The streets bustled and seemed to drag the three of them in. Phoebe found herself holding onto the scruff of Ghost’s neck in one hand, and Gruna’s bonds in the other. Keeping them together as they made the way into the city.

Everywhere were strange scents that weren’t even vaguely familiar. Sellers crying out about fresh silphium, oak, ash, and cinnamon. She didn’t know about the last, but it didn’t smell like the one she knew. It was sweeter, but at the same time, almost spicy. She couldn’t quite describe it.

“Fresh condibé!” One of the stallholders said, proffering a jar with some kind of black paste in it, “So fresh you can still smell the beer!”

Gruna bit towards them, and Phoebe only yanked them back at the last second. The seller glared at her, “Restraint marks are over on second.”

“Thanks?” Phoebe said guiltily. Ghost just snarled.

Instead of heading over to second street, Phoebe stopped at the very first hotel-like business she spotted. She headed up to the receptionist, who was something red-skinned and with horns. It was difficult for Phoebe not to feel a little prejudiced towards someone who basically looked like a demon.

The other woman listened patiently as Phoebe stammered out what happened to Gruna, and begged for a place to stay. Offering the coin. The red-skin sighed, and scratched her horn, “Whilst the victims of Viviane are wide and common, I am afraid we just cannot allow a zombie to stay in our establishment. The dead do not belong in such an upmarket place as this.”

“Do you know anywhere that… Might? Somewhere down market, even. I’ve never been to the city.”

“Clearly.” The woman sniffed, and then sighed, “Truth be told… No. I don’t. I know you love her, clearly. However… The dead belong in the ground. Let her go. She’s gone. Temple will put her down gently. She’s an orc, so Go’ruuk’s is about two blocks that way.”

“She’s not gone. Not yet.”

“But you need to be. My bosses will dock my pay if I don’t get the dead back out the front door, where it won’t stop customers from coming in.” The woman motioned her hand.

Before Phoebe could try and argue, or ask for pity, the carpet of the room lifted up. Rolling backwards as it carried Phoebe, Gruna, and Ghost out the front door. As her feet landed on the wood of the porch, before it flipped upright and dumped them onto the dusty road.

Phoebe hissed and rubbed at one of her elbows, that had struck the cobblestone. She glared up at the hotel, and then took her two companions on to try the next. If she had to try every single one in the city, she absolutely would. She was not going to abandon Gruna. She wouldn’t let Viviane win this fight.

Ghost did prevent her getting into a few places, at first. She did ask the wolf to wait by the door, all politely. Right up until the first doorman tried to push him around whilst she was gone. Right up until the first doorman lost a hand.

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The word of the woman with the psychotic magic wolf rapidly spread throughout the city. Ghost became a prince, that everyone scattered before. He seemed quite pleased with himself.

Gruna let out the groans that Phoebe was feeling.

Most hotels weren’t interested in a woman with a magic wolf, let alone one who also had a zombie. The hotels became hostels, and even those turned her aside.

Soon she found herself asking to crash at the stables, most of who freaked out at the sight of a zombie. Informing her loudly that such a monster would terrify the animals.

It wasn’t just the owners, either. Everywhere she went Phoebe could feel eyes on her. The guests and workers all staring at her. Whispering about her insanity for accompanying such a monster.

She wasn’t a monster. Gruna wasn’t a monster.

The sun was below the horizon, the shadows painting the streets, when Phoebe finally gave in to despair. She was overwhelmed and barely understood enough to walk around the city, let alone trying to find somewhere to stay. This world wasn’t hers.

She sat down on the edge of the road, and cried.

Gruna shuffled nearby, attempting to bend over for a moment, before simply falling over and crashing prostrate in front of Phoebe. The zombie rolling over and attempting to gnaw affectionately on her ankle.

“C-cut it out.” Phoebe sniffled, shaking off her friend. Her love. A woman now long gone. Long dead.

Maybe it would be better if she gave up. Maybe it was best if she found someone to put them down. How much of Gruna was really left inside? Was she trapped there? Soul bound in place as the flesh rotted away.

Gruna’s tusks pierced her ankle, and Phoebe shrieked in pain. As she did, the blue flaming dress around her flared and burst with light. The dead orc was knocked flying across to the other side of the road, and the place where Pheobe was sitting was scorched black.

Ghost leaned his head over and his back leg scratched wildly at an ear.

Phoebe sniffled and wiped at her boiling tears. “I… I don’t mean to hurt you… But… What am I supposed to do? Gruna? What would you have done…? Holy knight. You’d kill you, wouldn’t you? I… I can’t do it. I can’t.”

“Uh… Miss?”

She looked up, wiping her eyes and sniffing loudly, “Yes?”

The man standing there nervously wrung his hands on an apron, and he waved to a nearby building, “Are you possibly looking for a room?”

She stared for a moment, and then nodded, “You run a hotel?”

“Hostel. Yes.” He swallowed, “I’m not going to lie. It isn’t fantastic. However, with the bank being broken into by a fireball throwing witch… My guests would be reassured by your presence.”

She pointed over at Gruna, “And her?”

“Uh… Keep her to the room, and it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Phoebe sniffled again and stood up, patting Ghost on the head, “You’re sure?”

“Not at all. But Fascilisces getting drunk and tossing fireballs is far more terrifying than a member of the undead.” He smiled nervously.

“Fasci…?”

The man shrugged, “An adventurer, of sorts. You’ll see the wanted posters lying around. Half Fae, half human. Possessed by the soul of a dead dragon. She is… Unusual.”

Phoebe shook her head, “Yup. I don’t wanna know. You have a bed?”

The kindness of the innkeeper wasn’t lost on her. Phoebe felt a huge weight lifted from her as she settled the other two into the modest room he provided.

Ghost immediately took the bed, and broke it, but settled down into the collapsed thing all the same. Snuffling his face below the blanket and letting out a satisfied snort.

Phoebe lay Gruna down on the floor, tied up her wrists again, and bound a small scrap of cloth over her face, before lying down beside the woman herself.

She cupped the cheek, and stared into those unseeing eyes, before bursting into tears again. The only solace she found, was that they weren’t alone. They were still all together.

The bond she shared with Gruna transcended life and death.