Page 196 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
“Alright,” I agreed. “But let’s clean up this mess first.”
CHAPTER 120
How Do You Have 407 Notifications?
Brownie
Brownie let Donna pull them along the Great Road toward the Black while she played her instrument and sang a lively song. Tammy’s Tavern.
She smokes like a dragon, poison in the flagon
She keeps all your change for a tip
She won’t wash the dishes, or debone the fish
She slaps ya for given her lip
So tonight is the night friend,
We’ll give her a fine end,
One long overdue, gather round!
By spell or the sword, if you’re in get on board
And we’ll burn the place down to the ground,
We’ll burn the place down to the ground.
They’d left the Hollow first thing in the morning. Gerda had teleported home the previous evening, and Henrietta had taken off at a run right after breakfast. Brownie had offered her a ride, but the queen had taken one look at Donna and adamantly refused. Granted, horses made Henrietta sneeze, so she wouldn’t have had a very fun ride.
The queen might not be there when Brownie and Rufus rolled in, since King Keith had plans to fly the two over to North Sumbria. They wanted to get there early to help with any last-minute wedding preparations.
Brownie had been hired to play at their wedding, and she was incrediblyhonored. Julia von Slyke was a widely acclaimed adventurer and a famous Paladin of Light. Her mother, Grand Duchess Calisto of North Sumbria, was regarded as one of the most brilliant minds in a hundred years. A visit to North Sumbria was like walking into a world of strange, useful inventions, from magical switch lights to self-driving carriages to rooms that lifted you into the sky between floors of her elaborate palace.
And this would be the second time in a year that Brownie was going to be able to play for the Grand Duchess … and hopefully, this time she wouldn’t be kidnapped midset.
She and Rufus were making good time, aided by the fact that in six hours of travel, they’dnot had a single encounter. Brownie didn’t worry; she had a day or two between the Hollow and North Sumbria to figure it out.
Brownie did worry when they were approaching the turnoff for the Black Fortress. Even though she couldn’t see the turnoff, she knew it was there. How? Because suddenly, her beastman stiffened and closed his eyes like he was in pain. She plucked a calming background piece as, over the course of ten minutes, Rufus slowly relaxed.
When his tail started to wag again, she asked, “Is it a perk?”
“What?” He opened his eyes, breathing deep and blinking a few times.
“The reason you hate crowds so much?” She stopped playing and set Danielle aside.
“I mean.” He shrugged. “I just have alotof notifications to process. It’s a bit of a hassle.”
“How much is a lot?” She leaned forward and grabbed Donna’s reins. She could see the turnoff now, and it was less conspicuous if she pretended to be driving.
“Four hundred and seven.”
Brownie’s eyebrows shot up as she leaned back to stare at the beastman.
“Four hundred and seven?”
“Yes.”
