Jotting the total down in the proper line of the accounts book, I hum a Snowlight tune about a shipsailing through a storm to dock just in time for the candle lighting. It’s an old one, one my tutor taught me when I was young. I blow the ink dry, then close the book. Satisfaction rings through me. I have a scene to share tonight with those who show up for the reading, and I’m finished with the dull numbery part of my day job. I remember when I first told my family I wanted to run an inn and also keep writing books. They thought I was mad. They were probably right. This is a lot. But with the right staff here and the inn helping me out by magically cleaning the sheets after each client checks out, it is definitely doable. I always have too much energy, so running two careers works for me.
“Dew!” I call out the door to my new employee.
Dew appears in a flash, eyes bright, and her purple hair in a tangled knot on her head. “Yes?”
“How many are here?”
“For the reading? Well…” She chews her lip.
“Out with it. It’s all right if no one came.”
Dew guffaws. “It’s not that at all! The room is packed out here. There’s not a place left to even stand.”
“Oh. So Archer and I are still thetalk of the kingdom, eh?”
“Guess so.”
“And he didn’t…” I glance at the room behind her.
“Show up? No, sorry. Want me to go get him? He’s probably at The Gold Coin with Halvard. Or maybe at the Goat and Dragon.”
“Definitely not.” I prefer to see how this scene flies on my own. Less awkward.
I hand Mossette over to Dew, who coos at the little thing and trails me into the main room of the inn. It’s like the entirety of both Leafshire Cove and the nearby towns are all here. Maybe even part of Kingstown. I gulp, but it’s mostly excitement I feel in my bones.
“Greetings, everyone!” I call out.
“Where’s Master Darkheart?”
“Ah, sorry, but he couldn’t make it tonight. Maybe next time.”
There’s a small groan at the news, but then more folks are lifting a hand or locking eyes with me to ask a question.
I answer as simply as possible with a lot of—no, we aren’t going on tour for this short story. Scheduling would be an issue, I’m afraid. Yes, we first met at the book faire. No, we are not mates. Just friends. Acquaintances. Professional, yes.
Finally, they quiet down and I read out ourscene. The crowd gasps and snickers and swoons in all the right places. I’m shocked, actually. The scene was rough, uneven. But they applaud, and I bow with a flourish of my stack of parchment, and the event concludes with a toast to the story in progress.
Lysandra finds me with a drink at a small table in the back near my office. “Hello, love!”
I stand and hug the faun tightly, avoiding her pink horns so I keep my eyes. “I didn’t see you come in. Did you hear the excerpt? I wasn’t excited for this project, but I’m honestly enjoying it a little now,” I whisper as I pull out a chair.
She sits opposite me. “It was wonderful. And I’m sure it will be easier to write once you get used to one another’s styles, right?”
“I hope so. The crowd liked it, but it isn’t at my usual caliber. Or at Archer’s.”
A group hurries past on their way to the privy out back.
“But I wonder why the vampire didn’t show up,” one of the group says. “I bet he isn’t as into this as she is.”
Lysandra looks to me and grimaces. The group is gone before I hear anything else and I wave a hand in the air to dispel the yuck of their vibe.
“They’re not from here,” Lysandra says. “Tourists. Some don’t seem to care how rude they are when visiting.”
“Right. I’ve seen plenty of that in Kingstown. Not to worry. After publishing for as long as I have, I’ve grown pretty tough skin.”
The librarian is smiling again and nodding. “Of course,” she says as Dew walks up and asks us what we might like. Lysandra orders a mead, then turns toward me as Dew leaves. “Do you have a title for this upcoming bestselling short story?”
“Not yet.”
