Page 34 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
“That sounds nice … but …” Brownie felt the soft golden fur beneath her hands.
“But?” he asked, his voice soft.
“Shouldn’t we get you a new shirt?”
He chuckled. “Probably.”
“I mean”—she gave him an obvious appraising look—“you look nice without a shirt, but the restaurant might insist?”
Or not. This was the Dark Enchanted Forest. Brownie couldn’t see there being a “No shirt, no pants, no service” rule when half-snake or half-spider or half-horse people commonly wandered about. It would be insulting.
“Then I shoulddefinitelyput on a shirt,” Rufus joked. “I don’t know how many compliments I can take from my favorite bard.”
“Am I your favorite bard?” The way he said it, so matter of fact like that, didn’t sound like a simple platitude. Brownie took a step forward, now looking up at him from the lower staircase. She was beaming.
Rufus must not have meant to say it that way, by the nervous look on his face, but then, a genuine smile that showed off his canines took over. “Yes. I love your music. You’re incredibly talented, and I can honestly say you’re my favorite performer on the entire continent—and I’ve been to alotof shows.”
“Thank you.” The admission was more than she expected from the leader of the Dark Lord’s armies. Her cheeks burned, but she didn’t mind. “Then I’m happy to go to dinner, your treat.”
CHAPTER 17
So Why Don’t You Just Not?
Rufus
Thistlecrick was a village etched into the mountain leading down from the plateau. It wound through connecting hills, and while they weren’t as tall as the mountains to the west, the valleys and peaks were still impressive. The naga and other residents of Thistlecrick all lived sprawled over the slopes or inside the many caves, but the marketplace and businesses were front and center by the town gates. Bronwynn and I had passed through here the previous day when we’d ridden up the winding path to the city from the Great Road.
The restaurant was called Knobbinson, and had been owned by the Knobbin family for some three hundred years. They were a family of preela—brown-haired, floppy-eared, thin-winged, faelike people on the taller side. The preela were originally from the Empire of Sands, but a few had traveled across Valaria and set up businesses here and about.
The owner, Mrs. Ellie Knobbin, greeted us at the door. “Rufus, my boy! Just look at you! Still commander general, I see?”
“That is correct.” And she could see. It was an effect of the title that made everyone in Nilheim recognize their commander general on sight.
“Excellent.” She nodded approvingly. “Come this way.”
The woman was an old friend of Her Eminence Feliwyn, as anyone could tell by her no-nonsense attitude. She had us escorted in and sitting at a table in good time. She’d found us a spot overlooking the mountains with a clear view of three waterfalls.
“It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Ellie. May I introduce you to Minstrel Bronwynn Lyriel?” I said as soon as we were settled.
“A pleasure.” The preela eyed Bronwynn appraisingly. “And isthispleasure, business, or company?”
“Company,” we both answered at the same time.
“I’ll bring you water to start.” Then she was off.
Brownie chuckled. “I do like howstraightforwardeveryone is.”
“It took a lot of work,” I said, proud. “But it was worth the effort.”
“What doesthatmean?” she asked, then smiled at her own straightforward question.
I tried not to let my passion run away with me, and tentatively explained, “Culture is one of the first things that can change when a new ruler takes the throne, and when Keith stepped up, he wanted to promote a happy, logically minded, efficient Dark Enchanted Forest.”
“Hence the four-day workweek? And the free unlife care?” Brownie asked.
I nodded. “A well-rested and confident Dark Horde will be more self-sufficient … And why spend so much time and resources on people we don’t take care of physically? It’s a waste. That’s why we have free healers, health potions, and a necromancer whose job it is to [Raise], [Resurrect], or [Revive] the masses.”
“And the straightforwardness?”
