Where Do We Go?

Zac brought the Everburn with us to light our way, and in its glow we found secret paths leading out of the vault and into the woods. Elora and Piers carried all the gold they could. Benji carried more gold than either of them on one shoulder and Eon’s body on the other. Jeseka supported me and helped me limp along the way.

The Everburn frightened away all darklings in those woods, giving us a safe journey back to Oakbridge. Just as we left the edge of the trees, I convinced Zac to leave the Everburn he’d created behind, rather than invite the slew of questions which would surely await us had he brought it into town.

When we arrived in town, the Tagrosi soldiers rushed to us to receive Eon’s body. Piers stayed with them to answer their questions while the rest of us returned to the Chalice Inn. We left up the sign which said the inn was closed. After all, who could work after everything we’d experienced?

We gathered in the inn’s tavern area, this time with Zac sitting among us. Piers soon joined us, the only Tagrosi soldier Benji was ready to tolerate at the moment.

“Zac and I need to leave town,” I said.

“What?” Zac whined. “Why? I love it here!”

“I know, son,” I said, giving his hair a gentle ruffling with my fingers. “I love it here too, but Eon told his soldiers who you are. It won’t be safe here for long, we have to leave.”

“I don’t want to leave!” Zac protested.

“Would it make you feel any better if I went with you?” asked Benji.

Zac’s eyes lit up at the prospect.

Benji nodded and lifted my son up onto his knee with one hand. “Mr. Zac, you’re my best buddy. I’ll go wherever you go.”

“I’d like to go with you too,” said Jeseka, flashing a grin that made my heart pound joyfully. “If you run into any trouble out there, I’m sure you’ll need me.”

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“We can go to my mansion in Sunvale,” said Elora.

“Your mansion?” I asked. “You have a mansion? How’d you afford that?”

Elora chuckled. “About a week after you left to take care of Zac on your own, I discovered Ancient relics worth a fortune, and I bought myself a place in Sunvale. If you’d stayed with me, you could have raised Zac there from the beginning.” She stood from the table and walked over to Zac. “Do you know what a mansion is?”

Zac shook his head.

“It’s a house,” Elora said. “One bigger than the Chalice Inn. If you live there, you can have your own bedroom and your own playroom too.”

“Playroom?” Zac said, giving a confused look. “What’s a playroom?”

Elora looked at me. “See what happens when you raise a kid in an inn?” She turned back to Zac again. “A room that’s just for you to play in. It’s a place where you can keep all your toys, and even invite friends over to play with you. Just imagine… two rooms all to yourself.”

“That… sounds fun.” The look of confusion on his face slowly turned into a smile.

“Is there enough room for all of us?” I asked.

Elora nodded. “Yes, you can all have a room there. We can set out right away.”

“Good,” I said, then turned to Benji. “What are you going to do with the Chalice Inn? Sell it?”

Benji cracked his knuckles and rested his hands behind his head. “Probably just give Sheriff Jayden the key and tell him to entrust it to anyone he likes. Someone great will come along to claim it soon.” He peered up at the stuffed monster heads mounted on the wall over the fireplace. “That’s just the fate of this place, I reckon.”

“Then, let’s gather our things,” I said. “We should leave as soon as possible.”

. . .

We set out for Sunvale that very day, just as the Tagrosi soldiers started their own journey back to their homeland. I would have liked to have said goodbye to Piers, but I thought it best to avoid the Tagrosi soldiers, in case any of them blamed us for Eon’s death.

With Zac’s help, we’d be able to travel night and day, and wouldn’t have to stick to roads leading to the nearest town, so our journey to Sunvale was sure to be short.

At the top of a hill, we looked back and saw Oakbridge on the distant horizon. Any further and I knew it would disappear from sight.

“This is it,” I told Zac. “Look back and wave.”

Zac looked at me as if I’d just said something stupid and asked, “Why? No one there can see us.”

“That’s true…” I muttered.

“Sometimes we don’t say goodbye to a place for them,” said Benji. “Sometimes, we say goodbye for us.” He raised his hand and waved at the town on the horizon.

Zac thought about it for a moment, shrugged, and then did the same.

I joined in as well, and rested my other hand on Zac’s back. “Don’t worry. We’ll make Sunvale home for us too.”