Page 6 of A Tale of Mirth & Magic

And I saw Felsith spot her. Screaming his head off, he started to surge toward Elikki through the crowd.

Oh, fuck.

Her gray eyes met mine for a moment, wide in their alarm. Then she moved, darting toward escape with an elven grace, and shoving people out of the way when necessary. At the same time, I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed Felsith’s wrist, pulling him back, and dumped the contents of my massive, nearly full tankard over his head. I roared at Elikki, “RUN!”

He sputtered, shrieking. “What the fuck, is this LEMON WATER?! It’s in my eyes, it burns!” And a second later, “Owwww, my WRIST! You broke my other wrist, you oaf!”

I saw Elikki make it to the doorway and run through. Breathing easier, I turned back to Felsith. He seemed to be trying to attack me by kicking my shins with his puny boots.

I stepped away from him toward the door, folks making room for my seven-foot-eight-inch frame. They parted around me and closed back in on Felsith and the constable, holding them off. I rushed outside, peering around for Elikki in the rapidly fading daylight.

Spotting her a couple blocks away—wow, she was fast—I raced after her.

ELIKKI

Hearing heavy footsteps behind me, I put on another burst of speed. Well, this did not go exactly according to plan. I cannot believe that worm sicced the law on me!

Earlier in my room, I’d paced the worn wooden floorboards, going over that brainless interaction with the unfairly hot man downstairs. The single candle in my tiny quarters flickered with the breeze my skirts kicked up as I moved around the room packing all my stuff into the large, trusty rucksack that held most of my worldly possessions. It was an annoyingly long process, since my things seemed to scatter of their own accord. But it gave me time to have a conversation with the imaginary, brown-cloaked man in my head.

After that was done, and I’d groaned and screamed into a pillow for a good while, I felt much better. Still couldn’t quite shake that queasy feeling of rejection. I had nothing to be embarrassed about, obviously—I’d gone after what I wanted, and I refused to feel shame for that.

But it still… stung. A bit.

It’s been years since someone I wanted didn’t jump at the chance to be with me. Or around me. Or nearby, just on hand in case I needed a drink refill. I was charming as fuck, and everyone I encountered knew it. Still, I couldn’t stay at this tavern anymore. Knowing it was probably his local spot, and having to run into him again and again while I was in town—not an option. So I decided to pack up my things and head to a different place for the night.

Now I was being chased out of town!

I snuck a glance over my shoulder to see who was still on my tail. Slowing to a stop, I turned and stared in disbelief. “Are you kidding me right now? Why in the goddess’s name are you following me? I thought the constables were coming!”

The half-giant didn’t stop, passing me. “They are. Keep running!”

“What?” From the direction we’d come, I heard voices. More than two. It seemed the copper had found some of his colleagues. I gulped and hightailed it after the half-giant.

“Where are we going?” I hissed.

“Just follow me! I have a plan.”

We took a sharp right, racing along the quiet streets. Keeping to the shadows, we soon came near the town’s main gate. He veered toward a stable nearby while I waited, hiding behind a stack of hay bales and straining my elven hearing to pinpoint where our pursuers were. We had one, maybe two minutes before they’d catch up.

He trotted out from the stable leading the largest animal I had ever seen in my life. A horse? My mind struggled to understand what I was seeing. This creature was a full two times the size of any horse I’d known.

He gestured at me hurriedly. “Get on.”

“Get… on? Get on that?” I gawped. “This is the plan?!”

“Yes.”

“No!”

In the quiet of the early evening, we heard shouts and running steps drawing closer. He tightened the saddle, large hands moving rapidly over the buckles and leather straps. As he worked he growled, “Your choice. You can stay and face the angry mob of constables. You can try to outrun them by yourself. Or you can get on the damn horse.”

I was already heaving from the long chase, my pack weighing me down. I couldn’t leave it behind. It had everything I owned—my jewelry, tools, coin purse, clothing—everything.

With one last look back—torches were coming around the corner—I approached the terrifying beast and tried scrabbling for purchase to pull myself up. The stirrups were at my chest.

He sighed. After lifting my pack off my shoulders and hooking it next to a saddlebag, he then lifted me up. Before I knew what was happening, he swung my right leg over the horse’s back and placed me in front of the saddle. I squeaked, half in indignation at being abruptly lifted and half in shock. He just picked me up like I weighed no more than my pack. That was… a first.

Then he stepped into the stirrup and swung himself up behind me with ease. Reaching around me to grab the reins, he said, “Hold on.”