Calista was stunned. The deception of the past few months was hitting her now as each scene began to play back in her mind. He had first told her about the move over dinner at a fancy restaurant. She had told him she supported anything that advanced his career, especially if it was what he wanted (even if she secretly did not want him to go). She had brought takeout to help him shop for condos online. She had talked to him about her finding a job in the same city one day, perhaps after he had gotten settled. He had hinted at her moving in with him. She had helped him auction some of his stuff. She had helped carry boxes when he moved out.

Now this. This woman standing in front of her was all a part of it. The deception. The lies. Had he been hooking up with her before the move? Had they been chatting online? Did he really move to be with her?

“Hey,” Lefty’s voice came from behind them, “I just want to make the observation that you’ve both obviously been lied to and so it would probably be mutually beneficial if you just talked things out like adults and like …”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP LEFTY, I’M GONNA KILL THIS BITCH!” Calista roared. However, when she looked back at Narene, the medusa was weeping through her cloth blindfold.

“I had no idea he had a girlfriend,” she sobbed. “Why does this always happen to me!”

Lefty stepped up beside the two of them. “See? We could interrogate this poor woman all night, but she probably wants to kill him just as badly as you do.”

Calista glared at the mage. “I’m killing her. I don’t care what you say.”

Lefty rolled his eyes. “You’re not thinking clearly. You need to look at what we have here …”

Narene cried, “He said he saw a future! He said he loved my dog!”

Lefty held his hand toward the medusa. “You see? This woman is obviously a good person. Maybe a little daddy issues, but probably totally a good person. It’s all just a misunderstanding. Crappy men and their crappy games and all that. All we needed to do now is agree we all have some common ground and …”

Calista waved her sword at the mage. “She’s going to tell us how to get back to Blake’s little lair and then we’re going to toss her down the portable hole to the bottom of that cavern and see if she floats.”

Lefty let out an exasperated sigh, “You know if you could hear yourself …”

“I bought a dog,” Narene sobbed. “His name is Junior. He’s just a puppy! He’s going to be fatherless!”

Lefty turned toward the medusa. “Okay, you’re not helping things here. You need to get a hold of yourself, lady.”

Narene threw her head back, “We were building a life together. Why does this always happen to me.”

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“You said that already,” Lefty turned back to Calista. “Listen, this is going to be a lot easier if we have a living guide and not a dead one. What do you say?”

“I just wanted one relationship to work,” Narene huffed. “For once. Just once … why doesn’t anyone think about Junior?”

“Quiet!” Both Calista and Lefty snapped in unison.

Calista was beginning to feel her anger cool. She wasn’t exactly a dog person and she knew Blake wasn’t either. She looked at the mage and nodded toward the other wall.

Together, they quietly walked away as Narene, sobbing, sank to her knees.

Once they reached the wall, Lefty gave Calista a stern expression as he whispered, “Look, I’m not saying we have to let her live, but we don’t have to kill her right here either. Okay?

So stop telling her you’re going to kill her so she cooperates.”

Calista took a deep breath, “You’re right. I might have lost my cool a bit back there.”

Lefty nodded, “Which is understandable, all things considered.”

“Can we at least take her gear?” Calista asked.

Lefty held up his hands, “Hey if she’s got another mana potion or two on her, I could use one. I, for one, have no intention of undoing her blindfold or her bonds.”

“Good,” Calista said. “At least we can agree on that. Do you really think she’s going to help us kill him?”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Lefty asked.

“Because she’s clearly in love with him and she might think that if she can kill me that she can keep him,” Calista replied.

Lefty put his hands on his hips. “Why would she think that?”

“Because she’s a woman and sometimes that’s how women think. We think that if we can eliminate the competition we can have the man all to ourselves.”

Lefty blinked in disbelief.

“I mean …” Calista shook her head, “… haven’t you ever had a girlfriend?”

“I … I don’t know if I’m terribly comfortable talking about my personal life right now, but yes, I’ve had a girlfriend. I just haven’t ever heard that one before.”

“You obviously don’t know that much about women.”

“Well, I’ve never been a woman.”

Calista shrugged, “Point taken.”

Lefty looked back at the medusa crying on the floor. “Okay, so what do you want to do here? Escort her at sword point and see if she can guide us through this place blindfolded, or what?”

“Well,” Calista said, “you were the one who said we should let her live, so I thought you had a plan.”

Lefty bit his lip. “And I guess this is the part of the conversation where I tell you I don’t.”

“Okay …” Calista thought about this. He had a good point. They couldn’t trust her with her eyes uncovered, but they also couldn’t expect her to lead them through a trap and monster

infested dungeon without the ability to see. “… this type of scenario isn’t exactly in the Delver handbook.”

Lefty raised an eyebrow. “There’s a Delver handbook?”

“No,” Calista shook her head, “but right now I kinda wish there was.”

Lefty looked back at the medusa. “Well … I don’t have a lot of mana points left, but I happen to have just enough left to try a polymorph spell.”

Calista’s eyes went wide. “That’s … that’s the best idea you’ve had all night.”