First Impressions

Chapter 181

Attem kept his ears and eyes down as they made their way to the town hall. Tella hadn’t spared him any sympathy and despite everything he understood he didn’t deserve it. Like the human had said, he should have thought before he acted.

His family had been among the last affected by the chaining so he’d grown up in the forest in a comfortable if small burrow along with his age mates from two other families. He hadn’t had much experience with humans and then his family was on the run like everyones. He’d learned more about their weapons than the people themselves.

“Attem, you’ll be waiting outside,” Ban said sternly as they approached the hall. Attem just nodded, understanding why he wasn’t trusted.

Ban had shown Henry respect, that should have been clue enough to be on his best behavior. As much as the other buck was singing the valley's praises, Attem had seen him kill humans. He’d done his own share alongside him on the road. Ban didn’t trust easily or without reason.

No matter what came later, the intention to be polite to get what they needed should have been clear. Attem shook his head once Ban looked away, displeased with himself. He wasn’t the brightest, he knew that, but he usually didn’t misstep so badly either.

“I’ll make you some spring tea later, you might just need a bit extra,” Jalla offered quietly. Attems ears drooped at that.

“Thank you,” Attem said rather than argue. He hated the way it made him feel, but it was a necessity. The band couldn’t afford more kits than it already had nor bucks half mad with spring fever.

Tella gave him a discreet pat on the arm after that and Attems' ears went completely limp. He’d rather she was still annoyed with him acting a fool than pitying him.

At home the bucks would compete in games to burn off the initial more savage rush of energy that spring brought. After they calmed a bit they’d have gone courting does. He’d seen his father and uncles go about it every season since he was old enough to remember, right until they had to run.

Now bucks drank tea and dealt with feeling like misery for a week to stave it off. A ritual Attem was going to have to undergo for the second time in a month lest his own fever bloom fully.

Attem was shaken from his reminisce by a change in the light. He hadn’t been paying attention and found that the path they were on crossed through a patch of trees. They formed a canopy overhead and seemed to echo with the sound of a thin stream. It was a dark and cool place in contrast to the sun baked path they’d been on earlier.

The town had been like that too, full of greenery rather than stone or dirt. It was nice, probably his favorite thing about the place. He’d never cared for the villages his family had occasionally visited to sell herbs they’d gathered wild.

When they emerged from the short tunnel it was to find a plan of narrow stretch of tall grass before a stretch of stone began and met with the valley’s wall. Attem hardly took in the building before them, too surprised by the presence of four carts full of supplies.

“What's all of this?” Dallen asked, sounding as surprised as Attem felt.

“Hm? Supplies for all of you,” a soft high voice replied. The group all spun around then had to look down. The speaker was a small halfling woman with pumpkin colored eyes. She was well dressed in a cream tunic, puffy green pants, and a patchwork overcoat in bright hues.

“Oh, hello. I’m Ban, I don’t believe we’ve met,” Ban said quickly, getting in front of the group to incline his head to the small woman.

“I don’t make many appearances,” she offered in turn. “I’m Mirabella Fairburn, a librarian.”

“It's an honor to meet you,” Ban replied. Attem almost asked what a librarian was but checked the impulse before it got away from him. He wouldn’t have meant any disrespect, but it likely would have sounded like he did.

“Do come along, the mayor is expecting you,” Mirabella said, then began to stride forward. Attem had wondered how she came up on them without them noticing before. The near silent footfalls explained it. They hadn’t been able to hear her above the sound of the water.

Mirabella led the way and this time Attem actually looked at the building they were approaching. It was tall, with great glass windows starting rather high up, and huge doors. It was at once imposing and modest, not painted in a fancy way like the buildings in town.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Uh… I’ll just wait out here,” Attem offered as they passed by the carts. They weren’t guarded and he didn’t want to imply they needed to be. The mules for them were unhitched and feeding lazily on the grass nearby.

“Look things over,” he added a bit weakly. Ban nodded at him, seeming to appreciate him giving his own excuse. Mirabella paused, looking him over with a knowing hint of a smile.

“You’ll regret missing this and I do believe the mayor would insist on your presence. So come along. You’ll have plenty of time later to take stock of things,” Mirabella countered then resumed walking. Attem looked to Ban who shrugged and gestured for him to join them as they followed the halfling woman into the building.

The impression of modesty faded immediately when they entered the building. Once inside, Attem saw that the glass was far clearer than he’d expected. It had seemed milky from the outside due to the glare. He’d never seen anything quite like it.

“Ban, welcome back,” a somewhat low but carrying voice called out. Attem whipped around to find a woman taller than himself walking out of another set of doors. This one set into the risers that flanked the entryway. A hint of something like a storage room disappeared as she closed them.

The woman looked pale until she stepped properly into the light. It was then that Attem could see that it was as if she was carved from snow with faint shimmers of blue and silver to her rather than simply bloodless. Nothing about her spoke of ill health or frailty, just an otherness he associated with things like elementals.

She even smelled different, like the wind on the edge of a storm. Rich with strangeness and the earth as it was first kissed by water. She strode forward to clasp Ban’s wrist and just how massive she was sunk in properly.

“I’m so glad you're all here!” she said excitedly. “I’m the mayor, Quarante Deux, but please call me Deux if that's easier.”

“These are members of my band Jalla, Tella, Dallen, and Attem. Everyone, this is Mayor Deux,” Ban said, smoothing things over as everyone was caught off guard. Deux had an imposing figure but a casual way of speaking that was a sharp contrast to her position.

“Th-thank you for all the supplies, Mayor Deux,” Jalla offered, the first to collect herself.

“You're most welcome, though I’ll need some guidance with the rest. I’ve gathered the basics for a group your size but beyond that I don’t really know what you need,” Deux said with a nod.

“You intend to give us more?” Dallen asked, clearly shocked.

“Yes, as I agreed to fully supply the band. I do hope you’ll choose to stay, but Ban made it clear that was a decision to be made by the group, not him. You’ll need quite a bit more if you intend to leave after all,” Deux replied, tone still strangely light. She seemed to want them to stay but wasn’t upset by the alternative prospect. Attem didn’t know what to make of her, his grasp of the situation having shifted violently.

In all honesty, Attem had expected to meet a tall woman or possibly one with a bit of mixed ancestry. Ban had described her as giants kin, but his words hadn’t painted that vivid a picture for Attem. Now he could see why Getch and some of the others had suggested she might be an old guardian after talking more with Ban. Those had always been just stories to him, but now he could see why someone might believe them

“Well, forgive an old woman for her fears, but why be so generous to us? We’ve already brought you trouble once,” Jalla asked. Attem looked over at her, confused why she was the one starting trouble now. No matter the reason the goal was to get the supplies. Questioning the woman's generosity wouldn’t help with that.

“Trouble?” Duex asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“The seekers,” Jalla said. Duex blinked heavily for a moment then nodded, though she didn’t speak. She looked like she was a little confused as she mulled the idea over.

“It troubles you that I’d welcome your group knowing there might be future attacks,” she mused, seemingly to herself.

“Yes,” Jalla said simply.

“Ehm well… To put it bluntly, that's an asset in my mind. This place isn’t quite what you think,” Duex began. She held up a hand and the stone of the floor rose up, the surface shifting to form what Attem realized was a tiny version of the valley rendered in stone. It even included the maze they’d passed through.

“I can manipulate things here to an extent. If you’ll watch,” Duex said, gesturing. The maze overtook the rest of the map, rendered in greater detail now. A clear path wound through the heart of it, but then a moment later it shifted. That path was blocked and all others led to winding deadends.

“This is how the seekers were dealt with,” Deux explained.

“So they died in the maze?” Ban asked.

“Oh, yes, though not of natural causes. The dungeon has a main entrance that's heavily ensorcelled to prevent anything escaping. That isn’t it's only point of contact with the surface however. By shifting the maze, I allowed the dungeon monsters to hunt the seekers that night,” Deux said matter of factly.

“Why?” Attem asked, feeling like he was going to vomit.

“A group that size pacifies the dungeon for a while, making it safer to explore from the main entrance,” Deux explained.

“And you're fine with that, feeding people to a horror like that?” Attem demanded.

“A swift end is something of a mercy in its own right, though I don’t imagine the seekers deserved any. Killing is killing, and the dungeon creatures do it very efficiently,” Deux replied. Attem was stunned as he found he couldn’t disagree despite being horrified.

“Furthermore, I’m a very simple person. I mean what I say and I often don’t care about the same things others might. Who someone is, where they are from, what they are, that doesn’t matter. Someone who comes in peace will be treated well, those with ill intent will be dealt with,” Deux said.

“So I’d like for you all to stay here, become citizens, but I’ll understand if you're not interested,” Deux added, bowing her head for the first time.

“I’ll be staying,” Jalla said bluntly, bowing stiffly.

“What?” Ban asked, in shock. His words echoing everyone else's astonishment.

“What? She likes feeding seekers to monsters. If that's her worst, then she’s better than half the nobles my family ever suffered under,” Jalla said with a flash of teeth. The brewing argument was interrupted by a peel of laughter as loud as thunder that ended with a snuffling snort noise.

“You I like,” Deux said once her laughter subsided. Her grin revealed too sharp teeth as she patted Jalla on the shoulder in a friendly way. Attem opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. He really couldn’t disagree and going by everyone else's troubled expressions, neither could they.