A Knight to Remember

[an inn between Brewbury and Pratha]

Sheets of rain beat down upon the hilly Kappan countryside, turning roads into muddy traps for horses and humans alike. The clouds were so dark it was hard to tell whether it was night or day. Streaks of lightning pierced the darkness, briefly illuminating the countryside with their electrical energy.

All in all, it was a terrible day for traveling, and Daerinnid was thankful that he was safe inside the inn. Once again, it was thanks to Neesa. Her injuries prevented her from walking or riding and had forced them to remain at the inn. Three days had gone by of Daerinnid tending to Neesa and the inn. It would doubtless be many more before they left the relative safety of the establishment.

During those days, Daerinnid had frequently made secret forays into the catacombs. The four Te'nakh'nor had followed him the first few trips, trying to escape when he left, but Daerinnid managed to outsmart them every time. If there had been any smart Te'nakh'nor down there, they had escaped long ago.

The purposes for Daerinnid's excursions were many. He collected gold and silver from the dead bodies to line his pocket and harvested a few types of underground slimes for his potions. The catacombs were almost always damp, leading Daerinnid to believe that there was an underground stream somewhere in the area. Parts of the maze had been carved by water, yet there was evidence that human hands had also been at work. Perhaps it was even an abandoned mine of some sort.

It was almost a vacation. Freed from the prying eyes of society, Daerinnid could do anything he felt like. It had crossed his mind that this was an ideal opportunity to kill Neesa, but that seemed an awful lot of effort, or so he told himself. She had proven her worth when she knocked the pig-man unconscious. Even Daerinnid had to respect that.

Despite the freedom, Daerinnid was stuck doing one thing he did not enjoy: cooking. There were enough supplies in the inn to last a good three or four weeks, but Neesa was stuck in bed and was unable to assist in the preparation of food. Instead, Daerinnid cooked what few dishes he knew, which turned out to be a frightful experience in chemistry. Daerinnid always had some sort of rare spice in his pack he wanted to try. So far, there had been no serious blunders, but the food turned out terribly. It was always far too spicy or sour, and had even been too sweet in the case of the porridge.

While Neesa prayed for something edible, Daerinnid busied himself in the kitchen. This time, he was not going to use any exotic ingredients in the food. Stick to the recipe, Neesa had said. Neesa probably knew best about these kinds of things.

"Hm, persnipperas would be good for this… or perhaps thuumbeliata?"

Remembering Neesa's advice, Daerinnid resisted the urge to fetch the herbs. This was one meal he would not ruin. He gave a dejected sigh and stirred the soup, listening to the sound of the wind battering the shutters for amusement. The irregular beat was punctuated by loud crashes. Curious, Daerinnid abandoned the soup and went to see what was making so much noise.

The sounds led him past the entrance to the cellar and towards the front of the inn, growing louder as Daerinnid drew close. With a look of shock, Daerinnid realized that the sounds were coming from the front door. He quickly turned to the window and peered outside. The darkness prevented him from getting a clear picture, but it was definitely something big in front of the front door. The pounding continued, steady and even, as if it were timed. Steeling himself, Daerinnid's hand clutched the heavy lock to the door and slid it open.

Instantly a huge rush of air and water assault him, driving him back a step. Daerinnid shiled his face and looked into the most monstrous horse he had ever seen. The magnificent beast was discolored by mud and water, giving it a hazy gray coloring. Atop the horse sat a man clad in full armor.

"Tend to my horse!" a regal voice bellowed at Daerinnid as the knight dismounted. The man handed Daerinnid the reins.

"Wait a second," yelled Daerinnid, trying to be heard over the wind. "What do I look like!?"

"The innkeeper, perhaps?" the knight bellowed back. Obviously finding Daerinnid incompetent, the knight pushed past him and called back helpfully, "and if you see my squire, bring him in, too."

A sopping wet Daerinnid stared after the knight, horse's reins in hand. The beast was too large to move further inside, and that was probably a bad idea, Daerinnid reasoned. He would have to bring it to the barn.

"Come on, horse," he growled, wishing he could spit the creature's name into its face rather than its species. He tugged on the reins as he led it to the barn where his own two horses were. The winds buffeted Daerinnid back and forth, nearly knocking him from his feet as he struggled along, rising to a near-inhuman pitch as they whistled along. Daerinnid drove his shoulder into the barn's door to prop it open long enough for the knight's white stallion to run in.

The barn was terribly dark, and Daerinnid cursed as his leg struck a discarded tool of some kind. The darkness was strangely familiar, so Daerinnid did not bother to light a lantern and removed the horse's saddle and bridle without aid. When he was finished, he snapped the beast on the flank, driving it into a vacant stall. Quite frankly, Daerinnid was getting terribly tired and wished the beast had kicked him. He would have killed it for such an offense. "Stupid beast, guess it's smarter than it seems…"

Giving a low groan, Daerinnid braved the winds and rain once more in an attempt to reach the inn. He could barely see the lights of the inn through the curtain of rain. He cursed again, letting the wind drown out his words, and put one foot after the other forward towards the welcoming warmth of the inn's fire.

A sudden gust of wind blew up, knocking Daerinnid to the ground. He rolled down the hillside, arms over his face, unable to find purchase in the slippery mud. The lights of the inn disappeared. "No!" he yelled, finally sliding to a stop as he attempted to claw his way back up. "NEESA!!"