A Mischievous Tale of Magical Mayhem

7 | Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Tallon had been preparing to order a large breakfast and have it sent to his room when the door handle rattled. Frowning, he approached the door and looked through the peephole. Surprise hit him square in the chest when he saw the very same man—dressed again as a woman—behind the glass. He was no less beautiful today, and stood out among everyone else in this wretched town. After only a day, Tallon had quickly figured out cross dressing wasn't common practice compared to the mainland. Honestly, he found it refreshing and attractive; this young man was being his most authentic self in a bigoted society, regardless of the ramifications.

Before Tallon could make himself decent enough to open the door to a 'lady' of any sort, the lad seemed to lose his nerve and disappeared from view. Light, rapid footsteps pattered down the hall and faded from the range of Tallon's hearing.

"You coming?" he asked Scamp, who yawned from where she lay curled at the foot of the bed.

With a wide yawn and deep arch of her back, the critter flew to his shoulder while he grabbed his key. Then, hopping into a fine pair of boots to match his smart trousers and steel gray frock-coat, Tallon opened the door, snatched his cloak off the floor, and tossed it into the room. He needed to follow the man before he disappeared.

He followed discreetly, hanging behind in case someone hurled an accusation of harassment against a fine lady. He'd faced discrimination in the past from human and elf alike, but never on this level, and it was starting to wear at his nerves.

He needed to get out of Ballsdeep and plead with his father to send someone else on this stupid mission. Nothing, not even spending a night in his father's jail cell after that brawl, was worth this punishment. He'd proven the man had been cheating, only for his father to box his ears for publicly humiliating him in front of the other courtiers. As far as his father was concerned, Tallon had initiated a brawl, encompassing their fellow revelers in attendance.

His mother had nicely asked him to pursue this venture while her husband cooled his temper, but Colbert had been the one to suggest the journey to Ballsdeep as a means to gainfully employ his wayward son on an 'intelligence' mission.

"Intel, my arse," he muttered under his breath, scowling at the concierge when the snobby human eyed him suspiciously. If his mother hadn't raised him to be a gentleman, Tallon would have skimped on the tip later. This lazy sack of dicks deserved nothing more than a single copper for the amount of attitude he'd shown. The only reason Tallon hadn't been tossed into the street was because Colbert's seal carried weight even in these foreign lands, and no one wanted to displease one of the wealthiest earls in the entire world.

He loitered for a moment in the grand lobby, browsing a display at a gift counter where the establishment sold souvenirs like gaudy china dishes and silverware with handles shaped like otters. Deciding to purchase a set for his sister Liari, he paid for his purchase and earned himself a smile from the man after adding two silver bits to the outrageous tab (which had been surprisingly fair since the price had been clearly marked).

"Hold these for me; I'll return for the set later."

"I'm sure I could be persuaded," the man tried, sensing an opportunity to swindle the half-elf.

Tallon glared. "How 'bout I shove a gold knot where the sun doesn't shine?"

The man wisely backed away and hurriedly placed a label on the package and wrote Tallon's name and room number in fine script before nodding. "My apologies, sir. I'll keep your package for you right here until you return. Please don't report me to the proprietor."

A lesser man would have scoffed, but Tallon only nodded coolly before resuming his mission. He was in no real hurry; even if he lost the odd, cross-dressing boy, he knew where he lived.