Page 86 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
“Then what are we waiting for!” Bronwynn marched toward the stable exit. I smiled and followed the woman—only to stop short of running into her when she paused in the entrance. She glanced back at Donna and pointed threateningly at the mare. “Don’t do it.”
Donna made a sound not unlike a sigh. If horses could give exasperated sighs, it would sound like that. Since that is what I imagined it was.
“I’m sure Donna will be so well taken care of that she won’t think of anything except enjoying her stay,” I assured, exchanging meaningful looks with Tuktuk. Despite his size rivaling Bronwynn or myself, the ratkin was timid, and I could see him sweating from my fierce look. But he dabbed at his temple and nodded to show that he’d caught my order.
“We’ll make sure your horse is given nothing but the best, Minstrel Bronwynn! I promise!” Tuktuk squeaked. I almost felt bad … but I also knew that distracting Donna was the best way to give Bronwynn a relaxing evening. She deserved a relaxing evening after getting chased by murderous bandits. Between them and Gerda, that was two encounters in one day … which meant we were still in for one more between now and our arrival in Peldeep.
… Unless the fact that Gerda didn’t actually give us a riddle for her portal bridge meant it didn’t count as an encounter?
I should clarify with Bronwynn later.
Personally, I wanted to count dinner with the Dark Lord and the Dark Lady of the Dark Enchanted Forest as an encounter … but that was for me to face, not Bronwynn.
Of course, it was theafter-dinner conversation I wasn’t looking forward to.
CHAPTER 52
Our Dark Lady’s Homemade Delights
Brownie
“You met Gerda in Servalt?” Henrietta was on the edge of her seat listening to Brownie while the bard recounted their travels for the last few days.
Brownie smiled. “I did; she said she was going to swing by after she finishes playing with her new magic.”
“Bridge troll magic doesn’t count asrealmagic,” the Dark Lord stated vehemently, drawing everyone’s attention.
King Keith had spent the majority of her tale silent up until this point. He’d raised an eyebrow at her missing encounter, chuckled when Donna had been accused of stealing oats, frowned when she’d told him about the duke’s assassination attempt, and shot Rufus alookwhen she’d talked about retrieving the beastman from the Assassin’s Guild with the story of a dinner date.
Brownie was adept at reading her audience. Henrietta happily “Ooh’d” and “Aah’d” at the right moments and asked an endless line of questions, while King Keith just listened politely. The bard, with her decent Perception, knew the Dark Lord had spent a fair amount of her tale holding Henrietta’s hand under the table and presumably toying with it, if the occasional blush on Henrietta’s cheeks was an accurate tell.
Rufus also chose that point to add to the conversation. “Just because it’s not the [Magic] skill doesn’t mean it’s not magic. And her new skill is definitely pretty magical.”
“What is —? No. Don’t tell me.” The Dark Lord used his free hand to lift up his glasses and squeeze the bridge of his nose. “I don’t want to know.”
“If she’s free, does that mean we can have a girls’ night?” Henrietta was a bubble of joy and adorable energy. Brownie wanted to pet the human woman’s head affectionately, but she was sitting across from her and out of reach. Withjust the four of them, King Keith had chosen not to sit at the head of the table but beside his wife. Rufus sat across from him, and Brownie sat across from Queen Henrietta. Hence the stealth hand-holding.
“I was thinking we could wander out to the drawbridge after this and knock,” Brownie offered.
“Are you sure, love?” King Keith faced his wife.
Henrietta looked between Rufus and her husband and finally shrugged. “You can tell me how everything goes later?”
The king’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly, but he nodded. “Of course.”
“Then it’s settled!” Henrietta clapped. “We can visit after dessert! Which I personally prepared, so I hope you enjoy it.”
Brownie took her time savoring the lemon custard tarts and dark markle berry torte cake. Henrietta set aside a portion for Gerda, and when all was said and done, they left for the drawbridge.
“I’m so happy Gerda’s free.” Henrietta was almost skipping beside Brownie down the black cobble street. “I haven’t been available since the wedding much …”
A blush had come back to the young woman’s cheeks, and Brownie resisted the urge to tease the newlywed. The bard outright ignored the small twinge of jealousy at her friend’s newfound love and happiness. Henrietta deserved her happily ever after.
The streets were busy around them. Lanterns were lit, and the entire village was alight with an open market. This was the Dark Enchanted Forest, and a significant number of the citizens kept up a nocturnal lifestyle. Brownie spotted arachne, preela, elves, trolls, beastfolk, lizardkin, and more all going about their night to night.
When the pair reached the drawbridge, they recognized a familiar figure waiting for them.
“Gerda!” Henrietta ran forward and grabbed the bridge troll’s arm excitedly. “I brought you a present.”
