Page 75 of Morel Dilemma

“That sounds like a coma, not a slumber,” Rylana said.

“Indeed. I do not wish to place the elf queen in a coma.”

“That’s probably frowned upon in the royal court.”

“Yes. And it gets worse.” Still reading, Jildarin added, “In addition to the slumber, a further side effect that can linger for several days is intense intestinal distress involving fluid evacuations.”

“Let’s hope that doesn’t start until after you wake up from the coma. Not during. Not if it includes, you know.” Rylana waved toward the lavatory.

“I will be very careful with the preparation of the meals and mix in many other varieties of mushrooms, and I will also include a delicious meat offering for those who wish to partake in that. Fortunately, this is clear about the amount that can safely be used for an average elf consuming one serving.” Jildarin tapped the bottom of the page.

“That’s good. I⁠—”

“Zalani?” came a woman’s call from the front. Was that Tezilly’s voice? “Rylana?”

“I think our neighbors may be here to set up for the coffee tasting,” Rylana said.

Leaving Jildarin to work on the night’s meal, she headed to the dining room. Rolf was holding the door open as Brella and Tezilly maneuvered inside carrying their large gnomish espresso maker. Their assistant Vilma followed them, her arms loaded with containers of coffee.

“Shall we set everything up in the kitchen?” Tezilly asked. “We thought it would make more sense to prepare our beverages over here. The fresher the better for our specialty brews.” She tilted her head toward Vilma.

“Could we chat about our plans after we set this down?” Brella grimaced, flexing her shoulders and shifting her grip on the espresso maker.

“It’s not that heavy.”

“I’m carrying more of it than you are.”

“No, you aren’t. The back end is twice the weight.”

“I could help carry it,” Rolf offered, “for a suitable tip.”

Brella pursed her lips. “We’re fine. Rylana?”

“Let’s put it on the bar there.” Rylana helped them maneuver the machine in that direction. “Jildarin is a dragon on a mission, so he’s not going to want to share his kitchen this evening.”

“What mission does he have that coincides with ours?” Brella asked. “Nothing that will outshine our tasting, I hope. Since he specifically invited us over here, we thought we would be the star of the evening.”

“I’m sure your samples will be enjoyed by all who visit. As you might recall, he’s on a quest to delight the elf queen’s palate while not causing her intestinal distress.”

“We have a similar mission then,” Tezilly said with a smirk. “Though we didn’t know you’d actually secured a promise from the elf queen that she would be here. How wonderful.”

“Elves usually prefer their strange tea to coffee,” Brella told her.

“Sylin doesn’t.”

“She’s not snooty, like most of them.”

Once the ladies had their espresso maker arranged the way they wanted it, Tezilly laid a hand on an orb embedded in the frame. It flared to life and hummed happily. Meanwhile, Vilma set the coffee canisters on the bar next to the machine. She also rested a stack of fliers there that gave the hours and location for the sampling, and did that updated list mention what the third item was?

“Shall I start hanging these outside?” Vilma asked of the fliers.

“Yes. We’ll want to attract passersby as well as our usual customers and those who will be coming to dine here,” Tezilly said. “Once people try the new samples, they’ll be even more eager to visit our shop regularly.”

“We’ll need fresh filtered water,” Brella said. “Rylana, can your dragon part with some of that?”

“I think so.” Rylana slid one of the fliers off the top of the stack.

“I’ll get the water,” Zalani said, walking over and pointing toward the door. “Rylana has a visitor.”