Page 27 of A Tale of Mirth & Magic

“I do feel all right. I think. I care about you—probably more than you care about me—but I deeply enjoyed our time together. And I’d… I’d like to repeat it. If you want to,” Barra said.

My pulse raced at his words, but I tried to stay calm and not spook him. “First of all,” I said, “I don’t think it’s good practice to assume others care less about you than you do about them. You don’t know how I feel! I like you very much. Second, I absolutely would like a repeat of this morning. Yes, yes, yes. No question. And third, I have a proposition. Why don’t you use our time together to try again at simple sex for sex’s sake. Maybe it didn’t work with those other people because you were always envisioning a future with them and overromanticizing it. But with me, that won’t be an issue since we’ll be parting ways soon. Too soon to develop real feelings for me. It could just be fun.”

At Barra’s long silence, my stomach clenched. Had I pushed him too much? A better person than I would probably suggest that we take sex off the table permanently now, knowing that he gets too easily attached. But… Barra had said he wanted to repeat things. And he was a grown man—if he wanted to risk it, who was I to deny him?

Trying to lighten the mood, I batted my eyelashes dramatically and winked a few times. He smiled distractedly at my antics.

“I don’t quite know what to say to that, Elikki. But I’ll think about it,” he said.

“This is obviously my blatant attempt to get into your pants. Just to be clear. But I also really think you’d enjoy it,” I said.

“I know,” he said. “… Thank you?”

“You’re very welcome.”

We carried on in silence for a while again. Suddenly, Barra said, “Did I tell you that I actually think I broke Felsith’s other wrist?”

“What?!” I screeched. “Wait, you’re giving me a hard time, and you did the same thing?”

“It was when you were trying to get away from him and the constable at the tavern. He tried to bolt after you, so I grabbed him. Breaking his wrist was an accident! I just meant to hold him back. Although I must admit, it was pretty funny.” Barra chuckled.

I sputtered, indignation and amusement warring. Picturing Felsith, amusement won out.

“I wish I had seen that.” I broke out laughing. Barra joined me, and we cackled together. “Both wrists!” I howled, wiping tears from my eyes.

“That poor fool,” Barra said, chest heaving. I loved seeing him laugh so wholeheartedly. “Bad luck crossing the two of us.”

“He better hope he doesn’t again.”

“From what you’ve said, Elikki, it sounds like you hurt him by accident too. Your power and your anger are hard to control. Just like my physical strength. I need to be on constant guard, watching myself when I’m around others, and I still make mistakes like yesterday.”

I murmured something noncommittal, thinking about everything he’d said. He wasn’t wrong. But I’d rather just laugh at stupid Felsith’s misfortune and put him in the past. He was on the road behind me. I was moving forward and leaving all that.

“How much farther do you think the inn is?” I asked.

“Not far. We should arrive within the hour,” Barra said.

11

BARRA

By the time we got to the stables of the Painted Dragon, I was about ready to fall asleep. This was much more excitement than I was used to. I had my routines, my rituals at home. And while I did travel sometimes for my work with our family business, it had never been this unpredictable. Or exhilarating. Being with Elikki nonstop for over a day was the most fun I’d had in… well, years.

But I was also exhausted. I needed a bath, a hot meal, and a large bed. I helped Elikki down from the saddle and grabbed the packs we’d want for the evening. After checking Pebble’s hooves quickly and giving the stablehand a few instructions on her care, we entered the inn.

It was as warm and cozy as always. A crackling fire burning in the large hearth filled the room with a comforting, smoky scent. Just a handful of patrons occupied the main room. Most folks in Kurriel kept their evenings quite tame in the week leading up to a Rising Night, and there was one coming up in just a few days. Held every month as one ended and another began, it paid homage to the two facets of the Dual Goddess: sun and moon. Day and night. Beginning and end. That was the symbolic meaning, at least. In reality, across most of the lands, apart from the priories, the monthly tradition was more an excuse to let off some steam with the indulgent merriment of Rising Night. And then, of course, have a lazy, post-revelry lie-in the next morning of Resting Day.

To the left of the main room was a sturdy wooden bar, handled by Saho, one of the innkeepers and someone whom I considered a friend. A half-elf with green-copper skin, they had a restless energy and an insatiable thirst for gossip.

I led Elikki up to the bar and hailed Saho from one end.

“Good to see you again, Barra!” they said. “And who is this incandescent vision you’ve brought tonight?”

Elikki preened. After setting down her pack, she extended a hand. “Elikki Sunstorm. Jeweler. Elf mage. Bewitcher of hearts.” She threw Saho one of her enticing smiles as they swooned melodramatically.

“Okay, okay. Saho, Elikki. Elikki, Saho. Now you’ve met,” I said. “Saho, is Legus here? Your partner? We’d like to arrange for rooms tonight.”

“Rooms? As in plural?” they said, chewing on a hangnail and looking us over skeptically.