My sister exploded as the two of us locked lips in front of the whole town. “Just what do you think you’re doing you hussy?” she demanded as she grabbed Sera by the scruff of her jacket and shook her.

  The two of them got into it but I found myself reeling back, mouth aching like I had just been punched. I staggered, almost tripping over the temple robes before I steadied myself with the wall. It wasn't embarassment, though the crowd was giving me plenty of that. She might not have been the first girl to kiss me, but she was the first to hurt me like that. All I could do was clutch my jaw and try to stifle my moans. It felt like a fire poker was shoving into my face. Then I realized I was grimacing. It still hurt but it didn’t hurt like I was ripping scabs open.

  As the pain faded, I stuffed a few fingers into my mouth and probed around. I found nothing but smooth flesh. My fingers came out pink from the lingering blood but every hint of the wound was gone. All that remained was an itching sensation that made me want to go digging through my cheek.

  The women of the town were already gossiping though, and the fading pain gave me the space to even recognize that. “Couldn’t you have done that literally any other way? Or somewhere else?” I snapped, only to realize I was facing Boxcars.

  The spirit asked, “Feeling better?”

  Better sense prevailed and I calmed down. With a suitable bow of my head, I said, “Thank you.”

  Father Hack cleared his throat as he took Nina by the shoulder and pried her away from Sera. “Perhaps now is a good time to explain the announcements I mentioned earlier. These three ladies, Sera, Linia, and Claire, have rented a room from Mister Hill and will be staying with us for a while. Lady Linia is a traveling researcher and we all have thanks to give them. Young Ricky was riding back from Redwall when a goblin ambushed him. His horse threw him and things were very dire for him, but in the nick of time these ladies caught up with the struggle. Lady Claire put a quarrel through the goblin from… how far was it?”

  “Eighty yards,” the elf answered.

  “A wonderful shot, but it still left Young Montisferro quite injured. Now, they were able to patch him up and he’s here with us now as you all can see. In short order, he’ll be right as rain, but he was coming back from Redwall with his family’s grocery shopping and as it happened, just about everything he had brought back was soiled and lost. I ask each of you to take a look at what you can manage. This could have been any of you, and we’re a community. A bit of bad luck doesn’t need to reduce one of us to privation, now does it?”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Practically the whole town was whispering about us now, and they all knew I had lost a fight to a goblin. Even worse, Nina had to stand there beside me, putting on a strong face as we were reduced to the subjects of town pity. It sickened me.

  The whole knot of displeasure turned and I turned with it. Before anyone could stop me, I slipped out the side entrance, throwing open the back doors of the temple as I peeled off the robe Father Hack had given me. I looked for somewhere to toss it, but everywhere was dirty. Boxcars had said rain would come, so any dirt would be mud and that was no good. With another grumble, I turned back to the door to put it away properly.

  Then Linia stepped out, almost knocking into me. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she blurted out as the two of us recoiled.

  She looked almost as flustered as Sera had. “Did Father Hack send you?”

  Linia cleared her throat. “Sent me out, yes. We were causing a ruckus. I apologize. But, he only sent me out, I wanted to speak with you. Your name is Ricky? I didn’t get that yesterday. Ricky Montisferro?”

  The way she was looking at me made me uneasy, but I wasn’t sure why. “What about it?”

  “That’s a very unusual name for someone so far from the cities. Sword-Hill I believe it translates to.”

  Now I was starting to understand what that look in her eyes was about. She was a traveling researcher, and now I wasn’t just the guy she rescued, but an oddity she could examine like she was pinning the wings of an insect to a display board. “Oh, is that so? And what’s your name?”

  “Oh, I have to apologize again. My name is Linia Lynnfield, a rather common surname where I’m from. Simply means I’m from Lynn’s field. A lovely patch of farming just like Three Stone Bend actually, though Lynnfield is a bit flatter. Do you happen to know where your family name comes from?”

  I knew exactly where my family’s name came from. That didn’t mean I was going to tell her. I could see from the way she was smiling that it would just be trouble. “Around here, it’s a soldier’s name. My family has fought for the King In Blue for generations.”

  “Well, that’s a lovely tradition. You might be just the kind of people who could give me the local know-how I’m looking for.”

  I sighed. “I’m still pretty woozy from the injury. I might not be your best bet, and my father doesn’t really do well with visitors.”

  That shut her up, but before she could find another avenue to pry into my life like a dog digging up a bone, Nina came bursting out the door. “Ricky, these gossipers already knew. They knew last night even, when Father Hack walked out to the farm. They already have a whole cart load of crap. How are we going to carry this?”

  Linia didn’t miss a beat. “I’d be happy to help!”