In Absentia

Chapter I: Inauspicious Night

One of the perks of being awake and working at all hours of the night is that any late night visitors looking for a place to stay can and will be heard. On this particular occasion, however, the nocturnal housekeeper, one Arthur Kirkland, was certain that everyone staying at the inn, whether awake or asleep, could have heard the ruckus at the front door.

"Let us in!" Shrieked a young man's voice as fists pounded at the ancient wooden door. "For the love of God and all things holy, open the fucking door!"

Arthur dropped his broom and went running, his swift footfalls barely audible over the man outside. Just as he was descending the stairs, a second man's voice joined in.

"Please let us in! There's something following us and it's going to kill us!" The man cried out. Arthur unlocked the door and seized the wrought-iron handle, giving a hard tug. 

Immediately the housekeeper pulled his hand back in pain and hissed, then scowled at the men before him. "There's no need to shout. Come along then, I'll see to your injuries," he said, his voice growing softer as his eyes travelled downward. The men, they were hurt. Badly.

"There's every fucking need to shout, you have your leg turned into wolf fodder and see just how quiet you are!" The first of the two men exclaimed, then he groaned and fell against Arthur, who wrapped his arm around him to keep him upright. 

It was true; his leg from just below the knee had been crudely severed. It was a miracle he was still conscious, let alone still standing. 

“Come along, there’s a table straight back that we can lay him on,” Arthur told the other stranger, and the three of them carefully shuffled towards the dining area. 

Once they had succeeded in laying him down, the foul-mouthed newcomer carefully rubbed his leg and winced. “I don’t guess you’re a doctor on top of an innkeeper?” He muttered, squeezing hard when his companion took his hand.

“My, er- I have someone here who is. I’ll wake him,” Arthur replied, going and pouring both of the guests a small glass of brandy before leaving the room. He looked over his shoulder to ensure he was out of sight, then he passed through the locked door leading to the basement. He hurried down the many stairs and looked all around.

Spilled water littered the stone floors, making the housekeeper groan. His companion had always been such a messy roommate; it was embarrassing.

And the smug bastard was there, sitting on the stairs that led into their underground pool, kept secret from any guests staying at the hotel. After all, it would have been rather inconvenient if anyone were to stumble across him while he was lounging about in the water.

More often than not, he tended not to wear anything while he was swimming, and, well, that was because it was rather difficult to wear a swimsuit when one’s legs were periodically replaced by the tail of a fish.

“Oi, Francis,” Arthur called out, cupping his mouth to amplify his voice in the stone chamber.

“Ah, hello,” the merman replied, lifting a half-empty wine glass and smiling in acknowledgement. “Bring me that bottle over there, will you?”

The housekeeper scoffed, but obliged. “Could’ve gotten it before you got in the water. There’s a couple of hurt men upstairs, said they got attacked by a dog or something. Is Matthew down there with you?”

Francis refilled his glass and took a sip, then sighed happily. “Yes, he’s asleep. I’ll go wake him for you,” he told his companion. He set the glass down, then dove into the water and left Arthur in silence. 

The housekeeper let out a short huff and stepped closer to the water so he could peer into the depths below. It wasn’t long at all until he saw Francis return with Matthew, a reserved young man- still a boy in Arthur’s eyes -that had been staying at the inn for many years, and had been working there almost as long.