Page 190 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
The beastwoman walked up to a door and sniffed. “This is it. I’m certain of it.”
I reached out and knocked on the door.
Nothing.
I knocked again, louder.
“Mia isn’t home,” the food vendor called out from three doors down. She stressed the beginning, the name sounding like “My-ah.”
We all turned to look at the elf woman, who seemed a little intimidated despite being a healthy distance away. She said, “Mia’s dungeon delving right now. She won’t be back for at least an hour, maybe more.”
“She’s an adventurer?” I asked, slowly walking over to the elf. I was much taller than her, and I sighed when she shrank back. She suddenly squinted at me, and I thought that my occupation was probably the only thing keeping her from running away.
“N-no, Commander General.” She shook her head a few times. She didn’t bow or nod her head in greeting. The elves were a proud race, and they considered themselves equal to the most powerful members of the Dark Horde. Even food shopkeepers. It was one of my favorite cultural nuances about the Hollow. The elf continued. “She’s a porter.”
I raised my eyebrows at that but smiled. “Thank you.”
She blushed, but I only nodded and turned back to the group. The pit in my stomach tightened as I ordered, “Everyone, we will wait at the dungeon gate. And someone go tell Slake that we’ve got something.”
CHAPTER 116
So What Did I Miss?
Brownie
Minstrel Bronwynn, Lady Amy, and Queen Henrietta all sat round a table at Brownie’s inn.
The bardhadarrived late to her two-hour show, and was only able to play for one hour of her set.
It was better than the alternative, being eaten by a grimalcat.
“Keith found me a magical door for our rooms!” Henrietta downed an entire jug of beer, slamming it down at the end of her story. The fluffy brown-haired ruler of all evil had found Brownie at the end of the show and dragged her off for lunch. “Now, I don’t need to summon maids to fetch me things or wander the halls in my housecoat! Our closets are connected.”
“That’s perfect. Now you’ll stop waking me up, coming and going every time I visit,” Brownie teased her friend. The queen’s suite of rooms had an office, wardrobe, private bath, lounge, entry, and a spare room for a maid or visiting family. Technically, if the queen ever took a lover, it could be used for that as well, but Henrietta and Keith were so in love she couldn’t see it happening in this reign.
Keith’s mother, however, had been known to have a few lovers, and no one knew who King Keith’s father was.
Lady Amy sighed. “As for me, I’ve memorized all of the laws you sent me, and I’m standing up for my free time!”
“That’s wonderful, Amy.” Henrietta beamed at the elf saintess.
“Even today.” Lady Amy nodded. “I’ve had to stand at the dungeon door as a figurehead before, praying from the beginning of the festival until the end. It wasthe worst.”
Brownie took the last bite of her garlic-and-cheese twist. She’d ordered a creamy pesto and herb pasta with baked floofpoof bird, and was almost finished with the delicious spread. Then the bard had a thought.
“Is this a ceremony to Lithnilheim required by the Dark Enchanted Forest itself? Will the forest be angry that you didn’t stand there—not saying that you should!” Brownie quickly added, not trying to dampen the elf’s happiness. “I’m just saying that after last night, I wouldn’t want the forest upset.”
“Lithnilheim does not care onewhitabout me standing there like an idiot for twelve hours while everyone celebrates late into the night,” Lady Amy declared, sounding very sure of herself.
“How do you know?” Henrietta asked, curious. She grabbed a handful of nuts from a bowl on their table and started munching.
“Because he told me.” Lady Amy shrugged. “I let him know when I thanked him last night, and he pretty much said that menotoverworking myself was great, and I should have a wonderful time enjoying the festival for once. Isn’t that so sweet?”
“Very.” The bright smile and shining eyes of the young elf maiden made Brownie chuckle. She was talking about a dungeon boss monster who ate people, but honestly, that was very generous of the forest. The workplace regulations for Drendil were nonexistent the last time Brownie checked—though that was changing under the new leadership. Servalt and Peldeep had very guild-based economies that included most people living their jobs. Only North Sumbria and the Dark Enchanted Forest had so many benefits designed for the everyday working creature.
“Besides,” Lady Amy added, “Lithnilheim will be enjoying playing with the adventuring parties today, since they’ll be letting anyone in to challenge the dungeon.”
That, as Brownie knew, was a part of the fun of the festival. Every few hours, adventurers would exit the dungeon and bring with them strange treasures, and show off whatever unique find they’d managed to snag. Henrietta had even mentioned her hope to compete before dinnertime.
