We arrived at the gates of Gorbatov well after nightfall and had to be guided to the main entry by torches.  Guards boarded the wagon to search for contraband, but an adventurer’s license allowed a shocking amount of leniency, including a person who was not on the original registry.  During the inspection, Sondra kept me clutched against her chest with a hand shielding me from prying eyes. They would think nothing of Kirinhalut since she looked like a typical, if unusually tall, noblewoman, but a permanently shrunken human was sure to raise some questions.

Once we found an inn that had enough vacant rooms for us, we disembarked and set up the usual security measures.  Collections of spell components, armor workshops, and long poles may not have raised any eyebrows with the guards, but other adventuring groups would be very interested in getting all that for free.  When the wagon was protected, we headed inside to get our rooms.

The inn was surprisingly busy for the time of night, and the party had to maneuver past several full tables to reach the innkeeper.  Margret took point and made sure she got three keys, plus an extra room in case Kirinhalut wanted one for herself.

“What about mine?” Llelwyl asked harshly.  “This is why I do the talking.”  For some reason she was still hanging around, maybe hoping the others would forget she had almost killed me.

“You can’t speak for a group you’re not in, Lell,” Margret replied, “and you can’t sleep in their room, either.  Get your own place and leave us alone.”  Llelwyl left in a huff and got back in line.

On the way to our rooms, Sondra said, “I know it’s been a long day, but maybe we should plan what we want to do tomorrow?”  The others stopped and considered it.

“You know, that’s a good point,” Margret responded.  “I know we all want to help the shrunken human, but maybe we should escort Kiri to her home first?  She’s been away for a while, and I bet her friends and family are worried about her.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Kirinhalut interjected.  “I’ll send a messenger out in the morning to have someone come get me.  My family lives on an estate a few days’ ride from here, and I wouldn’t expect you to take me all the way out there.”  I wouldn’t expect them to live long enough to make it, anyway.

“That brings us back to the shrunken human, then,” said Margret.  “Seems like we should start trying to cure him with an enchanter, right?”

“I’d say diviner,” Sondra suggested.  “They’d be better at finding out the nature of the curse and telling us how to go about removing it.  Anything an enchanter could do would just be a temporary fix.”

“I’ll take your word for it.  First thing tomorrow, we’ll find a diviner and see what we can learn about the little guy’s curse.”

“Let’s not be so hasty,” Bushwack cut in.  “Our first order of business, even before helping him, should be getting some food and drink inside us.  We’ve been on the road all day, I’m starving!”

“She raises a good point,” Margret said.  “I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and this seems like a good time to celebrate.”

Kirinhalut took her key and started walking away from us.  “You all have fun.  I’ve been sleeping on a floor for the better part of two months, and the thing I’ve been looking forward to the most is a real bed, the kind with sheets, covers, and pillows.”  I was glad to watch her go, since it meant I would get more time without her crawling around in my head.

Sondra took the lead and raised me to her face when the others could no longer see me.  “Do you think I should tell them?” she whispered.  “You know, what we talked about today?”

“Yeah, you should,” I answered.  “Seems like it might change how some people think about me.”  I wanted to tell her about Kirinhalut’s threat to use Margret against her, but my lips would not move with the words.  Even from several rooms away, the succubus could exercise full control over me.

The group sat at a small table since neither I nor Bushwack would need chairs.  Sondra set me down in front of herself and gave me a little smile when she let me go, while Bushwack had to stand between the two humans.  It still surprised me every time I stood on even ground with her.  Many humans had been taller than me, just not to this degree, but having a pixie tower over me was something new.  I could tell she felt the same way and had to consciously restrain herself from standing astride me.

Looking up at her from the table, Sondra almost resembled a mountain.  I was a little below chest level for her, and I had to turn to the sides to see anything past her red robe.  A little bit of cleavage was visible where her chest made the robe droop, and her light skin caught the eye even with the inn’s dim lighting.  Her eyes were focused down on me and I could see flames dancing against the blue background, and she seemed to have a slight, contented grin.  Long strands of blond hair fell in front of her shoulders and almost reached the table, close enough that I could climb them to her head if I wanted.

The waiter set a full tankard down beside Sondra, and the thud that ran through the table broke me out of my trance just in time.  They were lowering an enormous bowl to set in front of her next, and it was on course to land right in front of me.  I turned and ran, diving when it seemed to be getting too close form the shadow. Wood crashed against wood with the sound of thunder, and my feet just cleared its base.  Sondra’s jaw dropped when she looked at her food, and she did not come out of it until she saw me waving from the side.

“Hey, I didn’t get any!” Bushwack complained.  Unsurprisingly, someone who failed to notice me had also not spotted the pixie.

“Don’t worry, you can have some of mine,” Margret offered.  She dipped her spoon in the stew and got a sizable helping, then held it down to Bushwack.  Once the pixie had a firm grip on the handle, Margret grabbed the whole bowl with her hand and lifted it to her lips.  The two were nearly synchronized as they sipped their stew, sipping the broth with their lips and carefully chewing the meat and vegetables.

“Do you want any?” Sondra asked, pulling her spoon out of the bowl.  I told her I didn’t, but she persisted.  “Are you sure?  I haven’t seen you eat a single thing.”

“No, really, I’m good,” I replied.  “I haven’t been hungry.  Maybe it’s one of the benefits of being so small.”  In a way, it was.  The same infernal power that had made me tiny also removed any material needs.  Sondra simply shrugged and slipped the spoon into her mouth, apparently satisfied with my answer.

When Sondra looked away, a pair of fingers pinched around my chest.  I yelped when they yanked me from the table so fast my head snapped forward and I saw spots from the sudden acceleration.  The whole room was a blur as I was pulled up and away, with features and fixtures mixing together. Briefly I came to a halt, but before I could see anything the fingers reared and up and tossed me downward.  With a small splash I landed in a pool of ale, the tankard’s walls rising high enough that I could never climb out.

A familiar pair of blue eyes stared down at me from above, the tankard’s rim circling her face.  “Margret!” I shouted.  “What are you doing?”  My voice echoed off the walls, so I knew she could hear me, but she did not answer.  Her response instead was to pick the tankard up off the table, making the ale slosh back and forth like a stormy sea.  It pulled me under and pushed me back to the surface several times while I desperately tried to tread water.

She brought the tankard to her lips and tilted her head back, making the liquid stream downward.  Her lips parted wide, allowing it flow into her mouth like a waterfall while I swam against the current.  It was a losing battle, and no matter how hard I tried the current was stronger.  As the vessel emptied Margret tipped the bottom higher until it was almost vertical, still gulping down a steady stream of ale.  I reached the rim, and with a scream I fell out of the mug and toward Margret’s mouth.

Her lips closed around my waist, stopping me from going in further, and formed a tight seal.  I felt the muscles tighten into a smile while she looked to Sondra for approval.

The wizard was not impressed, and she looked at her friend, horrified.  “Margret!” she shrieked.  “Get him out of there!”  She did not move fast enough, so Sondra elaborated.  “Do you think this is funny?  He almost died today!”

Margret’s fingers settled on my sides and she slid me out of her mouth.  “Oh, relax!” she said.  “We’re just having fun, right?”  Margret tilted her hand so I was upside down, and I looked at her in panic.

“He doesn’t look like he’s having fun.  Set him down on the table so we can talk about this.”

“Pfft, fine,” Margret said, rolling her eyes.  She lowered me onto the table and set my head down on it, then let go.  My body flopped onto the wood with a small bang, and I rubbed my tailbone where it landed.  “But since you got to hold him all day today, I get to hold him while we sleep.”

“About that,” Sondra began, leaning forward.  “We’re… together now, so I was hoping he’d stay with me.”

“How convenient, you and the shrunken human got together while I was busy driving the wagon.  Everyone else got to spend a night with him, so it’s my turn.”

Sondra started to argue back, but her words froze when she thought better of it.  “Why don’t we let him decide?  He’s just as human as we are, just smaller.”

“Good idea.”  They both turned to look at me, and Margret asked, “So, who’ll it be, little guy?”  Before I could answer she spoke up, “Actually, you know what?  This is silly.  We’re staying in the same room, and we can make a little bed for him.  That way he can sleep on his own.”

“Yeah, I like the sound of that.”  It had been so long since I’d slept on my own that just a single night of it sounded amazing.  “I’m sure whatever you come up with for me to sleep on will be fine.”

“Don’t worry, we’re plenty resourceful,” Margret responded, then turned to Sondra.  “Mind if I carry him to the room, though?”  No one objected, so she reached down and set the tips of her thumb and forefinger on either side of me.  Carefully she moved them inward until they gently rested against my sides, then she lifted me off the table.  Slowly she stood, bringing me with her, making sure I was not moved so fast that it made me uncomfortable.

Once in the room, they got to work getting set up.  Margret set me on a writing desk pushed against the wall, then she and Sondra unpacked Bushwack’s bed to hang from the rafters.  The pixie flew up to inspect it, directing them to adjust it left or right for the proper alignment, then perched atop the covers.  She looked around and thought for a moment, then signaled her approval to the others with a nod.

With Bushwack squared away, the humans got to work improvising a bed for me. They did not have much, but fortunately they did not need to go to great lengths.  Margret emptied a small box of matches for lighting candles to get a frame, then used a knife to cut small pieces of raw leather for a mattress.  Sondra wrapped the leather in scraps of silk, then provided the same handkerchief from earlier as a blanket.  She set it down on the edge of the desk and I climbed in, then slid underneath the makeshift blanket.  It was leagues better than sleeping on a flagstone, and for once I could fall asleep without fear.

When I was satisfied, Sondra walked to the wall and took the lid off the lantern.  She took a moment to blow a kiss to me before extinguishing the flame, casting the room in darkness.  Her footsteps thudded against the floor, then her bedframe creaked when she laid down on it.  I closed my eyes, satisfied with the day overall, and for once looked forward to what tomorrow held.