Page 13 of The Tricksters Deception

“At least two horses if we can get this done before sunset.” I was surprised that a day of work would pay back so much. “The old man said he’d give us the third horse. He’s a noble and doesn’t really care about spending too much at the moment.”

Gecko nudges me, “I think it’s because he’s nearly dead.” I hush him but I can’t help but smile.

“You’re probably not wrong. But our first collection is grounds from this seatery. He already placed an order a few weeks ago.” I had no idea what grounds or a seatery was.

“I’ll go.”

“Great, go straight to the man when you collect them. It’s four bags, you might need to make two trips.” Gecko nods and walks between the tables and the bustle inside the establishment. He was far more confident than I was. “And we will go on to the other collection item and pick up some food on the way.” Sounded like a great plan to me. I hadn’t eaten since last night and the sun was up well into the day.

Corvu guided me through the city like he’d been there a thousand times. He knew all the shortcuts and people were generally quite friendly toward him, even offering to give him fruit and nuts for free because of a favour or two he once did for them. Unlike Gecko and Luca’s family, no one seemed frightened or worried about what he was. Not that I really knew myself. He’d clearly been to this town a few times before but again, I felt like asking would just be prying.

After eating what looks like an orange but tastes like an octopus, we proceed to a stable kept by a woman with fine black hair and a big hunch. After giving us two large bags of… honestly, I’m going to say it's horse shit, we continue back toward Santa’s house. Dusk is quickly approaching, but Corvu doesn’t seem particularly worried about not making it back on time. He is a lot faster than I am, even with the bag he is carrying. Somehow, weight just doesn’t seem to impact him. The way he knocked around those pig-nosed Daemonaria is really impressive. In my case, carrying the backpack Gecko insisted I wear and additionally the bag of dung, my speed is a lot closer to a crawling pace rather than a walking one. Corvu notices I am trailing behind and stops now and then to let me catch up. He clearly knows I’d get lost without his guidance, but he could at least help me carry it if he doesn’t think it’s so heavy.

Some time later, we reach the old man's house, Gecko is sitting on the front steps with him chatting away when they notice us.

“Well done, you two.” He chuckles deeply, sort of clapping his unusual hands as we drop the sacks of manure near his feet. “Lovely. This will add great flavor to the stew.” I think I’m going to throw up. As a reaction, I rather indelicately put my hand to my mouth to resist the urge to gag. Corvu chuckles, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. “Here.” The man tosses a small bag toward me, which jingles as I catch it. “There’s thirty in there for you. I have three horses I won’t be riding, you can have them. Consider it a gift.” It’s possible I’ve lived in New York too long, but I love the way some people are around here, kind and generous. Although thinking back to the Shorg that almost flattened me, I suppose I can’t consider everyone here to be that kind. “If you want, you can stay upstairs for the night. I’m cooking a stew for dinner!”

“Ah,” Corvu responds, “, as kind as that offer is, we can’t impose on you any further. Besides, we do have a bed for the night. But thank you.” Gecko hops up from sitting beside the man and grabs my hand. Sometimes it doesn’t occur to me how young he really is.

Bidding the man goodnight we head off further East of the city.

Chapter eight

“So, where are we staying?” Gecko asks.

“I have no idea.” Corvu responds, readjusting his holster as we walk. Our silence makes him realize why we were confused. “Well you can go back and ask for a place to sleep if you want, but I can’t stomach the stew or the smell for long.” He had a fair point. I can feel my skin turn green as I think about it.

“I don’t think I can stomach it at all." I comment, looking ahead as the sun begins to set behind the buildings and houses in the distance. “So where do we go?”

“Let's eat something first, most taverns know of places to stay that has a bed instead of dirt.” Staying somewhere with a bed was music to my ears. I didn’t think I could ever miss the springy broken mattress I used on the floor of my apartment, but these last few days have proven that trash can actually be a treasure.

Before I knew it, we were already out in front of a three-story building. This one however had a slightly red tinge in its bricks and each window was yellow stained with black frames. It kind of freaks me out. Diligently following Corvu inside, we're greeted by a woman with fair blue skin, but who otherwise looked completely human.

“Hello there. How can I assist you?” There’s a bustle of people inside as I realize this Inn was also a place where people ate their dinner and drank their fill. There was even a troll on a nearby table passed out with a few large jugs around him.

“Do you have any room?” Corvu questions. I’m so glad he’s here. At this stage, I’d be completely lost without him, especially since he was willing to go with me all the way to the other side of the country, which would have been an impossible ask of the family from earlier.

“Hm, I'll have to check in and see, we've had quite a few last minute stays. Have a seat, grab some dinner – I'll find out as soon as I can.” She nods and wanders off into the crowd. The Inn was full of life, it was clearly a place for all sorts since there were not only the ruffian kinds but families as well. We sit on a square lopsided table, at least this time there were stools available. As we sat, I could really start to smell myself. It had been a while since taking a decent shower, and lakes don’t provide a lot of cleanliness. Corvu doesn’t pay it much attention. I suppose it wasn’t abnormal in this world to smell like a dumpster. Gecko plays with the splinters sticking up from the table, pulling them out one at a time while we sit quietly. A few moments later the blue woman comes back with a pitcher. “Water for the table. Can I get you anything else?” She questions, her white apron is tarnished from overuse and she seems particularly wary of Corvu, standing closer to Gecko and myself.

“Do you have cake?” Gecko asks without a moment of hesitation.

The lady laughs, “We do. I’ll get you some. For yourself or the table?”

“The table.” Corvu responds. She nods and disappears into the crowd. I look at Corvu, who is just staring into space, completely stoic. What was he thinking about? Without movement in his body, his eyes dash to me and I startle. “What?” He asks, looking back away toward where the maid had disappeared.

“I was just wondering,” I begin, not really sure if there was an appropriate way to ask the question or if I should just come out and say it, “, why are some people so weird around you and others aren’t?” The question seems to take him by surprise as his ears lift slightly and pull back. I didn’t even know he could do that.

Then he smiles warmly, “The ones that know me personally know I’m not a threat to them.” I ponder that response for a moment. “I used to live in this town, but I haven’t been here in some time. There’s a lot of new faces that wouldn’t know me.” He only somewhat answered my question but part of me wondered if that was on purpose or not. He sees me bite my lip and lets out a sigh, “And the ones that don’t know me just recognize me as a Trickster. Nothing more than that.”

“You know I don’t know what that is.”

His eyebrows raise. “Oh, I thought you would have people in your human world you call Tricksters.”

“Unless you’re talking about Loki, then no.”

“What’s a Loki?” Gecko interrupts.

“Uh, a non...person, don’t worry about it.”

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