I was expecting a scene outside Mr. Putty’s home, but the streets were empty. The sky was pitch black. But Nessy saw something in the sky.

  “What?” I asked Nessy.

  “Bats.”

  I peered up at the sky. It was just black to me.

  “You have night vision?”

  She looked over with the hint of a smirk. “You have bad vision.”

  I glanced at Alice. Her eyes were closed.

  “What’s she doing,” I asked Nessy, with a nod to Alice.

  Nessy ignored the question. She kept looking up. It felt from her eye movement as if there were bats flying all around us, though I couldn’t sense any.

  “Let’s go,” said Nessy.

  “Where?” I asked.

  “Stone Keep.”

  “No…”

  “Charlie, I won’t let him send you to Dawn. But we need his help getting us to Redrock.”

  “It’s not safe,” Alice whispered, her eyes now open. “There’s fighting.”

  “Where?” asked Nessy.

  “The marketplace. The barracks. Armory. Granary. Sawmill. Not just here. Not just Stone Keep. All high man towns.”

  “Vampires?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Alice whispered. “There are a quarter million of us. In the sky. Hungry. Tired. Displaced.”

  Nessy was still looking up into the night sky. Her eyes then darted around, to and from nowhere in particular. I imagined her flipping to ‘plan F’ in her mind’s daily planner.

  I heard a shriek in the distance behind us.

  “The hills,” said Nessy. “Closest train station.”

  “You have coin enough?” asked Alice.

  “A silver tongue will have to do.”

  There were no guards in the forest tonight. The forest was still and quiet. You wouldn’t know the world around you was changing.

  “Alice,” Nessy said softly. “I know it’s hard, but you must tell me what happened to Edgar.”

  “He was in his tower when it was destroyed.”

  “Could he still be inside, somewhere? Sometime?”

  “I don’t know how it works, but it’s gone.”

  The path became winding and the terrain quite uneven and hilly. There wasn’t a single traveler walking about, but we did pass by a few hamlets. We also encountered three fairy patches, which we did our best to avoid, even veering from the path on one occasion.

  We came upon an area of particularly dense forest. The path here was overgrown. The trees blocked out what little light we had from the stars.

  “Stop,” Nessy whispered, raising her arm up to stop Alice and me from walking further. “Halfling up ahead,” she whispered.

  “Huh?” whispered Alice. “What’s he doing?”

  “Laying,” Nessy whispered. “Let me check. Stay here.”

  I couldn’t see a thing. I listened. But Nessy moved silently.

  “Can you see?” I whispered to Alice.

  “No,” Alice whispered.

  After a minute or so, I began to hear faint chatter up ahead.

  “You think—”

  “Shh,” Alice whispered.

  There was indistinct chatter for a time. Then their voices became louder. I could barely start to make out their words.

  “I don’t do escort quests,” said Nessy to the halfling.

  “Will you retrieve my hat then?”

  “Dude,” said Nessy.

  “I recognized them. They live just a few minutes from here,” said the halfling.

  “What’s so special about the hat?”

  “Sentimental, mostly.”

  “Well, why do they want it?”

  “Same reasons.”

  “We’re in a hurry,” said Nessy.

  “We?”

  Nessy said something, but I couldn’t make it out.

  “Please,” said the halfling. “I’ll pay you.”

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  Silence.

  “One gold,” the halfling said.

  “You’d pay me a gold to go get your hat?” Nessy asked.

  “It’s real gold,” said the halfling.

  Nessy said something brief. Couldn’t make it out.

  “I appreciate you waking me,” the halfling said.

  “Yeah,” said Nessy. She was close to us now.

  “Please consider it,” the halfling called out from far away.

  I sensed movement up ahead.

  “Nessy?” I whispered.

  “Ugh,” Nessy groaned. “Stepped in mud.”

  “What’d he want?” I asked.

  “Strange one. Sprites mugged him.”

  “Mugged?” Alice whispered.

  “Sleep dust. Said it was broad daylight too.”

  “Really?” whispered Alice.

  “That’s what he said,” repeated Nessy.

  “You don’t believe him?” I asked.

  “Who knows,” said Nessy. “I haven’t known sprites to do that.”

  “What’s the deal with the hat?” I asked.

  “Sprites stole his hat. He offered us a gold if we retrieve it. Makes me want the hat, to be honest.”

  “Where’s he going?” whispered Alice.

  “His cabin’s over there. I can see the smoke.”

  I had no idea which way she was pointing or facing. It was pitch black.

  “He lives out here?” whispered Alice.

  “Has five sons.”

  “Five!” I said.

  “Let's get the hat,” whispered Alice.

  “No, no,” Nessy said. “Turn,” she nudged us. “Walk. Focus. We have a quest. Train station.”

  “A gold’s a lot, Nessy,” whispered Alice.

  “I know,” Nessy’s voice raised an octave. “Must be a heck of a hat.”

  A branch whacked me right in the face.

  “Watch out,” said Nessy.

  “You know we can’t see anything right?” I asked.

  “We could easily take out a group of sprites” whispered Alice.

  “No,” said Nessy. “If we had more time, we could muck around. But we don’t. Let’s get going.”

  We continued walking for another hour or so. The hills flattened out and the forest became thinner.

  When we arrived at the goblin train station, it was empty, save for a tenant at the ticket counter. The glass was nearly covered with signs, disclaimers, warnings, and instructions. There was a young female goblin on the other side of the glass watching our approach.

  Nessy stepped up to the window. “Three to Redrock Central.”

  The goblin pointed to a sign that read “Closed.”

  “Why?” asked Nessy.

  The goblin pointed to a sign below the closed sign, “Due to vampire pandemic.”

  Nessy scoffed. “Until when?”

  The goblin closed her eyes and sighed. She fumbled around her desk and scribbled on some paper with a fancy pen then slammed up the new sign.

  “Indeterminate duration.”

  “How do I get into Redrock?”

  The goblin gave Nessy a blank, bored stare.

  “Why is she here then?” I asked.

  Nessy shot me a glance, then closed her eyes with a sigh. She dug through her pockets and placed four copper coins on the counter.

  The goblin peered down at the coins. She tapped the glass with her fingernails next to a sign that read “No.”

  Nessy removed the copper coins and placed a silver coin down. “Last offer,” she said.

  The goblin took the coin and then pointed to yet another sign, “No unsolicited bribery.”

  “Wow,” Nessy laughed. Her fists were clenched.

  The goblin smiled devilishly and shrugged.

  “Oh, you need more security,” Nessy said.

  The goblin stopped smiling.

  “Shadelands?” Alice whispered.

  Nessy shot an annoyed, crazed look at Alice and nodded. She turned to the goblin. “Stop while you’re ahead.”

  We trekked back the way we had come, through the lovely hills country. Nessy didn’t say a word.

  “I figured you’d shatter that glass back there,” I said.

  Nessy didn’t reply. And I didn’t push further.

  After about an hour, we split from the main road and followed a dirt path along a river. It took us to a halfling hamlet positioned at the head of the river. Nessy took us straight to the tavern.

  This tavern had an entirely different ambiance from the coastal highman tavern. It felt cozy, cheerful even. The room smelled like cotton candy and apple pie.

  We were the only patrons higher than five feet tall and as we passed each patron, each one, without fail, either greeted us, smiled, or laughed merrily.

  “I’ll have what they're having,” Alice whispered to me.

  I laughed. That might have been the first time I've laughed here.

  Every drink I got a look at was more than one color. And all throughout the tavern were brown and orange lights, tinsel, little banners, and flowers.

  Nessy slammed a copper on the counter. “I need a fighter.”

  The keeper collected the coin and nodded. “Give me a tinkle.” He waddled off to a backroom.

  “What did he just say?” I whispered to Alice.

  She held up a finger as if to say to wait.

  Behind the counter was very tidy. A mailbox for each room. Additional brown and orange decorations. A clay bowl labeled squirrel food.

  The keeper returned. “Room two zero. Knock eleven times.”

  “Eleven times?” Nessy repeated back with an eyebrow raised.

  “Precisely!” said the keeper.

  We found room twenty. As Nessy began knocking, the door opened.

  “Nine more.” Alice whispered.

  Nessy resumed knocking and the door kept opening.

  “Oh whatever,” Nessy said, kicking the door fully open.

  A half naked dwarf sat in the center of the room on a wooden chair. A female dwarf was giving him a haircut. Both stared motionless at us.

  “What’d I do?” the dwarf said.

  Nessy closed the door behind us then turned to the dwarf.

  The dwarf eyed each of us. “Mm,” he grunted.

  “Friends of yours?” the female dwarf asked him.

  “Customers, Marge.”

  The female dwarf, apparently named Marge, smiled politely to us and resumed cutting his hair.

  “You are customers, right?” he asked. He slowly withdrew his hand from beneath his apron to reveal a small handheld battle axe laced with green crust on the blade.

  “Yes,” Nessy said.

  “What you got?” the dwarf said.

  “We’re looking for a fighter.”

  “Quest complete. Got money, lad?”

  “Not a lad.”

  “He’s been drinking,” Marge said.

  “She’s been talking,” the dwarf said.

  “Escort,” said Nessy. “Here to Redrock. And the occasional side adventure, perhaps.” Nessy asked.

  “It’s twelve copper a day or ten a night.”

  “Daily shifts?”

  “Aye.”

  “I require twelve hours off each day.”

  “That’s new.”

  “Maybe you’re old.”

  “Brax!” The Marge bopped the dwarf, apparently named Brax, on the head. She turned to Nessy, “It’s a union thing.”

  “This is why no one hires dwarves, you know,” said Nessy.

  “That and bad eyesight,” added Alice.

  “Huh?” he squinted towards Alice. “I find plenty of good jobs.”

  “No shifts. But there will be downtime sometimes.”

  Brax let out a sturdy humph and then hopped from his chair. He examined his freshly cut orange hair in the mirror. “It's lovely.”

  “You're lovely,” Marge said lovingly.

  “How much we talkin’?”

  “Two silver,” said Nessy.

  Brax slowly turned to Marge with a grin. She silently applauded.

  “Well, I wouldn't want to waste a good haircut”

  “Okay,” said Nessy.

  “Insurance?” asked Brax.

  “No.”

  He made a stern, concerned face. He thought for a moment. “Booze?”

  “Sure.”

  He turned to Marge and smiled. She did not. He returned back with a less enthused expression. “One silver deposit.”

  “Later,” counter-offered Nessy.

  “She’s gotta eat,” Brax used both hands to showcase Marge.

  “One silver? Hell of an appetite,” said Nessy.

  “Not here,” grunted Brax.

  Marge nodded with a solemn face. “There’s a famine.”

  “Eh,” Brax shrugged. “Food shortage.”

  “And what if I die?” added Brax.

  “I keep your axe.”

  The dwarves were unmoved by the humor.

  “Are you really this impoverished?” asked Nessy.

  “I’m invested,” he said defensively. He turned to me. “Do you want a haircut?”

  I touched my hair. “Why you ask me?”

  Nessy placed one piece of silver on the chair’s armrest. Marge’s hands twitched and her eyes grew wide, but she otherwise showed restraint. Brax picked it up, bit it, and then deposited it into Marge’s open hand.

  Brax smiled with as much of a bow as you’ll ever get from a dwarf. “I accept your dark elf terms. When do we head out?”

  “Now.”

  “I'm not done,” said Marge, motioning for Brax to sit back into the chair.

  “Duty calls!” Brax shouted. “It'll all grow out anyway.”

  The dwarf stripped naked right before us all without preamble, changed into quite the impressive set of green-tinted armor, and grabbed a giant two-hand axe off a low-hanging wall mount.

  “Ready,” he said.

  “Introductions on the way,” Nessy said while leaving the room.