Page 3 of The Orc and the Innkeeper

Pixie dust mites spread quickly. They’re drawn to magic and can undo a whole host of enchantments—which, of course, cost money for me to get restored since I’m not magical myself.

But they also wreak mundane havoc. They can get into pipes and cause massive plumbing clogs. They’ll short circuit an entire electrical grid if given the chance.

“I have to call the exterminator,” I say, groaning.

They’re probably going to be expensive to get rid of, but if I don’t do it right away, the long-term costs will besomuch worse.

Laurelle shoots me a worried look. She knows how tight things are around here right now.

“Let me help,” she offers softly, scanning the enchanted chaos around us. “I’ll try to hold them with a containment spell until the exterminator arrives.”

She extends her delicate hands towards the glittering cloud, murmuring a string of fluid Elvish incantations that sound like music to my non-magical ears.

The shimmer in the air begins to condense, swirling towards Laurelle as if drawn by a magnet. It’s mesmerizing to watch, this dance of light and magic commanded by my colleague’s expertise.

“That should keep them from spreading too much,” she says after a moment, her brows knit together in concentration. “But we need to act fast.”

She doesn’t need to tell me twice. I hightail it back down the stairs and to the front desk, where I’ve left my phone. Three minutes later and I’ve got an emergency appointment with Mystic Pest Control for this morning.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t give me a quote without checking out the infestation in person. When I pressed the receptionist, she said that most pixie dust mite exterminations start, baseline, at ten thousand dollars.

I’m royally screwed.

Just as I hang up the phone, the bell above the front door jingles, heralding a new arrival. I look up, putting on my polite reception desk face.

The first thing I notice is howlargethe being is, a towering figure in the doorway that blocks out the morning light. They duck under the frame to fit inside. They must be over six and a half feet tall.

As they step further into the room, I can see that it’s a male orc. His skin is a beautiful, deep mossy color and he hasa chiseled jawline and sharp cheekbones. His dark hair is cut short for an orc, but is still long enough that it’s falling into his eyes. He pushes it out of his face with a giant, strong-looking hand, glancing around the entryway to the inn, searching for something.

His golden eyes connect with mine and an electrical shock courses through me. My stomach bottoms out in a traitorous way. I fight that feeling off and focus on the emotions that come swiftly after.

Anger, irritation.

My lips purse themselves into a tight, impatient line.

It’s Thorak gods-damned Ironfist.

What is my high school tormentor doing inmyinn?!

2

MARIAH

Thorak’s heavy footsteps echo against the hardwood floors as he strides toward the reception desk, like the ominous crash of an approaching storm. If the ground could shake beneath the weight of his presence, I’m sure it would.

It’s like he was plucked straight from my teenage nightmares and dropped into my sanctuary.

Thorak looks broader than the last time I saw him, taller if that’s even possible, and sports a suit that probably costs more than what I make in a month. The tattoos on my arms prickle under his stare, as if my skin itself remembers his sneers, the way he used to look at me.

Elderberry Falls has about seven thousand residents but often feels like a much smaller town. We have constant festivals, monthly town meetings, and a tight-knit business owners association. Everyone knows everyone. Everyonegossipsabout everyone.

On its best days, Elderberry Falls can be a welcoming, warm hug. On its worst, it seems inescapable.

So it’s remarkable that I’ve been able to dodge Thorak for the last ten years. We’ve never bumped into each other at the monster market. We’ve never been at the same parties, have never grabbed a drink at the same bars. His name has barely popped up in conversations for me.

The only thing I can think is that the unknowable magic of Elderberry Falls has been helping me keep a wide berth.

Until now.

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