When Gideon awoke, it took a moment for him to orient himself. His mind was clouded, reeling with memories of their battle with the broodmother and the whispering of the Moonstone. As he rubbed his bleary eyes, he saw he was back in his familiar room, his staff leaning at the foot of the bed.

The curtains were drawn, but sunlight peeked through at the edges. Ondine sat in the rocking chair by the window, looking pensive, but she smiled warmly when he turned to look at her.

Gods, he thought, how often have I passed out and woken up in this bed? It was becoming a worrying habit. Though it couldn’t be good for his long-term health, he was grateful that he’d returned from the dead once again.

“You’re awake, Master Gideon,” Ondine said. “That’s a relief.”

Master Gideon? he thought. He couldn’t remember her ever calling him that before. “Please,” he said and grinned. “Call me Mr. Moody.”

Ondine laughed, then shook her head. “I feared you’d be upset with me,” she said. “After our last encounter.”

“I’m not going to ask you to sing for our guests any time soon, if that’s what you’re asking,” Gideon said, then grew serious. “Assuming we ever have guests again. But I know you were trying to protect me in your own way. I wish you hadn’t been so forceful about it, but I don’t blame you. I think I understand. You didn’t want to lose anyone else.”

“It’s funny,” Ondine said, “but I suppose we spirits must fear mortality more than the living do.”

“I think that depends on who you ask,” Gideon said. “I was already dead once, in a manner of speaking. I used to die a little every time I went to my old job, working as a spellmonkey, casting the same trivial enchantments day in and day out. But I came back to life, like you all did, and now I’m free.” He looked down at his left hand, which was wrapped in gauze. He flexed, feeling the bandage with his other hand, noticing the Moonstone shard had been removed. That was a relief, but his palm still felt tingly, almost warm, where he’d been stabbed.

“I’m not going to waste my second life,” Gideon continued. “I’m not going to sit in my bed, warm and comfortable, when there are people out there I know I can save. Or bugs that need to be squished.”

“A spider isn’t really a—” Ondine began, but Gideon gave her a look, and her voice abruptly stopped. “Yes, that wasn’t your point, was it?” She smiled, looking almost flustered. “You have to understand that I’m a scientist, so precision in taxonomy is something that I take very seriously.” She floated up from the chair. “I’ll tell the others you’re awake. There are a lot of people who want to say hello.”

“Before you go,” Gideon said, “I forgot to ask, what did you find when you went snooping last night?”

Ondine smiled. “I suppose we got distracted, didn’t we? I hate to say this, but I don’t think my services were necessary.” She waved her hand through the air, and the curtains parted, bathing the room in daylight. She looked down into the courtyard, then shook her head. “Those wagons are filled with paintings, Gideon. And a few bronze sculptures. Lots and lots of art. That’s it. Hardly the suspicious contraband we imagined.”

“The exhibition,” Gideon muttered, shaking his head as he remembered what Marcus had said back in the cave. “I guess we learned a valuable lesson.”

“We did?” Ondine asked.

“Strictly indoor dinner shows from now on,” Gideon said, and they both laughed.

----------------------------------------

Soon after Ondine floated through the wall, the door opened, and a stream of people came in. Kelvan’s mirror was first, followed by Grimsby, Clonk, and Melissa in human form. Marcus, Filibin, and Caelan Whitfield entered next, but stayed near the door. Last, Ondine returned to her spot by the window.

Gideon looked at each of them, smiling. “Uh, hi, everybody,” he said. His eyes turned to Grimsby and Melissa for a moment. “Is everyone okay? The villagers, did they—”

“Don’t worry, bub,” Grimsby replied. “Everyone’s fine. Don’t get me wrong, a few got chomped, but Ondine’s potions did the trick. We had to take a few of them back to the castle, but nobody was permanently injured. The worst thing I saw was when Melissa ate ten spiders, then projectile vomited in the woods.”

“You promised not to tell!” Melissa shouted, then turned and stomped out of the room. After a moment, she poked her head back through the door and gave Gideon a toothy smile. “Glad you aren’t dead-ed,” she said, gave a thumbs up, then left.

“Oh, and Simeon took my sprayer,” Grimsby said. “He thought it would be useful for farming. So until further notice, the kitchen sink is out of order.”

Gideon smirked. “Good to know.”

Marcus loudly cleared his throat, stepped forward, and dipped his head in a slight bow. “Despite my lackadaisical nature, don’t think for a moment that Filibin and I are ignorant of the severity of the situation we were in. You saved our hides. We can’t thank you enough.” He turned to Caelan Whitfield and raised an eyebrow. “And I believe there was something you wanted to say, too, Mr. Whitfield. Wasn’t there?”

Caelan glared at Marcus, then shook his head and sighed. Turning to Gideon, he stuttered, “Thank you. For bringing them back.”

“I didn’t quite hear that, Mr. Whitfield,” Marcus said. “Remember, my father would not be pleased if he learned you allowed me to be captured.”

Uh oh, Gideon thought. “I hate to say this, but he might already know, assuming a certain emergency responder told me the truth.”

“What?” Marcus and Caelan shouted at the same time.

Gideon had a hard time knowing which of them seemed more concerned. “I called the emergency line back in Prospera last night before I left the castle.”

“That was very prudent, Gideon,” Marcus said. “To call for backup before diving into the belly of the beast is perfectly logical. Sadly for us, we’re going to have a lot of explaining to do. And by we, I mean you, Mr. Whitfield.” He clapped the scowling man on the shoulder. “Anyway, what did you want to say to my noble rescuer?”

“Do I still have to—”

“You do,” Marcus said. “Remember, your bonus compensation is conditional on my customer feedback to the Celestial Cargo Corporation. And I was extremely close to being a permanently unhappy customer.”

“You were the one who insisted on taking this infernal ‘shortcut’ in the first place, Mr. Stormrider,” Caelan said through gritted teeth, then sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Fine. Fine. ‘Though this establishment is brand new and still finding its footing, The Last Rest is a singular point of refuge in the bleak and unforgiving Frostpeak Mountains. The beds were more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. The entertainment was beyond our wildest expectations. The food was to die for, almost but not quite literally. I can’t begin to imagine how this magically frightening, disturbingly realistic, horror-themed lodging experience will continue to expand its capacity for surprise and wonder in the years to come. My deepest gratitude to the entire staff at The Last Rest Inn, on behalf of the Celestial Cargo Corporation and its insurers, for avoiding any fatalities during our stay. Special thanks to Gideon Moody, who went above and beyond what anyone might reasonably expect from a hotel manager. Four-point-five out of five stars.’”

Gideon had never heard a more strained display of gratitude in his life, but it was music to his ears. Grimsby pumped his fist in the air. Kelvan rolled his eyes.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Really?” Marcus asked, seemingly unimpressed.

“There was room for improvement,” Caelan said, a little defensively, then shrugged. “Fine. ‘Five out of five stars.’ Happy now?”

“Positively delighted,” Marcus said. “I sense some big thumbs up in the future of your feedback card, Caelan. Huge thumbs up. And a glowing comment or two.” He looked around, then clapped his hands together. “Anyway, now that that’s all settled, let’s get out of their hair. You have a lot of packing to do, and I have to finish my sketch of Gideon surfing on a piece of rock right into that spider’s head.”

“Did that happen?” Clonk asked, tapping his gauntlet against his helm as if trying desperately to remember. “I missed it.”

“It did not,” Gideon said, trying to imagine what fantastical art Marcus would decide to create based on their latest adventure, and laughing despite himself.

Filibin hesitated for a moment behind Marcus and Caelan, then smiled and waved at Gideon. “Thank you, Mr. Moody, and everyone. I quite enjoy being alive, and I think my wife and children enjoy me being alive too,” he said, then followed the others out of the room.

Gideon leaned back in bed, prepared to rest, when Aurora and a few of the farmers from Emberly strolled in. He sat up, surprised. How many people were out in the hallway waiting to talk to him?

“Gideon!” Aurora said, smiling warmly. “We were resting down the hall, waiting for Ondine’s potions to finish their work. Before heading back down the mountain, I wanted to stop by and see how you were.”

“Got a lot of pests to control,” one of the farmers said.

“Only once you’re feeling up to it, of course,” Aurora said, shaking her head at the man. Her eyes focused on Gideon’s nightstand, and then she beamed. “You really like them?”

Gideon followed her gaze and spotted the glass statues she’d made of him, Grimsby, and Clonk. “I love them,” he said, smiling. “I really think you should make more.”

“I just might.” Her eyes scanned Ondine and Kelvan as if taking their measure. “Maybe I’ll complete the set.”

They chatted for a while before Aurora and the farmers excused themselves and left. Gideon looked around the room at Kelvan, Ondine, Grimsby, and Clonk.

“Is anyone else out in the hallway?” he asked nervously.

“It’s all clear,” Ondine said. “Which means…”

Clonk walked to the door and closed it, then returned to his position leaning against the wall.

“There is a matter we must discuss,” Kelvan said, looking serious. He had been uncharacteristically quiet during the earlier pleasantries, but now his red eyes bored into Gideon. “You communed with the Moonstone.”

“Communed?” Gideon asked. “I mean, part of it stabbed me, and I got that status.”

“Before that,” Kelvan said. “It spoke to you, didn’t it?”

Gideon didn’t know how his Uncle knew that, but it wasn’t phrased as a question. “She asked me to free her,” he said. “I don’t think she liked the broodmother using her power, but she had no choice.”

“Hmm,” Kelvan said. “Yet you haven’t lost your mind yet. That’s fortuitous.”

Gideon’s eyes widened. “Was that a possibility?”

Kelvan smiled. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I think you might have gotten lucky. When that shard stabbed you, it was already disconnected from the rest of the Moonstone. If you’d come into contact with the whole thing, the sheer volume of energy might have overwhelmed you. But as is… It wasn’t so different from Ondine’s own experiments.”

“Wait,” Gideon said, looking towards Ondine and raising his bandaged hand. “You mean, you stabbed people with the Moonstone on purpose?”

She clasped her hands in front of her. “Sometimes. In other cases, the Moonstone fragments were ground to dust and ingested. But yes, I did perform tests to see what the Moonstone was capable of. Lady Harmony had her own theories about its potential, but she was more cautious in her methods. Her work was sadly left unfinished when she passed. After we perished, I took a more aggressive approach to the studies. I… In my desperation, I did things I regret. The last trial was over a hundred years ago. Ultimately, my experiments weren’t successful.”

“After Ondine’s last attempt,” Kelvan said, “I forbid her from using the Moonstone again. I believed she would end up creating something that was entirely out of our control.” He paused to consider this, looking down at Gideon’s bandaged hand. “But you’re clearly out of control already, so how much more harm can you do?” In the mirror, he leaned back in his chair and laughed.

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Gideon said. “Thanks, Uncle Kelvan.”

“You’re welcome, Nephew. In any event, your path is the same as we had planned. Study and training. The stronger you become, the more control you have, the better.”

“So, I don’t suppose there’s a way to reverse Moon-Touch myself, is there?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Kelvan said.

“Is it really an artifact of Celestra?”

“I wish I knew.” Gideon found it strange to hear his uncle admit not knowing something. He couldn’t think of another time he’d ever done so. Gideon had assumed, somewhat foolishly, that his uncle knew everything under the sun. “It’s been here so long its origins are shrouded in mystery.”

“So what do I do about it?” Gideon asked, looking down at his hand. “Am I going to be okay?”

“Better than okay!” Kelvan said. “Probably. Or perhaps you’ll be consumed by madness like most of Ondine’s experiments.” He stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Hard to say, yet.”

“Oh gods,” Gideon sighed.

“A little insanity builds character, anyhow,” Kelvan offered.

“We’re not going to let that happen,” Ondine said, glaring at Kelvan. “I will share everything I know with you, Gideon, scant though it may be. In the meantime, try not to draw on its power and stay away from the rest of the crystal.”

“Try not to draw on its power?” Gideon said. “I don’t even know how I would!”

“Perfect,” Ondine said and clapped her ghostly hands together. There was no sound. “You shouldn’t have any problems, then. Most of my disasters occurred when my test subjects drank too deeply from the well. Just let me know if you have any apocalyptic dreams or prophetic visions. Or any sudden delusions of grandeur. Like if you want to conquer the world.”

“As if that’s such a bad thing,” Kelvan said, and rolled his eyes. “Anyway, congratulations on level ten, Nephew. That’s a big milestone.”

“Wait, I did?” Gideon exclaimed. He hadn’t even thought to check the notifications he’d dismissed during the battle.

Skill Grade Increase! Your proficiency in Spiritweft has increased to Copper Rank, Grade B. Skill Grade Increase! Your proficiency in Manasculpting has increased to Silver Rank, Grade C. Skill Rank Increase! Your proficiency in Geomancy has increased to Gold Rank, Grade D. Level up! You have gained one attribute point, and your mana core has permanently strengthened.

He couldn’t help but smile as he read them. Not only did he have another attribute point to assign, he’d reached Gold in geomancy. It was the perfect time to focus on Vitamancy as his next school of study.

But that could wait until tomorrow. For the moment, he felt exhausted.

As if sensing his fatigue, Kelvan clapped his hands on his knees and began to float towards the door. “You should get some rest, Nephew. You’re going to need it, mini—I mean, manager.” He smiled. “As much as I hoped we could put this whole bed and breakfast business behind us, I think you’ve forced my hand. Consider your promotion permanent.”

“Manager, huh? I like the sound of that. All those years at EnviroCharm, and I never got promoted…” Gideon yawned as another wave of fatigue washed over him. How long had it been since he’d had a proper night’s rest?

“Sleep well, Gideon,” Uncle Kelvan said before adding quietly, “The promotion doesn’t come with a raise, by the way, so don’t ask.”

Gideon sighed. “To give me a raise, Uncle, you’d have to pay me something in the first place.”

“Oh,” Kelvan said, and to Gideon’s surprise, he looked almost embarrassed for a moment. “Mr. Stormrider gave me another bag of cash as thanks for his rescue, so… I suppose… I would have to run the numbers, of course… But… I think I may be able to offer you a stipend in return for your hard work. Conditional on the success of our business venture.”

“Wait, really?” Gideon said. “That sounds great. Thank you!” He lay back in bed and closed his eyes. “You’re right, though, Uncle. A nice, long nap would do me good.”

“So, when do I get a salary?” Clonk asked.

“I thought you served out of a sense of honor and duty, Sir Clonk,” Kelvan said.

“I used to,” Clonk replied, “until I realized there was a better option.”

“He wants a new telescope,” Gideon said. “You should get him one.”

“By the mercy of the gods,” Kelvan muttered. “Give a coin, and they’ll take the whole hoard!”

“I could use some cash, too, Lord Kelvan,” Grimsby said. “Maybe a new hat? A nice patterned apron?”

“Well, if we’re talking wardrobe, I really need—” Clonk began before being cut off.

“That’s enough!” Kelvan shouted, the sound reverberating throughout the room. “From now on, all budget, salary, and staffing decisions will be made by the hotel manager. Good luck, Gideon.”

Gideon opened his eyes just in time to see Kelvan float out of the room, chuckling. Once again, his Uncle had outmaneuvered him. As Gideon’s eyes met the pleading looks of Grimsby and Clonk, he sighed.

Even Ondine, floating by the window, was looking at him expectantly. “You know, Gideon, there are some upgrades to the greenhouse that I think would be quite useful.”

Gideon was far too tired to deal with any of this. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” he said. “Please?”

“We’ll hold you to that,” Clonk said.

“I’m sure you will,” Gideon replied, grinning.

After everyone had left, Gideon finally lay back and closed his eyes for good. Though he had no idea what tomorrow would bring, for today at least, he’d earned his rest. As he drifted off, he couldn’t help but agree with Mr. Whitfield.

The bed was, indeed, far more comfortable than the ground.

End of Part One