by TJ Reynolds
A few heads nodded and, not wanting to stifle the spirits entirely, I mentioned another source of hope. “Besides, the people of the North are strong of will. We have forty-eight knights of Benham still drilling. They have been outfitted in stolen ratkin armor and wield their swords, but they do so with surprising skill.” This news made a few look up from their pondering, even Dandre’s haunted face seemed to lighten. “And Tumsley says that the Chishri spider kin will march with us as well, though the Unfey spiders will stand against them. Many of them have already fallen in this war, though, so I would count the Chishri at an advantage.”
Silence fell in the room again, and I took another bite of my apple. Heads turned and someone laughed. It was Madi who made the obvious joke. “Jesus, gunsinger. Now I’m hungry.”
“Yes, and I think we all are,” Dandre said. “Let’s call it a day. We can meet again in the morning and make our final decisions.” She stood, and everyone gathered took it as a formal dismissal.
Harnoth lifted up his head and spoke in a commanding voice. “I would stay and continue to weld the fabric of this new alliance for days or weeks to come, but our people are rebuilding. There is much work to do in our caves if we are to emerge in force and aid you. I will be leaving but have posted a lieutenant behind as well as two young warriors. They will not complain as they assist the rebuilding of this town. With their help, no doubt, much of the work can be accomplished in short order. Even this favor must be short-lived, though. I have given orders that they return in ten days’ time. I hope that is a sufficient gesture of our commitment to the alliance.”
“It is, Harnoth, and we already owe you our lives,” Dandre said. “Though your troops came on the brink of disaster, we were able to save the town and most of the inhabitants, including the Elder, Quinn.” Corell and Wardeen gave their thanks as well.
As the great wyvern turned to leave, a measure of comfort relieved my sour mood. Even a single wyvern could harvest and drag all the wood necessary to rebuild what had been lost in the fire and battle.
Hana walked up to me when the room had mostly cleared. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” I nodded and finished the apple in one final bite, tucking the core in my mouth as well. “Wow, you could probably ask for another if you’re that hungry. Anyway, I just wanted to say goodbye. Madi and I are going to log out again, leave this world for a time. We will be back to help fight against the Rat King, but we can’t stay here forever.”
“I know. I understand. Thanks for saying goodbye, and yes, I am leaving. I only have one more thing to do, and it pains me.” Even now I felt the weight of my task pull down on my bones. It was a burden only I could bear, but perhaps I was being dramatic. No doubt, it would also bring me great joy. “And I believe I’ve dragged my boots long enough.”
Hana scrunched up her face, studying mine. “Well. I hope to see you again soon. I will return but have no idea what errand the council will send me on after. And you?”
“I will travel south. I want to go home for a time, but after that, I will be making calls upon the lords and ladies of the court. They will no doubt wish me gone, but I have ways to charm those who are otherwise unwilling.”
She nodded, rubbing her hands together for a time. Then she darted in like a minnow and hugged me. A laugh escaped me, and I hugged her back. Hana was such an odd girl. Fierce and loyal, frightened and shy.
The Berserker came in next and crushed me against her. “It was fun, Alice. Can’t wait to kill stuff with you again. Take care, and remember, if you’re ever scared, just think of me.”
Madi stepped back. Though her words were barbed with friendly antagonism, I could see the truth in her eyes. She was, as always, as frightened as the rest of us and lonely to boot.
“I will do that,” I said. “Safe travels to the both of you.”
Then I watched as the two adventurers walked over to their companions, gave them both a lengthy farewell full of ear scratching and whispered promises, before fading away into thin air.
Even after I’d seen the act done dozens of times, it still unnerved me. What world did we live in where others could so casually appear and disappear? What world did they live in? And what joined the two? Questions I pushed away, more pebbles on a beach of unanswerable queries.
I sighed, turning and walking up the scorched incline toward Corell’s home. Much of the forest was still burning, and the town of Taelman’s Pond would not be fair for years to come, at least not here where the barrier wall had burned so brightly. I spotted the home through the blackened skeletons of unlucky trees. How the house itself had survived was beyond anyone, but it was a boon that the town desperately needed. After losing nearly a third of the houses, space would be tight until construction efforts could catch up.
Turning back briefly, I surveyed the desperate ministrations of the townsfolk. The gate was already almost fully repaired, and that act alone meant more than anything. This would never be a dreamy nowhere town again. No, Taelman’s Pond would turn its attention to fortification first. After they cleared away the ash and broken tinder, they’d have as much opportunity as they could stomach.
A few dozen additional citizens had already swollen the depleted town. Soldiers from Bridgerun, craftsmen who had been called for repairs, and the few who’d lived in the woods around that knew safety was something they needed, all choosing to throw their lots in here, to be a part of something fresh and hopeful.
I found Torven near the barn, fletching a pile of arrows. His face was drawn, but the boy went about his task with quiet resolve. Yes, this was the right decision.
“Torven!” I shouted, and the boy jumped, eyes flashing up to me. I saw fear and anger there in equal parts. Good. “Fetch your father. Tell him I need to speak with him, and do not delay.”
He dropped the shaft he’d been working on and sprinted off into the house. I chuckled softly to myself, not wanting to upset the boy unduly. Then I stole his seat, resting once more before I wouldn’t be able to do so for far longer than I cared.
I picked up the fallen arrow and inspected the boy’s work. Each shaft was more or less straight and had been carved quickly but evenly. It was well done. The arrows would be hardened and straightened further over a flame, then whittled and sanded smooth.
The front door flapped open again and I heard the heavy steps of Corell followed by his son. Torven was squat and solid like his mother. Some would call the lack of height a disadvantage, but it wasn’t. The size and shape of a man only changed his style of fighting, not his capability.
“What is it? Is everything okay?” Corell said, his voice strained by lack of sleep and weeks of stress.
I looked up into his eyes, and my expression frightened him even more. “I have a favor to ask of you, Corell, and I am sorry for it. If there was any other way, I promise I would have taken it.”
He exchanged looks with his son and they both stood there, looking nervous as a virgin groom.
I stood and walked to stand between them, then pulled out Corbrae’s revolvers. “Corell, son of Matthias Amredor, I choose your son Torven Amredor to answer the call of the First Song. Will you honor your debt or refuse?”
All color drained from the huge hunter’s face and he staggered as if struck by a hammer. Only confusion registered on Torven’s face. “What is it, dad? What does he mean?”
Instead of answering, Corell’s face hardened into a look of rage and resolve that I’d only ever seen on him a few times. He stared at me until Torven made to speak again. He held up his hand and the boy stilled once more.
“Aye. I’ll honor my debt, gunsinger. But you’d better keep him as you would your own. If not, I will kill you, Alysand Deschaney.”
I nodded, then pressed the pistols into his hands. “From fallen to father. And from father to son,” I said in a hoarse whisper. Though this task was something all of us might be called to do, it was not one I had expected. It was more grueling than being kissed by fire or scored by lead.
Corell t
ook the pistols in his great, shaking hands, and he blessed them with a few fallen tears. It was a fitting gesture, and I felt more certain than ever my choice had been wise. Then the hunter placed the pistols in Torven’s hands, and the boy stared down at them like he’d been handed a dragonling.
I bore the wrath of Torven’s mother as well, then watched Corell’s substantial family make their goodbyes. Then I took the pistols back from the boy, who had not yet earned them, and we walked back down to town.
We went to the horses I’d prepared, tethered to a post near Quinn’s shop. I helped the boy, who had gone numb with shock, saddle himself. His eyes stared into the endless ether before him and saw nothing of his surroundings. And he couldn’t be blamed for it. None are brave when answering the call.
So I held his horse’s tether as we rode out the gate, turning down a road of immeasurable length, the promise of deeds to come playing through our minds as we both listened hard and well to the song of silence.
7: “What is there so fearful as the expectation of evil tidings delayed?”
— Progenitor of the Man and His Monster
HANA
It was nice being logged out for once. We’d been grinding away in EO, and my body was telling me exactly how pissed off it was. After a few hours of light training and my second hot shower, though, I was feeling almost human again. My second cup of coffee was hard at work as well.
With his voice still flummoxed at my description of the battle, Elendil asked, “And it was all over the life of a single man?”
I took another sip and answered, “Yep. Quinn is a super magical dude, apparently. He used his magic to amplify my attacks, too. It was awesome. Poor guy is still asleep, though. The last couple of days nearly killed him.”
The AI hummed a bit before adding, “That would have added insult to injury, if my usage is correct. So many deaths to protect a single person.”
“Nailed it. And yeah, even though we won, the cost was high. Think it was like fifty-four deaths in all. Half were soldiers and mercenaries from Bridgerun, but the rest were the people of Taelman’s Pond. Corell and his family are grieving. They lost a boy in the mess but were luckier than most. Even the dang cook died.” I chewed my lip. It had been weird finding out about the man’s death by noticing that my Herbs for the Cook quest had failed.
I took a deep breath, letting the feeling of loss wash through me, not cling like oil. I continued to surprise myself. Thinking of my mom and dad was no longer the swirling vortex it had been. I missed them, but something had shifted. The weirdest thing was that my breakthrough had been when I chose to face my grief head-on, embracing it. Crying worked. Not the shameful snatches of despair that pushed me into a fog—those only seemed to cause more harm—but honest, thoughtful mourning.
Even my dreams had shifted. Creepy ones still popped up now and again, but the last one I’d had was really sweet. It was simple, all sound muted but for the steady clack of my mother’s heels. We were walking down some hallway in a building I couldn’t remember. And I was holding her hand. The feeling, though, that was what made it remarkable. The pure trust I had in her suffused everything.
I woke weeping, but even that felt good, like a summer rain that comes at night, filling your dreams with its whispered presence.
That same feeling of trust had begun to extend in new directions, too. I wasn’t broken, not any longer, and already my heart was trying to regrow. Madi and Shin, and even in-game people like Alysand and Selna, had shown me that family did not hold any exclusive rights to love.
I giggled as Elendil continued to fret over logistics, but I felt like exploring this world again, reacquainting myself with all that I’d missed.
No better way to do so than to read the two messages from the best people I knew. I read Shin’s first.
From @ShinToeBro44: “Yo! Good news on many fronts. First off, I got a phone call! Whhhaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!
Yep, Mei called me, without my parents knowing, which means I am a total genius. And… we are still best friends! I should have trusted her more. My parents had done exactly what we’d thought. Told her to cut me off or they’d strip me of all inheritance and formally excommunicate my butt.
I solved the problem by filing the appropriate paperwork with my lawyer. I am no longer legally their son and have given up all claim to their sacred funds.
Two big things are happening soon. First, Mei is coming to live with me! She just turned 16, so has the authority to do what she wants now. We’re getting a condo downtown together, well away from any of my parents’ many haunts, and it will even be decked out with the latest EO pods. Two, I have paid the necessary fees, grieved over my uber nerfed and gutted avatar, but am excited to tell you that I will be playing in your mode and realm!
You’re my home slice Hana, so I don’t want to play EO without you. Let me know the next time you are online, and I’ll meet you in-game. I’m kind of a newbie again, so some help gaining some levels would be appreciated, but I left my guild and want to join yours! You do have a guild, right?
Hmm… Oh, and three (yeah, I know I said it was only two) I wanted to ask you something else totally nuts. What would you say if I asked you to move in with us? I have been chatting with Mei like non-stop, and she agreed, it would be really fun to have an otaku, gamer, commune type of vibe.
Our condo is huge, and we could easily add another Eternal Online pod. Now I am picturing you freaking out, thinking about how much money that would all cost, but you just don’t understand. Mei and I have plenty. This is nothing really.
Anyway, bombs have all been dropped. Freak out, go through a mini life crisis, then let me know what you think. Later!”
Shin had been right, of course. My heart had been doing somersaults in my chest as I read his email. What a jerk! And, I had to admit, the idea of fighting alongside Shin, and even living with him and his sister sounded fun. But what he didn’t understand was that not everybody grew up rich enough to buy an island.
I had a lot to consider, so I decided not to answer immediately. He could wait, and I hoped the suspense would twist his insides like he’d done to mine. After everything he’d just dropped on me, he deserved it.
So I moved on, trying to let some of the adrenaline dissipate with a few even breaths, and brought up Madi’s email.
From @Morena_BadAxe: “Hey nerd. How you feeling after the siege? I still can’t believe that we didn’t all die! Glad too. Just can’t imagine what would happen if they’d have taken poor Quinn. Dude is like my abuelo but less tipsy, and, you know, still alive. Anyway, I’m gonna try to remember what it’s like to be logged off and be a person, at least for a couple days.
The idea of being out of the game for so long makes me want to scream, but it also gave me an idea. I want nothing less than to come off as a weirdo, but I like you Hana. Like like you. You are my friend, of course, and I’m not sure if I’m alone in this (if so, just freaking ignore me okay, and we can pretend everything is normal again), but I was hoping that tomorrow maybe, if you’re free, we could have a video chat? Maybe stream a movie together? Hell if I know, but I want to see you.
I know you’re a few hundred miles away Hana, Dahlia (what do you want me to call you in the real world?), but this is me asking you out on a date. What do you say, girl? Wanna hang?”
My hands were shaking, and even though I was alone, I pressed them to my burning cheeks. Elendil better not mention this later.
What was I supposed to say? Sure, I’d love to video chat Madi. No, I had no idea how I felt about her, or anyone, for that matter. Sure, when I was with her, and those rare times when our eyes met and no other pressing matters were at hand, something shifted within me.
I just didn’t feel like I was qualified to say what any of that was. It just made me feel ten years old again, weak in the legs yet floating.
Jesus! What are friends for but to totally throw off a rest day? I flicked her message aside. I’d answer it in the morning, and I had no idea what I’
d say. She, like Shin, could wait.
I was close to shutting down my computer completely and snuggling up in my pod to stream the oldest and derfiest anime I could find. But I checked my inbox again, wondering if anything in the real world was relevant. A few spam articles about a dictator dying somewhere, a few more about another who had taken his place. Several offers for loans, lip injections, cornea pigmentation, and more!
Those I easily ignored. I almost skipped over one from an unfamiliar sender. Its subject made me pause, though: Pawn Shop Friend!!! I clicked it immediately.
Hello Dahlia,
I think I got your name right, if not, sorry. Anywho, still feel terrible by the way. Those things just never happen. I swear, the times that someone comes BACK for an item is super rare.
Well that buyer came in again! He said he still has your mother’s ring and doesn’t want to sell it back. BUT… that he would talk to you about it. Still interested? If so, let me know and I will ask him if I can give you his contact information. Need to ask… laws and stuff.
Let me know. If you don’t have the money anymore, fine. I just thought I’d reach out.
Jessie Lathrop - the crazy lady at the pawn shop!
Sweet gingerbread houses! The hope of getting my mother’s ring back had all but died within me. Having that hope rekindled, if only somewhat, was as painful as it was exciting. And yeah, I had the money still. This could work out. That is, if I could convince some old man that my claim to the ring was more important than his.
