Page 5 of Must Love Moss and Moonshine
The horse, however, had other ideas.
Ahead, the well-maintained trader’s road veered left, its packed earth marked with fresh wagon ruts and lined with milestone markers that would lead straight to Moonshine Hollow.To the right, a narrow deer track wandered into deeper woods, its edges fuzzy with mushrooms and moss.The path disappeared into shadow beneath a thick canopy of branches, looking more like a rabbit’s secret way than any proper road.
I gave the horse a gentle tap with my heels.
“Come on, friend.If we stand here pondering life, I won’t get to Moonshine Hollow before dark.”
Overhead, the leaves of the quaking aspen quivered.I heard a sound almost like giggling.Frowning, I looked around, but there was no one.
“This is no place to linger,” I urged the horse.“And you are proving Bromir right, which is the worst possible crime you can commit.”
Bromir had nagged me endlessly to stay with him in Silverpine Village and drink the week away.The dwarf preferred his ale to early starts, but I had other things in mind.The first vendors to arrive in Moonshine Hollow for the Autumn Fest got the best booths.A great location meant steady crowds, and steady crowds meant enough coin to rent the small flat above Juniper’s shop for the winter.
The thought of Moonshine Hollow made me smile.The familiar faces of old friends and evenings listening to storytelling at the Wanderer’s Rest tavern cheered me.I loved the way the whole town smelled of woodsmoke, rich spices, and baking bread during the autumn festival.It felt more like coming home than anywhere else on my travels.There was no lack of hospitality there.Half a dozen friends would offer their spare rooms the moment I arrived.For years, Juniper had tried to convince me to stay permanently and set up shop in their welcoming town.But I was a wanderer.
Well, I’d always been a wanderer.
This travel season, however, had felt different: tiring, cold, and uncomfortable.
The vagabond’s life had always thrilled me, but sleeping on the hard ground across from a snoring dwarf and a band of others like me was getting…tiresome.Maybe it had rained once too often.Maybe I needed a rest.I wasn’t sure what my problem was, but I knew I wanted to stay put this winter.That was why I was more than ready to get to market and make coin.I had satchels full of enchanted gems, amulets, bracelets, earrings, cuffs, and more.What I wasn’t carrying with me, Bromir would bring in the trunks in the cart.The fall market in Moonshine Hollow would fund my needed break.I could not be late.
“Come on, Thunderbolt.Let’s go,” I said, tapping the reins again.
The horse’s ear twitched, turning to follow a sound.Thunderbolt’s withers shook, and he pawed the ground nervously as he watched a rustle in the brush.My stomach clenched with nerves.Was someone there?This was why I always caravaned.This, right here, was the reason.
Using my sharp Sylvan senses, I searched the woods for signs of another.Ignoring the subtle urgings in my gut noting where I could forage food and water—a skill natural to all Sylvans—I tuned in more deeply to the forest around me.It was so alive.I could sense the energy of the trees, the plants, the birds, the deer, and…
Before I could form the thought, an acorn came hurtling from the foliage, hitting me on the leg.
“Ouch,” I said, rubbing my leg and then looking toward the quivering ferns.A furry head poked out of the greenery, and then another, and another, and another.
Brownies.
“You little pranksters!”I chided.“Enough, before you scare my horse.”
I gripped Thunderbolt’s reins tighter.“Let’s go,” I told the horse, tapping with my heels again.My stomach knotted when the horse’s withers shook once more.The steed snorted and pawed the ground.
Oh, no.“Easy, Thunderbolt.It’s just brownies.Ride on,” I said, urging the horse to go—now—while I kept one eye on the little miscreants.
One of the brownies rose to full height.Lifting his slingshot, he took aim.
“Don’t you dare,” I told him, gripping Thunderbolt’s reins tighter.“I’m warning you, brownie.”
Overhead, the aspen leaves quivered once more.This time, I definitely heard a laugh.Were the trees in on this too?
The pesky brownies, a dozen of them, were now taking aim.They grinned gleefully at me.
“Thunderbolt,” I said, giving the horse a harder kick as panic set in.“Ride on.Now!”
Screaming in unison, the brownies aimed their slingshots at Thunderbolt, sending a barrage of acorns flying toward the nervous horse.
That was when the chaos set in.
Thunderbolt reared then set off down the mushroom-lined path.
“Thunderbolt!Thunderbolt!”I called, gripping hard on the reins and trying to get control of the horse, but it was no use.The animal finally lived up to his name.Racing through the woods, he leaped over fallen logs, swerved around massive trees, and generally ran at a haphazard pace into the forest.
Behind me, I heard the brownies shouting and laughing in glee.
