Thendogore’s Inn

The heat of the day was pouring into every pour she had as she tried to ignore the blistering rays of the moon. The desert sands reflected the heat up from below so that there was no actual escape. The large cloak she wore and the hood that covered her face made the heat even more unbearable, but she didn’t want to travel with her face out as she was very recognizable. With her healing power and the shields her brown magic continuously poured out she was able to keep cool for the first thirty five hours, but now that the day had waned far enough for her to take the heat directly she let go of the shields. Instantly she regretted her decision. Not to mention, the taint of the brown magic made her want a shower so badly that she felt as if it were crawling on her skin. 

“Damn this heat!” Siratis stated aloud as she continued walking toward the destination they had agreed upon. “I hate this stupid desert. Palama was always a place I avoided with all my being. I hate the heat, hate the sand and most of all hate the absence of open magic. I have my pools and am careful to only use brown since it is the only renewable magic in this land without killing or absorbing something. All other magics seem to avoid the great sands. I am alright with brown, but its not my favorite to use and it is so vile to work with. I have worked with Grey, Black and Brown and all of them leave a stain on your being, but Brown always leaves me feeling as if I have rolled around in the mud for hours. It is extremely powerful magic and can do things that are so strange and eirie that they seem unworldly but still grounded within reality, unlike Grey and Black. I hate Brown over all other magics.”

Urzest looked up at her as if wondering something profane, but then she turned her enormous head back to the trail and began pulling the old witch. The great white tiger had been keeping pace beside her rather than leading her as she was intended but Siratis didn’t truly need a “seeing eye anything” as she could see in many ways other than her actual glazed eyes. But appearances were very powerful within mortal societies and as such she often kept the appearances simply to keep others from staring at her, or asking too many questions.  The two of them had been marching across Palama for three days and today was finally getting to the both of them. Urzest’s thick fur was like a mocking coat of heat simply drawing in the evil warmth of the land. The great cat longed to run and see the land, but had a job to do and had to keep her eyes on the trail in front of them. Not to mention, it was very hot.

“I wonder if they will be on time or if we will need to wait on them. If they keep me waiting three days like last time, I will have no choice but to punish them thoroughly. Those two annoy me more than I like to admit.” Siratis continued as Urzest looked over the horizon before them. Of all the desserts on Probe One, this was the largest and most desolate, and it was very hard to use magic of any sort other than brown. Most of those that inhabit such a place had been shunned from other societies and had no other choice but to live in the outlands. Even the Rile Tera that call this place home lived on the edge and in constant fear of death since the desert was unforgiving and many of the creatures here were incredibly powerful and none were merciful. “They had better have my reservations ready at the inn, or I am going to kill them both.”

Urzest pulled her along as they moved toward the inn in hopes of getting a cool room and a warm bath. Neither believed it was going to happen, but both longed for it to be true, well the cool room, not so much the bath for Urzest hated baths. 

The two they were going to meet had a sorted history of forgetting to do things that were supposed to be done. Siratis would be surprised if they even showed, but much less got all the reservations correct. The last time they were to meet one another was in Propell at the Apple Tree Bar and they were supposed to be staying the night, but both of them forgot to even show. She had to send them a summons and teleport them half way across the planet to get them to the site on time. They had been distracted by some barista in a bar that neither of them even knew existed until that day. It was annoying. She punished them greatly and will never let them forget it.

“The fact that they chose this site directly should keep them on task, but we will see if they actually show. If they don’t I am using a teleportation spell to get us out of this dessert. I don’t even care where it takes us. The lands of Achelious would be better than this never ending sand pit. I wonder if David would invite us up to his castle?” Siratis mused and Urzest gave her a glare at the mention of the man’s name. “Sorry. I know how you hate his name. I am not much for it either. The Emperor is nothing more than a childish fiend that plays with people’s lives like some board game. He is evil incarnate and leaves a wake of destruction in his path. If I knew how to kill him, I would have let you eat him years ago.”

The sand gave way to a gravel-like feel on her feet and she looked through Urzest’s eyes to see where the path was taking them. Seeing the grey filled world of the cat’s motion detecting eyes she could see that they had come to the coble stone paths of the Rile Tera empire. These paths would take them across all the reaches of the Tonegath Empire of which Tonegath Dolache ruled with an iron fist. His family had been in power for a century and their reign of tyranny reached far beyond the sands of Palama. Even in her home lands Siratis heard rumors of Tonegath’s cruelties. 

“I wonder what could be so important that those two decided to meet here, in this vile land?” Siratis asked as she pulled Urzest slightly to the right to get her onto the path. Urzest would have avoided the path completely if not for that pull as she hates the feel of the coble stones on her pads, but she will continue as Siratis asks. “Now lets get to the inn.”

The sounds of footsteps ahead of them brought the attention of both Siratis and Urzest. They were talons rather than feet that clicked upon the cobblestone as the two of them moved toward Siratis. They hadn’t seen the witch and her familiar yet and she wasn’t sure that she wanted them to. Casting without even thinking, she waved her left hand and she and everything she was holding turned invisible. Urzest followed suite, though through different means. Siratis stopped at the edge of the path and pulled Urzest to a halt as the great cat sat before her. 

The two Rile Tera grew closer as she listened to their conversation. Rile Terian was a perverse and disgusting language with clicks, clops and squawks that made her feel vile just for hearing it. The Rile Tera were once great bird-like beings known as Paragrim but took a different path in evolution due to a pact with a demon. Now they are twisted beings of rotting flesh and evil intent without wings and hardly able to walk at any real pace. The nicest of them would be considered thieves, villains or worse in other societies. Their politicians are nothing more than murderers and thieves and the idea of fairness is nothing more than a fleeting mention of something to get others to vote for them. The entire society was “evil” in their actions toward others but they are fantastic negotiators. 

Both these Rile Tera looked like politicians or at least highly standing, powerful or rich. They wore silken threads of brilliant blue, which was a staple of the rich and would get the poor beheaded should they choose to wear the color. Their outfits were stylish and unwrinkled, but were matted in places with dust or mud, telling her that they had traveled a long way. These two were rich, but not so rich as to have transportation for whatever they were currently doing, or they were purposely traveling without transport. Either way, she knew that they would be most annoying to speak with and more so to fight, better instead to listen and see what they know.

“Look at those Eyes, red-shot and tearful. Checks gaunt and skin missing around the rather chapped lips.. Their bones show in different areas of their rotting bodies. The pain must be unbearable for anyone that does not feel it daily, but for those born into the Rile Tera, they learn to ignore pain like no other race, other than the Rattle.” Siratis whispered inside the link between herself and Urzest as she lay her hand upon her cane and readied herself for a fight. She was certain they could not see her but she wasn’t certain Urzest wouldn’t attack them at some point if they got too close.

“Are you going to the vote?” One of the Rile Tera asked the other. The one speaking was scarred in the face and had a large bump on his left nostril.

“Of course. I have to cast my vote a few times to ensure that Delthon wins. We will ensure that he becomes the governor of this province or we will have to pay the extra taxes. I don’t want to pay the extra taxes, so we are going to ensure that Delthon is our governor.” The second one answered, his voice was more hissy than the first and he had large bumps on his head, like someone had hit him with a hammer a few times. “We are going to go vote for Delthon and if we fail, then we are going to kill Xenoth.”

“Sounds like normal politics. They knew the risks when they joined the ticket. Wonder how long they will last, even if they are elected.” The nostril stated as he wiped his mouth with his silken sleeve.

“Yeah. I don’t understand it either. The king should simply appoint the governor and stop all of these stupid votes. That would at least stop a lot of the killings.” The hissy one agreed.

“Well, at least it makes some great sport when we get to do all the killings. I do enjoy that.” Nostrils giggled sinisterly. The two of them were now within actual ear shot and Siratis could smell their filth with her own nose. Urzest growled low and Siratis had to pet her to keep her calm and quiet.

“Once the killing starts, I am going to kill Modie as well. That bastard has annoyed me far too long and keeps interfering with my marriage. He actually told Maria that she could be free of me if she left in the night and married him. The fool. My spies pointed out the fool’s plan and allowed me time to lock her in the basement. She is my property and as such no one is going to take her from me. That bastard must die.” Hissy stated, matter of factly.

“True, but he is your brother. Won’t your father be mad?” Nostrils asked as he wiped his mouth and  looked around the area as if he sensed something close. He had turned on Magic Detect a few seconds ago, but Siratis wasn’t worried. She had played this game long before either of these idiots had been born. “She did marry you and as such became your direct property, so killing him for taking from you is justified. Just curious if your father would be upset over that.”

“Naw, the young fool has spoken to mother in this way as well, telling her that women should be free, or some other crap like that. I can’t believe my father hasn’t killed him already, but then he was hoping that Modie would take a high office and then he could kill the bastard and take his place. Unfortunately the little squawk didn’t even get into politics, but rather tried to enter the military where he got no further than a second Mondula Private. These positions were less than father wanted to attain and so he kicked Modie out of the home and into the desert, I think in the hopes of killing him. The bastard shacked up with the Thumbara family and they took him into their  Octavome. The evil squawks will pay for this treachery.” Hissy explained as he looked directly at Siratis. They were now within striking distance of Urzest but still outside of her direct strike zone. Siratis pondered if she should kill these two and rid the world of such vermin. However, she realized that this would be a never ending quest, so she simply waited to see if they would pass without incident. 

“Well, then he deserves to die anyway. If you need help, I will aid you. For a price, of course.” Nostrils stated. He was now looking toward Siratis as well and she realized there must be something behind her that they were looking at. She turned Urzest’s head to see what was behind them and she could see the great tower standing there in its evil, menacing pose, looking over the east side of Palama. It was a tower, but the tower was a massive statue of a gargoyle watching over the lands, where the eyes were each arrow slots and the head was the great chamber of the governor of the east. There were statues just like this, statues that were towers of death, on each side Palama and each was packed with enough soldiers to handle virtually any issues and the highest of magic users would long for a job within the towers since those that reside within are freed of the curse that rotted their skin as long as they worked within the tower. Everyone within their society coveted a job within one of the towers, but it was an exceptionally hard job to gain and only while in the service would they be relieved of their curse. These two are looking at the tower because they are longing to kill, lie, cheat, whatever, to get their way into that tower. “Oh, we better hurry, Luna looks to be rising and we don’t want to be outside after dark.”

“Right, no need to fight those beasts after dark. Luckily most of the dead don’t come to our lands so no vampires or werewolves, but the Lich are a bitch. I, for one, don’t want to waist time fighting one. We can stay at the inn tonight and continue to the vote in the morning. We still have two days to get there.” Hissy explained as the two of them picked up their pace. They passed Siratis within arms length but neither realized that she was there. She stood, waiting for them to get out of ear shot and then pulled on Urzest to start moving again.

“We had better pick up the pace as well. If Luna is rising then we have only about an hour to an hour and a half before Gamora sets as well. I don’t have issues with Liches, but I don’t want to fight them either.” Siratis explained as she dropped her invisibility and continued down the path. Urzest responded to the word Lich and grunt/growled at its mention. The great white tiger had little love for undead creatures and less love for liches. “Don’t worry, we will make the inn within a half hour. Those two had better have reservations or they are going to pay for their annoyance.”

They continued for fifteen minutes before coming in sight of the inn in the distance. She could see the two Rile Tera that had passed them on the path. She was keeping back far enough that they wouldn’t see her as a threat, but they were slowing their pace with every thirty steps. Slowing enough that if she did not slow her’s she would overtake them within a few minutes. She thought of slowing down as well, but that would put her in jeopardy of being out at night. Instead, she doubled her pace to try and simply push past them. She knew, however, that she would not get that chance.

“What do we have here?” Hissy asked as she approached the two. “Are you in need of aid, old woman?” 

“I have no need of aid and no money to pay for its completion.” Siratis announced, loud enough for both of them to hear and with enough force to ensure that there was no question. 

“You are old and frail. You need assistance or you may well not make it to the inn before us. Let us help you on your journey.” Nostrils stated as she heard a blade exiting its scabbard. In any other society, she would simply yell to get the attention of the two guards standing in front of the inn, but this society was much different than all of those and the guard is nothing more than a couple hireable thugs to the highest bidder. 

“My friend here would beg to differ with that assumption.” Siratis stated, hoping that the mere look of Urzest would scare them off, but the great cat wasn’t interested in these two thugs as she did not see them as threats any longer. Instead, the great cat was licking her right paw and sitting on the ground as if they had stopped simply to enjoy a lavish relaxation session. Siratis didn’t even realize she had stopped and stopped herself so that she wouldn’t be pulled backward and off her feet. “Urzest. Are you going to…?”

“It would appear that your great kitty is nothing more than a little kitten. Should have brought something better trained if you were going to traverse the grand paths of Palama. Now, we will aid you to the inn and you will pay us with all the Brik you have. Now!” Nostrils countered as Hissy pulled a short sword as well.

“I assure you, I don’t need your help and the two of you don’t want to be this stupid. Leave here before I grow impatient.” She was no longer playing and let go of Urzest’s mane. She lay both hands on the cane she walked with and the cane began to vote slightly. Neither of the idiots before her noticed its faint glow.

“Oh, we are very scared of your magical ambience. I for one am so afraid that I may just have to poke you like a pin cushion if you don’t hand over your Brik to me. Also, that lovely cane would be nice as well.” Hissy stated and brought up his sword.

Urzest looked at the sword, looked at Siratis and then went back to licking her great paw. Siratis noted her indifference and sighed. She was going to have to fight and expend some of her pool. She didn’t want to, but she also didn’t want to use brown magic for anything if she could help it. She drew up her pool and sorted through the colors for the perfect spell and color. She then decided on an ancient spell that she had learned over fifty centuries before and one that was far lost to history.

“Very well. You want what I have. Then first allow me to introduce myself so that you can be acquainted with your slayer. My name is Siratis, Sovereign Witch of Mt. Dryst.” As she spoke her name, their eyes, sunken and gauntly eyes glowed with the first sign of true life and fear that they had exhibited. Siratis’ name was known far and wide and much like the Koltu, none would dare imitate her for fear of retribution.

“SIRATIS!” Hissy spat as he dropped his weapon.

“We did not mean to offend. We will be on our way. We are so sorry for slowing your pace. Here, have our….!” Nostrils started but Siratis was already annoyed.

“Pitch of Black and Abysmal Hands, bring forth darkness to head my commands. Stoke the fires of dismay and pull your power from the fey. Rip asunder the hearts of mine enemy, and pay them back their debauchery.” Siratis bellowed as she lifted the cane from the ground and its glowing edges became a near star in the moonlit day for less than a second. She didn’t have to chant any incantation and she wasn’t even certain this was the incantation. She knew the actual spell by heart and its words were in a language long dead to this world. She simply wanted to put on a show for any that were watching so as not to have others slow her down on the rest of her journey. It wouldn’t matter that the Witch of the West, of Mt. Dryst was here in this wretched land since everyone figured these were the types of people she would hang out with anyway. 

The spell shot from her outstretched cane, which she did not have to do either but chose it for its stage presence, and wrapped around the two men in a cascading effect from their head to their feet. As the tendrils washed over them like long squid-like arms and then became more liquid-like as it covered them, its color went from the Purple she had pulled from to a deep black as it mixed with their brown magic defenses and ate its way through. The mixing of magic was often disastrous and those that use shields usually try to match the shield to the opposers color to ensure they don’t mix to magics that are explosive to one another. Purple magic, however, was a rare form that only the most powerful of beings could control or even wield and these two were nowhere near that level of power.

“No! Please!” Hissy cried as his and Nostril’s bodies shrank to the size of peas. Siratis reached down and lifted them in her right hand as she pulled back the cloak that covered her left arm. The skin beneath was ancient and wrinkled and around her wrist was a small band that held a vial running long wise. The glass casing showed three other people held within, each laying down and watching the two being dragged toward their new “home”. Inside the vial was one human female, one Olarian male and one creature that was humanoid but of which these two had never seen before.

“Enjoy your new home. And don’t worry, I will ensure that you can’t die within my vial until I choose you to do so.” Siratis explained as the top unscrewed and she dropped the two into the vial. As they fell, each could feel their bodies change slightly and the curse was lifted for them, but a new curse made them neigh immortal and unable to die naturally. A curse they would find much more undesirable than the one that just lifted, for Siratis rarely remembers to feed her little pets and as such they often die of starvation, only to revive the following morning and start the whole affair again. It was a fate worse than death and reserved for those that truly annoyed her. “Women should not be property to hold as cattle for your amusement. Now you will see how that feels.” 

The lid shut tight on the vial and the two slammed harshly into the glass at the bottom. Make-shift beds had been made out of linen and other such items that Siratis had placed within the vial in the past, but it was obvious that this place was not one of luxury. The two men screamed silently within their eternal tube as the others that had been there for eons simply yawned as if this were the normal state of things.

“Now, let’s go see if those two idiots made it here.” Siratis announced as the two guards, which witnessed the exchange, came to attention and stood with their heads slightly bowed. “Aw, good choice.” 

She entered the establishment and the memories flooded her. She had been here over four hundred years before and had spent nearly twelve months trapped within the walls. She thought then that it was a punishment and she would not be able to endure, but now she realized that it was for her own good and she wished she had listened then. Of course the owner would be different as Rile Tera only lived to about forty or fifty years. Seeing that it’s been four hundred, she was certain they had gone through a few different owners. 

Siratis approached the main desk where a woman stood looking at her. The Rile Tera before her was well dressed, but not richly. She was wearing a long black dress that followed the curves of her bird-like body and she had a chain going from her right nostril to her ear. Her large eyes were flattering to her face, except for the right cheek that was missing part of its flesh and showing the bone beneath. She had small arms that were brittle looking, but Siratis could feel a deep well of magic within her. She had the scent of her Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great  Grandfather. At least that is how far back Siratis figured as she wasn’t sure how far back she had visited this particular family. Either way, she could still remember his scent and her’s was similar.

“I hope that I have a reservation.” Siratis stated as she lowered her head and ensured that her massive hood covered her face once more. “Is there a reservation for Lillian in your books?”

“Let me see here.” The woman opened a large leather bound book and skimmed through it twice from one side to the other. Her hands were small and nimble and were well manicured, but Siratis could smell the faint scent of blood on them. She had killed someone within the past three days. Maybe this would be interesting after all. “No Lillian, could it be under a last name or a nickname?”

“Try Grandma Jones.” Siratis hated the name, but for some reason it seemed to stick. A small girl once called her that and everyone seemed to like it so much that Alex just kept it going to annoy her. Siratis could feel her fingernails growing slightly as her annoyance began to bring out the beast. She centered herself and breathed deeply.

Feeling her master’s annoyance, Urzest snuggled to Siratis’ left leg and rubbed her head up and down for comfort. Siratis simply patted the great cat and Urzest felt that she had calmed. She then looked down and saw something move on the ground and started to lunge at it, but the movement had stopped so she simply stared a moment, waiting on the movement again.

“Sorry, ma’am. That one is not here either.” The girl responded.

“Try Lycan Witch.” Another of Alex’s “funny” nicknames which she also hated.

The girl skimmed through, but at this point she figured she would have noticed a name like that and wasn’t actually reading them directly. She looked up at Siratis and just stared for a moment as if she wanted to simply say, “You are annoying me, please go away.” Instead, though, she said, “Not that one either.”

“Try Cassandra Blacknose.” Siratis figured that they would not put her under her own name as that would cause a lot of trouble, but she was getting ready to ask if Siratis was booked. If she did, this girl would immediately know who she was and snap to, but it would also mean that anyone else that read that ledger would know she was there. Not that she was too afraid of that, but knowledge of her whereabouts was often something that would cause a great stir within any city. She didn’t mind telling someone she trusted, but not putting on the actual ledger for all to see.

“Sorry, no Cassandra Blacknose, either.” The girl responded and flicked a fly away from her face with her hand.

Urzest saw the movement again and slapped at it. The shadow that had made its move did not conform to her paw and did not react at all. She watched it for movement again, but it had stopped. She was excited to find something to play with, but annoyed that it would not keep moving.

“How about Lady Mop Head?” Siratis bit her lip as she said it.

“Nope.”

“Elvira Bootlicker?”

“Not that one.”

“Mother Brothel?”

“No.”

“Sea Hag?” 

“Not that one either. Are you sure you have a reservation here?” 

“Not exactly, but give me a couple more and then I will leave you alone. How about Raven Mouth Breather?” Siratis was annoyed, not enjoying herself and wanting badly to pop both of them in the mouth. Not to mention, she was running out of nicknames so she may have to set up a reservation herself, which would be annoying, but may well beat this stupid game. She figured one more after this one and then she was done.

“I’m sorry, but this is sounding more like a joke than anything else. Are you trying to be funny?”

“No, I am not and I don’t totally find it funny either. Please try Bitch Mouth and if it is not there, then I will simply grab my own room.” Siratis begrudgingly added, knowing that if it were there, she was going to beat Alex for it. She always hated being made fun of and if anyone else tried to call her any of these names, other than Grandma, she would either kill them in a horrible way, or put them in with her “pets”. She had a soft spot for the boy she raised from adolescent to grown man, though and Alex was safe from most of her wrath. She was still going to hurt him, and ensure that he paid a good price. Possibly put him in a reality with only men for a few days. That would…no, he would still find a way to look up someone’s skirt just to annoy others. “Damn that boy.”

“Yes, here we are. Oh…” The girl stopped and looked back up at Siratis as her mouth quivered slightly.

“Is there an issue?” 

“No, it’s just that…This room is to be given out only to one person and no other. I am not certain why my father booked it and I do apologize, but I must give you a different room. This is our mistake and I will ensure that you are fully….” The girl went pale as she spoke and it was obvious that she was trying to accommodate what she saw as a massive blunder.

“No, no.” Siratis stopped her and placed a hand on the desk. The back of her hand showed a tattoo that matched the one on the front of the book she was currently looking through. “It is correct. That is the room that was reserved for me and I am the one that it will always be reserved for.” 

“Then..you…your…” The girl looked as though her heart would stop in its chest as she stared in amazement. She shut the book and glanced at the tattoo and then the book and then back at the hand again. Siratis withdrew her hand.

“Yes, I am Siratis, Witch of Mt. Dryst, Witch of the West and Defender of Grey Magic. I am the evil that creeps into all nightmares and causes them to become real. Me and Death Stalker are the two most feared beings on this probe and you are slowing down my progress to get to my room, where I desperately would like to go.” Siratis placed her hand back on the cane and Urzest sat up to her full form, looking over the edge of the desk as if to verify her master’s explanation.

“Yes…yes ma’am. I am Lepodus Thendogore, the daughter of Vinious Thendogore and I will ensure that your stay here is as perfect as I can. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask for me and I will have the staff to you instantly. I will have your room ready shortly and shall I have anyone grab your bags, or show your pet to the stables.” 

“My pet, as you call her, stays with me at all times. I carry my own luggage and only wish to know if anyone has come here asking for me.” Siratis followed up, now leaning on the legend that was her name.

“Yes, there were two that came in earlier and asked for….” The girl stopped when she realized how unprofessional the name they asked for was and how rude it would come across. 

“Bitch Mouth?” Siratis finished her sentence. “Where are they?” 

“They are at the bar.” Lepodus stated and pointed to the left, only to realize her folly and bring down her hand. She was about to say something when Siratis cut in.

“Of course they are.”

“Shall I show you to them?” 

“No, I am certain I will find those two without much trouble. One will have a tug of ale in his hand the size of a barrel and the other will have two metal monkeys, trying hard to look up the skirts of any hot women in the area. They won’t be hard to find.” 

“But…but you’re…” The girl started and then stopped herself. 

“Blind? Yes, I know. But don’t worry, we blind folk can get along just fine when we need to. Some of us even have other ways of getting around. Oh, and honey, please simply call me Grandma going forward so that we don’t have to use my real name. It often causes a stir.” Siratis jabbed as she turned and started walking toward the bar. Urzest gave a snort toward the girl and turned to lead the old woman on her way. 

The girl zoomed off from behind the counter and Siratis presumed that she was getting her room ready. The room had been bought when she was last there and reserved for her and her alone. Anyone else that would be dumb enough to stay in the room would be plagued with nightmares that would grow stronger with each hour they stayed. The cleaning staff knew that they would go in, dust and clean within thirty minutes and get out or they would have nightmares as well. Only the family that owned the actual in, the Thendogore’s, could stay there without incident. As such, she knew that she would always have a place to stay in that inn. She simply did not want to announce her name loud enough for anyone to hear it. 

They entered the bar and saw exactly the scene that she had expected. Alex Melaney was sitting with his great cloak around him covering an entire barstool from top to bottom, his great hat sitting upside down on the bar in front of him. Two metal monkeys were sitting on either side, one harassing a passing barista as she tried to deliver drinks to a nearby table. 

Urzest noticed the monkeys and nearly tore Sirati’s arm trying to move toward them. She reigned her in and patted her on the side of the head to ensure that she knew they were going to go over to the monkeys. Urzest loved those things, though Siratis knew not way, and would play with them for hours. As they walked, Siratis used her ability to see through the eyes of her other familiar that was flying over the inn. She noted that the two guards out front had left there post. “So much for secrecy. I knew I shouldn’t have left those two there. Oh, well, at least my stay will be interesting.”

Six Guns sat to Alexis’ left, his usual tankard of ale before him and his infectious laugh ringing in the ears of every patron. Siratis remembered the times that they had visited Pistol Peer and this same scene was played out time and time again. Those memories hurt, for during that time she was actually content and felt normal. Now, she was the Witch of Mt. Dryst and as such couldn’t get normal if it came up and bit her on the ass.

She sighed as she realized those days were gone and would not come back again until the next loop. Now, it was time for the great wars to begin again and she was going to be part of them. She wanted nothing more than to simply stop these loops and end this foolishness, but still had no clue as to how that might be accomplished. Instead, she would go to the bar, find out the next step in the ever evolving plan, then make it happen in whatever ways she saw necessary.

She stepped forward, watched the two of them as they played their little games and acted as if they didn’t know she was already in the room. She then sighed once more as she knew that soon she would be sent to Brindakrie and to that evil man she so hated. She would have no choice but to face him again and she wanted nothing more than to simply crawl into that enormous bed they had set out for her in the west wing of this inn and sleep for a thousand years. Before all that, however, she would have to go and teach Alex a few manners. “Bitch Mouth indeed!”