Axor flipped his hood back revealing his long flowing mane. His sparkling eyes sat over a broad snout with whiskers spreading from his split lips. Everyone’s attention was diverted from Axor’s face as one of the serving girls dropped the plates of food she was carrying to the table. The girls turned and ran into the kitchen. Axor sighed and replaced the hood over his face.
“She only saw the back of my head,” Axor said softly. “Perhaps your words were not as wise as I thought they were, Torak.”
“They were wise words,” retorted Caldal. “I, too, was shocked by your appearance, Axor, but that will not make me reject you. Is your appearance typical of all Chula?”
“No,” Axor replied. “Only the strongest in magic can attain such a state. Among my people my appearance is a badge to be worn proudly. Such is not the case among humans.”
Crawford slid two plates onto the table and stared at Axor. The Chula shaman felt the eyes gazing upon him, but he ignored the innkeeper.
“I am sorry for the reaction of my girl,” stated Crawford. “I have heard stories of Chula shaman, but I do not know of anyone who has ever seen one. Feel free to uncover your head in my inn. If it bothers my girls, I will serve you myself. You are a welcome guest here.”
Axor nodded politely at the innkeeper’s words, but he made no move to bare his mane. The innkeeper frowned and walked away. Voices could be heard coming from the kitchen as everyone sat silently at the table. Several minutes later, both young girls came into the common room. The one who had dropped the plates walked nervously to stand behind Axor. He felt her presence and became uncomfortable.
“I am sorry for my reaction,” the girl said nervously. “I have never seen such a sight before, but my father explained that your people are responsible for creating the forests around us and the fields that grow so bountifully. I am ashamed of my actions. Please remove your hood so I may see the face of one so revered in your land.”
“There is nothing for you to apologize for,” Axor said softly. “Let us consider the incident dismissed. You have done nothing wrong.”
It was clear to all that the Chula shaman had just dismissed the serving girl, even if he had done so politely. Still, she did not move. Instead she nervously extended her arms and gently pulled Axor’s hood from his head. Axor’s hands rose to stop her, but the Emperor smiled at the Chula and shook his head. Axor allowed the girl to uncover him. The other girl’s eyes grew wide as she stared at the Chula’s face, but she tried to appear impassive. The girl who had removed the hood walked to the end of the table so she could see the shaman’s face, and Crawford walked up behind her.
Crawford coughed slightly and both girls snapped out of their trance. They bowed respectfully to the shaman.
“We are honored to serve a Chula shaman in our inn,” said one of the girls. “Thank you and your people for the great gift they have given to Fakara.”
The girls bowed again and returned to the kitchen. Their father smiled broadly at the Chula.
“You should be just as proud of your appearance in Fakara as you are in your homeland, shaman,” smiled Crawford. “Our people owe a debt to yours that can never be repaid. Walk proudly among us so that we never forget that debt.”
The innkeeper bowed and retreated to the kitchen. Axor blushed with embarrassment.
“Perhaps your words were wise after all, flatlander,” he said to the Emperor with a smile.
“Flatlander?” echoed the Torak with mock offense. “You must mind your manners, shaman.”
“Indeed I must, Torak,” grinned Axor as he nodded his head in a bow to the Torak. “It appears that Caldal and I share much in common. May your words heal what ails both of us.”
“Well there is one benefit of traveling with a Chula shaman,” chuckled Eltor. “No one has said anything about our ears.”
Everyone laughed at Eltor’s comment, and the conversation turned to lighter topics. They sat for a while after the meal chatting about trivial matters. Crawford and his daughters came out and joined the conversation. After a while, no one paid any particular attention to Axor’s appearance. Finally, Crawford stood up.
“Time for you girls to turn in,” he announced. “You need to be up bright and early in the morning.”
Both girls instantly rose and bowed to the shaman before retreating to their room. Emperor Marak rose and the whole party followed his lead.
“The Western Woods is indeed a friendly place,” Emperor Marak said to Crawford. “I will recommend it highly. I have not enjoyed such food and company for some time, but it is time for me to retire as well.”
“I will stay up for a while,” responded Crawford. “If you want anything, just ask.”
The travelers filed out of the common room and up the stairs. Gunta came up last and handed out the four room keys. Mistake and MistyTrail took one room and the elves another. Halman bunked with Axor, while Gunta followed the Emperor. When they entered the room, Gunta immediately went to the window and gazed out. He leaned out the window and checked the side of the building before retreating.
“Anything out there?” asked the Torak.
“No,” replied Gunta, “but I feel like there will be before long.”
“I feel it, too,” nodded the Emperor. “I have been trying to calculate how long it will take those hellsouls to get here on foot.”
“I thought the attack was one of random chance,” stated Gunta. “Do you think they are coming specifically for us?”
“I think they are coming for me,” corrected the Emperor. “I have no knowledge to base that assumption on, but too many people knew about me taking this trip. There is not a great deal of traffic on this road yet. Do you think hellsouls would just wait forever to ambush whoever came along?”
“They might,” shrugged Gunta, “but we must plan as if they are after you. Should I alert the others?”
“I want the group to get a good night’s sleep,” frowned Emperor Marak. “It will not be good for us to all be tired tomorrow. Share our concerns with Halman, but not the rest. If we see or hear anything during the night, awaken everyone. You and I will take turns sleeping.”
“Why tell Halman then?” asked Gunta. “I thought Halman and I would take turns so that you can sleep through.”
“I want Halman to protect the innkeeper’s daughters if we are attacked,” explained the Emperor. “It is bad enough that we are bringing trouble to this family. I will not bring sorrow to it as well. Halman does not have to stand watch during the night, but he should be aware that we are going to so that he will know what his task is if something happens.”
“Understood,” nodded Gunta as he slipped out the door.
When Gunta returned, Emperor Marak was already asleep. Gunta was glad that Marak had chosen to wear the black and silver of the Torak clan, rather than the white and gold of the Imperial Emperor. If a fight did come this night, the white would stand out too much. Gunta quietly walked to the window and stared out. The view from the window looked out over fields of watula. A few small farmhouses were visible in the distance, but nothing was moving outside. Gunta frowned when he realized that he could not see the road. He wondered if the hellsouls would follow the road or keep off of it. There was little he could do about watching both approaches. He pushed the thought from his mind and concentrated on the soft sounds of the night.
Several hours later, Gunta felt something was not right. He became instantly alert and tried to pinpoint the nature of the problem. He nodded slowly to himself as he realized that the sounds of the night had changed. The cricket chirps could still be heard in the distance, but not nearby, and the horses were restless. Gunta gazed out the window at the stables. Suddenly, he saw a dark shape flit within the stables. He reached over and shook the Emperor.