Phony Potions

Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I remembered my initial mission of saving Mallow and headed toward the dungeons. The exterior was a small one-story stone building, surrounded by a small grove of well-trimmed, flowering trees in which I spied birds nesting. There were no windows, and a small slat on the heavy, iron banded door was the only entrance or exit. I tied Flatchert up again a small distant away. I strolled past the lamplighter. Reddish-yellow light danced across the pockmarked guard's face.

"Hello, good sir." I bowed my head. "I've come to post bail on a particularly imposing inmate of yours. A lovely Giantess, you'd recognize her by the pale skin, reddish eyes, and bandage ensemble."

The guard sniffled and dragged his hand beneath his nose.

"Err..." He said. "Visiting hours is over. You'll have to come back tomorrow between noon and sunset." He sniffled again.

"But the sun is still visible." It was now tucked behind the roof line of the city, but its warm glow still fended off the enclosing cloak of purple that threatened to shroud it. "Wouldn't it be more convenient to allow me pay her fine and have us be on our way?"

"Gate don't open after sunset." The guard reaffirmed. "Too many clever blokes come with bags full of gold and end up being full of weapons, and then we got loose criminals rampaging around in the dark streets of Blythe." He squinted his eyes at me. "And with a Giant who heals in the moonlight, that's the last thing we're wanting."

"I wouldn't hurt a fly and neither would my Mallow." I protested.

The guard lowered his weapon, and with the blunt side tapped my shoulder roughly. The intimidation was ruined when he struggled to suppress a cough.

"Move back," he said. "You're making me nervous. I knows your Giant is in here 'cause she attacked an Avalon."

"It was a Boe—" I began, but I got thudded pretty solidly in the shoulder and stumbled back. I contemplated bribing the sour tempered guard, but his humorless expression led me to believe that perhaps he wouldn't go for it. Besides, the guard was right. Mallow had gotten herself into the situation all on her own, and I didn't think spending more coin than necessary to get her out early would teach her much.

"If she asks..." I said, backing up even more as the guard's scowl deepened. "Will you tell her that I at least tried to free her?"

"Strolling up ten minutes past closing don't fit my definition of trying, but if she asks I'll tell her." The guard's posture relaxed as I retreated. Irritated, I rode back toward the center town. A sneeze served as a good-bye.

My mind wandered back to that massive crowd of disappointed spectators. I kicked myself for saying that my stock was wiped out, if there was that much demand I could easily cook up some more batches and sold them, maybe even making use of these eggs. I tried to remember exactly how much I emphasized the out of stock portion of my pitch, and eventually decided I could retract the statement.

"Oh, you remembered it wrong, my friends." I said to myself as I got back to Flatchert. I climbed onto her saddle. I practiced, "Now these, these here are truly the very last!" Yeah, trying this trick more than once wouldn't work, so I'd have to make the next wave of sales count...

I vowed to start earlier, so that way I would sell the potions before Mallow found out and still have time to get Mallow out of the dungeon. I checked my reflection in a passing window, smiling a little bit. I skipped the stall food, realizing this might be my last chance to eat at a high end restaurant without Mallow sulking outside.