“I get the feeling that if we had come in here without an invitation, we would never make it through,” Mikko said.
“You’ve spoken true,” Techle said. “Anyone who tries to enter without a guide would never leave this corridor. They would walk, and walk, and will never see the end.”
“Spooky,” Hermon said.
Techle got to a double door at the end of the corridor and pushed it in. The doors swung noiselessly inwards to reveal a small lobby with wooden floorboards. The double doors closed of their own accord once the entire group was in.
Eldana took a look at the door and spotted the little runes carved along its posts. She looked around the walls and also found carvings of runes a bit bigger than the ones carved on the doorpost. “The magic of the house caters to your needs,” Techle declared. “All you need is to make your request, or inquiry and attach the word ‘mezah’ to it. Like so: I need a tankard of mead, mezah.”
A dark silver tankard materialized out of thin air and moved into Techle’s grasp.
Mikko’s face was suffused with disbelief. As if sensing his thoughts, Techle handed him the tankard. Mikko noticed the tankard was full, brought it to his nose, and discovered that its content smelled very well like mead. He put the tankard to his lips and sipped. Then Mikko’s eyes flew open in astonishment.
“By my hand, this is mead, real mead.” He exclaimed and burst into laughter.
The rest of the group had smiles plastered on their faces, too. Techle gave a humble bow. “I can usher you to your rooms, but everything is pretty straightforward. You go in through that door there,” he pointed further to the left.
Hermon could spot other doors through the doorway.
“And have your pick of rooms,” Techle continued. “In case you’re confused, you know what to do.”
“The house can issue us suitable rooms too?” Hermon asked wide-eyed.
“Of course, Hermon,” Techle said. “This house can do almost anything within the confines of good. Don’t ask me what little it can’t do. I trust you all can handle yourselves from here?”
Techle, getting a satisfactory reply from the group, nodded and turned to leave when Eldana called out to him.
“Yes, Eldana?” He said as he turned.
Eldana, Siem, and Hermon left D’rmas and Mikko - who were requesting dishes from the house and bursting into laughter whenever their request materialized from the air -- and moved closer to Techle.
“We were wondering if you could do something extra for us,” Eldana said, looking up to Techle.
“The house is entirely at your service,” Techle said.
“We cannot stay in Kleas long, Techle. People are looking for me, and we have something crucial we must do. We would be happy if we could get supplies that would aid us in our journey.”
“What are we looking at here?” Techle asked.
“Horses, food, and water,” Hermon supplied. Techle seemed to lapse into contemplation for a moment. “I’ll see what I can do.” He said.
“Thank you,” Siem said. “We are in your debt.”
Techle smiled and said, “The Tavern of Wholesome Laughter does not keep track of debts. How else can you ensure laughter and total happiness? Rest well. I’ll be back in the early hours of the morning.”
“That there is an excellent fellow,” Hermon said.
“I concur.” Siem agreed.
“I should have a soothing bath, a nice meal, and rest,” Eldana said.
“Same here,” Siem replied.
“Please, can I stay with you girls?” Hermon pleaded. “I fear that D’rmas and Mikko may try to drag me into one of their manly exuberances.”
Eldana and Siem laughed.
“Aren’t you a man?” Siem asked. “Learn to deal with it.”
“Come on.” Hermon pleaded.
Siem and Eldana began to move towards the door that led to their rooms.
“Sorry Hermon,” Eldana called back to him. “You’re all alone for tonight.”
She and Siem burst out into another spell of laughter before they walked out of the lobby.
Hermon combed his fingers through his hair and puffed air from his mouth. “What a night.” He said to himself.
Just then, Mikko walked into the lobby.
“Hey, Hermon.” He called.
“O, come on... Not now.” Hermon complained under his breath.
“Have you tasted the ale here? By my hand, there’s no comparison in the whole world. D’rmas has already proven to be a cold fellow when it comes to drinking. Don’t say no too.”
“A tankard wouldn’t be bad, I guess,” Hermon said.
“Splendid,” Mikko exclaimed.
Back at the ladies’ chambers, as Eldana stepped out of the bath she swore she felt like she was a new being. It was like the water in the bath sipped out any trace of weakness in her, unclogging her body, leaving it refreshingly free and light.
She got into her underwear, a light white cloth that was both shirt and shorts seamed together at the waist, then got into bed next to Siem.
“Well?” Siem asked as she turned to face Eldana.
Eldana had a brilliant grin plastered on her face.
“It was wonderful,” Eldana said. Her voice was full of excitement. “I feel like I can take on anything right now.”
“Yeah,” Siem said. “That’s exactly the kind of optimism we need at the moment. The last few days have been trying. And the more we move through difficult odds, the more insurmountable our task becomes.”
“Yeah,” Eldana agreed. “Hope is a fickle thing. I’m glad I can feel it again though.”
“Same here.”
Eldana and Siem talked a little, reminiscing of times when all was happy and easy, before Eldana’s initiation, before her life was required for the balance of chaos ritual.
With time, the night grew silent as sleep stretched its kleptomaniac tentacles, sending the people of the city into nightmares, pleasant dreams, or no dreams at all. Eldana was swept up in a nightmare. In it, the air was dark, pale, and dank. She felt something constrict around her throat, cutting off air from her lungs.
“You’re ours, girl.” She heard voices declare. “No matter how far you run, you will eventually give us what is ours!”
CHAPTER FIVE
The Woods of
