Much to Tess' disappointment, nothing attacked that night, or the following night. On the third day, just as the sun was setting, they made it to the desert city of Halimi. After stabling their horses, they walked down the main road and passed the dragon museum Ayden had been talking about. It had a large window in front displaying an oblong skull that was over three feet long. There was a painting of the gold dragon it had belonged to beside it.

All of the dragons were extinct now. The last of them, the water dragons, had died out almost thirty years ago, mostly due to poachers. Dragon blood was highly magical and hunters had made a fortune by selling it to unscrupulous mages.

Tess rolled her eyes when Ayden turned and gave her a hopeful look. “Can you just meet me at the tavern?” she asked, pointing east to a yellow building that sat at a fork in the road. The sign above the door said Coral Tavern and Inn.

“You don’t mind?”

She laughed shortly. “No, of course not.”

He smiled. “Okay. I won’t be too long, they’re probably closing soon.”

She nodded. “Have fun,” she said, leaving him to look at bones and pictures and to read boring facts.

She walked down the cobbled main street—the stones of which were mostly obscured by a layer of sand—looking around curiously at the lively city. Tall buildings crowded around, blocking out some of the sunlight and overshadowing the narrow streets. The exteriors of the buildings were stucco and painted in various colors, from ruddy orange to sage green, buttermilk yellow to dusty blue. It was the most colorful place she had ever seen.

A gentle breeze swept through the town, but even at sunset the air still felt thick with the desert heat. Though she knew that would change soon enough; Ayden had told her that the desert was always hot during the day, but quite cold at night. She remembered him saying something about the cloudless sky, though she hadn’t really been listening—she rarely did when he went into one of his long explanations.

An older man came out of the tavern just as she got there and held the door for her. She smiled politely and stepped inside. The place was spacious, with dark wooden chairs and tables placed sporadically across the floor. There was a long bar on the left side and a stage in the back corner. The windows already had their shutters closed for the night, but the main room was well lit by hanging crystal lamps.

Tess was surprised to see them in a tavern. Most buildings didn’t have crystal lamps yet. They were a new item and very expensive; though the advertisement in the paper said that in time they paid for themselves because of the money saved on lantern oil.

The enchantment on the blue crystals had been invented by the Shia’Lan, a race of elves that had been wiped out twenty-three years ago. When the Arcane University had finally discovered the research papers, they tried the enchantment on different types of stones and crystals, but none held for more than a few months. The Shia’Lan crystals were documented to last seven years on average.

Eventually, they found that the only place to mine the blue crystals was south of the Ifori Forest, in elf territory. More years passed before they convinced the human-hating elves to allow them to mine on their land. So now, seventeen years after the papers had been found, the crystal lights were finally being sold to the general public.

Tess figured this place must do good business to afford to light the large tavern with them. It was quite full just then, which she guessed was because of the band; a flyer on the wall near the door advertised a group of bards performing later tonight. They called themselves the Ornery Orcs. She smiled at that, wondering if they really were orcs. A band made up of the seven-foot-tall brutes with their bald heads, tusks, and slow speech would be quite amusing.

She headed to the bar and had to raise her voice to be heard over the roar of conversations in the room. She ordered the special, which was snake, something she was used to eating from her visits to the Savage Jungle. Slipping past people in the crowded room, she found a quieter spot near the far wall.

When dinner came, she stared down at her plate. The snake was served in some sort of sauce and the whole thing looked and smelled unappetizing. She poked at it with her fork, trying to muster the courage to take a bite. Before she could, someone leaned forward and spoke softly in her ear...

“What’s a beautiful thing like you doing all alone?” The man’s voice was warm and husky.

“Waiting for someone,” she answered simply.

He moved to stand in front of her. “Here I am.”

Wow, was her first thought. The man was unbelievably gorgeous, with short, tousled blond hair, a strong jaw and full lips. He was a fighter; she could tell because he had that hard edge about him that fighters had, even more so than others did at his age. She guessed he was in his early twenties, but he had eyes that said he had seen a lot.

Her gaze traveled the length of him and his large, thickly muscled body fit in well with her fighter label, as did the very old-looking, though beautifully kept, sword that hung from his belt. He was dressed all in black—boots, fitting pants, leather wristbands, and an open, sleeveless jacket with a short, stiff collar. He wore no shirt, and the jacket did very little to hide his beautifully sculpted torso.

She caught herself staring and closed her mouth. She was used to muscular men, having practically grown up in the Fighters Guild. Her own father had a similar build to this man. But for some reason, he was different. She decided it wasn’t really the muscles—though they were undeniably nice, she appreciated a fit body—it was his eyes that struck her; they could have been called icy blue, except that they were smoldering as he gazed down at her.

She glared at his smug expression and tried to remember what they had been talking about. It took her a minute to recall that she was waiting for someone. “You’re not him.”

He helped himself to a seat at her small table. “I could be,” he practically purred.

“No. You couldn’t.”

He leaned back in the chair, seeming completely at ease, and grinned at her, revealing unexpected dimples. It gave him a touch of boyish charm, though his right eyebrow, which he raised now, was arched slightly in the middle, giving him a bit of a devious look. Which was he? she wondered idly, boyish or devious? Perhaps both.

“Feisty, huh? I bet you bite.”

“Only things worth biting,” she told him flatly. “So far I haven’t seen anything that looks good.”

“How would you know when you haven’t even tried it?”

“I know bad meat when I see it,” she assured him. “Does this approach actually work to get women?”

Her tone was mildly disdainful, but inside she was struggling with the concept that someone was actually hitting on her. As a rule, men didn’t do that. She wasn’t what people would describe as pretty; she was too plain for that. And she didn’t look available or interested. Yet here he was, and she had seen enough of her aunt’s and uncle’s lusty gazes to understand what the look in his eyes meant.

He shrugged. “I think it’s my looks, mostly.”

Boyish was out, she thought; he was too arrogant for that. “Oh, yes,” she said, rolling her eyes, “I’m swooning.” In spite of her words, though, her heartbeat quickened and she was feeling a bit warmer. She wasn’t used to getting this kind of attention and, stupidly, she felt flustered by him.

He chuckled, seeing through her tough act. “Denial doesn’t help anyone.” He sat up so he could caress the back of her hand with his fingers.

Why did his touch make her shiver? This affect of his really irritated her. She grabbed his index finger and pulled it back the wrong way. “Don’t touch me,” she warned.

He didn’t flinch; instead, he annoyingly smiled and looked more interested.

Just then, Ayden came into view. Tess stood and sighed with relief. “Thank the gods, let’s get out of here. The offerings in this place are repulsive.”

The man got to his feet as well, his gaze flickering briefly to Ayden. “Beat it, kid, we’re busy.” Then to her he said, “The food isn’t the only thing available for you.”

“I wasn’t referring to the food,” she replied smoothly and turned to leave.

He caught her wrist. “We’re not finished.”

She turned back to scowl at him, but Ayden spoke first. “Let her go.”

He scoffed. “And if I don’t? You going to take me on?”

Ayden was a good deal smaller than the man, but the fingers on his right hand moved slightly as he gave the brute a confident, level stare. “Yes.”

The man let go of her wrist to give Ayden a warning shove. “I said, get lost.”

Tess grabbed his arm. “Do not touch him,” she growled.

He leered at her. “Or what?”

“This.” She let his arm go and punched him, hitting his jaw.

Immediately the back of his fist swung toward her face, but she ducked, then jabbed hard and fast into his gut. He grabbed her wrist, pulled down, and brought his knee up, thrusting it into her stomach. She grunted. When she stood straight again, she took another swing, but he blocked this time.

“Whoa, no fighting in here!” a man yelled from behind them. “Take it outside!”

“Gladly,” Tess snarled.

The large man dropped her wrist and twitched his arched brow. “After you.”

“Stay behind him, Ayd. Use a lightning bolt if he tries anything,” Tess ordered and walked out of the tavern.

As soon as they were outside, she whirled around with a kick. The man ducked, then backhanded her. She tasted blood, but came back quickly with another kick. She was faster than he had expected, and it connected this time. She smirked when she saw that his lip was now busted like her own.

“Tess, there’s a guard heading this way,” Ayden warned her. “There’s no fighting allowed within city limits.” The reminder was unnecessary though; her father was captain of the guard, she knew the laws very well.

The man wiped the blood casually from his lip with his thumb as he eyed her. “Your name’s Tess? Tess Bennet by any chance?”

She frowned. “Yes...”

“I was on my way to find you,” the man told her. “Talk about fate.”

“Why?”

“It’s a bit of a story,” he answered. “I’ll buy you a drink and tell you about it.”

“What’s wrong with here and now?”

“I don’t feel like standing out in the street. And it’s starting to get cold in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Putting on actual clothes might help,” Ayden suggested disdainfully with a pointed look at his chest.

The man looked like he had something to say to that, but held his tongue. After a short hesitation, he looked back at Tess. “My name’s Mathias. I was coming to ask for your help. A fairy told me about you.”

Tess nodded, understanding now. Fairies were creatures that looked like angelic children with wispy blond curls, sparkling lavender eyes, and butterfly-like wings. They were innately good, highly magical, and psychic.

She motioned to her friend. “This is Ayden.”

Mathias gave Ayden a quick nod, and Ayden stiffly returned the gesture.

“So,” Tess said, “a drink, then?”

Mathias smiled, showing his dimples again, and she ignored the flutter it caused in her belly. He led the way back into the tavern.

Ayden walked behind him with Tess and took her hand. “I don’t like this guy,” he whispered as he cast his healing spell. She felt the warm tingling of his magic enter her hand and flow through her until the cut on her lip faded away.

“He needs our help,” she whispered back.

“I have a bad feeling about him.”

“You have a bad feeling about a lot of people,” she reminded him.

“Yeah, so? There happen be a lot of bad people in the world.”

“The old woman at the bakery?” she challenged.

“We were nine, and she was creepy.”

She laughed. “Yeah, she was.”

Mathias looked back over his shoulder at them once they were inside. “The band’s setting up. It’s going to get loud. We’ll talk in my apartment upstairs.”

Tess nodded and they followed. As they passed the stage, she noticed with disappointment that the band was made up of just regular humans, not orcs. They didn’t even have masks like the Chaos Demons band did.

On the top floor of the three story building, Mathias opened the door at the end of the hallway and let them inside. He touched a blue crystal that protruded from the wall next to him and several lamps, including one that hung above a round table on the other side of the room, lit up. He walked into a small, open kitchen to the right of the table that was separated from the living room by a bar, and grabbed a few beers from an ice chest. Most homes had one nowadays; it was basically a steel box that was enchanted with an ice spell—enough to keep food and beverages cold, but not freeze them—and then set into an insulated wooden chest.

Mathias pulled out the corks and set the bottles around a glass ashtray in the center of the table. He motioned to the chairs on the opposite side. “Have a seat,” he offered, sitting himself.

Tess pulled Ayden with her to the table, took a seat, and looked around curiously. The place looked expensive. The tavern below was nice, but not high-end like this apartment was. It had smoky gray walls, sleek and stylish furniture made from dark wood and black leather, and a few abstract paintings for decoration. In a room off to the left side, there was a very large built-in bed with a crimson cover just visible through the doorway. The place was minimalist and very clean. She decided it suited a serious fighter.

“You decorate the place?” Tess wondered.

“Hired someone,” Mathias answered.

“According to your taste?”

“Yes, why?”

She shrugged. “It’s nice. It’s very you.”

“You don’t know me,” he pointed out.

She shrugged and took a sip of her ale. “So, what was your name again?”

“Mathias.”

“Got a nickname?”

“Don’t like my name?”

“Just longish.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Can I call you Matt?”

He looked amused. “Call me anything you want.”

“Anything?” Ayden muttered under his breath, and Tess hit his leg under the table.

If Matt heard him, he didn’t let on. He continued to focus on Tess. “I didn’t hurt you too much, did I?”

She scoffed. “Please.”

His touched the tip of his tongue to the cut on his lower lip, then gave her a half smile. “That was fun.”

“Too bad we were interrupted.”

“Like fighting?”

“Very.”

“Me too.” He studied her for a moment, as if sizing her up, but then his smile disappeared and he sighed. “Well... to the point. Have you ever heard of Kieran?”

Tess nodded. “She was the high priestess of Malluk. Nineteen years ago she took control of the world with... oh, that pathetic guy...”

“Lord Xavien Barrowmont,” Ayden supplied.

“Yeah, him. And then she tried to become a god herself.”

“Good, you know your history,” Matt said. “Then you also know about her being killed.”

“From the horse’s mouth,” Ayden said.

Matt raised a brow. “Oh?”

“My dad is Falcon,” Tess said proudly.

“One of the people who defeated Kieran?” Matt asked.

She nodded. “Along with my mom, my aunt and uncle, and two of their friends.”

“And Jade,” Ayden added.

“Yeah, him too. He’s my mom’s familiar,” she explained.

Matt smiled. “No wonder you’re tough. I bet you were taught well.”

She puffed up slightly. “By the best.”

His smile became a grin. “You should see me in action.”

“Already did. Wasn’t impressed.”

“I mean for real.”

She just shrugged indifferently.

He looked at Ayden. “So, you’re... her brother?”

“No,” he answered quickly.

Matt glanced back at Tess. “Boyfriend?” he asked, as if it would surprise him.

“No, just friends,” she told him.

“Oh,” he said neutrally. “So, anyway, my mother lived in Glendale when Kieran was in power. She was one of the people taken as a slave. I was only five at the time, so I wasn’t exactly able to help.”

“I heard about that,” Ayden said. “Kieran took over a hundred people from Glendale and Jaida Grove and brought them to Malluk’s true temple. But all the prisoners were freed after Kieran was killed.”

Matt nodded. “A lot of people were saved, but my mother wasn’t one of them—she died there.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Tess said sympathetically.

“Yeah.” He stared at the bottle of ale that he was slowly rolling back and forth between his large hands.

“What about your father?” she wondered. “Was he taken too?”

Matt laughed bitterly. “No, the damn coward ran as soon as he saw she was in trouble.”

There was a moment of silence. Finally, Tess, not knowing what else to say on the matter, changed topics. “So, what about this fairy?”

He took a sip of his ale and set it down. “Iris. She was a friend of my mother’s who died recently.”

“Killed?” Ayden asked. “Fairies don’t die from natural causes, they’re immortal,” he reminded Tess when she raised a brow.

“Yes,” Matt agreed. “But she told me a few things just before it happened. Things that make me wonder if someone thought she knew too much. I have no proof, and it looked like an accident, or it was made to look like one at least, but...” He sighed. “I left town after that. She had told me what she knew, so I figured I could be next.”

“What’d she tell you?” Ayden asked.

“First, that Kieran is back on the Mortal Plain.”

Tess and Ayden both gasped, then asked, “How?”

“For some reason, Mortalia let her return as ghost. Now Kieran’s just waiting for her heir to bring her back to life. They have to perform some ritual, but they can’t do it until June 15^th, Malluk’s Day.”

“Her heir... heir to what, exactly?” Ayden asked.

“Once she’s alive again, she’ll pick up where she left off,” Matt explained. “She’ll take over, and then become a goddess. Of course, this time it’ll take her longer to do that, since she’ll have to do more to prove her worth to Malluk before he’ll give her that chance again. But Kieran won’t stop until she gets what she wants.”

Tess and Ayden knew enough of her to know it was the truth. Kieran had an extreme lust for power and no conscience to hold her back from doing whatever vile things were necessary to reach her goal.

“That doesn’t explain—” Ayden started.

“Her son’s father is Lord Barrowmont,” Matt continued, cutting him off. “Which makes him the rightful lord of Oraunt. When she’s back, he’ll claim that birthright, then overthrow the Kelstone Council and declare himself king, as Xavien did before. After that, he and his mother will rule together until she becomes a goddess, then he’ll carry on alone. That’s the future that Iris saw.”

“Then we need to stop this heir before he can bring her back,” Tess said.

Matt shook his head. “Kieran has the whole of Malluk’s church doing her bidding. What would killing her son do besides piss her off? No, it’s best to go to the source, make sure she’s gone for good. Besides, the heir is sure to be where her ghost is, so we can deal with them both at the same time.”

“Good point,” she conceded.

“Did Iris know how to kill a ghost?” Ayden asked.

“A bit redundant, isn’t it?” Tess laughed, but the others ignored her.

“We can use a weapon imbued with magic,” Ayden continued, glancing at Matt’s sword, “but that won’t destroy her.”

Tess frowned. “But I thought enchanted weapons worked.”

“No, the ghost just comes back after a few days,” Ayden told her.

“Here,” Matt said, taking a small scroll out of a pocket inside his jacket and handing it over.

Ayden unrolled it and Tess moved closer to see. “It’s a map.”

“Iris had it on her when she was found,” Matt told them. “Apparently, if someone did kill her, they didn’t think it was important. But she had been on her way to see me, so I kept it, wondering if it had been intended for me. I finally just found out yesterday what it is, so I was coming to find you next.”

“It’s the Lasynd Islands,” Ayden said. “They’re just off the coast, about a day’s ride from here.”

“Yes,” Matt agreed. “But it’s to something very particular on those islands.” He grabbed the map and lay it on the table between them. “See here?” He pointed. “That shows the location of a key.” He sat back and took out a silver case from the breast pocket of his jacket. He put a cigarette between his lips before pulling out a silver lighter. He flipped back the hinged lid with his thumb and lit the end of his cigarette with the small, steady flame inside. Lighters were enchanted objects and quite expensive—the man certainly seemed to have a lot of money.

“A key to what?” Tess asked.

Matt smiled now as he put the lighter away and blew out some smoke. “The key that opens the Spirit Chest.”

Ayden looked more interested now. “That chest is said to hold the Spirit Dagger.”

“Yes,” Matt agreed. “And do you know what that can do?”

“Nothing. It’s just a valuable object that was hidden ages ago.”

Matt shook his head. “It has the power to kill a spirit—complete, eternal oblivion. Then Kieran will never be able to come back.” He took another drag and exhaled slowly. “So... this is where you come in. You can help me get it.”

Tess and Ayden shared a look. They had just arrived in Halimi, and already someone needed their help, and it was a huge threat at that. It was an easy decision. “Of course we’ll help,” Tess answered.

Matt gave a single nod. “Good. Oh, there’s one other thing. Iris didn’t just give me your name,” he told Tess. “She also gave me the name Sera Taylor.”

“My cousin,” Tess said, surprised.

“Really?” he asked disbelievingly. “Wait, the aunt and uncle you mentioned, those are her parents?”

She nodded.

“Interesting. Any siblings?”

“She doesn’t have any, but I have a little brother.”

“First child... I wonder...” he trailed off, looking thoughtful.

“What?”

“Well, to bring someone back from the dead, you need two sacrifices.”

“What are you saying?”

“Your parents and Sera’s killed Kieran...” He looked at Tess apologetically. “What if it’s you and your cousin that she wants to sacrifice? Maybe that’s why Iris gave me your names.”

Tess took a deep breath, then nodded. “Kieran would be all too happy to make the people who stopped her suffer.”

“And what better way than to kill their children?” Ayden said.

“Exactly,” Matt agreed.

“We should warn Sera,” Tess said.

Ayden shook his head. “The heir won’t touch her.”

“Why not?” Matt asked.

“She’s a cleric of Aryst,” Ayden answered. “It’s a rule set down by the gods themselves that they don’t interfere in each others’ domains.”

“Didn’t stop Kieran from closing all the temples when she was in power,” Tess pointed out.

“True,” Ayden conceded. “We’ll warn her, just in case.”

Tess nodded and they fell into silence while Matt finished his cigarette and put it out in the glass ashtray. Finally, Ayden asked, “So who are you, anyway? Why are you doing this? Just to avenge your mom? I mean, I would too...”

“Yes, it’s about revenge and duty,” Matt said.

“Those your only reasons?”

Matt took a sip of his ale, then studied the bottle. “When my mother was in trouble, I tried to help, but... I wasn’t able to do anything.” He jaw tensed at the memory. Seeming to need something to do, he lit another cigarette. “When I heard she was dead, I promised myself that I would never be helpless again. So, I learned how to fight. At first, it was just about building myself up and avenging her. But it became more than that. I want to make sure what happened to my mother doesn’t ever happen again. So, I do what I can, help out here and there.”

“Good way to honor her memory,” Tess said sincerely.

Matt just nodded.

“So, how did you know we could help you?” Ayden asked.

Matt shrugged. “When Iris gave me your names, I found out who you were. I hadn’t found out anything about Sera yet, but you...” he said, looking at Tess now. “I heard you were a good fighter who wanted to go adventuring someday.” He smiled. “I’m guessing that’s why Iris told me about you. Not sure about Sera.”

“Maybe Kieran and the heir don’t know she’s a cleric,” Ayden suggested.

“Yeah, probably,” Matt agreed. “So, I told you about me, and I know enough about her...” He motioned to Tess. “What about you?” he asked Ayden.

“How much do you know about me?” Tess asked before Ayden could answer.

“What I said.”

“And that’s enough?”

“A woman who loves fighting and adventure... what more do I need to know?” He grinned and she smiled back. He looked at Ayden then. “But you’re obviously not a fighter, or the hero type, I’m thinking,” he said, studying him. “A tag-along mage? One who’s actually out fighting when he doesn’t even have kids? Strange. Isn’t it supposed to be a mage’s first priority to continue their bloodline? Not jeopardize it by adventuring?”

Ayden’s eyes narrowed, but it was Tess who answered. “He’s just as much the hero type as I am,” she told him indignantly. “We’ve both been planning on adventuring for years. This is what he wants, not being cooped up at some boring mage job, or tied down with kids,” she said, appalled at the idea.

Matt gave Ayden a skeptical look, but said nothing. “Then I guess we have a decent team. Where’s your familiar, though? Kept safe somewhere?”

Tess answered again. “He had a little black and white monkey, but his father, who seriously hates magic, killed her when Ayd was little because she reminded him of—”

“Tess,” Ayden interrupted quietly, frowning.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, then looked back at Matt. “Lanna’s dead—that’s the short version.”

Matt gave Ayden a look that seemed a bit sympathetic, like maybe he could relate, but he just nodded and stood, then walked the few steps into the kitchen area. “Why don’t I get you something to eat? Something that isn’t repulsive.” He threw Tess a smirk. And suddenly that lusty look was back—not that it had ever fully gone away.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled, too. “Sure.”

He nodded, then turned to grab a few things out of the cupboard and ice chest.

“You know,” she said conversationally, “you’re not nearly as repulsive when you’re like this. You should try being nice when you’re hitting on women. It might get better results than a busted lip and a bruised ego.”

He huffed a smoky laugh as he set some sandwich items on the table and sat down. “You’re the first woman who’s ever drawn blood, and I’ve had some wild ones.”

She blushed slightly at the mental image his tone suggested.

He grinned. “As for my ego, it’s always in mint condition.”

“And being nice?”

He shook his head. “You wouldn’t be half as attracted to me if I was”—his gaze flickered very briefly to Ayden and back—“just a nice guy.”

“No one said I was attracted to you,” she pointed out curtly. “And nice guys are way more likely to get my attention.”

“Not denying it, just no one said it, huh?” he said, smirking, then returned to a businesslike tone. “So, we can set out in the morning.”

Tess, suddenly not liking him again, glared, but he smiled back, seeming amused by her flustered reaction. “Come on, Ayd,” she said, standing abruptly. “We should get a room for the night, it’s getting late.” To Matt she added sharply, “We’ll see you downstairs in the morning.”

“Whatever you want,” he told her smoothly, meaningfully.

She held Ayden’s hand as they left, keeping herself from punching their new ally.

__________

“He doesn’t act like a good guy,” Ayden said, sitting on the edge of the large bed in their room.

“Tell me about it,” Tess grumbled as she pulled the pale yellow blankets back and got under them. “Aside from the strong fighter thing, he’s definitely not the kind of person I imagined working with.”

“Shouldn’t good guys be a little more... good?”

“I don’t know.” She lay back and stared at the ceiling. “All we’ve ever known is my family. I mean, we’ve never actually meet any other heroes, just read about them.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I suppose they come in all types. But he’s just so...”

“Arrogant? Conceited?” she offered. “How about sleazy?”

He laughed. “Sounds like you’re talking about Vivyka.”

She laughed, too. “By the gods, they’d be perfect for each other!”

“So you... you don’t like him, then?” he mumbled.

She scoffed. “Like him? You know I’m not interested in being with anyone, especially the I think I’m a gift from the gods type.”

“Yeah,” he said, hiding a relieved smile. “Well, maybe he is like Viv. I mean, she’s sort of a...”

“Bitchy tramp?”

“Well, yeah, but she has a good heart. Look how she is with the kids at the orphanage. She might be all tough and slutty, but she’s really nice and caring under it all.”

“True,” Tess agreed, turning onto her side to look at him. “You know, she grew up without parents. Matt didn’t have his mother and he obviously had a bad father. But you had about the same, so why aren’t you like that?”

He shrugged. “I’ve always had you.”

She beamed at him. “Aw.” She reached over and pulled him into a tight hug. “Some family we’re born with, but others we pick.”

When she let go, he moved to lay his head on the pillow, facing her. “I guess.”

She lay back down and played with his hand, which rested between them. After a minute, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It feels weird being away from home. I mean, just being us, no familiar people around.”

“Yeah, it does,” he admitted. “Good weird, though.”

She smiled. “Yeah. But I’m glad you’re with me. I think I’d be kind of freaked if you weren’t.”

He laughed softly. “You’d be fine. You always are.”

“Am not, you just think that.”

“Because you’re not scared of anything.”

“You know what I realized when we left home?” she asked solemnly.

“What?”

“That I am scared of something.”

He smirked. “I don’t believe you.”

She smacked his hand. “Shut up, I’m serious.”

“Uh-huh. So, what’s the warrior princess scared of?”

She gave him a stubborn look. “I’m not telling you now.”

“Okay, sorry. I’m serious. Look.” He pointed to his face, which he made dramatically serious. But it just made them both start laughing.

When it grew quiet, he sobered and asked, “Okay, for real now, what are you scared of?”

“Being alone,” she told him. “You know, I’ve always had people with me, people who love me—my family, you. But when Mom came to talk to me the other night, she was saying how she almost lost everyone when she was on that quest, and I just can’t imagine how I could live through that... if I lost everyone, if I lost you.”

He squeezed her hand. “We’ll always have each other. No matter what,” he promised. “Side by side, live or die, we’ll be together.” It was the vow they had made since they were kids, since they had first agreed become a team and go adventuring together.

She smiled affectionately at him. “Always.”

They were quiet for a couple minutes, until she yawned. “We should get some sleep,” he said, letting her hand go.

“Okay—hey, where are you going?”

He stopped mid-scoot. “To my bedroll, you know, for the sleeping.”

“Why? This bed’s huge.”

“Um... but you’re... that’d be weird though... wouldn’t it?”

She laughed. “Sometimes you’re so ridiculous. Why would it be weird? I’ve shared a bed with Sera before.”

“But I always sleep on the floor.”

“Because my bed at home is like a foot wide.”

“A little over three, actually.”

“Shut up and get in bed,” she ordered. When he got under the covers, she moved closer, grabbed his arm, and snuggled against him. “Night, goober.”

“Night, brat,” he returned.

Feeling a bit sly, he turned onto his side and hugged her. After a moment, his arms relaxed, but he didn’t let go. He waited, wondering if she would move away. When she just closed her eyes and went to sleep, he bit his lip and grinned.

He stayed awake for a while, enjoying being able to hold her for so long. Happily, the one window in the room was behind him, so her face was bathed in dim moonlight when he leaned back just enough to look at her. It wasn’t the first time he had watched her sleep, but it was his first time being this close. He brushed her loose hair back and tucked some behind her ear, keeping it from obstructing his view.

His fingertips lightly caressed her cheek and traced her bottom lip. She didn’t stir; she was a hard sleeper. He knew he could kiss those lips, and she wouldn’t wake up. He would never actually do it, but it was nice to think about. He smiled at that, then his smile widened at the thoughts that followed.

He sighed wistfully. Someday, he thought.