I tried to imagine what in the hell would bring Alic, Mira, and a couple of guards to my door this early in the morning.

Was this it? Had my cover been blown? Was I about to be hauled out of here, the amulet removed from around my neck, and my head sent flying into the air? How quickly could I get upstairs, find one of the Voyager scrolls, and zap out of here?

Mira, Alic, and their companions all wore light brown leather armor. Mira’s bow poked over her shoulder, as did a quiver of arrows. The sight reminded me how much I had neglected my archery skills, such that they were.

"Varix!" Mira said again. "Are you going to let us in? This is important.”

Oh, shit, again.

"Uh… Sure... We're just having some breakfast." I stammered.

"Good to see you, Varix. I plan to stop by one night this week and try your new dish everyone is raving about. It has shrimp and sausage.”

“Gumbo. You just let me know which day, and I’ll make sure you get a bowl with extra shrimp." So much extra shrimp.

"Sounds great to me, my friend!"

Mira told the other guards to stay put while she and Alic entered the tavern, their boots clomping on the hardwood. I closed the door on a beautiful day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the weather was already warming up. I’d have to open all the windows if we wanted a chance at a breeze to cool the place.

That was for later. Right now, I had to figure out what these two were here about.

“Seraphina. Nice to see you,” Mira said, her eyes roving over my girlfriend's clothing and messy hair. She grinned, turned to me, and gave me a—I don’t know what else to call it—“Nice, bro!" smile.

Lady Churl poked her head out of the kitchen and said, “Reckon these wants a bite a food?”

“We actually have a pressing matter to discuss.” Mira’s smile faded.

“Yes. We came across a problem near the tree line by the new orc fortification,” Alic said.

"What did Urzan do now? Or was it Grondak? Don't tell me he did something stupid."

“It's not the orcs. Ever met a gnoll, Varix?” Alic asked me.

My brain churned through my old gaming knowledge. If they were like the rest of the races on Mythralon and conformed to their mythology on Earth, then gnolls were...

Mira saved me by interjecting, "With your memory issues, would you even remember them?"

“Gnolls. Sure.” I nodded confidently like I hung out with gnolls every day. "Not really. Hybrid dog/humans, right?"

"That's right. More like hyenas. They can be dangerous. That's where this gets interesting."

“Pardon me,” Seraphina said as she walked to my side. “Gnolls? Here?”

“Not just any gnolls. They have a shaman with them named Grix'gnash, and he would very much like to visit this tavern,” Alic put in.

“I’m sorry?” I lightly shook my head. “Are they hungry?"

Mira threw her head back and laughed.

Seraphina held my hand lightly and gave it a light squeeze.

Alic shook his head and said, “You always keep us laughing, Varix.”

“I try.” I smiled weakly.

Mira told us what had happened and talked about a supposed pre-cataclysm city that might exist underneath Everspring. As she went on, Seraphina squeezed my hand again. She knew something.

"This is extraordinary," Seraphina said.

"Is it?" Alic agreed. "I don't know why anyone would care about long dead cities under the earth. Sounds like a good place to get lost and end up dying in the dark. Unless they have someone like me along, of course, I might be able to keep them safe."

"Of course, you can, Alic." Mira patted his shoulder and smiled at me almost apologetically.

"This is all really interesting, but I don't think we have a secret passageway to an underground city under The Shadow's Respite," I said, then turned to Lady Churl. "Right?"

"No passageway's I knows of. But. Them what's scratching under there musta found a way in."

"So, not rats," I said.

"Reckon, them's something bigger."

"Really?"

Lady Churl shrugged and went back to the kitchen.

Mira explained the situation with the gnoll shaman. "He wants to come to The Shadow's Respite and access the cellar so he can delve into the earth," she said. "No digging. Just a spell. At least I think that's what he wants to do. He's… odd."

"I hope the villagers don't have a problem with gnolls walking through the streets?" Seraphina said.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Mira nodded. "That's the thing. We're hoping to move them in quickly and discreetly to avoid any issues, which is why we're asking in the first place. The quicker we can get the gnolls in and out of Everspring, the better."

"The orcs have been in town a few times," I pointed out. "Surely the people of Everspring are getting used to seeing other races around."

Alic chimed in, "True, but we still want to handle this carefully. We'll make sure they get here without causing a stir, but we wanted to get your okay, first."

I glanced towards the kitchen. "Let me check with Lady Churl." I called out, "Lady Churl, is it okay if some gnolls go into the cellar?"

Mira gave me a curious look. "Why are you checking with her?"

"Wossit? Gnolls in my bedroom?" Lady Churl poked her head out, her expression slightly annoyed, then said to Mira, "Reckon, it's my room, ain't it?"

"It's true. She gave up part of the king's reward to pay for her room even though I begged her not to. I promised it to her, and it's hers. I don't even go down there."

Seraphina turned to the goblin and asked politely, "Lady Churl, we would greatly appreciate it."

Lady Churl considered for a moment then shrugged. "Reckon it's okay. S'long as they don't mess with my stuff."

Seraphina smiled. "I'd like to be here when the gnolls arrive, just in case, if that's okay. But first, I need to return to my shop and retrieve my staff. You never know when it might be needed."

"You're okay. Like I's said. No one touches my stuff. Don't want no comments, neither. What's mine is mine."

"Comments?" I asked.

Lady Churl shook her head, looked even more annoyed, and headed back to the kitchen. "Need to check on my mushroom tea."

"I guess that settles that," I said.

As Mira and Alic turned to leave, Mira leaned in close to me with a mischievous grin. "Glad to see you so happy with your non-work friend," she whispered, putting a playful emphasis on the last word. She gave me a knowing wink before following Alic toward the door.

My face flushed slightly. Before I could think of something clever to say, she and Alic had already left.

"What did she say?" Seraphina asked me.

I blew out a sigh. "I told you how she and I almost had a thing when we were on the road to Everspring. Nothing happened--"

"Even if it had, I wouldn't be upset. We're adults, Varix. I didn't know you until you got to Everspring."

I smiled and pulled Seraphina into a hug. "You're the only one for me."

"I know." She laughed and kissed me.

I told her what Mira had said and got a snort from Seraphina. She pushed her hair around and shook her head.

"Sorry if I embarrassed you."

Seraphina laughed and said, "I'm only slightly scandalized. It's fine."

Seraphina and I sat down to finish our breakfast, but we ate quickly, both of us eager to prepare for the gnoll's arrival.

As we finished, Seraphina leaned over and kissed my cheek softly. "I wish I had time to stay and make use of the tub. I could use a hot bath."

"And I'd be happy to help you take a hot bath."

"I bet you would." Seraphina laughed. "I'll be back after I change. We can plans to make use of the bath another night. How about tomorrow?"

"I'll close the tavern and kick everyone out promptly at ten."

Seraphina snorted. "Better not. You need to hustle all of that shrimp."

"I'll do my best. Hopefully, business will pick up."

"The baron?"

"Yeah. He's really trying to screw me over."

"Let's talk about it later. Maybe we can come up with some ideas. My big project is coming to light–"

I laughed. "I see what you did there."

Seraphina grinned. "I should have more free time for the next few nights. I'll see you soon," she said with a warm smile before heading out.

I walked her to the door and gave her a hug and kiss. As I opened the door for Seraphina, I spotted Fie Vinter outside, pulling her little cart, but it wasn't nearly as full as usual. Once or twice a week, Fie brought me my alcoholic supplies.

"Bye, Seraphina."

"Goodbye, Varix. See you in a little bit."

My eyes followed Seraphina as she went around the corner.

Fie arrived with her little cart creaking against the cobblestone road. Something seemed off. A worried frown replaced her usual cheerful demeanor, and her cart looked unusually empty. She caught my eye and motioned for me to join her. We stood near the food wagon, and I peered into her cart, my heart sinking at the meager contents.

"I've got some bad news, Varix," Fie said, her voice tinged with frustration. "I've got some ale and beer for you, but most of the liquor I normally bring, well. I'm out. My shipments haven't arrived in a few weeks, and I don't know why."

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to keep my composure. "That's... not good. Any idea what's causing the delay?" I asked even though I already suspected I knew the answer.

Fie shook her head. "I'm sending out queries, trying to get to the bottom of this situation. I promise I'll figure out what's happening and get things back on track as soon as possible."

I nodded, appreciating her effort but still concerned. I looked over the small casks in her cart, doing a quick mental calculation. "Is this all you have? This will only get me through half the week, at best."

"I'm doing my best to get more, Varix," Fie said, her voice apologetic. "But there's another problem. That tavern in town, The Wandering Boar? They've been sending people into my shop, buying up everything that isn't nailed down. I can barely keep anything in stock. I was supposed to get a big shipment yesterday, but I just got word it's delayed indefinitely. If I had known, I never would have sold so much to them."

I grunted in frustration, running scenarios through my head. "What am I going to do?" I muttered, more to myself than to Fie.

Fie patted my arm sympathetically. "We'll figure something out, Varix. I'm not giving up, and neither should you. I know a couple of home brewers who may be able to step in and help."

I managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Fie. I appreciate everything you're doing. If you can help me get anything, I would be very appreciative."

I began unloading the few casks from Fie's cart. I carried them inside, one by one, to the storage area next to the kitchen. Fie must have felt sorry for me because she lent a hand. I usually had Grondak and Milo take care of this, but I had told them to come in late since I knew Seraphina would spend the night.

As I set down the last cask, Lady Churl poked her head out of the kitchen. "Reckon that ain't much booze," she observed, her eyes narrowing at the small pile.

I sighed. "You're right. We're having some supply issues."

"Hmph," Lady Churl grunted. "We could water it down a bit. Not too much, mind you. Just a bit to stretch it out."

"I can't do it. That would be dishonest." Lady Churl's heart was in the right place, but I'd never treat my customers like that.

Lady Churl shrugged. "Yeah. Reckon that ain't no way to keep 'em happy. Your reputation and all that."

I sighed. "The baron really wants to run me out of business."

"Say the word, boss. Me and that orc goes in all quiet like."

"Lady Churl," I exclaimed but laughed. It was tempting, but I wasn’t Morthisal.

I got a toothy goblin grin in return.