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“Uh, see, that’s the thing, Roan. We kinda don’t know.”
I didn’t know Roan’s eyebrows could get any more scrunched together, but here we are. He runs a hand over his face just as the side door behind the bar bursts open with Mauvy sauntering in, her long cherry-coloured skirt swishing around her ankles.
“Edith! Good to see you!” Her hooves clop loudly as she jumps on her stool behind the bar. She turns to me with her wide, owl-like eyes, flicking her braid over her shoulder as she gives me a thorough once over. Her turned-up nose scrunches in disgust at what she sees.
“You look like shit. Where’s Tor?” She peers around me, like she is searching the tavern.
“Thanks, Mauvy, always a pleasure. But who is Tor?”
Caelan
I thought a hotshower would help, especially after my confusion earlier in the bar had set off multiple alarm bells with Mauvy. She kept insisting I had been here nearly two weeks ago with a, and I quote, “devilishly handsome fae gent, with purple skin” who’d made me come so loud that “it made a visiting incubus blush.”
Which seems like a thing that I would, you know, remember. But considering I had no memories ofanything,I couldn’t really confirm or deny this apparent sex-god slash fae man she’d met. Then she kept insisting and, and I kept trying to remember and the headache came back. Eventually Roan had blessedly intervened, sending Edith and me up to the Tavern’s rooms to get cleaned up. I think he just wanted us to stop stinking up his tavern.
The shower had felt like it was blessed by the Gods, but I am back to being a stressed, anxious mess as soon as I dig through my backpack to find something clean and dry to put on. The only briefs are a little too small to be comfortable, but this is all that I have and so long as I don’t bend over or squat, the jeans will be… fine. Even if they are moulded to my thick thighs like glue. I throw on a jumper that is, thankfully, mine and make my way back down to the tavern where Roan, Mauvy and Edith are huddled together in a corner around an ancient, worn wooden table already filled with jugs of beer and glasses.
The tavern has thankfully cleared out after the midday lunch rush, with only a few pockets of beings huddled around the fireplace sitting area and scattered tables. With the sun shining like it is outside, most are out on the patio area, anyway.
Pouring myself a pint, I slam myself onto the bench seat next to Edith. They have all settled into one of the nook booths far away from the other patrons. Mauvy silently slides my phone over to me and I gratefully clutch at it, pressing the button to the side to switch it on, but nothing happens.
“Gods, it’s dead.” I throw the thing back on the table and cradle my head in one hand, sipping from my beer with the other, the foamy bubbles not at all soothing the riotous somersaults occupying my stomach.
“Right.” Roan readjusts the knot of hair at the back of his neck, his white shirt and leather harness flexing and stretching across his impressive chest and biceps. Usually the sight makes me a little weak in the stomach. Today it just makes me feel worse. That tugging in my chest pulls until it hurts. “We need to figure out what is going on with you two. What’s the last thing youdoremember?”
I take another sip of the beer, but the bubbles make me feel sick with my exhaustion and stress, so I pour myself a glass of water instead.
“I remember…” I poke gently at my memories, shying away from any that stab too hard around the edges, “Gods, the last thing I actually remember is going shopping for groceries in Whisper Wells. I think?” I frown at Edith, who just screws up her face and shrugs at me.
Mauvy frowns again and I am getting really sick of people giving me that look. “You mean you really don’t remember coming here? Or Tor? I mean, who could forgetTor? I don’t even swing that way, but I would let that man rail me so hard…” Her voice trails off dreamily as she no doubt contemplates this mysterious dream man and giving up her Sapphic ways.
But that pull in my chest sharpens again when I shake my head. “I havenoidea who you’re talking about. But if you see him again, send him my way.”
Mauvy snorts. “The way he was looking at you, kid, I wouldn’t be able to keep him away with an army of berserkers.” She turns to Roan, who is tracing lines in the condensation forming on his beer. “This is bad, my old friend.” He just grunts unhelpfully.
“What about you, Edith?” Roan nods in Edith’s direction.
“I’ve got up until the full moon. I had a delightful little orgy with the Silkwood Faun Clan for their circle, then nada. Blank slate and pain.” Her white hands are swirling her pint glass listlessly before she snaps up, “Oh! We found this!” Digging into her pockets and pulling out a few random rocks and wilted flowers, she dumps the old map on the table amongst the glasses.
Mauvy snatches it up, peering through her thick glasses at the scarred and stained map. “What’s this then?” She flips the paper around, looking at every detail before passing it over to Roan. One of the Tavern servers, a pretty little fox shifter with fiery red hair, skin-tight black leather pants and eyeliner—I think his name is Seldon—comes and brings us a tray of cheese, crackers and fruit. Roan thanks him with a small wave, ignoring the lingering glances and general hovering of his employee as he checks over the map himself. It takes a cough and a hard look from Mauvy to get him stalking off in a huff again.
More than grateful for actual food, not the packaged stuff I have apparently been living on forweeks,I load up a cracker with too much cheese and stuff the thing in my mouth.
“This isn’t much to go on. Are these lines that you travelled?” Roan traces a finger over the scarred lines running into the heart of the Woods, but I just shrug and stuff more cheese into my mouth. With a roll of his eyes, Roan flicks the paper back into the middle of the table and rubs his beard, sucking at his teeth.
“Well, this certainly is fucked. I’ll give you that. But no doubt you want to get back to your farm, Caelan, and you back to,” he eyes Edith and cocks his head, “whatever it is you do.” She just sneers at him affectionately and stuffs her own cracker in her mouth.
“Go fuck yourself, Roan.”
Roan answers with a playful rude gesture and a slap of the table, making to stand when a hand claps me hard on the back, making me choke on the mouthful of food I am shovelling in.
“Caelan! You’re here!” Well, great. Just what I need on top ofeverythingelse. Seff pushes at my shoulder, shoving me along the bench seat to plant himself next to me. His shoulder bumps mine, as I cough and splutter to regain mybreathing, but he just reaches for the grapes, popping a handful into his mouth. “Where’s Tor? Surprised he let you out of his sight.” He grins at Mauvy. “He, uh, got a little jealous when I played a teeny tiny trick on Caelan here in the Woods. Wanted to rip my throat out. It washot.”
Oblivious to everyone’s stares, he pours himself a pint and takes a swig, finally realising everyone, including me, is staring at him open-mouthed. He rubs at his mouth with the back of his hand.
“What? What’d I say? Fuck, is he here? I don’t want to start shit. I like him, man, he is cool. Good for you, y’know?” His eyes scan the Tavern, trying to find this Tor guy everyone keeps going on about.
Another bolt of pain shoots through my skull and the tightness in my chest pulls again. “Who the fuck is Tor? You’ve seen me? What thefuckis going on?”
