He’d made the simple trek back to Kinney every week for five years but it felt different this time. Lohmen was still coming back to an empty house but he’d been out in the world. He was riding a different horse. And he hadn’t emerged from the woods just before town this time, he’d taken the road the entire way. He didn’t slump in the saddle as he had after his failed trips, he sat a little taller, excited to see Tolo.

Grelda was exactly as Lohmen remembered. Even though the light was fading, she was out tending to her garden and waved to Lohmen as he trotted down the road toward her. Lohmen dismounted Mite and tied her to a fence rail and greeted the first familiar face he’d seen in a long time.

“Well, I say, Paint. It’s good to see you. Gosh, it’s been what three moons since you left?”

“Almost four and a half I think. How have you been?” he replied.

They exchanged pleasantries and Lohmen gave her a brief account of where he’d been.

He told his stories of the fight. Of his face. The portal in the crypt. But as he spoke he found Grelda less interested than she ought to be. She was the peak of exuberance over a simple trip to Munnum before he left. But on this night, she was a shadow of herself and a gave a symphony of feigned uh-huhs and oh-my’s in response to Lohmen’s tales.

“What is it, Grelda. What’s wrong.” Lohmen finally asked. Grelda’s eyes quickly darted to the ground and for the first time, she seemed at a loss for words.

“Ahem,” she started. “It’s Tolo, Lohmen. She’s really not well.” Lohmen dropped his bags right there at the front of the house and bolted back to Grelda’s stables. Tolo was lying in a bed of hay. There was bucket of water and bag of oats near her head and were nearly full to the brim. She wasn’t a big horse but after having ridden the massive Mite his emaciated Tolo looked positively tiny. Lohmen dropped to his knees near her head and rubbed her neck.

“Hey Girl, I’m so sorry.” He started. Tolo’s eyes whipped opened and she let out a soft whinnie. She wriggled a bit in the hay trying to get her feet beneath her to stand.

“It’s okay, Tolo. You just stay right there,” Lohmen said with a hand on her shoulder. Tolo relaxed and lowered head back into the hay. He stood briefly and moved a bit of hay around and then Lohmen stretched out on the bed of the stable, his head under Tolo’s neck.

They lay there quietly for sometime and then Lohmen began talking. He recounted much the same stories he had told Grelda. Tolo let out a little snort when Lohmen mentioned riding Mite.

“Yeah, I know.” Lohmen whispered back in reassurance, “He can’t replace you.”

Eventually the pair drifted to sleep, horse and rider in the stables behind Grelda’s house.

At dawn, the sun broke over the horizing and poured into the stables. Lohmen’s eyes squinted open against the light as he reached over his shoulder to give Tolo a pat. He felt the silky, aged hide of his horse, but there was no warmth. He scrambled to his knees, facing Tolo, and put a hand to on her chest, just above her front leg but the familiar thump-thump of her heat wasn’t to be found.

***

Sometime later, Grelda came out with a cup of tea and few biscuits for Lohmen and found him in the stables. He was still talking to her, but stopped when he noticed his neighbour was present.

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“I’ve lost her, Grelda.” He said without turning to face her. He ran the back of his hand under his eyes, and stood to greet her. “I’ve lost everyone.” Grelda set her tray and put a hand on his shoulder.

“She was waiting for you, Lohmen. I’ve never seen a horse hang on so long. You got to say goodbye to each other.”

Lohmen opened his mouth, but stopped and cleared his throat. Then with a shaky voice was able to ask a question.

“Was she suffering? Why didn’t I come back sooner.”

“I made sure she was comfortable, don’t worry. I lived next to a herbalist for years. Picked up a few things I suppose.” Grelda said as she smiled warmly. Lohmen nodded in thanks and then let a groaning sigh.

Eventually, they made arrangements to have Tolo buried behind Lohmen’s house. Grelda had a few lads from the village helping her with her gardening and she had enlisted them to help. It’s no easy feat to dig a suitable grave and move the body of horse, even one on the smallish side as far as horse go. Later that day, they’d manuevered Tolo into the grave and the Grelda’s men excused themselves.

“I’ve not always been kind to you Grelda, especially after Thesdon and Kariah left. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright Lohmen. You’re a good man. Whatever happened, however it happened. You’re a good man. And a good neighbour. You can’t cook for shit, Kariah was much better at that, but a good neighbour.”

The pair chuckled softly and Grelda left Lohmen to say goodbye, one last time. With a rusty old shovel, Lohmen began the process of burying his best friend.

It was late afternoon when he’d the replaced the last bit of earth. He didn’t have anything to mark her grave with until he found a small, mostly unremarkable rock. It wasn’t big, or shaped interestingly but it did have beautiful, if not subtle ripples of other coloured minerals and stone within it. He placed it at the head of the grave, along side the bag of oats and an apple he had picked up on the way into town. He wiped his cheeks one more time and let out a long controlled breath and stood.

Grelda had gone into town for some errand or another, and Lohmen’s attention turned to the world outside. Tolo was gone, but there was still a chance Thesdon was out there. And alive.

It was time to leave the island continent and venture out into the realms. Lohmen collected his things, and went back to Grelda’s house to retrieve (HORSE). The backdoor to Grelda’s was open, and stepped inside. He pulled out his Lord’s purse, which had gotten lighter as he travelled but still had an impressive sum. He put the purse on the table and took out a few dozen Lords that he’d need to get him to the Iron Bank in Onny. On a piece of parchment he found nearby he wrote a thank you note.

Grelda,

Thank you for taking care of Tolo. I’m travelling to Onny and will find passage to the rest of the world. Thesdon is out there somewhere. At least I have to believe that.

I don’t know that we’ll see each other again.

Take these Lords and my house, and use them to spoil your future grandchildren.

- Lohmen / Paint.