The (sort of) Dark Mage (Waldo Rabbit) (48 page)

“Please forgive my husband,” she said in that soft lilting voice. “He didn’t mean to be rude.”

“Of course,” Tyrone mumbled. “It’s fine. You, you’re his wife then?” Though it was ridiculous, he felt disappointed.

“Yes, I am Alice Rabbit; please feel free to call me Alice. My husband and I would like a room for the night and a meal please.”

Tyrone nodded. Despite the foolish thoughts coursing through his brain he tried to remember he was an Innkeeper. “I have a room available; it costs fifty copper traks. Meals and drinks are separate, a bowl of cabbage stew is five traks and a mug of ale is one.”

“Cabbage stew? Is that all you serve here?”

Normally, if anyone asked him that, his answer was to tell them to eat nothing. Hearing the hint of disappointment from her made him wish there was something else he could offer her.

“I am sorry Alice; I run a plain place for plain people.”

“Maybe they’d be happier staying in the Baron’s castle.” Brienne called out.

“You be quiet!” Tyrone said. Of course she and Nicola were the only ones not enthralled.

“I am sorry,” Alice said holding up her hands. “I did not mean to complain. I am sure the stew is delicious, and it certainly is reasonably priced. But you see, my husband and I are trying to save our coin right now. So I was hoping you might agree to give us free room and board in exchange for my services?”

“Services?” He replied weakly. All sorts of thoughts were running through his mind. He was sure his dear Inna (may Terrasa grant her peace) would forgive him. She was dead after all, and he was still flesh and blood.

Alice nodded, and pretended not to notice where his eyes had drifted to. “I have experience as a barmaid. In return for free lodging and food I will work here for as many nights as we stay. I will get to keep my tops of course.” She stared intently into his eyes. “What do you say?”

Feeling a little light headed Tyrone would have agreed to anything at that moment. “It’s a deal.”

XXX

The room upstairs was fifteen square feet. The only furniture was a plain bed pressed up against the wall, and covered with a single brown blanket. There was a small window that provided a view of an alleyway choked with garbage. The Innkeeper had insisted Alice begin working immediately. She had handed him the sack and simply promised to come up to their room once her shift was done. Shortly after he’d gone upstairs, one of the other barmaids had brought him a wooden bowl of green stew along with a pewter mug filled with a foamy liquid that was the color of dirt. Though dubious, Waldo was very hungry. He took the wooden spoon and dug into the soup. It certainly wasn’t anything he would deliberately choose, but it wasn’t actually too bad. Along with cabbage there were potatoes, carrots, and chunks of bread mixed in as well. Though not exactly cuisine, it did fill the stomach. He ate the entire bowl and wouldn’t have minded a second. The ale tasted more like rye bread than anything else. He drank about half and then set the mug aside.

Through the door Waldo could easily hear the shouts and howls of laughter coming from downstairs. The noise somehow reminded him of yapping dogs in heat. Even he hadn’t been able to miss how they had stared at Alice.

“Ignorant savages.”

The idea that he, a Corpselover, would have to deal with such people as near equals was humiliating. That Alice would have to serve them was sickening. He was supposed to be the only one she served.

XXX

“What are you doing?” He had demanded right after she’d made her agreement.

With strangers watching she had stepped close to him and lowered her voice. “I am paying for our room and food. I am also going to make some tips too.”

“You don’t need to do that. We can just pay for our stay.”

“The room would be half a silver per night, and you don’t know how long we’ll be here. The food and drink would be on top of that. The supplies we just bought were three dalters. I don’t want to waste any more coin if we don’t have to.”

“We can afford it. I don’t want you serving all these peasants.”

“Aw, that is so sweet.” She picked up the cloth sack with one hand and tossed it to him. It was heavy and he stumbled back a couple steps after catching it. “You don’t need to worry, I’ll be fine.”

She began serving and he was forced to trudge upstairs alone.

XXX

He heard a fresh round of laughter coming from downstairs. Waldo considered going down and observing whatever was going on. He dismissed the notion almost immediately, as it would be beneath his dignity. It was also foolish. Alice was used to dealing with this sort, and if worse came to worse she was a succubus. It wasn’t as though she needed his protection.

Waldo shook his head in mild frustration. What were these feelings? Why did the thought of those mundanes ogling her bother him so much? Why did he feel so possessive of her? He did not want her around other men.

Waldo knew these thoughts and feelings were not a normal part of the master servant relationship, but then what part of his connection with Alice was?

“I am wasting time,” he said to himself. “Let me take care of the things I can actually fix.”

Reaching into a pocket he took out his wand and pointed it at the bed.

“
Levitaros
.”

Just as had happened in the forest, he felt the mana flow through him and into the wand. The force of his spell was greatly magnified and the bed rose a foot above the floor. Levitation was one of the basics every magic user could use. Before though, Waldo had never been able to lift anything heavier than a book. Now, with his wand, he could move something as large and heavy as a bed with almost no effort.

He remembered the stream of fire he had cast. Though they had been ineffective he had been able to really work destructive magic. It had been no fluke as he’d done it a number of times. His new wand really fit him perfectly; with it in his hand he was immensely stronger than he had ever been before.

The thought both pleased and worried him.

On the one hand, acquiring power was
everything
. Finally being able to use combat magic was a tremendous achievement. He was now a genuine threat, and if worse came to worse could fight on his own.

On the other hand, all this new found strength came from a soulwood wand. Such wands were used almost exclusively by White Mages. What did that say about him? What would the Council and others make of that? He was going around in white robes using a soulwood wand and acting as a White Mage. When all this was over, assuming he survived, what sort of reputation would he have?

Why is nothing ever simple
?

He set the bed down in the center of the room. He then went over to the large sack that he had left in the corner. Before coming to the Inn they had stopped by the general store that was next door to it. There they had bought some spare clothes, blankets, a tent, and some equipment he would need.

From the sack he took out a piece of chalk. Getting down on his hands and knees he began to draw a circle around the bed. When that was complete he drew runes and symbols inside the circle. He also intended to put wards on the door and window to prevent they entry of any sort of undead. While far from perfect, he would do everything possible to protect both himself and Alice while they were forced to remain in this place.

XXX

The Inn of the White Horse was only about half the size of the Inn of  Lost Sighs, it was also not as busy. At her old place more than two hundred men would sometimes pack in the common room. Here, Alice never counted more than about forty. This place was also nowhere near as clean or as polished as her old one. Elsa had always insisted that everything had to shine; she had always wanted things as close to perfect as possible. As long as the doors were open Elsa would always be there, riding her to make sure she was working. By comparison, Tyrone hardly said a word to her once it was clear she really was a barmaid. He was happy to just stay behind the bar mooning over her as she went from table to table. With three girls to share the work Alice found it pretty easy.

Two things remained exactly the same though; the other girls she worked with hated her and all the men wanted more than just her attention.

“Don’t think you’re special just ‘cause you have a nice figure.” Brieene had said to her almost as soon as they were introduced. “Your eyes are ugly and your hair is as pretty as a shep dog’s.”

That had gotten a squeal of laughter from Nicola along with a quick nod.

Alice had merely smiled. She had learned to ignore much worse. “You don’t need to worry; my husband and I won’t be here long.”

“Who’s worried?” Brieene snapped.

Alice continued to smile and gave up the idea of trying to make friends with her co-workers. She had never had any female friends and would have liked to, but just like always she was going to be resented.

Dealing with the customers had been just as challenging.

She was an old hand at serving men who were looking to grab her, or get a quick feel. She knew to always keep her eyes open and how to dance out of reach. In her old Inn the regulars all knew better than to try and clutch at her. Here all the men were determined to pull her onto their laps or get a squeeze.

Alice must have warned at least two dozen customers that she didn’t like being touched. She was happy to talk to them and listen to their stories, but that was all. Of course none of them believed her. They all thought she was playing some sort of game, and as the night went on the efforts got more and more frenzied.

Eventually, a bulky blacksmith’s apprentice named Makin succeeded in grabbing hold of her ass when she was looking in the other direction. Her reaction had been instinctive and instant. She’d ‘eeked’ and spun around, punching him in the face hard enough to knock him clean out of his chair.

The common room had erupted in laughter and cheers. Many of the men lifted their mugs to her. When his friends helped Makin back to his seat they all began to tease him mercilessly. He didn’t seem to mind either. Makin ordered a few more mugs of ale and actually tried to grab at her again. If it had been a man that had punched him like that it would have certainly lead to a fight. Coming from a barmaid it was instead treated as something comic.

That was how her night went. She served bowls of stew and mugs of ale while enduring the open dislike of her co-workers, and trying to avoid a forest of grabbing hands. All the while smiling at, and playing up to, those exact same grabby men. When one of them tipped her a copper trek she thanked them as warmly and sweetly as she could. It was long, tiring, boring work, but nothing she wasn’t used to.

Since most of the men had to be at work the next morning, the place began to empty out well before midnight. Alice and the other girls were already cleaning up as the last customer sat at his table, slowly draining a final mug as he stared longingly at Alice as she wiped down tables.

Finally Tyrone came out from around the bar with three foot long sword in his hands.

“Come on Mathew, it’s time for you to get home. Let me help you.” The Innkeeper helped the managed up to his feet, and slid the sword into an empty scabbard. Everyone who came into the Inn was required to give up his sword.

Swaying slightly the man staggered over to Alice and held out a copper trek to her. “You was real sweet gal, hope to see ya tamorraw.”

Alice took the coin from him gratefully. As she did so he tried to lean in to steal a kiss. She had no trouble stepping back to stay clear.

Smiling, she shook a finger at him. “Now, now I’m a married woman and my husband wouldn’t like me kissing another man. Especially not one as cute as you.”

His face lit up and he looked absolutely thrilled. “I wish Ida met ya first.”

I don’t.
“That’s sweet.”