Page 16 of Shelf-Made Man
“I think he might have eventually. He’s not… not evil.” Alfie’s voice was pained. “But he fell under Snjokarl’s influence.”
Tobias definitely wanted to hear more about this, but towns were few and far between in this area and they were approaching one large enough to advertise lodging. “I’m going to stop in a sec. Tell me the rest over dinner?”
“Yes, good. I need to think about how to explain this fairly.”
The next exit led them through the trees. “Reminds me of home,” Alfie said wistfully.
They drove down a slope, past a few blocks of houses followed by a few blocks of businesses. Beyond that was a motor court inn: about a half-dozen small cabins with a parking lot on one side and a river on the other. The neon sign glowedVacancy, which was a relief.
Alfie seemed content to remain in the car while Tobias ducked into the office, where a sleepy-looking older man swiped Tobias’s credit card and handed over a key to Cabin C. With Tobias steadying him, Alfie made it into the cabin and collapsed heavily onto a chair that looked too spindly to hold Tobias’s bulk.
“Quaint,” Tobias commented. The décor was… vintage, to put it kindly, with a cabin-in-the-woods theme to the furniture, bedding, and artwork. Definitely not luxe, but it was clean and there were no lurking trolls, which was good enough for now. There was also only one bed, but it was a king and therefore plenty big enough to share.
“Do you want me to bring us some food?”
Alfie shook his head. “Give me a few moments and then I should like to accompany you, if it isn’t far.”
Although Tobias was a bit doubtful about Alfie moving around too much, he didn’t argue. “There’s a place just down the road. Do you want me to check your wounds first?”
“No. I’m fine.” Alfie smiled.
They took turns freshening up in the bathroom andthen, before they ventured outside, Tobias handed Alfie a knitted beanie he’d brought along. “You, uh, might want to cover your….” Not sure whether he was being insensitive, he touched the top of one of his own ears—rounded instead of pointed.
Luckily, Alfie didn’t seem at all offended. In fact, he stroked the colorful wool. “It’s a beautiful hat.” He placed it carefully on his head.
Tobias felt his cheeks heat. “Thanks. I made it.” He’d learned to knit during the pandemic because the idea of turning a long string into something useful had seemed a little like magic, and because it seemed a logical accompaniment to sewing. One of his few social activities was a Wednesday evening group stitch at a nearby yarn store. None of the other attendees seemed taken aback by his size, and he didn’t feel awkward conversing about patterns and colorways and fibers. The event was on hiatus for the holidays, however, and now he wondered if he’d ever get to return.
Alfie, who—predictably—looked handsome in the hat, was beaming at him. “You have so many talents.” And he didn’t seem to intend any sarcasm.
When they stepped outside, Tobias was even more grateful he’d brought the hat. It was cold, and a few stray snowflakes danced through the light of the streetlamps. Although Tobias was fairly impervious to frigid temperatures, the last thing he wanted was Alfie getting a chill.
They walked slowly, Alfie leaningheavily on Tobias’s arm but not complaining. “This place reminds me a bit of home,” he said wistfully.
“You have mountains?”
“Mine is the Kingdom of the Five Sisters, each of which is a snowy peak. According to legend, they were once women—not blood sisters, but close friends. When they grew old, they persuaded a wizard to turn them into mountains so that they could remain together. When storms blow winds down the slopes and into the valleys, we say that the sisters are laughing together over a private joke. Sometimes they rumble and belch ashes, and then we say they’re arguing.”
They reached the front door of a place called Black Bart’s, which was unsurprisingly done up in a mild stagecoach-bandit theme overlaid with Christmas decorations. There were only a few other customers, and the teenage girl who seated them looked thoroughly bored.
Alfie, however, was fascinated and kept twisting around to take in his surroundings, even though doing so clearly hurt. He exclaimed quietly over the old photos, the spurs and other horsey paraphernalia hanging on the walls, and the battered old piano in the corner. His eyes grew huge over the menu, which offered a fairly pedestrian array of steaks, burgers, sandwiches, and salads. “So many options! Will you order for me, please?”
That was more responsibility than Tobias feltcomfortable with. “I don’t know what you like and don’t like.”
“I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever you have.”
What Tobias ended up ordering was a bowl of chicken noodle soup with bread rolls, an enormous bacon cheeseburger with fries, and a peppermint milkshake. It was a lot—he knew that. But he was a big guy, plus he figured he couldn’t be blamed for wanting to drown his troubles in calories. Not after the day he’d had.
To his surprise, not only did Alfie avoid any snide comments about the quantity of food, he matched Tobias pretty much bite for bite, making appreciative noises as he went. “You’re staring,” Alfie said with a good-humored glint in his eyes.
“I’m admiring your ability to enjoy a meal.”
“This is an excellent one. And it will help with my healing.”
That reminded Tobias of his mother, who used to insist that a good meal would cure almost all of Tobias’s ills. And maybe she’d been right. He rarely caught whatever virus was making the rounds, and when everyday mishaps resulted in scrapes or bruises, he was good as new within a day or so. Even his broken arm had healed fast enough to surprise the doctor.
They were both so busy eating that they didn’t discuss anything of consequence, which was honestly a relief. Tobias could almost pretend they were on a date. Alfie was certainly good company—funnyand bright and interested in everything he saw. He charmed the waitress too, seemingly without effort, and she ended up bringing them an order of onion rings on the house because, she said, they were such appreciative eaters.
But Tobias couldn’t continue to ignore the troll-related elephant in the room. While he and Alfie waited for slices of what the waitress assured them was the best chocolate cake in Siskiyou County, Tobias did what he had to do. “Are you ready to tell me about Kol and Snjokarl?”
