Ike and Wisp ran toward the inn. Ike pulled ahead of Wisp, but still ran warily. He didn''t use Lightning Dash, and he kept his head on a swivel, extending his aether and his senses ahead of him. The mountain was thick with aether and mana alike. Ike had absorbed as much of it as he could as he walked, and now his core was full again. Where lunam had sat on his mana like oil on water, aether and mana mixed easily, as did lunam and aether. He only had the trouble of lunam and mana if he let the two touch before the aether absorbed them.


    The aspens shivered around them. The massive A-line inn loomed out of the slender, silvery trees, evenrger than Ike had taken it to be at first. Two rectangr wings spread to the left and right of the main A-line structure, and the inn itself stood taller than any building in the slums, three or four stories tall. About twenty feet from the front of the inn, the aspens fell away. A soft, mossy green yard took their ce. Small white flowers poked out of the moss here and there. The path smoothed out, the bare earth turning to neat white pebbles. The white path arced in an appealing way toward the lodges'' broad porch. It would have been the picture of tranquility, except for one small thing.


    Two mages battled in the center of the path. One wore ck, while the other wore the colorful uniform of the inn. They tossed balls of energy at one another. One dashed in, wielding a sword. The other scratched a wed hand at the first, and a bright red sh mark materialized in the air, flying toward the swordsman. The swordsman deflected the blow, and the two parted. In the sky, another trio of mages battled, while giant foxes raced through the aspens, chasing after ck-robed mages.


    Ike and Wisp exchanged a nce.


    "Should wee back another time?" Ike asked.


    "Hmm," Wisp hummed. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, thinking.


    The mage who''dunched the w attack bounced back. Long fox ears bounced over their head, and a fox tail dangled after them. She nced up at Wisp and Ike and visibly startled. Taking a deep breath, she sucked in her ears and tail and shot them a big smile. "Please head inside! We''ll take care of these bandits and be with you in juuuust a moment!"


    The swordsman darted in. Baring fanged teeth, the fox-girl charged him. He shed, but she countered with her ws. They stood there, struggling for a moment. She raised her leg and kicked him hard between the legs.


    Ike hissed a breath. A chill ran up his spine.


    The swordsman crumpled. The fox-girl grabbed him by his neck and made a short jabbing motion toward his chest. With a final huff, the swordsman went still.


    "Right this way, right this way!" Beaming, the fox-girl gestured them toward the inn''s entrance, dragging the swordsman in her other hand.


    Ike eyed the dead man, then looked at the fox-girl. He smiled nervously. Internally, he raised his brows. Is this what Wisp meant by ''fooling humans?'' I don''t feel very fooled.


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    "Eh? Are you a fox?" Wisp asked loudly.


    The girl looked down. Without breaking stride, she nodded. "That''s right! Wee to the historic Foxes'' Inn. Oh, don''t worry! We''ve reformed. And we''re one of the top-rated inns on either side of the pass!"


    Wisp grimaced. She pped her thigh. "Dammit!"


    Ike chuckled under his breath. He patted her on her shoulder. "It''s okay. I''m sure they serve delicious food."


    "But it won''t be the same!" Wisp moaned, distraught.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Is your sister a picky eater? Don''t worry. We''re particrly renowned for our food," the fox-girl said cheerily.


    "Ah, that''s not the problem…" Ike trailed off. He waved his hand. "Never mind."


    As they passed the immacte garden next to the inn''s door, the fox-girl casually tossed the swordsman''s body into the roses. Vines snapped up from the bushes and sunk into the man''s body. They drained him of nutrients so rapidly his body withered before Ike''s very eyes. The vines coated him, and then he vanished.


    Ike''s eyes bulged out of his face. Note: Leave the garden alone.


    "No, no. Please. We pride ourselves on five-star service. If there''s anything the youngdy likes to eat, just let us know," the fox-girl said. She beamed at them and held the door open.


    Wisp perked up. "I like to eat fo—"


    Ike pped a hand over her mouth. "Hahaha…"


    "There''s no need to be so shy. We have a deep kitchen. I''m sure we can find whatever she wants," the fox-girl promised.


    Ike snorted. "I''m sure you can…ahem. No, no. She''s a little brat. Don''t pay her any mind."


    "Who''s a little brat?" Wisp asked, a dangerous note in her voice.


    "Wisp,e on," Ike muttered.


    "You can call me Lanie. I''ll attend to you in just a moment. Please, wait in our lobby alongside our other guest." She gestured toward a spacious, yet cozy parlor. Overstuffed leather furniture awaited them. A fire flickered in arge firece, while books nked the hearth. Big windows provided a perfect view of the mountain and the battle outside, where a giant fox ripped a man in two.


    A dark-haired person with a narrow bun sat on one of the couches, their back to Ike and Wisp. Ike nced at him. I guess he''s the other guest? Who else walked into this besieged inn like us idiots?


    After a beat, he realized Lanie was still standing there, waiting for a response. Embarrassed, Ike cleared his throat. "Thank you."


    "I''ll be right back," Lanie said, and raced outside.


    Ike nced at Wisp. Wisp shrugged back. "They seem to have it in hand. Let''s take it easy and wait."


    "Sure," Ike agreed. He had no strong feelings toward the foxes or the ck robed mages, so there was no need to join in. If either side attacked him, things would be different, but they''d both ignored him, Lanie aside, so he couldn''t take offense. He walked over to the couch, offering a friendly nod to the couch''s other upant as he went to sit down.


    And then Ike froze.


    The couch''s other upant was a man in the strangest outfit Ike had ever seen. He wore a skintight shirt that didn''t cover his shoulders but did cover his neck. A patchwork red-yellow-and-orange jacket, zing with the brightest shades of all three, hung loose around his elbows. ck, grey, and white-striped pants billowed around his thighs, only to grow tight around his calves, where bright blue leg wraps pulled them tight to his skin. His feet were bare, but he wore blue gloves. His eyes drooped at the edges, his lids were heavy, and his bangs dangled long on either side of his face. Three nes of a strange jade stone dangled over his chest.


    "Good to meet you," the man said.


    Ike''s jaw worked. Abruptly, he found his voice again. "G-good to meet you, too."


    Wisp bounced forward. She looked the man up and down, then frowned. "Did you escape from the circus?"


    Ike stiffened. "Ha… haha…"