"How is she?" Lowering my voice and cupping my hand over Greta's ear, I kept one eye glued to the front door of Greta's chicken house.

  "She hasn't left bed all morning." Greta leaned closer and matched my tone. "What did the Great Mother tell you?"

  "She thinks he has a hundred years. Maybe one fifty." After everything that went down, the people needed us, so I didn't have time to speak with the Great Mother. However, early this morning, I finally had a chance to talk with her and asked whether or not Kasimir was truly gone.

  The ancient dragon said that, while his spirit certainly had been corrupted, he was still technically a mortal, just one who'd broken the Goddess's laws governing mortality. Likewise, he was still fundamentally good, even if his heart and mind had slowly twisted over the length of his too-long life. As such, she doubted that his spirit would end up being purified within the dragonvein. Instead of being purified, she believed he'd be trapped within the crystal for some time. Eventually, when the energy within the crystal faded, his soul would get pulled back into his phylactery, and he'd walk Reial again.

  Knowing that, the girls, the Templars, and I had decided to tuck the crystal that had been Kasimir behind the thrones, where the Great Mother usually rested. That way, if he did start to break free, she'd be there to take care of him again. After we finished, the girls decided to stay up in the Crown to get ready for our next quest.

  Greta blew a raspberry. "Great." Her eyes found mine. "I guess that's a problem for future us, huh?"

  Despite everything, my heart jumped a little. I supposed I was part of the team now. That probably made me the Robin to Faye's Batman, but I was into it. Mostly because Robin became Nightwing, and Nightwing was the shit. "Yeah, it seems like it."

  Smiling, she patted my arm. "You did well, Alex. You should be proud."

  Half of me felt like she was right. I should be proud. But the other half... "I am proud, but—"

  Her hand appeared in front of my face. "There are no buts. You acted decisively and did exactly what needed to be done. At the same time, you made sure that no one got hurt. That's enough."

  I tried to let those words of encouragement sink into me, but it was a tough pill to swallow. I was a big part of why the Hero's brother was gone. Even if he was an asshole, I was still pretty sure that he had helped the world far more than I ever would. His being gone meant a lot of balls, like the Black Seal's repairs, were left to fall to the ground. "Did you have any suspicions? About him being a lich, I mean?"

  "I did." She played with the hem of his dress, crinkling and pulling at the fabric with her fingers. "I've felt like something was off about him for a long time, but every time I tried to use my magic to investigate my hunch, nothing ever came up. After a while, I just figured that he was turning into a grumpy old shit in his old age and let it go." Her eyes trailed back to the chicken house. "He never was the nicest guy, but he always had the best intentions, and he was amazing at seeing his plans through since he was so dispassionate and logical." Letting the fabric slip from her fingers, she toed at some mud sticking to a cobblestone beneath her. "Still, he'd gotten much worse this past decade. Cruel and petty. Looking back on it, I can confidently say that his increasingly shit behavior was his undeath eating away at him. It's sad."

  Even if I'd never known him before, I had a feeling it was sadder than I knew. He had to have been a decent person, once. "What do you think brought him to do that to himself?"

  She got a distant look in her eye. "I think... I think it was when Dorian died. The two of them were close. Best friends, just like Faye and me. He took that death hard, and it was after that when he started looking for ways to help Elowen live longer." Giving up on the mud, she started picking at her wooden porch railing with her thumbnail. "When old age caught up to him, and Faye and I were getting ready for him to die, he took off for a bit. When he came back, he remembered me for the first time in over a century, and he stopped aging after that. Faye was elated, but that's when I started getting suspicious. Still, as I said, after a hundred different attempts at figuring out what he'd done to himself, I gave up."

  That made perfect sense. I couldn't imagine doing anything a hundred times with no results and still wanting to keep trying. "You did what you could. That's enough."

  She gave me a sly grin. "Look at you, speaking such wise words."

  "Well, I learned from the best after al—"

  "Boss!"

  Turning, I saw Urik, Ark, and Falwell rushing toward us.

  "We found a place that's exactly what you—"

  I placed a finger over my lips and violently thrust a thumb at the house.

  "Sorry!" Ark hissed as she skidded to a stop next to me. Standing on her tiptoes, she whispered," We found a perfect place on the river. It's big, cozy, and peaceful. Nice little courtyard out front, not too far from the temple. And it barely has any mold!"

  Kneeling, I asked, "How fast can we get rid of the mold?"

  Before Ark could answer, Greta's front door opened, and Faye appeared. She was wearing her usual frumpy clothing, and other than her skin around her eyes being a little darker than usual, she seemed like her usual self.

  "Hey!" She pulled an apple out of thin air and took a big bite. Crossing the porch, she plopped down on the edge, threw her arms over the lower rail, and started kicking her legs. "Whatcha doing?"

  I gave everyone a stern glance before turning and giving the Hero a big smile. "Hey! How'd you sleep?"

  She snorted. "Like shit. Greta, your guest bed is lumpy."

  "I've been meaning to replace it." Greta's voice was light, but the tension in her jaw told me she was worried about her friend. "Sorry about that."

  "Eh, I've slept in worse. It's no big deal." Ripping the last hunk of apple off its core, she threw what was left to a passing skitterslink.

  The little rat monster tipped his fur hat and squeaked in appreciation before grabbing its meal and disappearing.

  "Well, I have a surprise for you, if you're up for it?" I put my hand on Ark's shoulder and squeezed. Reaching out to her through our thread, I said, Go take care of the mold.

  "Alright, well, Urik and I have some things to take care of." Ark grabbed Urik's hand. "Falwell, you know where to find us, right?"

  Catching on instantly, the halfling nodded, gave Urik's hand a little squeeze, and said, "I'll see you soon."

  "I can't wait." As she stepped away with Ark, she let her fingers glide along Falwell's until, at last, they separated.

  "They're cute." Faye had found a bag of nuts in her inventory. "It makes me sick."

  "You always say the same thing about Jorn and me, but I see that hunger in your eyes." Greta stuck her tongue out at her friend. "It's about time the ice queen's heart thawed, don't you think?"

  I nudged Greta and gave her a look. No emotions right now, woman!

  Faye looked unimpressed with Greta's taunt. "I've told you, my heart'll thaw when it thaws." She started counting her fingers. " I give it about... two hundred years, give or take a decade or three."

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Greta's eyes widened. "You can't mean..."

  "What's happening in two hundred years?" Falwell asked.

  "No idea," I replied.

  Her voice breathy, the Hero answered, "A guy I used to like is gonna wake up from a long nap, and he's either gonna kill me or take me to bed. Maybe both." She sighed. "The Roads get kinda fuzzy when you get that far into the future."

  "Have you seen what's coming?" I asked. "In Istaera, I mean?"

  Faye shook her head. "No. Not only do fellow Travelers like us not appear in one another's Road, which tends to make the worlds we enter not reflect reality all that well, but the Roads are more like dreams than reality. They make sense with a close lens, but they fall apart when you zoom out. Didn't you see that when you walked your Road?"

  I nodded. "Yeah." Whenever I thought back to my time on Earth, I realized how things didn't quite make sense. Like, we lived in Pittsburgh at one point, a city I never once visited in real life, but we also regularly drove a few hours to go to Disney, which isn't in Pennsylvania. Also, I was pretty sure that our president was Liam Neeson for all eight years. That, and Vral and Tristan said they had family, but not once in the eight years we lived there had any of their family called, texted, or showed up. It all made sense when we were in there, but now... not so much.

  "Okay, let's go back." Greta scoffed. "You can't seriously still be holding out for him." She pointed around at the city. "There are millions of men to enjoy, and you're still hung up on the one who wanted to kill you?"

  "Lots of men want to kill me." Faye laughed. "But only one of them won't break when I ride him into the sunset."

  "If he actually wakes up, he won't be strong anymore." Greta sighed. "And that's a big if."

  Faye shrugged. "So? I've gone this long. I can wait a little longer. And if it doesn't pan out, oh well."

  "Faye..." Wrapping her arm around my shoulder, Greta said, "Alex here is good on the eyes, and I hear excellent reviews about his bedroom skills." She smacked my shoulder a few times. "Plus, he's unbreakable. Haven't you heard?"

  "Wait, do Tristan and Vral talk about me to you?"

  Greta cackled. "My friend, I know everything. And I do mean everything."

  "Oh. Okay." An instant blush found my cheeks.

  Faye was quiet for a while. Then, "I can't say I haven't thought about it." Her eyes trailed to me, looked me up and down. "He's a great guy. Sweet, kind, and so good-natured. And I think he'd always be attentive and available. He's the kind of guy who could make any girl feel seen and safe. He's a real catch." She paused for a moment. Then, a grin spread across her face. "Plus, it's nice to know that when I break him, and I would definitely break him, he'd put himself back together again." When she finished speaking, her face fell. "Unfortunately, that's just not my type." She groaned and covered her face with her hands. Speaking into her palms, she said, "I just like 'em... terrible." She laughed. "My dumb ass is into that shadow daddy, 'I can fix them' shit. It balances out my martyrdom."

  As she spoke, I could feel my cheeks getting even hotter.

  Had the hero thought of me that way?

  I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had similar thoughts at times. A few dreams, too. She really was pretty, with that round face and button nose look that all cute girls had. She was small, too, and fit as hell, which I was very into. Still, while she wasn't without her feminine charms, compared to Tristan or Vral, she was all angles and no curves. That was definitely someone's type, but it wasn't mine. Plus, we were way too similar. We'd feed into one another's best instincts in the worst way.

  "See?" Her eyes told me she knew my thoughts. "We're too similar, anyway. If we were together, we'd be the most high-minded, hardworking, dutiful, dedicated, self-destructive pair who ever walked Reial. And neither Tristan nor Vral would be able to slow us down." She shook her head. "Also, I'm immortal, and he's not.. We're better as friends."

  She was so right. We'd be a mess. "Yeah, that sums it up." I held out my fist to her. "Fist bump to being good friends?"

  She held out her fist but didn't bump it into mine. "Great friends? Amazing friends. No! Best buddies!"

  I laughed. "Chosen buddies?"

  "Yesssss." She slammed her fist into mine.

  My hand fought to the bitter end, but it was no use. The bones in my hand shattered, leaving my appendage absolutely mangled.

  [Unbreakable]

  With loud cracks and pops, the bones and tendons pulled themselves back together.

  Fuck, she was strong.

  "Uh, sorry about that." She blew on her knuckles. "I don't know my own strength."

  "I can take it." I held my hand up to her and wiggled my fingers.

  "Ugh." Greta let her arm fall off my shoulders. "You two are idiots."

  Together, we both looked at Greta and shrugged.

  This was good. I knew Faye was pretending to be okay to some extent, but the comfortable banter seemed to be lifting her spirits. While I knew that she wasn't going to be okay for a while, she just needed to have moments like these. And to facilitate that, I had a plan. One that Ark had been executing for me.

  Figuring that enough time had passed, I turned to the east. "So, Falwell, I hear Ark found a new building?"

  "Y-yes, my lord!" Falwell stood at attention. "It sits along the river that separates the west and central districts."

  "Why don't we all go check it out?" I asked over my shoulder. "I know we have to leave on that quest soon, but why don't you two accompany us?"

  Faye deflated a little. "I think I'll sit this one out. I'm a little..." She hesitated. "I'm tired. Also..." She wiped her face again. "After we send Alex and the girls off, we need to get over to the Library of Xosh and tell scholars about what happened, Greta. That, and the apprentices will need your guidance in fixing the seal now that Kasimir's..." Her eyes got misty. "Since you're the strongest mage around now, you'll have to take command of that project. We'll figure out something regarding your curse. And Evron's still a mess after the latest incursion, so we'll need to head over there after Xosh, and there's word from some friends down in Malrith that the Cleft of Tears is acting up now. With the civil war happening in Nolei, it's only a matter of time before—"

  "Faye." Her face filled with love for her friend, Greta reached out and took the Hero's hand. "Come. It'll only take a moment. You can take a few hours off."

  Slowly, Faye's fingers wrapped around Greta's hand. "Yeah... Okay. Sounds good." She let Greta pull her to her feet. "I guess I can make some time."

  "Hold on!" Ark shouted from the other side of the large wooden doors separating the riverside street from the courtyard of the large home we were standing in front of.

  "We're not done yet!" Grort said in a hurried tone. "Five more minutes!"

  "What's the smell?" Greta covered her wrinkled nose with her hand.

  "Smells like vinegar," Faye mused. "Are they cleaning something in there?"

  "Just tidying is all," Falwell lied.

  Giving the excellent man a slight nod, I turned around, waved my hand out at the river, and said a little too enthusiastically, "Wow, what a view." To be fair, the house did have a perfect view of the Dreaming Crown to the east. The patio up on the second floor probably had an even better view.

  Not noticing or not caring, Faye walked to the seawall and sat on the edge. "Yeah, it really is."

  Greta and I sat next to her. Behind us, the doors opened, and Falwell slipped through them before shutting the door again.

  "Grab a mop!" Urik hissed. Her words were immediately followed by what sounded like a bucket toppling over.

  As we waited, I took in the sights and sounds of the city. I knew that, once we left for Embermist Keep, we weren't going to be here for a while. A part of me hated the thought. Even though we'd only been here for two months, we'd put so much effort into this city, invested so much time, that it was hard to imagine parting with it. I hated the idea of leaving the people to fend for themselves, and I didn't want them to think we'd abandoned them. I knew that Ro and Na-Ya were fully capable and they'd do an amazing job when we were gone, but still... I wanted the people of this city to know that I would always be there for them. They didn't have to do this alone. Not anymore.

  "That's cute," Faye whispered beside me.

  Looking up, I watched as a dozen children ran along the far side of the river, kicking a small leather ball that they'd filled with hay or straw. The kids were of all ages, ranging from maybe five to well into their teens. Despite that, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves as they played whatever game they were playing. It was probably one of those rule-less games that kids made up whenever they didn't have anything to do.

  "I always liked kids," Faye said. "I don't want kids of my own, but I enjoy having them around. They make life feel lighter."

  "Have you ever thought about doing something with them?" I asked.

  "With my duties?" She snorted.

  "You and your duties," Greta snapped. "Live a little, girl!"

  "One day," Was all Faye said in response.

  "Duties, huh?" What was the point of protecting the world if she didn't have time to live in it?

  Reaching for my neck, I pulled the necklace that Ura-Elathiel gave me out from under my tunic. Searching with my fingers, I found the little glowing crystal that had come back with me from the Road we'd walked down in the Depths. I'd had Greta wire wrap it and had strung it with my amulet. That way, my duty and my heart were always next to one another. I was planning to leave it here in the city when we left, just in case the worst happened, but I enjoyed having it close until then. It reminded me of the life I wanted to live.

  "Okay!" Ark's shout filled the air, then was immediately replaced by the shuddering of the old wooden doors.

  Standing, the three of us made our way into the courtyard. Despite the absolutely disgusting stench of vinegar, the place was incredible. It was designed in a semi-Roman fashion, with a massive courtyard, complete with a large pool in the center. Multiple terraces. A large second-story porch, and a small porch just barely visible on the third floor. Dozens of rooms, whose doors all connected to the central courtyard. A large open kitchen.

  It was perfect for her.

  Stepping forward, I held my hands out and said, "Faye, when all of your work is done, I want you to come rest here in Caer-Elath-Sylnareth." When her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched, I quickly added, "I promise you won't have any duties, and we won't expect anything of you. This isn't a bribe. We just want you here with us, to live your life however you want. As our friend." I smiled. "Our chosen buddy."