And that’s where my adventure with the Fracture ended. Sure, we still had to get away from Pingo’s palace with a sack-full of treasures that included the crystal balls the Fracture had left behind as well as a number of other things Pingo no longer needed.

But the orcs hadn’t yet returned from Brelor, which left only a few servants guarding the palace. And with Pingo gone, they were much more interested in looting the place than stopping us from doing the same. So we took what we could carry (fortunately, Gabby had brought the horses with her to Pingo’s palace) and headed back towards Ulm.

I had plenty of time to think along the way. From one point of view, the Fracture was a bust. It hadn’t really shown me anything new. But it had confirmed some things, and there was something it hadn’t shown that I thought was significant: it hadn’t shown me to be part demon.

What it had shown was the image of the dragon. And here’s the thing: I had a tail. The slight mottling on my skin, in certain lights, looked like scales. And I apparently had an affinity for fire.

Was it possible that there was dragon blood somehow mixed with mine? It would certainly explain a lot. But if so, that just raised another question: how?

I was still trying to work it all out when we reached the edge of the town. Both Gabby and I reined in.

We looked at each other.

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

“So,” she said.

There was an awkward pause.

“Yes,” I replied.

More awkwardness.

“You’re leaving me, then?” I asked.

She nodded, a bit sadly. “You could stay for a while,” she said. But she knew I couldn’t. Not really. I was still a wanted man in Ulm. And besides, I now had a new mystery to solve—and I didn’t think I would find the answer to how I happened to have dragon blood in me in Ulm.

But I’d grown used to her being around.

“You could come with me,” I replied.

She shook her head. “This is my home. I like it here. I want to rebuild my tavern.” And with what we’d taken from Pingo’s palace, she would be able to do that easily enough.

I nodded. “Well,” I said. I couldn’t help but think about the possible future that the Fracture had shown me. Gabby and me, side by side but old and gray. So much for that, I thought.

“Yes,” she replied.

It appeared that neither of us wanted to say goodbye.

That’s when Max piped up from where he sat between the ears of Gabby’s mount. “If the both of yehs are done makin’ eyes at each other, do yeh think we can get on with it? I wanna go home!”

It was then that I realized I was losing two traveling companions rather than just the one. I’d probably never see them again. Either of them. And the thought made me surprisingly sad.

Max must have interpreted my expression correctly. Or maybe he was having second thoughts of his own.

“I gotta admit though, these last few days ain’t been boring,” he said. Then he hesitated. “Maybe...” he began, but then he stopped.

“Maybe what?” I asked.

He didn’t look at me. “Maybe I’ll stick around for a bit longer. If yeh don’t have no objections, of course.”

I didn’t know what to say. “What about your wife?” I asked.

He squirmed a little. “She never liked me that much anyway,” he said.

I couldn’t help it. I started to grin. I didn’t know what shape the next adventure was going to take, but with Max along I knew it would be fun!