At the Inn, Part II

A silence fell over the dining room as the shaking gradually came to a stop. The patrons crawled from beneath the tables. They stared at the wrought-iron chandelier that had crashed to the floor, narrowly missing some diners, and then turned to each other, waiting to make sure that the shaking had truly stopped. Then, a collective sigh rose from the crowd and the room bustled into action. Some patrons rushed through the front doors, heading out to see if any damage had befallen their homes and businesses. Ida barked orders to her staff to begin cleaning and repairs.

“No time to waste. No quake’s gonna keep ‘em away at lunch time!”

Ida hustled me up the stairs to one of the guest rooms and settled me into bed. She sent Mimi to find the doctor. A short while later my wound was cleaned and stitched and a tetanus shot administered.

After the doctor left, Ida stood at the foot of the bed. “Now, dear, tell my how you came to my front door.” Mimi scurried around the room, tidying up and pretending not to listen.

I related my story from the beginning—how I found Lemuria and embarked on my first heroic journey last year, then how I found Cyberia and acquired the Tavern.

“You won the Taverna di Muse in a game of poker?” Ida let out a hoot and a hearty laugh. “Oh, how I wish I could have seen the look on Ethel’s face!”

I continued my story and told her how I embarked on a second heroic journey, and my encounter with the jaguar and Amara Von Saxonberg.

“It’s no small thing to do the journey once, but a second time?!. The deeper into Lemuria you delve, the greater the danger.” Ida lightly patted my bandaged leg. “What else did Amara say to you—besides just sending us her regards?”

I looked at Ida and cautiously said, “Not much else, really. Why do you ask?”

Ida rose and walked to the window. “Amara’s been flittin’ about Lemuria for quite a while now. Said she was a professor of some sort in the Real World until she, as she says, ‘fell down the rabbit-hole’ or some such nonsense. .. Anyhow, she keeps a room here at the Inn but spends most of her time ‘exploring’?

“Exploring for what?”

Mimi ceased her puttering. “She says she trying to find out what’s wrong with Lemuria! I don’t know what’s she talking about. Lemuria’s just fine! Just some bad weather and earthquakes. We’re fine, aren’t we, Ida?”

“Mimi, dear, run on down to the kitchen and see if Earl’s got some food for Lori. It should be ready now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mimi chirped.

After the door shut, Ida pulled up a stool and sat.

“We don’t talk much about this—people are nervous enough as it is…. There’s something afoot in Lemuria—something dangerous. A few months ago, we started having bad weather, crops failing, fish disappearing from the bay—first flooding rain, now drought. Then the earthquakes started. And…. if what you are saying is true…. The dead are arisin’ and walking about.”

“We haven’t had any of this in Cyberia. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“It’s seems to have started in the Unknown lands of Lemuria and it’s spreadin’. If it isn’t stopped, it’ll reach Cyberia soon enough.”

“No, that can’t be. Lemuria is a refuge. It’s the place we escape to FROM the Real World.

“The peace of Lemuria is fragile and I’m afraid if something is not done soon, it will be beyond fixin’.”

“What’s causing it?”

“We don’t know. The Elders have convened and discussed it. I’m told that even Enchanteur has been ponderin’ the matter.”

“How does Amara fit into all this?”

“As I was sayin’ the Elders were discussin’ things a few weeks ago when Amara jumps up and says she’ll go lookin’ for the reason. She’s an impulsive woman to be sure, wild and unpredictable. Good-hearted to the last but no common sense. We had a big to-do about it, she and I, and she ups and runs off. Since then the earthquakes have been getting’ worse. I think she may have stirred things up even worse.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“We sent the Ravens with a message to Enchanteur askin’ what’s to be done. Just yesterday we get a message back from her. It only said ‘Watch for the Wounded Wanderer who bears the mark of the Panther. She will lead the way.’” Then Ida fell silent.

It took me a moment to process what she just said and then a realization hit me.

“What? You’ve got to be kidding. Me?”

“Aye. You.”

 

To be continued.

Lori Gloyd (c) 2007