Warm water flowed through Anna’s hair, rinsing away the soap.

“Thanks,” Anna said.

“Well, I couldn’t let you run around looking like a soot sprite now, could I?” Barika asked.

“What’s a soot sprite?” Anna asked.

“Little black puffs that hide in dark dirty places,” Barika replied.

“Really? I’ve never seen one,” Anna said.

“They don’t live this far east, but they were all over my home village,” Barika replied.

“What were they like?” Anna asked, shifting in the basin so she could look at Barika.

“Well, they are rather cute and quite curious which causes them to get into everything,” Barika replied.

“They sound fun,” Anna said.

Barika laughed and sat up on her stool.

“Oh, they were. The problem was they cover everything they touch in soot, so if you don’t get rid of them, they’ll get into the clean laundry, the food, even your bed,” she replied.

Anna grinned at the thought.

“So, how’d you get rid of them?” she asked.

“Oh, that was the easy part. All you had to do was clean. The problem was you had to clean every little nook and cranny constantly. We used to go over and help my grandmother when I was young. She used to tell us that when you get old, it’s hard to keep the sprites away. I didn’t understand then, but I sure do now,” Barika replied.

“What was she like?” Anna asked.

“Grandma? Oh, that woman, let me tell you. She always had the sternest expression on her face, and she never took any sass from anyone,” Barika replied.

She laughed and shook her head.

“At least that’s what she was like around the grown-ups. Around us children, she never stopped smiling. She had a way of making everything we did fun. She also always had treats ready when we finished,” she added.

“I wish I could have met her,” Anna replied.

“She would have loved you, child,” Barika said.

Barika sighed, and the smile faded from her face.

“I didn’t say goodbye when I ran away,” she added.

“Why not?” Anna asked.

“Because all I could think about was how unfair the world was. I was so wrapped up in myself that I forgot about that sweet old woman,” Barika replied.

“You should go back and see her,” Anna said.

Barika shook her head.

“It’s been nearly forty years, child. She’s long gone by now,” she replied.

“Oh,” Anna said sadly.

Barika stood up and held out her hand. Anna took it and was pulled to her feet.

“There’s plenty of food, and you’ve more than earned a bowl or two of it,” Barika said.

“I bet I could eat a whole pot,” Anna replied.

“Don’t eat the pot, child,” Barika said.

They both grinned at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Anna got out of the basin and dried herself off with the fluffy towel one of the barmaids had brought her. She pulled on a clean dress, and they left the back room of the inn and headed back to the main room. It was filled with the men and women who had come to help. The rest of her friends were sitting at a table, so they walked over and sat down.

“I thought they were serving the food outside,” Anna said.

“Getting too hot out there,” Thokri replied.

He pushed a bowl in front of her. She grabbed the spoon and took a bite. It was a thick porridge made from crushed oats and barley that had been sweetened with a huge amount of honey. She looked over at Thokri who winked at her.

He knows me so well.

“We’re going to spend the day here resting then head out tomorrow, so no need to rush,” Voekeer said.

Anna nodded, still having a mouth full of food.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I’m so tired, I’m getting a headache!” Elaine said.

“Why didn’t you go to bed?” Anna asked.

“I wanted to know if you were alright. You kind of freaked out back there,” Elaine replied.

“I’m fine. It’s just that woman looked like the one from the farm that treated me bad after I helped her son,” Anna said.

“I don’t know how you can tell in the first place. All humans look the same to me,” Lyreen added.

Anna looked at Barika, then Rose, and finally Elaine, and then back at Lyreen before giving the elf a look.

“Not them! I mean normal humans!” Lyreen said.

Her human friends looked at each other and then shook their heads.

“Anyway, I normally don’t make mistakes like that. I think I got overwhelmed again,” Anna said.

“We can leave now if you need,” Voekeer replied.

“No, I don’t want any of you to get sick because of me. I’ll just go up to my room when I finish,” Anna said.

“Best if we all did the same,” Thokri added.

She ate her food quickly, not wanting her friends to stay up any longer because of her. They left the table and headed up the stairs. She entered her room once again and tossed her pack, that one of her friends had been nice enough to bring inside for her, on the floor next to the door before shimming out of her dress and flopping on the bed.

I swear I’ll fucking scream if anything else happens!

She rolled onto her back and looked up at the rough beams that held up the roof, studying the patterns in the wood before closing her eyes. Her eyes sprang open when she heard a rap on the door.

“What!” she said.

“Dinner is ready. Would you like some, miss?” a woman asked.

“What is it?” Anna asked.

“Roast pork,” the woman replied.

I love roast anything, but I don’t want to be around people right now.

She sighed.

“Can you bring it to my room?” she asked.

“Yes, miss,” the woman replied.

“Okay, I’ll have some,” Anna said.

“I’ll have it brought right up!” the woman replied.

Anna got up and put her dress back on before going to the table next to her bed and lighting the lamp.

Humans get weird if they find you sitting in the dark. I wonder what that’s like, dark is like, for them? I mean, is it just black everywhere or something?

She sat in the chair next to the table and waited for the woman to return with her food.

What a weird day. Maybe we should have just gone through the frontier. We could have taken the wagon, and then Lord Emerald could have come with us! Well, I guess he’s happy with the barmaids at the guild hall, and I do get to sail on a ship this way, so it’s not all bad.

There was another knock on her door.

“I have your food, miss!” the woman said.

“Hold on, I’ll get the door!” Anna replied.

She rushed over and opened it, knowing the woman was carrying a tray, making opening a door awkward. One of the barmaids was on the other side, and she looked utterly exhausted. She shuffled into Anna’s room and went to the table where she put a plate of steaming roast pork along with a large mug of ale. Once she finished, she turned to leave.

“Wait, hold on,” Anna said.

The woman stopped and gave her a look. Anna rushed over to her pack, rummaging around until she found her coin purse. She took a few silvers and rushed over, stuffing them in the woman’s apron.

“Don’t tell anyone about this, and please, get some sleep when you can,” she said.

“Thank you so much!” the barmaid replied.

“You’re welcome,” Anna said.

She followed the woman to the door and closed it behind her as soon as she was through. She went back to the table and sat down. The smell of roast pork covered in a sweet sauce filled her nose. She’d loved the combination of savory and sweet found in most roast dishes humans served.

She pulled a piece from the roast and stuffed it in her mouth, ignoring the utensils that had been placed on the plate. The meat was tender and juicy, and the sauce was sweet and tangy, just how she liked it. She swallowed the first bite and licked her fingers before taking a drink from the mug.

Oh, wow! This is really good! I wonder why the innkeeper is serving such great food? Is he trying to thank everyone for helping or something?

She continued to eat her meal, enjoying it more than usual. She heard a scream and then shouting coming from downstairs.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!

She moved to stand up but hesitated.

You know what? It’s not my problem. All my friends are in their rooms eating, and I’m tired of caring about strangers right now.

She relaxed in her chair and pulled another chunk of the pork off. She ate it and tried her best to ignore the commotion downstairs. Moments later, someone ran up the stairs and down the hallway. They started to beat on one of the doors. She heard a door open soon after.

“You have to come! Mr. Peter’s hurt real bad!” a woman said.

“What happened?” Barika replied.

Anna stopped chewing and looked over at the door.

Shit!

She heard two people running back down the hallway. She jumped out of her chair and ran to the door, yanking it open, and running after Barika and the barmaid who’d come to get her. She caught up to them on the stairs and slowed down to keep pace with them.

When they reached the main room, the smell of blood hung thick in the air. Several men were holding onto a sullen-looking woman, and a crowd of people were standing near the bar.

“Out of the way!” Barika said.

The crowd parted, and she caught sight of the innkeeper lying in a pool of blood. A man held his hands on the innkeeper’s chest, trying to keep him from bleeding out. Barika rushed over and knelt down next to him. She pushed the man’s hands away and put her own on his chest. Her hands glowed for a moment before returning to normal. She frowned and moved one of her hands from his chest and touched his neck with two of her fingers.

“He’s gone,” she said.

“NO!!! HE CAN’T BE!!!” an older woman wailed.

One of the barmaids pulled her into a hug, and she started to cry on her shoulder. Barika put the man’s hands on his chest and held them there with one of her hands. She placed her other hand on the man’s forehead and closed her eyes.

“Oh, Black God, be merciful when you judge this man. Guide him to where his lost loved ones dwell and let him know eternal peace,” she said.

Someone started to laugh. Anna turned around quickly to see the sullen-looking woman smiling.

“IT WAS HIS FAULT! HIS FAULT! ERICK DIED BECAUSE OF HIM! I HAD TO MAKE HIM PAY!!!” she screamed.

“The wagon men hung Erick after they found out he killed Jess while trying to steal a piece of silver,” Anna said.

“NO! YOU’RE LYING! YOU’RE LYING! HE WOULDN’T DO THAT!!!” she screamed back.

“I don’t care if you believe me or not! All I know is four people died because he tried to be a thief!” Anna said.

The woman paused and looked at her for a moment.

“Four?” she asked.

“Yeah, four! Erick killed Jess, he got hung by the wagon men, you killed the innkeeper, and they’re going to hang you!” Anna replied.

“No, NO! NOOOO!!!” the woman screamed before going limp in the men’s grips.

“You can scream all you want, but that’s what happens to murderers!” Anna replied.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this! He told me we were going to be married! He said he was going to do it when he saved a little more! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO START A FAMILY!” she shrieked.

“Take it up with him when you get to the abyss!” Anna replied.

The woman started to cry hysterically. Anna grabbed Barika by the hand.

“Let’s get out of here before anything else happens!” she said.