Ross looked down at the woman squeezing him with a concerning amount of force, then at the mess the party had already made, knowing full well he’d be the one hauling people into beds.“And yet, the urge to quit is here.”
Annabella wailed into his shirt.Ross bit back a snort and gave her a pat on the back.
Really, it looked as if everyone was having a marvelous time.It wouldn’t hurt to indulge a little and join in.Ross couldn’t remember the last time he’d had more than a beer, truth be told.And this setting could be used to his advantage.He needed to meet people, and he had no idea of the social rules—not really.Meeting them while they were buzzed meant they were less likely to hold any social gaffs against him.
Decided, he gave his new boss a reassuring nod.“It’s fine.Introduce me to people.”
Annabella let out a muffled cheer against his shirt and hugged him tighter, making ribs squeak.Glenn pried both arms off Ross before distracting her with a glass of wine.The vampire happily accepted the substitute and went back to crooning at her lovely wine.
Relieved, Glenn extended a hand to indicate the next table over, where two people nursed their own alcohol and plate of goodies.“First, our wizard and witch, respectively.Keane you’ve met.This lovely lady is Maria.Maria, our new PA, Ross.”
Keane was definitely the worse for wear.He clutched a tankard, already drained to the dregs, to his chest like a lost child.The man, at least, was respectable looking in every other way—he wore clean clothes and appeared to have showered in the past twenty-four hours.A vast improvement over how Ross had seen him the first time they’d met.Hazel eyes blinked up at Ross, then a wide smile broke over his face.“Ross!Glad you could make it.”
“Yes, it’s very sad if the guest of honor doesn’t make it to their own welcome party,” Ross drawled in return.
Maria didn’t look a thing like Keane.She was precisely put together, as clean and tailored as Keane was disheveled and sloppy.She was short and curvy in figure, skin dusky, and her black hair fell in rich curls, tumbling around a heart-shaped face.When she spoke, her husky alto had a slight Hispanic accent.“Ross, welcome.”
“Thank you.”He debated how to phrase it for a moment before deciding to spit the question out now rather than later.“I’m still learning about all of you, so bear with me.Can you explain the difference between a wizard and a witch?”
“It’s not a matter of gender, like you see in a certain popular young adult fantasy series.”Her dark eyes rolled expressively.“Thank you for asking and not assuming.Really, it’s a matter of how we use our power and what our intent is.I’m truly a Curandero—they call me a witch in English because there is not an English equivalent for it.What I am is a magical healer and shaman, all rolled together.I use symbols, objects, rituals, and herbs to invoke the internal process of healing.Keane, on the other hand, uses symbols and magical coding to organize the elements of the world around him into the result he wants.It’s an entirely different process.”
“That’s incredibly interesting.I’d love to sit down and talk more with both of you.”Ross meant every word of it, too.Magic, he had a feeling, was more scientific than the movies made it out to be.
Maria looked pleased at his interest.“I’d like that very much.Go on, Glenn, introduce him to everyone else before they’re totally sloshed.”
Glenn nodded in agreement and with a touch to his elbow, guided Ross to the next table.The firm touch was nice.It wasn’t meant in any way sexual, that was obvious, but it warmed Ross.A certain part of him liked being touched by Glenn.
“We have two dwarven families,” Glenn explained as he led the way.“They’re both rather large, and I see a mix of both of them here today.They’re normally heading up my construction crews, so you’ll meet most of them later.They’re a fun-loving bunch when they’re not working.They also brew their own alcohol, which—” Glenn looked the table over with a resigned sigh.“Which is why they’re already drunk.Do not, I repeat, do noteverdrink dwarven mead.”
Ross took one look at the table in question and had to agree with him.The mead did look dangerously potent.
Glenn waved a hand in front of the nearest face.“Yorick.Yorick?”
The dwarf tried to focus but without any real measure of success.He looked much like the illustrations from the books Glenn had lent him.Short, stout, with a rounded beer belly and so much bushy brown hair it was difficult to see his eyes.The beard completely obscured his mouth, and the mustache threatened to overtake his nose.He wasn’t in medieval dress but dark wash jeans and a black sweater that barely encased his bulk.Where did dwarves even shop to find clothes that fit properly?
The dwarves sat nursing a large wooden keg, passing it around.Their beards stuck to the table due to spilled alcohol, and they more or less listed into each other, each compact body holding the other’s up.Like a leaning circle.Ross leaned over one shoulder to get a good look at faces, make sure no one had succumbed to alcohol poisoning yet.Or passed out.“All okay over here?”
One dwarf raised his—no, her head.She was just as stocky as her companions but lacked a beard.Makeup smeared around the edges of her mouth and eyes, so Ross guessed female.If dwarves had gender.He wasn’t sure on that point.“You’re Ross?”
“I am,” Ross said patiently.He’d have to get proper names and introductions in later.No one was likely to remember him right now.“What are you drinking out of?They look like…bowls?Made of bone?”
She lifted it proudly into the air for his inspection, not that he could see much around both of her clasped hands.“The skulls of our enemies!”
Her tablemates let out a roar of approval.
Skulls...of their enemies…right.Of course.What else was Ross supposed to guess?Of course dwarves wouldn’t drink out of something normal like glassware.Shaking his head, he turned and called out to the clan in general, “Does anyone know if the skulls of our enemies are dishwasher safe?”
A voice in the crowd called back, “Totally safe!”
Ross would take that with a grain of salt.He’d hate to destroy the skull-cups and have crying dwarves later.That seemed cruel.Maybe he could break Google-sensei’s brain by asking it later.
Yorick finally snapped into awareness and grabbed Ross’s arm with a surprisingly strong grip for such a small hand.“Ross!You musht join ush!The mead ish exshellent.”
The slurring was not a good sign.Did Ross need to take the keg away?Well, no, they were still making sense and not hurting anyone, so probably not.
Glenn looked ready to intervene, mouth already open, but Ross gave him a small shake of the head.He knew how to handle this.With a smile at Yorick, he said gently, “I’d love to, but I don’t have a skull to drink out of.You’re drinking out of the skulls of your own enemy, right?So, let me go slay someone and I’ll be back later.”
Yorick nodded approvingly, as did the rest of the dwarves.“Slay!”he roared, raising his cup high over his head and getting mead absolutely everywhere.
