CHAPTER 96 Tinker Tate’s Traveling Tokens and Tales

CHAPTER 96

Tinker Tate’s Traveling Tokens and Tales

Brownie

Brownie was still angry at Donna after a good night’s sleep. And on the road to Hearthcrest. And she was still angry at Donna when they rode up to the inn—the same Lonely Hearth Inn that was her new favorite inn because it was where she and Rufus first got to petting. She was angry that night, despite only renting out one room this time and getting ample amounts of petting, cuddling, and canoodling.

She was having a hard time letting go.

It was almost a good thing that Slake wasn’t there yet. He’d be the first to tell her that spite was an excellent motivator, and vengeance the only option.

To a grimalcat, revenge was the best form of flattery.

But she didn’t want revenge on her horse; she wanted … well, to not disappoint Momo. The grimalcat had saved her life and befriended her, and trusted her to keep her promise.

One did not simply break a promise to a grimalcat.

Brownie was still angry when they all loaded up and set on their merry way to the Dark Enchanted Forest the next day. It was a very distracting thing, being angry.

She was so busy being upset, in fact, that she almost missed her first encounter.

“Look over there.” Rufus poked her shoulder and stuck a finger toward a vardo, a covered caravan wagon, that had pulled off to the side of the road. Despite the sunny weather, the preela was busy hanging up a soaking wet waterproof canvas cover on a rope secured between the vardo roof and a tree. He was standing on a single-person landing at the front door of the vardo.

Brownie sent a message to Donna to slow down. The horse didn’t mind a stop and pulled up next to the disgruntled, mumbling preela. He’d noticed their arrival but was busy straightening out the heavy damp cloth .

“Fine weather!” Rufus called out politely. Brownie waved.

“And fair luck,” the preela replied. He tugged three more times and nodded, stepping back to make sure everything was wrinkle free. Then he fully turned to face them and lifted an eyebrow.

This preela had three gold earrings in one ear. He was very tanned, darker than the usual brown-skin and fur, thin-winged, floppy-eared preela who lived on this side of the mountain range. The humans, fae, and dwarves that came from the empire were all darker skinned. That was where the grand duchess of North Sumbria’s family came from. The Empire of Sands had two main routes, south to Peldeep and East through the mountains to North Sumbria and the Ice Fields, making North Sumbria a duchy teaming with the most diversity. Peldeep had a mix of beastkin and beastfolk; Nilheim had different cities for each beastfolk and elf and lizardkin and naga and selkie; Drendil had mostly humans; Sumbria had elves; Servalt had elves and half elves; and Baldorin had dwarves. Sure there were exceptions, but there was an obvious majority.

North Sumbria was a near equal mix of everyone .

The duchy also imported the latest research out of the Empire of Sands, making it more magically advanced and modern then its neighbors. Peldeep might share a border with the empire, but they didn’t have the passion and drive for education and knowledge that North Sumbria was famous for.

The preela were originally from the Empire of Sands, but a few had moved south to the rest of the continent and set up shops in the bigger cities like Vitol or Thistlecrick or Gren’s Keep. When they did, they usually had an entire clan helping with a family business or trade.

This preela was very much alone.

“Welcome to Tinker Tate’s Traveling Tokens and Tales!” Tinker Tate patted his hands dry and then waved one hand at his vardo. “As you can see, I’m not set up, but I’m happy to listen to requests for buy or sell or trade.”

Rufus smiled and leaned forward. “I heard you enjoy music?”

The preela’s eyes glinted with interest, and he crossed his arms. “I do.”

Brownie saw where this was going and pulled out Danielle. Rufus did not disappoint; his smile got bigger, and he announced, “Then may I introduce Minstrel Bronwynn Lyriel.”

A slow smile broke out on his face. “I’ve heard tell of Minstrel Bronwynn. This is fair luck!”

“And I’ve heard about you, Tinker Tate.” Brownie laughed.

“You and everybody else,” the tinker sighed with exasperation.

Madame Potts’s portents were announced across all of Valaria. The poor preela must have suffered a bit under the international attention.

Brownie had Danielle on a shoulder strap while she and Rufus clambered down from their own wagon. Donna pulled the wagon to off the road .

Tinker Tate reached out and pulled a tasseled rope hanging beside the door. Suddenly, the entire wall of the vardo swung down on hinges until it had completely flipped around and sloped to show a velvet pad covered in the preela’s wares. He leaned on the railing of his tiny front doorstep and smiled down at us. “Anything catch your fancy?”

There were all sorts of knickknacks, poisons, antidotes, herbs, and even a few weapons. Brownie grabbed Rufus’s hand as they inspected the traveling merchant’s wares. A pair of hand shakers drew her eye. Brownie was always looking for easy instruments to add to her [Reverb] title ability … and she also just collected instruments like a dragon collecting shiny things. She had a problem.

“I’ll take the two shakers, this bracelet with a +1 Charisma modifier, and the jar of killer bee honey,” Brownie said, pointing at each.

Tinker Tate snapped his fingers, and each of the above listed items rose in the air, packaging themselves neatly into a small cloth bag that floated toward the bard. “Excellent. That’ll be five silver pieces, or three silver pieces and a song.”

Brownie took the bag in one hand and flashed her three silver. The money vanished with the transaction, and Brownie stored her purchase in her storage ring. Instead of pulling around her lyre harp right away, she checked on Rufus. The beastman was still in folk form and was tapping his chin with his fingers. They were very nice fingers.

“I’ll take the wolfsbane and its antidote,” he said. He caught my eye and smiled. “You can use the antidote on me if we run into any more Blackfog spies.”

With a wave of Tinker Tate’s hand, the items also packaged themselves neatly in front of the beastman. “That’ll be four gold, thank you.”

“And the wolfsbane?” she asked, eyeing the package dubiously. Tinker Tate hadn’t offered a discount to Rufus, so she would only be singing one song. Perhaps “The Traveler’s Tale” would be a good pick?

Rufus looked at the bags and eventually handed them over to her. “I was just going to buy it out of circulation, but why don’t you take both?”

Brownie didn’t like the idea that she had Rufus’s greatest weakness just hanging out in a bottle in her storage ring, but she accepted the potions anyway. It meant there was one less poison out there that could be used against him.

Without further comment, she plucked a delicate tune on Danielle and set about entertaining the tinker.

As far as encounters went, these were her favorite kind.