As decrepit as the outside looked, the interior was surprisingly clean and comfortable-looking. Behind the front desk was a woman who looked as if she could be the proprietor's wife.
She looked up as I entered.
"Oh my! It looks like you got caught in the thunderstorm that just blew through. Might you be needing a room at least for the day? We have plenty of hot water for a nice bath for you."
"Oh yes, please!"
The thought of a nice warm bath gave me goosebumps of anticipated delight.
"I actually need rooms for my entire group for the night."
I quickly outlined what I needed from her and in short order, had procured three rooms. She also gave me a business card of a highly recommended caravan driver.
After paying for the lodging with some of the paper currency that the guys had given me, I left Willow Inn to go find the caravan driver.
There were so many people moving about, and so much activity going on that I thought I would never find him, but somehow, I was able to locate him with only a modicum of searching.
The driver, Abe Torrington, turned out to be a talkative guide book.
He was a boisterous fellow with a shock of white hair, a weathered, worn, leathery tanned face, and pale brown eyes that looked almost yellow, giving him a comical lizard-like appearance.
He had been traveling the dusty plains of the wastes for the better part of half a century, he said, and knew every stick of twig and every blade of grass between the train depot and the next hub of civilization.
His caravan was an older model vehicle, but it was rugged, and he assured us it would take us there safely. Unfortunately, he had just arrived that morning from the southern reaches and his vehicle was undergoing some minor adjustments and basic maintenance procedures before it was ready to make another long trip.
He assured me that it would be available for me bright and early the next day which was perfect for me so I agreed to meet him the following morning. Then I went to find my traveling companions.
It did not take me long to locate them.
I knew the sights and smells of the market would be too much of an attraction for the guys to resist and found them standing around the hot dog vendor in the market square.
"Nana!" Simon grinned. "We got you some food."
He held out a plump juicy hotdog to me, stuffed to overfill with relish and bright colored condiments.
"Simon, right now you're my favorite traveling buddy!" I gave him a bright smile and took the hotdog.
It had been days since we had any hot food, and it tasted like fare for the gods! It was hot but I swallowed it in a few gulps and asked for another.
Connor grinned and gave me more.
We washed it down with some local draft beer they found at another kiosk and then went shopping to get supplies.
The days spent in the tunnel had stripped us of all our necessities. We were sorely down to almost nothing.
All our torn and soiled clothing had to be replaced and Tarzan needed more clothes, having left wearing the single outfit he used for kitchen work.
While we were out, I also bought a map of the area.
Even though the crows did their best to guide us, sometimes, their 'as the crow flies' directions led us through some rough terrane which we could have easily avoided had we known an easier path lay just meters away.
From the map's fairly accurate depiction of the topography, The Waste was a huge swath of mostly desert scrub grass twice as long as it was deep.
The shortest point across was also the one most traveled, anchored on one side by the train station and the other by the small city of Zircon. It was at Zircon that the crows had indicated they had seen the band of primates heading towards.
My most pressing concern was that we reach Tory and the primates before they become dispersed into the human community beyond Zircon. If this occurred, it would be difficult for us to find them in the swirling mass of humanity beyond the border city.
There was also the added concern of acquiring enough food for the journey ahead. Four males, especially at their peak of growth, needed lots of food.
Tarzan could forage for himself, and quite often did, but Simon and the twins needed more than what stray fruit or road kill by the side of the road could provide by way of nourishment.
By the time we got to the inn, we were loaded down with packs and looked as if we'd been traveling for ages.
The innkeeper and his wife showed us to our rooms. The guys got two large comfortable looking rooms with twin beds in each room. I was given the smaller side room that was little more than a fairly large closet.
After having slept on the ground for so many days, I was so grateful that tears came to my eyes at the sight of the soft single bed with its pure white sheets that smelled of clean lemon-scented detergent.
I spent a long time in my hot bath where I finally managed to scrape off all of the filth of traveling without any amenities. It took awhile to wash and untangle my hair, but it was worth the time and effort.
Since I'd been so busy taking care of traveling details and obtaining rooms for us, the guys procured much of the supplies for me, including our clothing.
It was a bit strange to be putting on clothes and underthings that I did not purchase myself, but after having traveled and been in such close proximity with them, I felt as if they were more family than a group of disassociated band of travel mates.
Certainly, their choice in female clothing was better than mine.
I stood looking in the mirror at the pale blue dress that the twins had picked out for me to replace the torn and hopelessly damaged Overlord bodysuit I had worn the last few days.
It was a baby doll princess cut, which meant it wasn't anything I had ever worn before because it was ruffled and flouncy with a high waistline.
I had to admit that it looked better than my usual straight boy cut tunic with zero frills.
They had bought a new hair brush to replace the one I lost on the road, as well as a new toothbrush. There was even a matching blue ribbon for my hair, which was a cut above the normal elastic band that I always used.
I decided that the best way to thank them for their effort was to use what they bought for me, so I brushed my mousy brown hair out until it shone a rich golden color and then decorated it with the blue ribbon.
This was the best that it was going to get for me, I decided, and slipped out of the room.
It was a bit too early for dinner time, especially since we had just porked ourselves on hot dogs just hours before.
I wanted to talk with the innkeepers about the various comings and goings of the town, in hopes that I would be able to find out about the primates that had been shipped out of the Academy.
I threw my messenger bag over my shoulder and found my way to the lounge area. There were already several hotel guests lounging about on the scattered chairs and chaise lounges which faced the bay windows looking into the garden behind the inn.
"There you are," I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned around with a smile.
The smile stuck on my frozen face.
All cleaned up and wearing blue jeans and broadcloth cotton white shirts with rolled up sleeves, the twins looked absolutely stunning!
This was the first time I had ever seen them in anything other than their black body suits.
I gave a gentle magikal poke to see if it was glamour magik that they had thrown on themselves, but no...it was the real deal.
They laughed at me when they felt my magikal probing.
"There's no glamour glitter here, sweetheart." Connor winked and held out his arms. "What you see is what you get."
"Wow. What a gorgeous creature we've been traveling with." He pursed his lips and gazed at me, eyes bursting with emotion.
"Did you like the outfit we picked out for you?" He touched the flounce of the dress with gentle fingers.
I nodded and smiled. "It's beautiful. Much prettier than anything I have. You guys have good taste in fashion."
"Why thank you!" Corwin responded.
"You picked it out?" I gave him a bright smile.
Corwin cleared his throat and looked away without saying anything.
They both took my arm and led me over to the bar so we could mingle in with the crowd and attract as little attention as possible.
While we waited for Simon and Tarzan, we each had a glass of the local beer. I didn't drink alcoholic beverages that often, but Connor assured me that on the road, it was safer than whatever water source could be found.
"Neither of you are with Tarzan right now. Do you think Simon can handle Tarzan's illusion by himself?" I asked in hushed tones.
"He doesn't have to," Corwin took a big gulp and put his glass down. "We taught Tarzan enough of the power words so he could put the glamour on himself and maintain it—just in case we needed to focus all our magik to protect you."
I gasped. My eyes grew large as I stared at him in horror.
Corwin fiddled with his drink, avoiding my gaze.
"Cor—Corwin...what have you done?" I breathed, panic-stricken.
It was strictly forbidden to teach the primates power words.
The fear was that there would be widespread magikal storms created by primates who were not mentally capable of grasping true high-level intelligent thought processes and did not know how to control the power.
The result would be possible chaos and magik breeches everywhere.
The taboo was so strong that it struct fear and revulsion in any mage who dared to think about breaking the rule.
"Don't put the blame on him," Connor sighed. "I was the one who suggested it when were were running from the guards back at the Academy train depot. We had to drop Tarzan's disguise to focus our powers on protecting the group."
"I was the one who taught it to him," Corwin frowned. "It's my responsibility."
"You don't get to do that." Connor stared at his brother. "We're in this together." He swallowed the rest of his beer in one gulp.
"It can't be as bad as me aiding and abetting a runaway primate." I interjected.
I closed my eyes and exhaled. I had been trying not to think about that uncomfortable fact because I had to focus on running after Tory and the apes.
The truth was, I had turned into a fugitive along with everyone who was with me the night Tarzan came looking for me. Instead of returning him to the kitchen staff as I should have done, I had hidden him in the sealed classroom. I had made everyone around me guilty by association.
As a high level alpha-primate, serious magik had been invested to increase his mental powers, and he had been trained to such a level that he was considered valuable commodity. Ownership of an alpha-primate was for the life of the primate, without a release clause.
Theft of an alpha-primate, especially one at prime reproductive age and in the peak of physical prowess was severe.
How severe was up to the individual judge, but at the very least, that mage would be thrown out of the magikal community, stripped of his citizenship rights, and anything else they can throw at him, including physical beatings and torture.
"That part of the sin is mine and mine alone to bear." I spoke up, feeling extreme guilt over the situation.
Connor again shook his head. "You don't get to do that either."
"We," he draped his arms around Corwin and me, "are all in this together."