I lay half-dead on Liam’s shoulder, weakly penetrating my claws through his soggy shirt, to stop myself from slipping off as he walked. Liam did his best to move with precise movements, although, he did slip several times from the rotten fruit that covered him all over, his feet included. The mood was somber, and we paid little attention to what was around us. Several times our stomachs grumbled, and as enticing as the smell of food from nearby bakeries and taverns was, we had no money.

To make matters worse, I had no idea what Liam was doing. His logic defied belief, and not for wanting, I just couldn’t pull myself to make fun of him. He held the map upside down. The map the guard had given us was simple to read, or so I had thought. Not for Liam, though. Liam had still read it wrong. The map showed a circle, with a gap in it to indicate the entrance, a line through the middle for the long business district that dissected the town, and then an X at the other end to indicate the location of Whiskers Inn.

How hard could it be? It's tough if you’re a Liam. When I first noticed the upside-down map, I carefully pushed past the slop that still lay between me and his neck and weakly slapped him. His response was a simple grunt, so I slapped him again. He must have understood, as he turned the map around in the correct direction.

I guess he was clearly at his limits too.

Following several unnecessary wrong turns, odd stares, and whispers from passersby, we finally arrived at Whiskers Inn. The not-so-grand, ramshackle, storm-beaten inn would be our home for the next few days. Compared to the other buildings we had passed, I could see why it was at the far end of the town. It was intended to be far away from the nice, well-kept buildings that seemed welcoming and open to all business.

Not this place. This was the type of place you’d find a dead body or two in the basement, blood splatter on the floor, and, if you were really unlucky, a hair in your soup.

There was an air of danger about the place, but that didn’t bother me too much. Liam and I had powers. We could take on anyone—or so I hoped. The building loomed over us, looking larger than it was. I took a big gulp and hoped for the best.

Liam proceeded to walk through the doors and into what appeared to be a bar with an eating area. Several groups of patrons lay dotted across tables on either side of us, glaring with curiosity. Our entrance was unusual because the low chatter of conversation we had heard from outside ground to a halt.

The menacing faces staring at us looked us over. I couldn’t tell if it was the rotten fruit that had drawn their attention or ourselves- the newcomers. Their eyes had questions; their mouths, however, stayed shut.

The silence was deafening. It didn’t last long, though; the brutes quickly grew bored.

And so, we just walked on in as everyone got back to eating and talking. Occasional pieces of fruit pulp and skin fell to the floor as we headed further.

We stopped at the rectangular bar in the center of the room. Liam could have pulled a stool to sit on but decided against creating a further mess for the owner.

A woman quickly rushed out from behind a door on the other side of the counter and approached us, cleaning her hands with a rag as she did so. Her hair blew slowly across her face in slow motion—not for me, but obviously for Liam, as he lost the ability to talk.

She eyed us up and down suspiciously and then looked at the trail of rotten fruit we had left behind. Not too fussed by the mess, she nonchalantly continued.

‘’What can I do you for?’’ asked the young buxom woman. I say buxom because Liam’s gaze had quickly shifted, and his eyes were fully open. The fatigue had magically vanished. It was intriguing to see the effect of an attractive woman on Liam. I decided to make a mental note of this. It could be useful; I smirked to myself.

‘’Uh, uh, I mm…’’ The fool kept tripping on his tongue. So, I decided to take over the conversation. I pushed myself to my feet and quickly wiped off some of the muck to look more presentable.

‘’Liam, can you please stop staring for one minute?’’ I said while kicking a piece of tomato towards Liam’s forehead. Not that he noticed, of course. He was too transfixed on the woman before us. Never mind a piece of tomato stuck to your forehead. Great way to make a first impression.

Liam, still frozen from the curse of being lovestruck, failed to notice the tomato sliding down his face until it hit his chin and splattered onto the floor.

The woman’s eyes narrowed in disapproval as she brushed her hair over her ear and put the rag down.

This finally got a reaction from the oaf.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Liam squirmed slightly, and I felt the heat from his body rise as he turned to glare at me, his face now streaked with tomato and probably a bit of embarrassment. He wiped off the piece of red juice, and I noticed him mutter under his breath.

I leaned in and whispered, “You know, if you’re going to stare, at least try not to look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Liam gave me an exaggerated shrug and attempted to speak again, most likely an apology. And again, the words failed to come out.

The woman smiled at him. She clearly had experience with toying with men, because I felt Liam shift awkwardly as his cheeks grew red.

I’d be lying if I said my tail wasn’t wagging too, so I quickly grabbed it and held it tightly in place. This added to my confusion. Did I like mice, or did I like women? That was a philosophical question for another time. Maybe when I felt more rested.

‘’Sorry, ma’am. My friend has worked on a farm all his life. He does not know how to correctly engage with people, let alone ones of the opposite gender. He has only ever spoken to farm animals. His actions are the reason for this mess you see before you, which I am deeply apologetic for.’’

Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could feel his anger. He intentionally pulled on his shirt collar, causing me to almost lose my balance and fall off his shoulder.

Liam stumbled as he tugged again at his shirt in annoyance, tripping over his own feet and almost knocking into the bar. “Whoa there, Liam!” I barely managed to avoid being thrown into the nearby patrons.

''Sorry,'' Liam finally managed to mumble before returning to being mute.

‘’I should hope so… now what can I do you for?’’ she asked again in a slightly irritated tone. Not so keen on conversation, I guessed, after I had regained my composure. Unusual for a barkeep, but given the location and clientele—several of whom wore eyepatches—I could see why.

‘’We were instructed to come here on the entrance guard’s recommendation.’’

‘’Liam, the paper,’’ I called. No response. Looking over his face, I noticed that he was still staring like a buffoon. Fortunately, the woman had either not noticed or was used to it. I elbowed him to get his attention.

That did the trick.

‘’The letter…’’

‘’Oh right.’’ He nodded and fished it out and handed it to the woman.

She sighed as she grabbed the letter. Her behavior seemed to be at odds with her job. Almost as if she wasn’t used to dealing with customers.

She took a moment to read the note on the back of the map. It was a strange language that Liam and I had failed to decipher, but she had no trouble. The language was something we needed to learn or maybe acquire a skill for.

While reading, she occasionally glanced at us. She raised an eyebrow and then suddenly smiled. Putting the letter on the counter, her mood did a complete 180. It was almost like something had clicked into place for her. She went from being uncomfortable about our presence to now being fully accommodating.

‘’Ahhhh, I see. Well, welcome to the Whiskers Inn. I’m Mary,’’ she smiled widely. Her eyes, however, failed to maintain the warmth her smile presented.

I looked over at Liam, and he hadn’t noticed. He was like a lovesick puppy, panting.

‘’Well, if Briar is ok with you, then so am I. I take it you’ll be needing a room, a hot bath, and something to eat.’’ The change in her mood was startling. A beautiful smile spread across her face and her eyes now twinkled too. She ignored Liam, whose ogling went without reprimand. How Liam managed to get a girlfriend on Earth and even avoid prison was beyond me. I didn’t know much about him—well, no more than Steph being his first girlfriend—but still, his behavior was a little embarrassing.

‘’I think you should have a bath first, given the mess.’’ She said, looking us up and down again. She placed two towels down in front of us from beneath the bar. She then handed us a key with a large tag that read Room 313. That was strange, surely this small inn didn’t have more than 300 rooms, did it?

‘’You’ll find a bathtub in the room, a large bucket of water, and a fire starter above the fireplace. Come back if you need help. Dinner will be ready in an hour,’’ she pointed at the stairs on our left.

On Earth, I had never been an inn kind of person, but I had enough experience with people, and for that matter, women, to know that Mary was up to something. If only we could have read what was in the letter.

It also didn’t help that I could’ve sworn that she had given a nod to someone behind us. I tried to discreetly turn around to get a better look, but all I saw was the other patrons laughing, eating, and in deep discussion. There was one, however, that stood out. A tall man who sat loosely at the edge of a raucous group, trying his best to fit in. He sat loosely at the edge of a table like he was uncomfortable and not sure of how to engage in conversation with the rest. He had a strong build and a scar running down one eye. He must’ve noticed me staring because he looked over and gave me an awkward grin. I decided to reciprocate his friendly gesture and blew him a kiss. That caught him off guard and left him a little befuddled as he almost fell off his stool.

Turning back I was now certain that something was wrong here. I felt it in my small bones. I just couldn’t figure out what.

I stayed calm and didn’t immediately raise Liam’s attention. The last thing we’d want is to be trapped in the center, surrounded.

I stood and did a quick scan of the room.

None of the patrons had mice on their shoulders. No masters to their familiars.

I looked at Mary in shock. She smiled back at me knowingly. It couldn’t be, could it?

I ran the evidence through my head once more to be sure. I was now certain. But I couldn’t give myself away too soon. Mary couldn’t have known that I was on to her, could she?

Liam thanked her, or at least tried—muttering whatever drivel he was able to muster. The fool had no idea of the danger we were in, and how could he? His primary brain had ceased all function.

Trying to look as calm as I could, I thanked her too.

We headed for the stairs. I took careful note of two windows, the door beyond the counter, the entrance, and the door wedged between the counter and window on the right wall. That door may have been a storage area, I assumed.

‘’Thank God.’’

Liam didn’t notice, but I did and quickly looked back to see the lady glaring at us with a foul expression. It was only momentary, but I caught it before it quickly transformed into a smile when she noticed me.

We had inadvertently fallen into a trap.

I had to warn Liam.