adventurers will be coming down.”
It was a lame suggestion, but it worked. The Gnoll and [Barmaid] automatically began cleaning up. Mrsha kept pausing, but Lyonette moved automatically. And sure enough, the Horns came down minutes later as one group. Erin turned and blinked.
Ceria stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking just as dumbfounded as Mrsha. She gazed around, and then she saw Mrsha. The Gnoll child had frozen. She and Ceria’s gazes met. The half-Elf straightened.
“Um. Hello.”
“Hi.”
Erin stared at her friend. Pisces, Yvlon, and Ksmvr stopped on the stairs behind Ceria. For a moment, Erin felt that strangeness and saw it reflected on Ceria’s face. Then she heard a cough.
“Could you, ah, move, Springwalker? Before we all perish of starvation?”
Ceria blinked. She looked back and automatically scowled. Then caught herself. Yvlon glanced at Pisces. But not in annoyance. The [Necromancer] sniffed, but his eyes—the tension in the room vanished.
“Shut up, Pisces. I’m going.”
The half-Elf walked down the stairs. Ksmvr nodded.
“I believe I am able to function for at least four more days before expiring. In case anyone was concerned about my food consumption.”
“No, Ksmvr. Eat up.”
Yvlon smiled. She nodded to Erin and looked at Mrsha. She bent and held out a hand. The Gnoll looked at Yvlon and took it. Yvlon gently shook Mrsha’s paw.
“I’m glad to see you.”
Mrsha nodded. Then she looked up and saw Pisces. Ksmvr. Ceria again. They smiled at her. Mrsha stared up at them, and her mouth moved. It might have been a happy expression.
“Alright! Breakfast!”
Erin found a smile of her own. She swept into the kitchen and came out with plates of food. Like her breakfast, she served the Horns everything she had. Ceria’s eyes widened. She grabbed a roll, smelled it as her teammates watched, and then bit.
“Dead gods. Dead gods. I forgot—”
The half-Elf chewed so fast she nearly choked as she tried to swallow. She grabbed a sausage and stuffed it into her face. Yvlon’s face was amused, appalled, and happy at the same time.
“Can you at least pretend to use silverware, Ceria?”
“Sorry. This is—this is so good. Tree roots, is this what it tasted like before?”
“Need a drink?”
“Alcohol?”
Ceria sat up. She stared at the bar. Erin filled her a mug. The half-Elf washed down her food and sat at the table. Mrsha watched her. The Gnoll didn’t bounce or beg for snacks. And as the Horns ate in the same silence, Erin saw Mrsha’s eyes fix on Ceria’s face. The half-Elf pretended not to notice.
So much had changed. And Erin didn’t know exactly what. In the confused aftermath of the battle, so much had happened that she’d only gotten the barest of accounts from Ceria. And she didn’t want to press the half-Elf or Mrsha. Far from it. But she knew just by looking that more had gone on than words could say. And Mrsha just sat there.
Lyonette and Erin exchanged a look over Mrsha’s head. Erin looked around. Her glass windows reflected a rainy day in Liscor, as usual. The rain poured down. Erin cleared her throat, and Mrsha looked around quickly. The [Innkeeper] smiled at her and pointed.
“It’s not too nice out. But why don’t you take Mrsha into Liscor, Lyonette? I think what she needs is…a special present.”
“Now?”
Lyonette looked uncertain. But Erin nodded. She stared around the inn and then nodded to her magic door.
“We should go out. And Mrsha definitely deserves something. Maybe a new ball? We’ll all go together, how about that?”
The little Gnoll looked up. Her tail began to wag a bit. Lyonette hesitated, then nodded.
“I’ll get cloaks for all of us. One second!”
“I’ll put out more food. Save some for the Halfseekers, okay?”
Erin hurried into the kitchen. When she came out, the Horns were talking at last. Ceria sat, looking from face to face.
“So…what did I miss?”
Pisces smirked. Yvlon laughed and ran her hands through her hair. Ksmvr opened his mandibles.
“To the best of my knowledge, Captain Ceria—”
“We’re all heroes. After all, we participated in the largest dungeon raid in Liscor’s history. We obtained a bounty on the captured prisoners. And there are the magical artifacts yet to be divided up. Our team made substantial gains while you were captive. I suspect we may be able to claim a fair margin of the spoils.”
Pisces sat back in his chair, lacing his fingers together. Ceria’s lips quirked.
“Ah, right. We’re fighting over all the treasures the Raskghar had? Figures. How’s that going to work? Hell, how’d you get everyone into the dungeon? That was…a lot.”
“Miss Erin, of course.”
Ceria glanced over.
“I should have known.”
Erin shook her head as she came over. She put another plate on the table.
“I just came up with the plan. Everyone helped. Antinium, adventurers, the Watch…and Goblins. I think the Council of Liscor’s putting out the word right now.”
Ceria looked surprised.
“They didn’t know—oh wait, it was night. Wow. That’s a cause for celebration if ever I heard one.”
Yvlon nodded. She buttered a piece of toast. She glanced sideways at Ceria.
“There’ll probably be another parade.”
“Probably.”
Erin carefully found another table and put the food down there. She glanced back at Ceria.
“Going to join in?”
The half-Elf wavered. She looked around her table and then seemed to remember she was part of her team. The Captain. She shook her head after a second.
“Nah. We’re…I’m not up for it. If you all want to do it, that’s fine. I just want to know what they’ll do about—”
Ceria hesitated. She glanced at Mrsha and then sighed.
“—about Calruz.”
The inn quieted. Mrsha looked up as Lyonette tied the cloak to her neck. Yvlon put down her fork. Pisces doodled with the grease on his plate. Ksmvr kept eating bread as he looked around and then paused uncertainly.
“Right. Him.”
Erin didn’t know what to think. She’d seen Calruz. But the beaten, burned Minotaur wasn’t at all the one she’d remembered teaching her how to fight. And she hadn’t seen the monster that had led the Raskghar. Only the aftermath. Ceria shook her head. She passed a hand across her eyes.
“He’s not well. I don’t know if it was something in the dungeon or the Raskghar or the water, but I think it wasn’t entirely his fault. Still. That doesn’t excuse any of it. I just—”
Ceria’s voice trailed off. She looked at her mismatched hands. At last, Pisces cleared his throat.
“I believe that means no parade, Miss Solstice.”
That elicited a grin from Erin.
“Right. Thanks, Pisces. Well, we’re going into the city. If you need anything.”
“I think we’ll stay here. And…talk.”
Yvlon looked at Ceria. The half-Elf glanced up and nodded.
“Yeah. There’s a lot I need to tell you.”
They left it at that. Erin went over to Mrsha and Lyonette. The Gnoll was visibly apprehensive as she looked at the magic door. But that was the point. Erin went over and set the door to Liscor as if nothing was wrong.
“Ready? We’ll all go together. Come on.”
The door opened into a rainy street. Erin stepped forwards first and turned. Mrsha hesitated at the door’s edge. She looked up. Lyonette smiled reassuringly down at her. Mrsha wavered and then put a paw on the rainy street. She flinched as she felt the wetness, then walked forwards. She looked up as the rain spattered her face.
“You’re so brave.”
Erin bent and gave Mrsha a wet cuddle. Then she stood. She nodded at Lyonette, and they began to walk through Liscor.
Everything was the same. Everything was not. Erin and Lyonette kept looking at Mrsha every few seconds. And the Gnoll stared at everything. She didn’t run about. She was…looking. The three passed by Drakes and Gnolls on the street. And they were different too.
Liscor had been hushed after the Raskghar attacks. People had barely gone about, except to work and perform necessary business. They had been quiet, nervous, and angry. But now the word had gone out. The Gnolls and Drakes stood about in the streets, talking. Some glanced about nervously until they caught themselves and realized there was nothing to fear. They stared at Erin and Lyonette as they passed. And at Mrsha. The Gnolls paused in what they were doing and looked at the little Gnoll. She stared back. The Gnolls exchanged glances. Lyonette and Erin watched them warily. They heard whispers as Mrsha padded past.
“White one.”
“Mrsha child.”
And then, from one Gnoll, a word.
“Doombringer.”
Erin and Lyonette whirled. The Gnoll looked at them and then at Mrsha. Lyonette’s face went white. She opened her mouth furiously, but the Gnoll’s expression wasn’t hostile or afraid. He inclined his head at Mrsha. The Gnoll cub stared at him. Then he bowed his head. The Gnoll turned and walked past. A Drake blinked at the two and scratched his head. So did Erin. Lyonette stared with a mixture of anger and confusion at the Gnoll’s back.
“What was that about?”
Erin looked thoughtfully at Mrsha’s face. The Gnoll stared after the other Gnoll. Her expression was neither happy nor sad. But it was slightly content. Erin stared at the Gnoll’s back and nodded.
“I think…we should get moving before we’re all totally drenched. Where’s the toy store? Left?”
“Straight and then left.”
In time, they reached the special store that Erin and Lyonette had found a while back. It was a Gnoll-run store, and it was aimed at children, but mainly Gnoll children. That was because it was a ball shop. It sold balls.
Small catching balls. Large ones made of leather. Discs for catching. If there was anything Gnolls shared with dogs, it was their love of games that allowed them to run about. Mrsha’s ball had come from here. Now, the three pushed inside. A Gnoll at the counter looked up and blinked when he saw Mrsha. Then he bowed at his counter.
“Greetings. What can I do for you?”
“Hi. We’re looking for a ball for Mrsha. We just wanted to look around. Is it okay if she touches things? We can pay for anything.”
The Gnoll inclined his head as Mrsha stared up at him.
“Of course. Take your time. We owe a debt to the Mrsha child. Doom of the Raskghar. Find whatever you might wish, child.”
Lyonette blinked and bit her lip. But Mrsha’s tail began to wag as she looked around the shop. Lined up on the shelves were a child’s fantasy. At least, any child who loved to play catch. There were balls of every size and shape and consistency. Little ones that could be hidden, large ones you could kick about, even metal ones with shiny surfaces. Mrsha looked at the adults again and then wandered down the aisles. She soon lost herself between the shelves.
“I had no idea there was an entire shop for this stuff.”
Erin whispered to Lyonette. The young woman nodded.
“Krshia told me about it. Apparently, Gnolls don’t have many toys when they move about in their tribes. Games of catch are very important. And balls are…well, they’re fun.”
“Yeah. I just never heard of personal, custom throwing balls. I mean, we had dogs at home, but—”
The Gnoll [Shopkeeper] raised one eyebrow, and Erin turned red.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean—”
He shook his head and smiled.
“Dogs are dogs, yes? They are simple. But a Gnoll finds more joy than a dog can. They fetch. We throw. But one as young as the Mrsha child would find enjoyment in both, I think. Do you have any preference? I find that children are usually unable to choose from my selection.”
Erin stared down the rows of colorful balls. She was at a loss too. This was no supermarket selection with a bunch of generic, identical toys. Each object in the shop was hand-made and high quality. She hesitated, trying to imagine what Mrsha would like. If they found her old ball—
“What about a big bouncy ball? Do you have anything made of rub—of plas—something that bounces?”
“Hmm. I have a few. Let me bring them out.”
The Gnoll slipped out from behind his counter. He came back with a selection of balls, mostly leather, some wrapped in hide, and placed them on the counter. Erin bounced a few, but they were hardly as bouncy as a basketball.
“Got anything with more bounce? Like, one I could throw on the ground and bounce off the ceiling?”
The Gnoll frowned.
“You have high standards. Yes, I’ve seen such balls before. Magic ones, enchanted by [Mages]. Very prized among Gnoll children.”
“Uh—well, are they that rare?”
The Gnoll nodded with the air of someone who had specialized in the nuance of ball manufacture all his life.
“I regret that I do not have any such objects in stock. Magic is costly. I regret that I do not have any specialty goods—you would have to place an order, yes? But this is a good one for catching and throwing. And these are good for chewing.”
He held up a ball wrapped in animal hide and a set of smaller balls that smelled a bit like animal to Erin. She prodded the leather-wrapped ball and then the chewable ones.
“Hey, these are squishy!”
“Yes. Not good for throwing. But very young children chew on these.”
Lyonette frowned.
“What if they eat them by mistake?”
The older Gnoll smiled. He was probably the oldest Gnoll Erin had met, older than Elirr and Krshia. His fur was grey with black splotches.
“It is no danger. They are edible and not harmful. And it is a lesson for children if they are swallowed. Because the toy is then gone. Unless it passes out of them in the same piece, which is not always pleasant, yes?”
Erin laughed. The Gnoll took the chewing toys away.
“But I think young Mrsha is too old for such things. I have other balls. Such as this one, which is very frictionless. And tough. Note the covering.”
The ball he showed Erin had a delicate wyvern-hide skin, which Mrsha sniffed with great interest. She touched the smooth surface.
“Ooh. Fancy. And you can see the scales!”
“Laminated. It is very tough, though. Not malleable. While these are cheaper.”
The Gnoll flicked the throwing ball. Erin studied it. She could see tiny stitches holding the hide wrap in place. And when she felt it, the ball had some give, but only a little. It was definitely familiar. She frowned at the Gnoll, struck by a thought.
“Hey. This looks a lot like a…what’s this made of?”
He hesitated.
“That is a trade secret. But I suppose for this one—I could tell you. It is cork, yes? Hard, but malleable. Not cheap around Liscor, but good for throwing.”
Erin’s brows shot together. She eyed the ball and looked around. Mrsha was still wavering, caught by a huge, hollow ball and a small one that glittered, enchanted by a minor spell of some kind. Erin looked at the ball and tossed it up and down.
