The Watcher and The Hunter
Part 1: The Missing Innkeeper
After I gave my work order to the guard, I ran to the Inn. I got there, and nothing had changed since my last visit over a year ago. Same grey wallpaper, the same plants with tall, skinny, think brown stems and large green leaves, the same wooden floor that had welcomed more travelers than anyone would ever meet in a lifetime, and it wasn’t trying to hide it. But unfortunately, that wooden floor had lost almost all its glossy brown color and was fading to a more greyish brown color. One thing had changed, though. There was a new lady behind the counter. It was a beautiful Wood Elf Woman. I’ve seen a lot of them while hunting. They call themselves Watchers. I’d never seen this one before; she had long brown hair, green eyes as deep as the forest, and medium-high cheekbones, and a more curvy face than angular. She was taller than Sarah by about 3 inches, I’d guess around 5’8.
“We’re full!” she yelled as I approached the counter, her green eyes flashing with annoyance.
“I didn’t tell you what I wanted; where is Sarah? I made a reservation with her last week.” That was a lie but worth a try.
She let out a deep sigh like she couldn’t be any more bothered by my presence “Name?” she asked.
“It’s Rotos. What’s yours?”
“Rue,” she let out another deep sigh of exhaustion. She pulled out the reservation book to look me up.
“That’s some fancy face paint, Rue.”
Rue had two blue whisker-like marks painted on both cheeks and one rectangular pattern down her chin. Flirting wouldn’t hurt, but my hopes of getting a room faded as Rue methodically checked names.
“Thanks,” she said slowly, brushing off my compliment with a bored tone. She flipped through the reservation book and shook her head. “I don’t see your name here, unfortunately. And we’re full. You’ll have to go somewhere else.”
“Absolutely Rue, but what happened to Sarah? She’s the only one who has worked here for years; I just saw her last week.”
Rue slammed the book shut. “I. Don’t. Know. Were. Sarah. Is. Rotos. I’m just working here today.”
“I’m beginning to get annoyed. I liked Sarah, and things aren’t adding up. What is an elf even doing working here? shouldn’t you be in the woods or something? You seem out of place.” My shot of getting to this room was zero. I knew I was going to end up sleeping in the park. My only goal was to take back control of the conversation.
However, Rue had had enough of this interaction; she looked at the clock. It was 730 PM. The Inn didn’t close until 8, but with a shit-eating grin, she looked at me and said, “I’m sorry, we’re closed right now; if you’re not a guest, then you’re going to have to leave. Maybe you should set up a tent in the park.”
Before I left, a tall man wearing a black corduroy suit entered the Inn. The man was carrying a large black leather bag. It looked like it was 10 pounds. It sounded like 10 pounds when he slammed it on the counter in front of Rue.
“Oh, Mr. Stine! We have your reservation on the 3rd floor as usual.”
“It’s Dr. Stine. And yes, the room on the 3rd floor. My usual,” he said slowly.
“My apologies. Dr. Stine.” Rue was more patient than I’d have been with this work. I stayed a bit longer out of curiosity. The doctor was a peculiar man. “Doctor, there were many complaints the last time you were here about things like screaming from your room. We must ask you not to bring guests here this weekend.”
Before Rue could finish, the doctor slammed his hand on the counter. “This is Unacceptable.” The doctor’s energy and voice rose violently, “I’m a traveling doctor, and the governor himself hires me to provide healthcare to the homeless citizens of Latif. Talk to Governor Seabin.”
“We know. We just ask if you’re going to be treating anyone here, to do it in the basement. We have an extra room for the help down there, and you won’t bother anyone.”
Before the conversation carried on, my presence was acknowledged, with a death stare, from Dr. Stine.
“Mr. Rotos, you’re going to have to leave now. Try coming back early tomorrow, and we may have a room for you.”
I wasn’t envious of Rue at all. As I walked out the large wood door, the muffled argument from inside the Inn followed me. They were still yelling at each other.
“I’m not going to work on my patient in the basement of this dirty Inn! I’m a doctor!”
I wasn’t ready to set up my tent and sleep in the park. It was late. It was 10 after 8. It had been a long journey. I got a drink from the bar on the other side of Cobble Stone Street. The moonlight cast a soft glow on the cobblestone street, and the candles in the windows flickered with a warm invitation. I may try my luck and see if I can’t spend the night with some lady before I revert to the park.
3 Weeks Earlier
“Sarah, I almost forgot, I received permission from The Watchers; you can attend the Ursalok festival in two weeks.”
“Awesome, I can’t.” I wasn’t excited to go to the festival. The thought of The Watchers and their snobbishness wasn’t appealing, but I liked Rue and was going just for her. “What about Rotos? Can he go?”
Rue let out a sigh before answering. I knew she was getting ready to walk the tightrope of sparing my feelings and addressing the reality about Rotos. “Sarah, Rotos hasn’t shown up here in over a year, and I have never even met him. I can try and ask, but I don’t know if they’ll allow it.”
“Thanks.” I knew she was afraid to speak up for me. Let alone Rotos. But it was a test to see what she’d do. I’ve known Rotos since we were kids, he was like an older brother, and I hoped to see him again soon. He’s never been gone this long. He had taken his parent’s death hard.
Suddenly, I heard a guest of the Inn walking down the steps. “Rue, Get down!” Rue ducked down behind the counter, concealing herself from any guest. The guests didn’t mind the Elves, but my dad certainly did. Maybe he just didn’t like Rue, though. He imagined me and Rotos getting married. Not me and another woman. Her being an Elf made it easier than him being openly against same-sex relationships.
The sound was from an older white man, though. “I’m sorry to bother you, Sarah, but there are a lot of noises coming from the room above me.” Rue, beneath the counter, decided to wrap her arms around my legs and press her cheek against my butt. It caused an involuntary smile. Not that it wasn’t welcome, but I needed to look concerned for this guest.
“I’m happy this is amusing, Sarah,” the guest continued anxiously, “but I can’t get to sleep, and I have business with the governor tomorrow morning.”
I looked at the clock after he mentioned sleep. Wow, 1 AM. Time had gotten away from me with Rue here.
“No, it’s not amusing, sir. What room are you in. I’ll talk to the person above you.”
“207.”
Oh no, I knew whose room that was without even looking. It was Dr. Stine, the traveling doctor. The governor hired him to provide free health care for the homeless in Latif. But unfortunately, he is also the creepiest man in Latif. I didn’t want to see him right now.
“Yup, I know who it is. I’ll talk to him now.”
“Thank you very much, Sarah,” the anxious man said while walking away.
“Want me to help you with him, Sarah?” Rue asked.
“No, I can take care of him. It’s Stine again. It’s 1 AM, though, Rue. You should go now; it’s late.”
“Okay, Sarah.”
Rue was always extra when leaving; instead of going through the door that led through the back hall and to the lobby, she planted her hand behind her, hoisting her butt to the counter. I interrupted her before she swung her legs around the counter to enter the entrance. “Rue?”
She paused, attentively, facing me.
“Love you.”
Rue smiled. Before she left, she pulled me in between her legs to kiss me before swinging her legs over the counter and leaving.
“Love you too, Sarah.”
I walked through the door behind the counter to let Rue out and locked the door behind her. It was time to deal with Dr. Stine. I can’t stand dealing with Stine. He’s such a weird guy. I turned around and walked back down the same hall leading to the office, but this time, I didn’t go through the door. Instead, I walked past the door down the red-carpet aisle until the stairs came up to my right, and I began my ascent. I paused to peek down the hall for anything unusual when I reached the second floor. It was quiet. I didn’t hear anything from the stairs. I took a deep breath preparing to continue my ascent to the 3rd floor.
I reached the 3rd floor and stared down the hall to where I knew Dr. Stine was staying. Initially, I didn’t hear anything. I sighed in relief and began dragging my feet toward room 307. It was hushed, everyone was asleep, and the red carpet muffled my footsteps. The closer I got to the door, I began to hear a faint thumping sound. I walked closer to the door, and the thumping sound continued. Finally, I got to the heavy wooden door and began knocking.
Knock knock knock, “Dr. Stine?” Knock, Knock, Knock. No one answered. Just thumping in the room. I had to attempt to stop it. I had the Inn’s keyring with me. I grabbed the key to room 307 off the ring and slid it into the keyhole.
The room looked sterile when I opened the door, like no one had been staying there. I paused and concentrated while trying to identify where the thumping was coming from, and I found it. It was coming from the closet. I called for Stine again before approaching the closet.
“Stein?”
There was no response. Just the thumping. I approached the closet. My heart pounded as I stared at the disturbing sight before me. The closet was full of red, green, and black leeches. Two of Latif’s homeless were bound with ropes, an older lady and a young girl covered in the parasites. The girl was unconscious, but the older lady used her energy, banging her head against the wall and calling for help.
I attempted to sprint out of the room for help, but as I turned from the closet, a leech fell on me, then another, a soon I felt my energy slowly slip away. I used all the power I could to get back to the front desk, but it wasn’t enough. The last thing I remembered was making it to the hallway before passing out.
To be continued…
