As Gideon wiped off the oil can with the rag and placed it on the desk in Clonk’s room, Clonk stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders. It was a surprisingly human gesture for a suit of plate mail. Unlike before, there was no longer any squeaking when he moved.

“You have my gratitude, lad,” Clonk said. “Today was a long day. I walked, I ran, I stabbed. Now I can return to my relaxing vacation.”

“You’re welcome,” Gideon replied. Grimsby had brought dinner earlier, and Gideon had taken a break to eat. His sense of smell had not deceived him—the food, especially the pancakes, had been delicious. He’d thought he’d detected a hint of cinnamon in them. With a full stomach, Gideon was ready to read in bed, then get a full night’s sleep.

Clonk’s room in the castle was furnished differently from the others Gideon had seen, in that it had no bed, only a large armchair with a footrest, a telescope pointed at the window, a desk and chair, and a small bookshelf. The bookshelf contained only fiction, with titles such as Beyond Honor: The Bawdy Chronicles of Sir Reynald, Swordplay and Silk, and The Kiss of a Maiden. After seeing those, Gideon had averted his eyes from the rest.

With a yawn, Gideon looked at Clonk and waved. “I guess I’d better head off to bed. Have a good night.”

“Rest well, Gideon,” Clonk said, dropping himself into the armchair and kicking his boots on the footrest.

As Gideon moved towards the door, it swung open suddenly, and Kelvan’s mirror glided in. “Wait a moment, Nephew,” Kelvan said. “I think it’s time for a quick meeting regarding the spider problem.”

Clonk, who had just opened a book featuring a swooning woman in a fancy dress on the back cover, let out an audible sigh. “My vacation is over, isn’t it?”

“Not over!” Kelvan said hastily. “Only indefinitely postponed. I’m afraid this is an all-hands-on-deck situation, Sir Clonk.”

“If only I’d been more careful about smashing all the eggs,” he said regretfully.

“Don’t beat yourself up, mini—” Kelvan said before catching himself. “Wait, you don’t mind that word, do you?”

“I feel like it’s pretty accurate at the moment,” Clonk said. “So, no, not really.”

“Ah yes, well, don’t beat yourself up, minion. Gideon, could you pat Clonk on the shoulder reassuringly? I think he’s feeling a bit down and out.”

“Uh,” Gideon said, taking a hesitant step forward before Clonk waved him away.

“I can pat my own shoulder if needed, but thank you.”

“Ah, very good,” Kelvan said, stroking his beard. “Well, just think of it this way—even if you had smashed every single egg, it wouldn’t have mattered. There’s no way this many spiders are from only one egg cluster. We obviously have a bigger problem.”

“We do?” Gideon asked.

“Yes,” Kelvan said, casting his eyes back and forth between Clonk and Gideon. “This is why I need you, Clonk. My hapless nephew can hardly kill the broodmother all by himself!”

Who are you calling hapless? Gideon shook his head and sighed. “So, if all those spiders we saw were just the babies, how big will this broodmother be?”

“Who knows?” Kelvan said. “Somewhere between the size of a horse and a dragon. She must have been growing down there for a long time.”

“I hate to mention this,” Gideon said, “but I’m still only level five, remember? A dragon-sized or even horse-sized spider seems a little beyond my current abilities.”

“How could I forget?” Kelvan said, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Don’t worry, Nephew. I hadn’t intended to get started so quickly, but considering our circumstances, I think it’s time for a little power leveling.”

----------------------------------------

With the promise of an intensive training regimen the following day, Gideon walked down the hall toward his bedroom. Before retiring for the night, he stopped by the room where Berenyn and Shylvena were resting. He knocked tentatively at the door, and a moment later, Ondine’s voice said, “Come in.”

Berenyn was lying in bed, propped on a stack of lumpy pillows. Though he looked weak, his eyes fluttered open as Gideon entered, and he gave a small smile. When Gideon had delivered the food earlier, he’d still been unconscious.

Shylvena, his sister, was sitting in a chair next to him, her eyes still full of worry. On the bedside table, both their serving trays were now empty, cleaned entirely of food. It seemed Gideon wasn’t the only one who enjoyed Grimsby’s cooking.

The waxing crescent moon could be seen through the window amidst a sea of endless stars. It was a beautiful, cloudless night.

“Let me clean those up for you,” Gideon said, with a nod towards Ondine, as he went to grab the trays.

“Wait, please, Gideon,” Berenyn said in a hoarse whisper.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Gideon stopped and looked at the elf in surprise. Unlike his sister, he spoke Gleurican Common.

“I owe you,” Berenyn said. “For saving both my life and Shylvena’s. Thank you.”

Gideon felt his face grow red. He wasn’t used to saving people, let alone being thanked for it. “You’re welcome,” he said.

Berenyn shook his head. “So modest. I felt your spell move through the earth. There was a great finesse to it.” He stopped momentarily and coughed, and a pained look crossed his face. He shifted his body, and the sheet fell slightly, revealing his heavily bandaged torso before he covered himself again. “Ondine said if I’d been bitten even once more, the venom would have spread too quickly for a full recovery. I would be crippled or dead.”

Gideon looked between Berenyn, Shylvena, and Ondine. “I’m glad we made it in time.”

Berenyn nodded. Shylvena said something to him in Elvish, and they had a quick back and forth which Gideon couldn’t begin to decipher. Ondine raised an eyebrow, however, from where she was floating at the foot of the bed.

“My sister says we are in your debt,” Berenyn said. “She says… She did not expect such bravery from a human.” He smiled weakly. “Please forgive her. I told her not to say this, but she insisted.”

Gideon chuckled and nodded to Shylvena. “No, I understand. Well, I’m honored to be of assistance. Truly.” The truth was that Gideon felt good to have helped them. Knowing that his magic had made a difference, that it had mattered at a crucial moment, filled him with a sense of pride. He hadn’t felt that way in years, possibly ever. Certainly not when working for EnviroCharm.

“Which leaves only the matter of our debt to you,” Berenyn said.

Gideon raised his hands. “I mean, I didn’t do it for—”

“Of course not,” Berenyn said. “There was no way for you to know we are descended from the High Conclave of Lorindel when you saved us. But that makes your actions ever more worthy of reward. My honor as a Brightened One demands I pay you tribute.” He motioned to his sister and said something in Elvish.

After a moment of hesitation, Shylvena took a small leather purse from the pocket of her robes and held it out toward Gideon.

“I, uhh…” Gideon stammered.

“Please, I do insist.”

“It will disgrace Berenyn and Shylvena to refuse their gift,” Ondine said gently. “Do not be shy to accept it.”

“Thank you,” Gideon said, taking the surprisingly heavy purse.

“Hopefully, you consider that our debt to you is now paid,” Berenyn said.

“I do. And then some.”

Berenyn smiled. “It pleases me, then. I should clarify. That purse is entirely for you.” He nodded towards Ondine. “After discussing with Lady Ondine, we paid Lord Kelvan a separate sum for our room and board, as well as the inconvenience we have caused.”

Funny how he didn’t mention that earlier, Gideon thought. Though it was notable that Uncle Kelvan had stopped complaining about their guests, failing even to mention them during the earlier discussion. “Well, thank you again,” Gideon said. “I should let you rest, Berenyn.”

Gideon put the purse in his pocket, then moved to grab the trays from the bedside table again. Shylvena said something to Berenyn, who replied dismissively while shaking his head.

Gideon stood awkwardly, unsure what to do as the exchange continued, gradually getting more heated until Berenyn slashed his hand through the air, and the room grew silent.

“Uh, is everything all right?” Gideon asked.

Berenyn smiled. “Please forgive us. My sister and I had a disagreement. It is not your concern.”

“I don’t think he’d mind, actually,” Ondine said. “You need to return to Prospera soon anyway, don’t you, Gideon?”

Berenyn scowled, but Shylvena looked towards Ondine and then at Gideon with a hopeful expression.

“I do,” Gideon said. “Before the end of the month. Is there something I could help with?” He needed to move out before he was on the hook for another month of rent. On top of that, he had another loan payment coming due. Thankfully, with the heavy purse in his pocket, he could keep them off his back for a while longer. Berenyn didn’t know this, but he had saved Gideon from some very awkward conversations or from having to flee from his debt collectors.

Berenyn shook his head. “Thank you, but we’ve already troubled you more than enough.”

Shylvena looked to Ondine and began to talk to her directly. Then she turned to Gideon and made that familiar hand sign—peace.

“Shylvena was wondering if you could help them get to Prospera,” Ondine said. “They wish to travel to the elvish enclave there.”

“Of course,” Gideon replied. “I’d be happy to. There’s a train that goes from Emberly to Prospera once a week. If you’d like to come with me, it won't be any trouble.” If anything, taking Berenyn and Shylvena along with him would make Gideon feel better about the sum they’d paid him.

Berenyn, accepting defeat, bowed his head forward. “You are a very gracious individual, Gideon Moody. You have our thanks. I will have to consider how our next debt to you will be paid.”

“There’ll be no further debt,” Gideon said. He paused to think, then added, “Would you consider it worthy of debt for friends to travel together?”

“I…” Berenyn said, raising an eyebrow. “I would not.”

“Let’s be friends, then,” Gideon said, placing his hands together.

Shylvena’s emerald eyes beamed with gratitude, and she bowed her head forward. Berenyn nodded. “You are a kind soul.”

“Don’t mention it. Well, I’d better get to sleep,” Gideon said, grabbing the trays and excusing himself from the room. “Sorry to go, but I have a big day tomorrow.”

After washing the dishes in the now slime-free kitchen sink, Gideon was heading to bed when he felt Ondine suddenly gliding along beside him.

“Gideon,” she said. “I heard from Lord Kelvan about your idea.”

“Oh?”

“There’s something you should know. About who used to run the inn, back when this place was called Castle Moonstone.”

Gideon stopped and looked at her. The ghostly woman appeared pensive, hovering slightly above the floor with a sad expression. A thought flashed through his mind. In hindsight, it seemed obvious. “It was Lady Harmony, wasn’t it?” he asked.

Ondine nodded. “Yes. She was my dear friend, you know. The inn was her idea. She thought it would make this castle a little less lonely.”

“What happened to her? Lord Kelvan said something about her putting all her points in Fortitude.”

Ondine shook her head. “That’s not my story to tell, Gideon. But I’ll say this—if you want us to open our doors again, I’m with you.” She paused, considering. “We’ve remained stagnant for too long. You’ve only been here a few days, and you’ve already started to shake us from our stupor. I appreciate that more than you know.” She smiled. “But we’ll need a new name, won’t we? This isn’t Castle Moonstone anymore.”

“No, probably not,” Gideon said. “I’ll try to think of something.”

“Well, I’ve kept you long enough. Good night, Gideon,” she said, then floated up through the ceiling. This time, it didn't perturb him in the slightest.

Gideon smiled as he walked back to his bedroom. As he thought about it, he realized the feeling was mutual—being here had also shaken him from his own stupor. Strangely, he had started to feel alive again by living among the dead.

----------------------------------------

Copyright © 2023 Tater Prince. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a review.

This novel is only posted here on Royal Road. If you see it anywhere else, please let me know! Thank you.